Canada

Raidergirl3 is a Canadian and suggest these books, together, as the "quintessential Canadian novel."

"Bernice Morgan's novel Random Passage and the sequel, Waiting for Time.  Together, they encompass our rough history with nature, and also our desire to know our history, where we came from and who we are.  Random Passage is a story of the outposts of Newfoundland, as a woman comes to investigate her heritage.  It is told in flashback and describes the very primitive life of the fishers in Newfoundland and how they eked out a living.  I read these books about ten years ago and remember really enjoying them.  Canada - recognizing our history, dealing with nature, and vast in scope."

Canada

Booklogged said on her blog A Reader's Journey, "Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan ... is a masterpiece, worthy to be called a classic. Barometer is set in Halifax, Nova Scotia during WWI. The book encompasses only eight days during the first part of December in 1917. There was a wonderful sense of place, so much so that I could feel the damp coldness, picture the overcast grey sky and hear the boats churning in the bay. The pace of the story continues to build towards the real life catastrophic explosion that occurred in the bay and had such a devastating effect on Halifax."

Penelope Wain believes that her lover, Neil Macrae, has been killed while serving overseas under her father. That he died apparently in disgrace does not alter her love for him, even though her father is insistent on his guilt. What neither Penelope or her father knows is that Neil is not dead, but has returned to Halifax to clear his name. Hugh MacLennan’s first novel is a compelling romance set against the horrors of wartime and the catastrophic Halifax Explosion of December 6, 1917.

Canada

Juliette said, "I have, in my opinion, an excellent choice for Canada and that is having read Blind Assassin as well! My choice so far would be The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson. Gorgeously written by a native of Canada who now lives in South London Mary Lawson thouroughly researched her setting. A fine story of the joys and sorrows of life, relationships and shocking events. Set in the author’s native Canada this book centres on the invented town of Struan. I use the word centres deliberately. The characters are fixed on their ‘place’ and the narrative reflects time and again the impact of life and the characters’ perceptions of life beyond their town. It is not only the characters who reflect, it was myself reading and taking in their point of view that made me ponder how differently the second world war must have seemed to those living lives so very far away, in such different circumstances. Much of Mary Lawson’s prose is almost understated yet at the same time tremendously powerful. She intertwines a sense of place with her characters’ sense of belonging and a way of life that may or may not continue. When Pete and Ian sit eye to eye with a myriad of dragonflies on a ledge formed of rock three billion years old, their communing with nature is almost palpable.

The whole story encourages the reader to question the values by which we live and the influences that are brought to bear upon us as we make what turn out to be life changing decisions. As Ian thought about Jake following his return ‘it was hard to imagine Struan or anything in it being a part of Jake. He didn’t look as if he had ever belonged’. Yet Ian envied him, was taken in by his outward countenance and thought that he was ‘someone who had all the answers’. This novel painted a real sense of place for me, place in time and the changing nature of place for us all wherever we are. Pete, who had a breadth of knowledge and understanding that Ian admired, chose to stay in that sacred place to make sure the tourists did not find all the best places to fish. This book raises questions of sustainability for caring for our ‘place’, wherever that may be and however each one of us interprets that sense of place. An excellent book that will reverberate within me for some time."

Here's what the publishers says:

The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson weaves together the stories of two families as they seek solace and redemption across two generations. Set against the backdrop of northern Ontario’s haunting landscapes, the book opens with an unforgettable image of Arthur and Jake Dunn, two brothers whose jealousies will take them beyond the edge of reason, to a deadly point of no return. The sons of a farmer, they come of age during the 1930s, when money is tight and a world war is looming. When a beautiful young woman named Laura moves into their community, she unwittingly propels their sibling rivalry to its breaking point. Years later, the local doctor’s son, Ian, takes a job at the Dunn farm. His mother has left the family, and he develops a troubling attachment to Laura. As he desperately searches for direction in his own life, he stumbles onto a secret that forever alters the course of Arthur’s. With vivid scenes and stunning twists, this is a novel rich with conversation topics.

Canada

Bonnie said, "Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather takes us to Quebec, Canada. Reading this novel made me want to see the rock of Quebec. You can read my review of this book HERE."

Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather is set at the end of the 17th century in Quebec. This novel describes the quiet, isolated life of Cecile Auclair and her father, the town apothecary.

Canada

cbjames said, "I would like to suggest Carol Shields for Canada. The Stone Diaries is terrific."

The Stone Diaries is Carol Shields's most celebrated work and one of the most critically acclaimed and successful novels of the past two decades. A fictional autobiography of an ordinary woman, this multi-award-winning book (Pulitzer Prize, National Book Critics Circle Award, and Governor-General's Award) serves as a record of the last century. Daisy Goodwill is on a journey of self-discovery. From her last days in a Florida nursing home she looks back in an attempt to make sense of her life story. Her birth in a turn of the century farmhouse is a shock, born to a woman so obese she doesn't even realize she is pregnant. Widowed on her honeymoon after her husband takes his own life, there is another marriage, children and a beloved hobby that becomes a career, of sorts. It is a life like any other, filled with the richness of human relations and the sting of disappointments both big and small. The beauty of this work lies in the details, the tiny brushstrokes of character and setting, at which Carol Shields is the undisputed master.

Canada

Jill said, "I also enjoyed Atwood's The Blind Assassin, which is also set in Canada. You can find my review here."

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood opens with these simple, resonant words: "Ten days after the war ended, my sister drove a car off the bridge." They are spoken by Iris, whose terse account of her sister Laura's death in 1945 is followed by an inquest report proclaiming the death accidental. But just as the reader expects to settle into Laura's story, Atwood introduces a novel-within-a-novel. Entitled The Blind Assassin, it is a science fiction story told by two unnamed lovers who meet in dingy backstreet rooms. When we return to Iris, it is through a 1947 newspaper article announcing the discovery of a sailboat carrying the dead body of her husband, a distinguished industrialist.

Canada

Wendy said, "Margaret Atwood is a renowned Canadian author. Her book Alias Grace is a fabulous read that fictionalizes a true life crime case in Canada. You can find my review for this book here."

Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer, Thomas Kinnear, and Nancy Montgomery, his housekeeper and mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others think her evil or insane. Now serving a life sentence, Grace claims to have no memory of the murders.

Dr. Simon Jordan, an up-and-coming expert in the burgeoning field of mental illness, is engaged by a group of reformers and spiritualists who seek a pardon for Grace. He listens to her story while bringing her closer and closer to the day she cannot remember. What will he find in attempting to unlock her memories? Is Grace a female fiend? A bloodthirsty femme fatale? Or is she the victim of circumstances?
__________

Jill said, "I just finished Alias Grace and enjoyed it. Here is my review."

Canada

Bonnie said, "I really enjoyed reading Latitudes of Melt by Joan Clark, a book about the eastern seaboard of Canada. Here's my review of the book, if you want to read it."

In the year 1912, a baby girl is found adrift on an ice floe in the North Atlantic. She is rescued by a fisherman and brought up on the austere Newfoundland coast. Aurora is an unusual little girl who grows up, marries a lighthouse keeper, and has two children: Nancy, who is headstrong and wants to be everything her mother isn't, and Stanley, who becomes an expert on icebergs. Nancy's daughter, Sheila, is the one who wants to find out about her grandmother Aurora's mysterious past and why she was on the ice in 1912 ... shortly after the sinking of the Titanic.