David Adams Richards’ Governor General’s Award-winning novel is a powerful tale of resignation and struggle, fierce loyalties and compassion. This book is the first in Richards’ acclaimed Miramichi trilogy. Set in a small mill town in northern New Brunswick, it draws us into the lives of a community of people who live there, including: Joe Walsh, isolated and strong in the face of a drinking problem; his wife, Rita, willing to believe the best about people; and their teenage daughter Adele, whose nature is rebellious and wise, and whose love for her father wars with her desire for independence. Richards’ unforgettable characters are linked together in conflict, and in inarticulate love and understanding. Their plight as human beings is one we share.
WINNER OF THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD FOR FICTION
“David Adams Richards has illuminated the human struggle for love and belonging.” —Maclean’s
“Richards depicts his characters with such searing fidelity that we are forced to marvel at his talent.” —Globe and Mail
“An exploration of the nature of love and the process of redemption.” —Ottawa Citizen
“A warning label should be attached to every copy: You’ll hate for this book to end.” —Halifax Daily News
"The book must be honored for characters who brazenly step right off the pages into the reader's hearts." —Montreal Gazette
"Richards [is] a unique and original voice in Canadian literature." —Hamilton Spectator
"David Adams Richards has, like Steinbeck and Faulkner, gained a solid literary reputation while confining his novels to a people and place he knows really well." —Winnipeg Free Press
"Movingly human and satisfying." —Calgary Herald
"One of Richard's best works. . . . His voice is one of the most powerful and necessary to be found in Canadian fiction today." —Ottawa Citizen
"Richards is a very good writer who can give us with superb precision the feel and atmosphere of his time and place." —Kingston Whig-Standard
"He knows how to use his powers of observation and sympathy to reveal his characters' inner lives." —Toronto Star
"[Richards] is required reading for anyone who believes life is far too serious to be treated with solemnity." —Atlantic Provinces Book Review
David Adams Richards’ Governor General’s Award-winning novel is a powerful tale of resignation and struggle, fierce loyalties and compassion. This book is the first in Richards’ acclaimed Miramichi trilogy. Set in a small mill town in northern New Brunswick, it draws us into the lives of a community of people who live there, including: Joe Walsh, isolated and strong in the face of a drinking problem; his wife, Rita, willing to believe the best about people; and their teenage daughter Adele, whose nature is rebellious and wise, and whose love for her father wars with her desire for independence. Richards’ unforgettable characters are linked together in conflict, and in inarticulate love and understanding. Their plight as human beings is one we share.
WINNER OF THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD FOR FICTION
“David Adams Richards has illuminated the human struggle for love and belonging.” —Maclean’s
“Richards depicts his characters with such searing fidelity that we are forced to marvel at his talent.” —Globe and Mail
“An exploration of the nature of love and the process of redemption.” —Ottawa Citizen
“A warning label should be attached to every copy: You’ll hate for this book to end.” —Halifax Daily News
"The book must be honored for characters who brazenly step right off the pages into the reader's hearts." —Montreal Gazette
"Richards [is] a unique and original voice in Canadian literature." —Hamilton Spectator
"David Adams Richards has, like Steinbeck and Faulkner, gained a solid literary reputation while confining his novels to a people and place he knows really well." —Winnipeg Free Press
"Movingly human and satisfying." —Calgary Herald
"One of Richard's best works. . . . His voice is one of the most powerful and necessary to be found in Canadian fiction today." —Ottawa Citizen
"Richards is a very good writer who can give us with superb precision the feel and atmosphere of his time and place." —Kingston Whig-Standard
"He knows how to use his powers of observation and sympathy to reveal his characters' inner lives." —Toronto Star
"[Richards] is required reading for anyone who believes life is far too serious to be treated with solemnity." —Atlantic Provinces Book Review
