#ThrowbackThursday. Mary Lawson's first books

 

I have read all of Mary Lawson's books to date and today I will present you the two first ones that I read more than ten years ago.

Lawson, Mary "Crow Lake" - 2002

I've read this book at least three times, the first time when I borrowed it, the second time when we read it in the international book club and then again with my German book club. I really, really loved this novel.

This is the story of a girl who is raised by her two older brothers and it describes the struggle they go through on their way to adulthood. The book combines everything, tragedy, drama, love story, sacrifices, the "togetherness" of a small community. The characters are well written, and so are the episodes.

We discussed this in our international book club in March 2004 and in my German book club in March 2023.

Lawson, Mary "The Other Side of the Bridge" - 2006

I loved this just as much as Crow Lake.

The biggest topic of the book was the sibling rivalry, two brothers growing up on a farm in Canada in the 1930s, the mother favouring the younger son for various reasons. Then there is the generational conflict, the change of time, farm work now and then, modernization, parents' expectations in their children, small town life, prisoners of war, lots of different issues.

We discussed this in our international book club in September 2008.

You can find the subsequent novels by Mary Lawson here.

Read my original reviews here and here. 

Lawson, Mary "A Town Called Solace"

Lawson, Mary "A Town Called Solace" - 2021

I've been looking forward for this book to appear as a paperback for as long as it has been announced to be published. I have read all of Mary Lawson's books and this one was just as excellent as all her others. She has been recommended to me a long time ago by a dear Canadian friend who also was called Mary and who has passed away since. So, reading her books always reminds me of my friend (not that I need a special reminder).

I thought the story was captivating, one of the rare books where I was really tempted to read further toward the end because I wanted to know what's going to happen. But I know how much that spoils the enjoyment of a book so I never give in.

Three people tell their stories. At the beginning, they don't seem to have much in common. Seven year old Clara is Elizabeth's neighbour and looks after her cat while the elderly woman is in hospital. Liam knew Elizabeth when he was little, or rather the other way around because he doesn't seem to remember much about that time.

Life in small town "Solace" isn't as picturesque as some people want to describe life in those places. And so, all three of them have to handle their problems.

Nobody in Mary Lawson's exceptionally good novels seems to be without problems, and that makes her stories so believable. You get to know the characters so well because she has a unique way of portraying them. You can't but like Clara, Elizabeth and Liam. And dislike those a little bit who make their lives so difficult. Reading this book is almost like living there yourself.

Through her stories, these characters and their town come to life. She writes thought-provoking novels. I hope she'll continue doing this for a long time.

From the back cover:

"Clara's rebellious older sister is missing. Grief-stricken and bewildered, she yearns to uncover the truth about what happened.

Liam, newly divorced and newly unemployed, moves into the house next door and within hours gets a visit from the police.

Elizabeth is thinking about a crime committed thirty years ago, one that had tragic consequences for two families. She desperately wants to make amends before she dies."

This book was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2021. It certainly would have deserved the prize but I believe the Booker people have another way of choosing their winners as I would.

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2020

"Top Ten Tuesday" is an original feature/weekly meme created on the blog "The Broke and the Bookish". This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at "The Broke and the Bookish".

It is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Since I am just as fond of them as they are, I jump at the chance to share my lists with them! Have a look at their page, there are lots of other bloggers who share their lists here.

Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2020

I'm not necessarily waiting for a certain next book unless it's a sequel. That's especially difficult with German ones since here books first get published in hardback and only years later (at least it seems like it) in paperback.

Anyway, I have checked out recommendations on Goodreads and also looked out for new books by some of my favourite living authors and come up with the following list. Some of the books might not appear this next half of the year but they are about to be published.

Abulhawa, Susan "Against the Loveless World"

Follett, Ken "The Evening and the Morning" (prequel to "The Pillars of the Earth")

Hansen, Dörte "Mittagsstunde" [Lunchtime]

Lawson, Mary "Before the Snow". I think this was published as "A Town Called Solace"

Oates, Joyce Carol "Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars."

Osman, Richard "The Thursday Murder Club"

Pamuk, Orhan "The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist"

Rutherfurd, Edward "China"

 Weir, Alison "Katheryn Howard: The Tainted Queen"

These are some of the books that will appear soon. There are lots of authors where I would love to read a new book … if only they would write one.

Lawson, Mary "Road Ends"

Lawson, Mary "Road Ends" - 2013

After reading "Crow Lake" and "The Other Side of the Bridge", I was really looking forward to another Mary Lawson book. I like the author for her realistic description of the characters and their actions. Even though her former books were situated in Canada only (where I've never been), I could always connect to them. Now, this one takes place partly in London, England, as well, a place I do know quite well. So, it made it even more exciting to compare.

What an interesting story, not just about young Megan who leaves Canada for England but also and especially about the family she leaves behind, her father, brother, but mostly her mother. A story about mental illness in a time where that was such a taboo, people wouldn't acknowledge it anywhere.

I always love novels narrated by several different characters and this is just one like this. And I also love Mary Lawson's style. Can't wait for her next one again.

And, of course, what I do like about the book, as well, there are a few readers in the novel, they mention the following books:
Alcott, Louisa May "Little Women"
Hardy, Thomas "Jude the Obscure"
Melville, Herman "Moby Dick"
Mitchell, Margaret "Gone with the Wind"
Salinger, J.D. "The Catcher in the Rye"
Service, Robert "The Cremation of Sam McGee"
Steinbeck, John "The Grapes of Wrath"

See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2025.

From the back cover:

"Twenty-one-year-old Megan Cartwright has never been outside the small town she was born in but one winter’s day in 1966 she leaves everything behind and sets out for London. Ahead of her is a glittering new life, just waiting for her to claim it. But left behind, her family begins to unravel. Disturbing letters from home begin to arrive and torn between her independence and family ties, Megan must make an impossible choice."

Lawson, Mary "The Other Side of the Bridge"

Lawson, Mary "The Other Side of the Bridge" - 2006

After I read the first book by Mary Lawson, "Crow Lake", I had to read this one. I loved it just as much. I've heard people who said this one was better and maybe it is, I just wouldn't be able to tell which one was the greater one. Anyway, must think of more comments which is difficult as I don't want to give away too much.

We then discussed it in our book club a couple of years later.

The biggest topic of the book was the sibling rivalry, two brothers growing up on a farm in Canada in the 1930s, the mother favouring the younger son for various reasons. Then there is the generational conflict, the change of time, farm work now and then, modernization, parents' expectations in their children, small town life, prisoners of war, lots of different issues.

One of our book club members said this was like watching a film. The fact that it was a slower paced book still meant you could read it quite quickly. We got great looks at the characters, saw the different strengths and weaknesses, tragedies. We all know many towns like that. The way the author introduced the different families and how they interconnected was considered interesting.

The book made us think, the humour in it was good, the end was a bit rushed. A lot of the farm description reminded of grandparents (or parents in case of us more "mature" members).

From the back cover:

"Arthur and Jake: brothers, yet worlds apart. Arthur is older, shy, dutiful, and set to inherit his father's farm. Jake is younger and reckless, a dangerous to know. When Laura arrives in their 1930s rural community, an already uneasy relationship is driven to breaking point..."

If you liked  "Crow Lake", this is the book for you. I think everyone will find something personal in this novel.

We discussed this in our international book club in September 2008.

See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2023.

Lawson, Mary "Crow Lake"

Lawson, Mary "Crow Lake" - 2002

I've read this book at least three times, the first time when I borrowed it, the second time when we read it in the international book club and then again with my German book club. I really, really loved this novel. Although it had been my suggestion, two other members had read it and confirmed this choice, so it was taken into our reading list. I think it was one of the two only books we read that year that everybody enjoyed.

This is the story of a girl who is raised by her two older brothers and it describes the struggle they go through on their way to adulthood. The book combines everything, tragedy, drama, love story, sacrifices, the "togetherness" of a small community. The characters are well written, and so are the episodes.

A lot of the everyday childhood stories reminded me of my own. I thought the children must have been about my age and a lot of the rural life in Canada must have been similar to the rural life everywhere else in the world, well, at least in the western world. Mind you, not everyone in the book club agreed with that, the younger ones thought they had been their age. I loved the book and so did everyone else because it made No. 1 on our Favourite Books' List of that year.

From the back cover:

"Crow Lake is that rare find, a first novel so quietly assured, so compelling, and with an emotional charge so perfectly controlled, that you sense at once that this is the real thing - a literary experience to relish, a book to lose yourself in, and a name to watch.

Here is a gorgeous, slowburning story of families growing up and tearing each other apart in rural Northern Ontario, where tragedy and hardship are mirrored in the landscape. Centre stage are the Morrisons whose tragedy is insidious and divisive. Orphaned young, Kate Morrison was her older brother Matt's protegee, her curious fascination for pond-life fed by his passionate interest in the natural world. Now a zoologist, she can identify organisms under a microscope, but seems blind to the tragedy of her own emotional life. She thinks she's outgrown her family, who were once her entire world - but she can't seem to outgrow her childhood or lighten the weight of their mutual past."

We discussed this in our international book club in March 2004 and in my German book club in March 2023.

I have also read other novels by Mary Lawson, you can find the reviews here.

See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2023.