Come Thou Tortoise

Come, Thou Tortoise (Random House of Canada, 2009) by Jessica Grant
A cross-country plane trip to the bedside of a father in a coma in Newfoundland; a pet tortoise, Winnifred, left at the mercy of an unreliable friend in Oregon. Life holds its challenges for Audrey (a.k.a. Oddly) Flowers, the narrator of Jessica Grant's first novel. Book Club member Lorrie Morris called it "...a beautifully funny, quirky, poignant story that made me laugh as I cried... it is one of my all-time favourites."
Accolades: Come, Thou Tortoise was no slouch in the race for literary honours: it nabbed the Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the BMO Winterset Award, which celebrates excellence in Newfoundland and Labrador writing. It was also a finalist for both the Ontario Library Association'sEvergreen Award and the Canadian Library Association's Young Adult Canadian Book Award (this is a novel for adults that can be enjoyed by younger readers, too).

Well, I can't say that I ever fell off my chair laughing, but I did chuckle a few times. 

Clara Callan

Clara Callan (HarperCollins, 2001) by Richard B. Wright
Set during the Great Depression, this tale of two sisters who choose radically different paths in life captivated readers across the country, including Kathryn Sutherland, who wrote:
"I particularly enjoy epistolary novels and this book was exceptional in its depiction of two sisters who both challenged the conventions of their time in radically different ways."
Accolades: Clara Callan was a powerhouse on the awards circuit, taking home three major prizes: the:Governor General's Award, the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Canadian Booksellers Association Libris Award for Book of the Year. Critics at home and abroad fell for it too — "Wright has accomplished an amazing feat by allowing his characters to emerge, fully formed and true, without authorial intrusion into their intimate psychological world," wrote the reviewer in Publishers Weekly.

Enjoyed this book.  Nothing too heavy or dramatic.  Just a lovely story about a woman maybe ahead of her time, dealing with situations that she really wasn't prepared for or that were unsuitable for a woman her age in the 1930's.

Crow Lake

Crow Lake (Knopf Canada, 2001) by Mary Lawson
Mary Lawson's compelling story of the Morrison family, part of a close-knit farming community in Northern Ontario, had reader Alisa Groot singing its praises nearly a decade after its publication. She wrote:
"Amazingly written, this book is tragic without being obvious. The characters are real, their reactions to events are understandable but not predictable. The Northern Ontario setting reveals a place that I've never been but can now feel I've visited. It was heart-wrenching and shows what sacrifice for loved ones is truly about."
Accolades: This beloved bestseller took home the 2003 Amazon.ca/ Books in Canada First Novel Award and the McKitterick Prize. Critics across the country applauded, including the Globe and Mail reviewer, who predicted, "A lot of readers are going to surrender themselves to the magic of Crow Lake."

I only started this book today and I am already loving it!  Finally, a Canadian novel that's not completely depressing, nor difficult to understand without all the hidden meanings!  I shouldn't say that they are all like this, but the last few that I have read have been.

I very much injoyed this book.  It was a very lovely, fluidly written novel.  By the end of the story, I was very attached to the characters.

Heave

  Heave (Random House of Canada, 2002) by Christy Ann Conlin
This lively coming-of-age tale of Seraphina Sullivan, set in rural Nova Scotia, was recommended by Heather Morse, who wrote: "Set in Nova Scotia's beautiful Annapolis Valley, Heave is a fabulous read with vivid characters, authentic dialogue and a captivating plot. It's a bold look at a young woman's desire to escape her turbulent past while trying to grab onto an uncertain future..."
Accolades: Christy Ann Conlin's debut was a finalist for the Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award and won rave reviews across the country, including from the Globe and Mail ("simply a marvellous book") and Vancouver Sun ("fresh as a sea breeze").

I didn't find this book to be a page turner but I did enjoy it none the less.  I was sympathetic to the character, but I didn't quite understand why she had so much pain.  I am going to give this book a so-so.