Beautiful writing! I don't know how I missed Mary Lawson, I can't wait to read more of her books. Four orphaned children, an isolated landscape in Ontario, and broken dreams, it sounds grim, but somehow it isn't. One of the threads throughout the novel is the ability to know the difference between tragedy and circumstances that are sad, tough or disappointing. The secret is perspective. The Characters were wonderful and although the book was quiet I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended!

"I remember reading somewhere a theory to the effect that each member of a family has a role – ‘the clever one’, ‘the pretty one’, ‘the selfish one ’. Once you’ve been established in the role for a while you’re stuck with it – no matter what you do people will still see you as whatever-it-was – but in the early stages, according to the theory, you have some choice as to what your role will be."

This was one of the books on my "Canada" reading list. Most titles on this list are books and authors I had never heard of before setting myself a challenge to read up on the place I'm going to visit this summer. So, I knew nothing of Crow Lake before I started reading. Unfortunately, I also read parts of the Ferguson brothers' How to be a Canadian at the same time - and the Ferguson's acerbic description of what makes the quintessential Canadian novel seemed to very much apply to Crow Lake.

"Understatement was the rule in our house. Emotions, even positive ones, were kept firmly under control. It was the Eleventh Commandment, carved on its very own tablet of stone and presented specifically to those of Presbyterian persuasion: Thou Shalt Not Emote."

Don't get me wrong, Crow Lake has got a great premise and interesting characters but the dysfunction and hardship described seemed rather prefabricated.
I also found it hard to relate to Kate, the main character, who is raised by her brothers after their parents die in an accident.
But part of me is convinced that it is hard to relate to Kate for anyone because she does not relate to anyone in the book. In fact, one of the issues dealt with in the book is the emotional detachment which people create for themselves as protection against loss.

Another aspect of this detachment, and one which also did not help to endear Kate to me, was her determination to not just shut out her family, but also to use the acquisition of knowledge as an escape mechanism.

All in all, it was an interesting book, but the aloofness (in generous terms) of the main character made it sometimes hard work to want to work with the story and see the characters open up about their lives.

"Great Grandmother Morrison, I accept that the fault is largely mine, but I do hold you partly to blame. It is you, with your love of learning, who set the standard against which I have judged everyone around me, all of my life. I have pursued your dream single-mindedly; I have become familiar with books and ideas you never even imagined, and somehow, in the process of acquiring all that knowledge , I have managed to learn nothing at all."

It took me a month to read Crow Lake from beginning to end. Not because it's a long book, but because it's a slow book. It's a story of two girls raised by their older brothers after their parents die in a car crash. It portrays, poignantly and humorously, the close relationship between the siblings -- absolutely beautiful. The plot will not change the world, but by the end of the book, I felt like I'd met four people and I was sad to leave them. I'd love to accomplish that in my writing.



***wondering why all my reviews are five stars? Because I'm only reviewing my favorite books -- not every book I read. Consider a novel's presence on my Goodreads bookshelf as a hearty endorsement. I can't believe I just said "hearty." It sounds like a stew.****

Being a Canadian, I was drawn by the rural premise of Crow Lake by Mary Lawson. Her writing is quiet and unassuming yet vivid and vibrant. A wonderfully compelling tale, Crow Lake tells the story of four orphaned siblings, who grew up in the badlands of Northern Ontario and whose relationships are underpinned with a simmering of guilt, regret and tragedy. Kate, the third child, narrates the story twenty years later, looking back on their childhood as she recounts the strifes and the strains they encountered following the sudden death of both their parents.

Crow Lake plays out the tensions between two fundamental elements of the Canadian psyche: ties to the land and faith in education. Lawson emphasizes the land’s destructive power, especially in the unforgiving climate of northern Ontario. Held out as a gift and a promise, for many the land has been only a bitter burden, dragging down successive generations. Delivery lies in education, for the Morrisons symbolized by a great-grandmother who believed so strongly in learning that she nailed a bookstand to her spinning wheel.

Every detail in this beautifully written novel rings true, the characters so solid we almost feel their flesh. Lawson creates a community without ever giving in to the impulse to poke fun at small-town ways, instead showing respect to lives shaped by hard work and starved for physical comfort. The adult Kate’s alienation from Crow Lake is initially difficult to accept, for everything in Kate’s life, including her career in science, reflects the values of her formative years on the farm. Soon, though, she realizes that her roots and family values are worth more than her degrees.

A hundred stars! This book is sublime. It's just perfect.

I needed a book for a long trip that I KNEW I would love and be engrossed in, so I chose to re-read "Crow Lake" for the third time! What a great writer!

I like a few other readers was excited to start this book after reading so many great reviews... what were they all thinking?? This book was so boring and the back and forth between then and now was painstakingly slow. The main character was so unlikable, as a child and as an adult. Her fascination with her brother Matt, was not fully explained, and really all the characters could have been written better. The layout of the book I also felt was badly edited. I literally had to force myself to finish it because I figured I'd already spent so much of my time I figured I had to know the end. What a let down.... I found it way to corny and anti-climatic. Seriously, if you're on the fence about this one, keep on searching. Leave this book alone, you'll be doing yourself a favor!

In an old cedar chest, that miraculously maintains it’s aroma, is an even older quilt given to me decades ago in a bitter cold Colorado winter. I rarely take it out having moved to a more temperate climate zone. This book reminded me of the quiet comfort I used to draw from that fabric. It created and sustained a cozy sense of peacefulness that even on completion lingers still. This is a beautifully written story of a girl and her beloved family who facing a cataclysmic disaster find a way through to the other side. I have lucked out lately with a series of Canadian authors, each as uniquely gifted as the next. Ms. Lawson is a brilliant and elegant author. More please.

This book is the poor man’s Where the Crawdads Sing. The biggest issue I have with this book is how fundamentally unlikeable every character is. Despite an interesting concept, the book and its characters are somehow really really bland. The main character is basically void of personality and looks down on everyone around her. She admits she has no empathy nor ability to connect with anyone. She even has an issue when she’s lecturing that every one of her students was yawning. That sums up how I felt about this book.

Also - it’s clear the author hasn’t lived in Canada for awhile because there were a bunch of British terms sprinkled in here that broke immersion.

Kate is the focus in this thoughtful family drama. We first see her as a 7 year old girl when the book begins and then see her later as a 27 year old biology professor. This is her account of how she has been affected by the loss of her parents at a young age. Here are my impressions:

I was struck by how tenderly the two older brothers (Luke and Matt) look after Kate and her sister Bo when their parents die in a car accident. The brothers are teens themselves and the two girls are just 7 and 1 1/2 years old. The author captures their ages and personalities well.

I also enjoyed how the neighbors of this small community came together to support these children in their endeavor to remain an intact family. The kids did not want to be split up among their out-of-town relatives.

A strong part of the novel was the description of Matt imbuing Kate with a love of the natural world. Their exploring the pond together (lying on their stomachs and looking at spawning frogs, dragon fly wings, a beetle encased in a bubble of oxygen, etc.) was a delight!

I did find the flow of the story to be slow moving and did not enjoy reading about the family violence in the neighbor's home. Still, due to the originality of the story and the strength of the characters, the book merits 4 stars.

A beautifully atmospheric tale of a family growing up in difficult circumstances. The characters are well portrayed & believable, little Bo in particular stood out for me & nearly had me in tears at one point.

The tragic events that happen obviously shape the children's lives & plans have to change & this seems to leave Kate bitter on behalf of her brothers, especially Matt. But it takes a rare visit home with her boyfriend, & his outsider's perspective for her to realise that maybe she's been looking at things the wrong way all these years.

I picked this book up on a whim bc I was kind of stuck on another read. This book was absolutely fabulous and as I’m known for saying, “it hit me right in the feels.” It was perfect.