I really enjoyed this book. The story moved along slowly but never failed to keep my attention. I hated to see it end. I look forward to reading more by this writer. Highly recommend.

Ostensibly I spent 6 hours on a train yesterday, but really I was at Crow Lake in northern Ontario. I managed to consume the entire novel in this short period of time.

Lawson's writing is understated and vivid. I found myself chuckling aloud at Lawson's depiction of Bo as a toddler. I have had experience with spirited, assertive young children who are very clear about what they want; and these scenes are spot on. Lawson also manages to infuse a tension in the story that kept me turning pages.

Kate tells her story, moving back and forth through time. (Lawson handles these transitions with consummate skill, and I always know where I am in the narrative.) Kate's tale is also the engaging story of her siblings and their small farming community. Her narrative includes loving relationships, neighbors helping each other, and family cycles of violence (not Kate's family). I especially enjoyed the scenes of Matthew teaching his much younger sister Kate about pond life.

Coping with grief from the death of her parents at age 7 and having only limited understanding of some of the events occurring soon thereafter, Lawson's protagonist, Kate, shuts herself off from emotion.

"You must understand: I had never thought that I would really love anyone. It hadn't been on the cards, as far as I was concerned. To be honest, I had thought that such intensity of feeling was beyond me."

When Kate realizes that she does want to have a serious relationship and that she is indeed fully bonded to her siblings, she returns home for a visit and is forced to reconsider some of her certitudes from an adult point of view. Haven't most of us been in this position?

I do have one criticism. Lawson is very heavy handed with her foreshadowing. On a few occasions irritation pulled me out of the narrative thinking, "Enough, already!" Some judicious editing could have easily corrected this flaw.

How can you not love a book that begins, "My great-grandmother Morrison fixed a book rest to her spinning wheel so that she could read while she was spinning, or so the story goes."?

This was the story of a family turned upside down after the parents are killed in a crash. The writer beautifully evokes the emotions of the children left behind and the starkness of their northern Canada surroundings. However, like the Canadian wilderness this story left me a bit cold. The protagonist Katy wasn't very likable and was a bit stilted. The plot didn't seem to go much of anywhere and the ending was abrupt and unsatisfying.

Šiaurės Ontarijuje, greta daugybės ežerų, gyvena Morisonų šeima, auginanti keturis vaikus: Luką, Metą, Keitę ir Bo. Deja, vos kelios sekundės kardinaliai pakeičia šeimynišką idilę - išvažiavę į miestą, ketvertuko tėvai žūva autoavarijoje. Tapę našlaičiais, vaikai stengiasi išlikti kartu, tačiau jų tarpusavio ryšiai trūkinėja, o pasiaukojimas virsta nesantaikos priežastimi...

Esminis dalykas, kurio ieškau knygose, yra gili, sodri ir kitokia, dar negirdėta, istorija. Ką turiu omenyje, sakydama „gili“, „sodri“? Literatūros kūrinyje gali nebūti staigių veiksmo posūkių, dramatizmo ar intrigos, atvirai pasakius, gali nenutikti nieko stulbinančio, svarbu, kad būtų ne paviršutiniškas ir šabloniškas siužetas, o įtaigus gilinimasis į veikėjų charakterius, jų tarpusavio santykius. „Varnų ežeras“, nors iš pradžių tikrai nesitikėjau, man su kaupu leido patirti analizės pojūtį. Gėrėjausi kiekvienu puslapiu, rašytojos autentišku rašymu, mokėjimu subtiliai aptarti žmonių ydas ir drąsa nerti į pačias giliausias sielos gelmes, kurių dažnas stengiasi išvengti. Įspūdžių daug, todėl pasistengsiu kuo glausčiau ir kuo subtiliau pastaruosius perteikti.

Mūsų likimas nenuspėjamas ir jam pasipriešinti nesame pajėgūs. Nežinome, kas bus rytoj, poryt, už savaitės ar net už valandos. Svarbiausia yra tai, kaip mes priimame likimo posūkius, iššūkius ir kaip žvelgiame į tai, kas nepriklauso nuo mūsų sprendimų (kaip į patirtį ar galimybę, o gal - kaip į bausmę ar į „pasaulio pabaigą“). „Varnų ežere“ rašoma apie tai, kaip pasikeičia žmogaus gyvenimas, kai aplinkybės priverčia subręsti (dvasiškai) anksčiau laiko bei paskatina galvoti ne tik apie savo, bet ir apie kitų poreikius, norus, svajones ir gerovę. Romanas yra vienas iš tų retų atvejų, kai paauglių/jaunuolių portretai piešiami ne kaip savanaudžių ar naivuolių, ne kaip silpnavalių ar nejautrių, bet kaip aukotis gebančių asmenų. Ir tai, sakyčiau, efektyvus posūkis literatūroje, leidžiantis į jauno žmogaus vidų pažvelgti giliau, be eilinių stereotipų, kad tokio amžiaus asmenys yra bejėgiai egoistai, kuriems rūpi tik jų pačių norai.

Kūrinyje mane sužavėjo (kaip ir daugelyje kitų knygų) dviejų siužeto linijų, kurios neretai susilieja, pasakojimas. Skirtingų laiko linijų derinimas padėjo atrasti sąsajas tarp praeities įvykių ir dabarties pasirinkimų, tarp žmogaus elgesio vaikystėje ir pradėjus savarankišką gyvenimą. Ypatingai visa tai atsiskleidžia Keitės charakteryje: vidurinis vaikas, girdėjęs ir aiškiai prisimenantis tėvų požiūrį, matęs savo brolių potencialą, kitaip priima tiesą, kad viskas vyksta ne pagal tavo, o pagal aukščiausiojo planą. Su tuo susitaikyti jai buvo per sunku net ir po daugelio metų, kai kiti seniausiai viską užmiršo. Taip išryškėja faktas, kad kai kuriems žmonėms yra sunku susitaikyti su likimu, gyventi toliau ir paleisti praeitį, kurios pakeisti neįmanoma. Kita vertus, tai itin perspektyvus siužeto momentas, aiškiai parodantis, kokia gilia beprasmybe virsta būtis, kai žmogus nuolat gręžiojasi į praeitį, kai nebemoka džiaugtis tuo, kas yra dabar, kai graužiasi dėl to, ko negali pakeisti, ir neskiria dėmesio tam, kas galėtų teikti laimę.

„Varnų ežeras“ - pagaulus romanas apie brolių ir seserų santykius, nusėtus netekties skausmu bei orumo bruožais, liudijančiais apie altruizmą, pasiaukojimą. Itin įtaigus, daugiasluoksnis pasakojimas atskleidžiantis žmogaus vertę, santykį su aplinkiniais, gebėjimą prisiimti atsakomybę ir, žvelgiant į ateitį, tikėti, kad viskas bus gerai. Romanas vienu metu apima ir šeimos santykių dramą, kurią gaubia sielvartas, individų netinkami, neapgalvoti pasirinkimai, ir žmogaus vidinį dramatizmą, kai asmuo negeba įveikti savo paties susikurtų stereotipų, trukdančių pajusti harmoniją su savimi bei aplinkiniais. „Varnų ežeras“ yra vienas iš įstabesnių kūrinių, neturinčių konkretaus veiksmo siužeto, kurį man iki šiol teko skaityti. Neabejoju, kad skaitymas antrą kartą paliktų galybę kitų įspūdžių, kad tai, kas suvokiama iš pirmo karto, metamorfozės dėka įgautų naują pavidalą ir suteiktų kitokią gyvenimišką pamoką. Romaną drąsiai galima vadinti turinčiu psichologinę potekstę, kadangi gilinamasi į žmogaus prigimtį, jausmus ir (ne)sąmoningus veiksmus.

Rekomenduoju skaitytojams, mėgstantiems literatūros kūrinius, kuriuose veikėjų vidinis pasaulis ir išgyvenimai yra kertinė siužeto linija. Besižavintiems šeimos narių tarpusavio ryšiais, tikintiems, kad broliai ir seserys vieni dėl kitų gali padaryti viską, rekomenduoju - įsitikinsite tokio požiūrio pagrįstumu. Jeigu ieškote jausmingos istorijos apie individų ryšį, apie nesavanaudiškus pasirinkimus, rekomenduoju „Varnų ežerą“, kuriame pareiga savo artimam yra svarbesnė už asmeninius norus ir troškimus. Visi, kuriems nesvetima sakrali gamta, žmogaus ryšys su pastarąja, šis kūrinys taip pat turėtų palikti įspūdį, kadangi ji glaudžiai susijusi su veikėjų likimais. Kai kurie lemiami įvykiai nutinka būtent gamtos ir ežerų apsuptyje, o kartais - tai aplinka, kurioje atrandama sielos ramybė. Rekomenduoju, jeigu daugiasluoksnis kūrinys, pasižymintis lėta tėkme ir pasakojantis vienos šeimos istoriją, jums skamba viliojančiai.

4/5⭐

This is the debut novel from Mary Lawson whose wonderful book A Town Called Solace was longlisted for the 2021 Booker prize.

It’s about a family of four children – two in their late teens, one aged 7 and one a toddler – who lose their parents in an accident. They live in a remote farming community and it seems inevitable that they will be separated. The story is told by Kate, the 7 year old who is now a professor at an Ontario university and whose relationships with her family are strained for reasons that we will gradually come to understand.

The characters are wonderful, rounded and flawed and the story is absorbing. I highly recommend it.

7/10

Loved it! Wonderfully told and perfectly paced story of one family, but the themes are universal. I love the way Mary Lawson writes, and I’m glad to have two more of her books on my bookshelf.

Thank you Lena Ribka for gifting this book to me. The writing and characters were so well written and engrossing. I was expecting a bigger reveal at the end from how much “that day” was built up but maybe I’ve read too many thrillers. This story was more realistic. I could definitely see these events happening. In the end, it was beautifully written.

My days are very busy at the moment (due to a new job position), so that I can read only a bit in bed before falling asleep, and yet I am so happy to find a book that kept me awake through the night. I also stayed awake for a while after having read the last page (sleep is overestimated). I was such deeply engrossed into the story that I couldn't let it go. The characters, the settings, beautiful writing, the ending...Was it a tragedy or just a shame that Matt blew his chance?..A tragedy of a shame?...

A book that you'll read in one sitting and won't be able to forget.
A fantastic debut novel. What a beautiful, lyrical and compelling writing! I love every page of it.

My first read by Mary Lawson who has been highly recommended by many GR friends and I can say from the start that I am not disappointed and I can’t wait to read more!

Crow Lake centers on a family of siblings who have lost their parents and are left to take care of one another. Luke is set to head to college to become a teacher but he gives this up in order to take on the responsibility of caring for his youngest sisters, Kate, 7 and Bo just about 18 months old. Matt has one year of school left and is expected to get a scholarship as his aptitude is for science. Kate grew up shadowing Matt at the pond and learning everything she knew from her big brother almost in a worshipful way. She shared all of the fascinations of biology that Matt did. Kate was actually the one who left home to make her way in the world becoming a professor of zoology. But her adult life remains distant and separated from her siblings. Now she pities Matt for passing up his academic future for one on a farm.

What the reader must understand is the legacy of a passion for learning passed on from their Great-grandmother Morrison who never had the opportunity but vowed her future family members would fare much better. Kate has finally achieved this success and is not bound by the isolation and impoverished lifestyle her siblings remain connected with. We see Kate struggle to understand why she feels as if her past is holding her back and not allowing her to be free in her new life. What is it that she fears?

Memories. I’m not in favor of them, by and large. Not that there aren’t some good ones, but on the whole I’d like to put them in an airtight cupboard and close the door.

Told from Kate’s point of view looking back on the year she was 7 and her life changed forever, this is a heartfelt, emotionally charged account of a family figuring out how to move on after tragedy. Lawson creates a perfectly serene atmosphere surrounding the lake and the natural world. And then there is the other family, the Pyes, a family full of violence and generations which cannot seem to break the cycle. The community of secondary characters are richly drawn as well and we learn to fall in love with the school teacher and the neighbors who love on this family of siblings who never asked for the situation they wind up in. It’s a beautiful story and one I highly recommend.

'. . . just one more dropped stitch in a family tapestry full of holes.'

This is a story of strong familial bonds forged early in life, then eroding from deep-seated resentments, guilt, and an ingrained reluctance to speak the truth and set things straight. Smiling on the outside, hurting on the inside, even simple eye contact too uncomfortable to maintain.

This author has a knack for writing characters so vivid that you would recognize any one of them if he or she came knocking at your front door. Luke, Matt, Katie, and Bo Morrison, orphaned early in the novel, are struggling to make a life without their parents. I can still almost hear baby Bo clanging those pots and pans playing on the floor while big brother Matt tries to study at the kitchen table. You will make the acquaintance of their neighbors, the tragic Pye family, with their messy lives and mean secrets. I cannot say enough about the author's skill with character development. Major and minor players alike are fashioned with care, and I reference old Miss Vernon, she of the rattling teeth and long whiskery jaw, 100 years old and a most extraordinary storyteller.

Small, quiet, and unassuming, this story will stay with me for a bit. Excellent.

4.5 stars — All the metaphors I kept thinking up to describe this evoked some variation of "warmth" - ironic for a novel set in the chilly wilderness of Northern Ontario. A warm piece of homemade pie you wish could last at least another dozen bites. The warmth of a hug from a special friend that neither one of you wants to pull away from too soon. A warm, cozy fire around which local legends are told.

I wasn't the least bit surprised to learn from Mary Lawson's profile here on Goodreads that she's a distant relative to L.M. Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables, one of my favorite novels growing up. This captured a similar sense of that childhood classic's vibrant, close-knit community populated by memorable characters you never want to leave.

Books like these remind me what a beautiful gift the art of literature can be. After a mere three or four nights of reading, I already feel like I've grown up in Crow Lake and known its rural residents my whole life. What a testament to Lawson's vivid world-building and rich characterization that I find myself wishing I could spend many more nights with these wonderful characters, immersed in their world!

Crow Lake isn't exactly Avonlea, though. This is no sweet and sentimental Hallmark movie. There's a darker edge to this story of four orphaned siblings learning to cope and survive in the aftermath of the sudden deaths of their parents, and the ways in which their fates collide with the secretive and troubled family from the farm down the road.

Like the Morrison siblings in this novel, I come from a family of two boys and two girls, although thankfully our parents are still alive and healthy. Lawson examines with unsettling candor the volatile and sometimes violent dynamics between siblings, even and perhaps ESPECIALLY in families that care deeply about one another.

There's a lot here about the way siblings misunderstand and unfairly judge each other's life choices in sometimes harsh and unforgiving ways, that struck uncomfortably close to home for me, having been on both ends of such behavior over the years. I suspect I'll be doing a lot of emotional wrestling with this novel for some time to come.

I also appreciated Lawson's skilled and strategic pacing, the way she turns an otherwise slow-burning domestic drama into an absorbing page-turner by withholding certain pieces of information at just the right times, occasionally dropping enticing hints of future events, gradually allowing the full, haunting story to reveal itself in due time.

If you enjoy lucid, lyrical writing and wonderfully drawn characters that feel like people you've known all your life, then I strongly recommend making your own visit to Crow Lake this winter. Trust me, you won't want to leave!