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| Crow Lake | 
 enlarge | Author: Mary Lawson
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy Used: £0.50
You Save: £7.49 (94%)
New (28) from £2.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 1659
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5 x 0.8
ISBN: 0099429322
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780099429326
ASIN: 0099429322
Publication Date: February 6, 2003
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Canadian writer Mary Lawson's debut novel is a beautifully crafted and shimmering tale of love, death and redemption set in the eponymous Crow Lake, an isolated rural community where time has stood still. Narrated by 26-year-old Kate Morrison, we dive in and out of the troubled woman's childhood memories over the passage of a year--when she was seven and her parents were killed in a motoring accident, leaving Kate, her younger sister Bo and two older brothers Matt and Luke orphaned. The proverbial can of worms is opened for our heroine when she receives an invitation to Matt's son's 18th birthday. The successful zoologist and professor, so accustomed to dissecting everything through a microscope, must suddenly analyse her own relationship and come to terms with her past before she forsakes a future with the man she loves. She is still in turmoil over the events of that fateful summer and winter 20 years ago when the tragedy of another local family, the Pyes, spilled over into their own lives with earth-shattering consequences. One dark night, a shivering Laurie, Pye's only son, stands mute in their porchlight, straining to share something with them but, startled, turns and runs away. The many strange, longing looks which pass between Matt and Marie, Pye's eldest daughter. And the awful night when Marie stands in their doorway whispering unspeakable horrors. In Kate's eyes, the Pye family drown out the hopes and dreams of her own in that one moment. But does the tragedy really lie in the past or is it in the present? Lawson's narrative flows effortlessly in ever-increasing circles, swirling impressions in the reader's mind until form takes shape and the reader is left to reflect on the whole. Crow Lake is a wonderful achievement that will ripple in and out the reader's consciousness long after the last page is turned. --Nicola Perry
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| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
Charming book October 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is one of those feel-good books that's great to read on holiday. It tells the story of two teenage brothers who are left to bring up their younger sisters after their parents are killed, and it's very well done, heart-warming and better written than many similar efforts. There are no great moments of dramatic tension, the story moves along at a good pace though, and I have to say that it's the younger sister, Bo, who steals the show. I preferred reading about her and older brother Luke than about the two main characters, Katie and Matt. The whole story hangs on Katie's disappoinment with a choice made by Matt, and to be honest, when the revelation comes, you can't help feeling rather frustrated with Katie. Still it's a lovely story.
 lacks any depth August 26, 2008
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
I completely disagree with the blurb on this one. It is dreadfully written and has no depth whatsoever. I was unable to identify with any of the characters and the only part of the family life I could really understand was the will to achieve. I couldn't work out why Kate couldn't bring herself to speak to her older brother Matt years after their family tragedy. Even once the author revealed this it still didn't seem quite right.
The blurb informs you of this slow burning story, well for me it didn't even get ignited, let alone burn slowly. I found Kate, the narrator of the story a dreadful character. It wasn't even the lack of empathy she exhibited but she was simply awful. I can't see why she had to be written this way as I didn't feel it reflected the nature of who she was as a child even following the tragic incidents that occurred. For me, the only aspect in its favour was its length; which thankfully was short.
frustrating to read! August 22, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have never been so frustrated while reading a book as I was with this one! All the way through this book I was trying to figure out what year it was taking place in...which ruined any chance of actually enjoying it. The story was OK and if I am being honest a little boring. I only finished it because I paid for it. Do not buy this book, if you must read it go to your local library and check it out.
Crow Lake July 17, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book gives a real sense of time and place with wonderful descriptions of rugged countryside and extreme weather. The story is based around a struggling family, and through the different strands of the story, it is apparant throughout that Matt for some reason fails to fulfill his sister Kate's idea of his potential. There are no great plot twists, but this doesn't stop it being a really good read. It is almost worth reading for Luke and Bo alone.
 TOUCHING July 16, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
"Mrs.Stanovich arrived at least twice a week, heaving her bulk from behind the steering wheel of her husband's battered truck and puffing her way up to the front door with two loaves of bread balancing on the top of a bushel basket of corn, or a leg of pork tucked under her hand and a sack of potatoes under the other."
Crow Lake was very touching for me. Kate Morrison narrates her story with the human touch, which allowed me to feel her every emotion, the joy, the relief, sadness, the good, the disappointments and otherwise.
Crow Lake is set in the terrain of northern Ontario.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Morrisons are thrown into great despair while at a tender age. Luke, Matt, Kate are at school and Bo their little sister is still a babe, ever to be found on the arm of big brother Luke.
When disaster strikes, the family feels like they have been thrown off the deep end without a lift support. But rescue comes in the help of the country folk friends who are willing to do their Christian duties in this small knit society. They make sure that they are well looked after and fed. Some even pitch in with the housework, and the mysterious Pike family offer part time jobs to the boys. The boys take the labour as it is very much needed at this time.
Kate delves into all aspects of their life, their life on the pond, the quiet moments together listening to the birds; nature was at their back and front and also the beach.
Towards the end of the novel, Kate shows a picture, which relates to them eighteen years later. Kate is now a Zoologist and there are some great changes in their lives as adults. It soothes and touches the heart in a bittersweet way. This is an ideal gift for a good friend, and I highly recommend it.
Reviewed by Heather Marshall Negahdar (SUGAR-CANE 15/07/08)
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