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penandpencil's review against another edition
3.0
This story takes place in the 1930s and is all about character, Clara Callan seems so real because she is such a mix of qualities, and often morally ambiguous and confounding. Wright does a good job with Clara's voice but I wonder about all of the accolades this book has received, it is sort of half-literary, half-soap opera. The afterward was unnecessary and sort of spoiled the book for me, it felt out of place and only seemed to reinforce what we already knew about Clara. I was also saddened by her daughter's perception of her, although I have to admit it was Liz's truth.
Wright does a good job of showing how oppressive small town life can be and the limited choices that women (especially unmarried) would have had at that time. Really like the way that real historical events were woven into the narrative. Clara's behaviors and decision to keep her secrets is in such contrast to the TMI culture we live in today. Liked the Gladstone hotel shout out!
Wright does a good job of showing how oppressive small town life can be and the limited choices that women (especially unmarried) would have had at that time. Really like the way that real historical events were woven into the narrative. Clara's behaviors and decision to keep her secrets is in such contrast to the TMI culture we live in today. Liked the Gladstone hotel shout out!
marie_gg's review against another edition
4.0
When I was a few pages into this fine Canadian novel, it struck me how much I have always enjoyed epistolary novels. Clara Callan is told entirely in diary entries and letters between two sisters and a few other people in their lives.
The sisters grew up in a small town in Ontario, Canada, raised solely by their father after their mother died. After the death of their father, the younger sister, Nora, moves to New York City to become a radio actress. The older sister, Clara, stays in the small, insular town of Whitfield, working as a schoolteacher.
Wright paints strong multidimensional characters in the parts of the two sisters. I am like neither sister, and they are very different from one another, but I found myself admiring and relating to each sister.
Through their trials as single working women in the mid-1930s, they realize that they have more in common than they first thought. Each sister is strong and independent in her own way, even though that strength and independence is not valued by those around them (or by the sisters themselves).
Nora's friend Evelyn is a wonderful spunky character and her role adds depth to the story. With one exception (Clara's obsession with Charlie, which does not seem true to life to me, given her experience), I believe that Wright did an excellent job portraying the intimate lives of these women and their experiences in a Canadian small town and depression-era New York City.
I didn't want the novel to end!
The sisters grew up in a small town in Ontario, Canada, raised solely by their father after their mother died. After the death of their father, the younger sister, Nora, moves to New York City to become a radio actress. The older sister, Clara, stays in the small, insular town of Whitfield, working as a schoolteacher.
Wright paints strong multidimensional characters in the parts of the two sisters. I am like neither sister, and they are very different from one another, but I found myself admiring and relating to each sister.
Through their trials as single working women in the mid-1930s, they realize that they have more in common than they first thought. Each sister is strong and independent in her own way, even though that strength and independence is not valued by those around them (or by the sisters themselves).
Nora's friend Evelyn is a wonderful spunky character and her role adds depth to the story. With one exception (Clara's obsession with Charlie, which does not seem true to life to me, given her experience), I believe that Wright did an excellent job portraying the intimate lives of these women and their experiences in a Canadian small town and depression-era New York City.
I didn't want the novel to end!
eososray's review against another edition
4.0
What a fantastic story. Told through Clara's diary entries and the letters that Clara and her sister in New York write to each other, it manages to convey a very clear sense of the time and place. From the small town life that Clara lives and the new and exciting life that her sister is discovering as an actress on the radio.
Through tragedy and hard times, the story never lost my attention. It was engaging and entertaining.
Through tragedy and hard times, the story never lost my attention. It was engaging and entertaining.
novelesque_life's review against another edition
5.0
5 STARS
"In a small town in Canada, Clara Callan reluctantly takes leave of her sister, Nora, who is bound for New York. It's a time when the growing threat of fascism in Europe is a constant worry, and people escape from reality through radio and the movies. Meanwhile, the two sisters -- vastly different in personality, yet inextricably linked by a shared past -- try to find their places within the complex web of social expectations for young women in the 1930s.
While Nora embarks on a glamorous career as a radio-soap opera star, Clara, a strong and independent-minded woman, struggles to observe the traditional boundaries of a small and tight-knit community without relinquishing her dreams of love, freedom, and adventure. However, things aren't as simple as they appear -- Nora's letters eventually reveal life in the big city is less exotic than it seems, and the tranquil solitude of Clara's life is shattered by a series of unforeseeable events. These twists of fate require all of Clara's courage and strength, and finally put the seemingly unbreakable bond between the sisters to the test." (From Amazon)
Makes my all-time Top 10 favourite books! It is beautifully written and has great characters and engaging plot. I recommend this book to everyone.
"In a small town in Canada, Clara Callan reluctantly takes leave of her sister, Nora, who is bound for New York. It's a time when the growing threat of fascism in Europe is a constant worry, and people escape from reality through radio and the movies. Meanwhile, the two sisters -- vastly different in personality, yet inextricably linked by a shared past -- try to find their places within the complex web of social expectations for young women in the 1930s.
While Nora embarks on a glamorous career as a radio-soap opera star, Clara, a strong and independent-minded woman, struggles to observe the traditional boundaries of a small and tight-knit community without relinquishing her dreams of love, freedom, and adventure. However, things aren't as simple as they appear -- Nora's letters eventually reveal life in the big city is less exotic than it seems, and the tranquil solitude of Clara's life is shattered by a series of unforeseeable events. These twists of fate require all of Clara's courage and strength, and finally put the seemingly unbreakable bond between the sisters to the test." (From Amazon)
Makes my all-time Top 10 favourite books! It is beautifully written and has great characters and engaging plot. I recommend this book to everyone.
bookslayer's review
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
peggy_eggy_eggy's review against another edition
4.0
I have never read anything like this before so it took some getting used to but I really did like this story. It was told through the combination of journal entries and correspondence between two sisters. I really like books about sisters and I like historical fiction. This book deals with rape, abortion and adultery in the 1930's.
ljohnston931's review against another edition
5.0
There isn’t a lot of action in the plot, so I’m still trying to figure out why I couldn’t put it down. I think it’s because the characters are so great. They feel like real people, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. It could also be that I’m a sucker for letters! Either way, recommended.
alexkerner's review against another edition
4.0
I was prompted to read this by the now infamous Book Tube Spin challenge that Rick MacDonnell does every few months. This is one I have wanted to read for a while (it won the Giller Prize winner back in 2000 and I won all the Giller winners a few years ago, it is one of my mother's favourite books, and my daughter's name is Clara [a name that coincidentally comes up in several Giller winners). So the Book Tube Spin finally pushed me to pick it up.
Firstly, this is very much a "CanLit" book, taking place in certain settings and with certain types of characters that often appeared in books that began to define Canadian Literature for decades. If you have read and enjoyed Alice Munro or Margaret Atwood this will be your bag.
This book follows the life of Clara Callan, a single woman navigating the mores of an early twentieth century small town, often challenging them to the consternation of an intolerant community. Told through letters (between Clara and mostly her sister) and journal entries, the pacing of this book is brilliant, turning very literary themes and styles into a page turner. My one qualm is that Wright can't help interject commentary from the characters about larger world events that are occurring. Although certainly these things would be the subject of conversation it felt almost as afterthoughts, inorganic to the dialogue, Wright just letting us know "hey this is happening now too and these characters are thinking about them." Aside from that this was a fun read that I really devoured toward the end.
Firstly, this is very much a "CanLit" book, taking place in certain settings and with certain types of characters that often appeared in books that began to define Canadian Literature for decades. If you have read and enjoyed Alice Munro or Margaret Atwood this will be your bag.
This book follows the life of Clara Callan, a single woman navigating the mores of an early twentieth century small town, often challenging them to the consternation of an intolerant community. Told through letters (between Clara and mostly her sister) and journal entries, the pacing of this book is brilliant, turning very literary themes and styles into a page turner. My one qualm is that Wright can't help interject commentary from the characters about larger world events that are occurring. Although certainly these things would be the subject of conversation it felt almost as afterthoughts, inorganic to the dialogue, Wright just letting us know "hey this is happening now too and these characters are thinking about them." Aside from that this was a fun read that I really devoured toward the end.
slrsmith's review against another edition
4.0
Loved it! The narrative unfolds through entries in Clara's diary and letters between herself and her sister. An unconventional life lived in 1930's rural Ontario.