Crow Lake (Today Show Book Club #7) (ISBN 0385337639)

Amazon.com Review:
Canadian writer Mary Lawson's debut novel is a beautifully crafted and shimmering tale of love, death, and redemption. The story, narrated by 26-year-old Kate Morrison, is set in the eponymous Crow Lake, an isolated rural community where time has stood still. The reader dives in and out of a year's worth of Kate's childhood memories--when she was 7 and her parents were killed in an automobile accident that left Kate, her younger sister Bo, and two older brothers, Matt and Luke, orphaned. When Kate, the successful zoologist and professor who is accustomed to dissecting everything through a microscope, receives an invitation to Matt's son's 18th birthday party, she must suddenly analyze her own relationship and come to terms with her past before she forsakes a future with the man she loves. Kate 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 lives with earth-shattering consequences. But does the tragedy really lie in the past or 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 of the reader's consciousness long after the last page is turned. --Nicola Perry, Amazon.co.uk

The Complex Lives at Crow Lake:
Mary Lawson writes in a foreboding manner without making the reader feel overly anxious; "I've gone over that mealtime many times in my mind, less because of Luke's astounding news than because it turned out to be our last family supper." Kate, Luke, Matt and Bo Morrison are left to raise themselves after their parents are killed. The decisions the older brothers make to care for their young sisters and the paths their lives take is well told. Lawson gets the nuances that make her characters intriguing and complex. The people you least expect to triumph do and the ones that ought to don't. This book was deja vu like familiar to a book I read awhile ago, Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler, but a huge difference was that Crow Lake is a good read beginning to end.

MOST TOUCHING:
"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)

A shaggy-dog tale writ long.:
Apropos in light of the title of this review, not far into reading the novel my hackles went up...and they basically stayed there for the duration of the book. There was something in the narrator's tone, the 'Wait until you see how this all turns out' way things were put that disturbed me. Because a) it was incredibly risky, b) it seemed cheap and c) it had me wondering just how out-of-control this début was going to get. As I approached the end, my suspicions were confirmed, my disappointment grew and my anger found its release. Much of 'Crow Lake' had a simple, delicate craftsmanship about it. (I cannot say 'beauty'.) Some passages were nicely fashioned. But clearly, a more guiding editorial hand was called for. I think that unless you've hit your stride as a writer, using the first-person for the narrative is a gamble...especially when much of the narrative voice is, essentially, that of a seven year old. In this case, I believe that it wasn't the right way to go. Further, using what amounts to extended flashbacks require a deft touch...and at this point in her career, the author simply did not possess this. What Ms Lawson was aiming for in terms of insight into the narrator's makeup (by way of the character's own voice) wasn't achieved. Kate is a little too wounded to be a powerful narrator, and, given the premise of the tale, this is what was required. In the end, I could not find what so many have found in this book. It is a pale imitation of another Canadian offering of generational travails, Ann-Marie MacDonald's 'Fall on Your Knees'. I admit that the comparison was right there, all the time, and did Ms Lawson's efforts no favours. Ah, well. Now onto her second novel...

A Troubled Family:
Crow Lake tells the story of the Morrison family and how, in a small community, all lives are interweaved. Passing from past to present, we quickly learn the story of Kate and her brothers and sisters, who tragically lose their parents. We also meet the Pyes, a family that has struggled for generations with a hidden turmoil. I was able to read this book rather quickly, despite how busy I have been at work. Well written and wonderfully descriptive in it's narrative, Crow Lake is all in all an exciting and fast read. While the novel starts off slower, by the fourth chapter I was quickly hooked. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a beautifully written story about a troubled, but loving family.

great book!:
I also found this one hard to put down....great storyteller! From the beginning to the end, you live and feel the lives and the place where this all happens so clearly. I'm recommending this on to family and friends...it was a great find!