Jane Urquhart

I do hope that in my life I never meet the esteemed Jane Urquhart.
If I did, I might be tempted to slap her in that way young girls do when they are thwarted. Full disclosure here- I've tried to read her writings and been so swamped by their impenetrability that I tossed them across the room, much as either Dorothy Parker or Mark Twain suggested.

And she is at the heart of the tiny group of "PEOPLE WHO MATTER IN CANADIAN LITERATURE", or, as I call them, FOMAs. (Friends of Margaret Atwood). I am of course fiercely jealous of this crowd and also exasperated by them as the small bunch of them assume each other is a magnificent creature and well, creative writing programs and Steven Galloway and so forth.

But I digress. This slim volume is part of the PWMICL/FOMA series of books on exemplary Canadians and I had to read this one as a lifetime LMM fan. When I did, I found the completely adult and mature epithet, 'snothead', issuing from my lips as JU takes LMMs life on and makes it petty and sad and messed up and suicidal and totally wrapped up in herself.
Apparently LMM developed asthma as an adult. Is this because of allergies? Oh no, it's from repressed feelings - and these repressions also made LMM an intolerable mother and sincerely wacky. No. Just no. Short of breath, yes.
Little is said of the numerous works published by LMM, or the joy they have brought to legions of girls and independent minded kids. Her list of books is shall I say it, much longer than JUs, and I resent fiercely the vaguely patronizing tone used throughout this book. Of course, LMM was not a FOMA, so boo.
I also find JUs take on mental illness to be condescending in the extreme. Overall, though, this book was interesting (and thankfully short unlike JUs usual knuckle-draggers), so it deserves three stars. The titles of the chapters: Work, Madness, Her death (the first chapter and completely self indulgent in JUs case) are even condescending.
Gah.
LMM wrote happy stories while enduring a challenging life. Bless her weary heart. Let's give her some credit for being able to create delight in others instead of blaming her for "covering her feelings". Sheesh.… (meer)

Liz Crane, a scientist, returns to her family’s farm and apple orchard on Lake Erie, Ontario to study the migration patterns of the monarch butterfly. The property has been deserted for years. In her solitude, she revisits family history, from the death of her cousin in Afghanistan, and the much earlier disappearance of that cousin’s father. She is haunted by old love affairs, a family secret, and tragic events.

This is an intimate family story, with a strong sense of both place and the connection of the people to the land. It is a wonderfully-rendered story, written with great empathy, and a reader has to give the time… to fall into it.… (meer)