I thought I'd document, here on the blog, a year-full of favourite books. Or 365 favourites. Given that this house houses hundreds (OK, thousands), it will be fun to choose especial favourites.
I heard the owl call my name, by Margaret Craven
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Love this book. Found it as a teenager, and by the end of it, I still cry. Margaret Craven's writing is powerfully simple, plain clear storytelling that leaves room for you to engage, rather than forcing you to do so. A young priest, Mark, is sent by his bishop to be the minister in a remote Canadian village, because he doesn't have much time and the challenges of this will make the most of his time. The native Canadian people (first people? I'm not sure of the current correct terminology) view him at first with suspicion, and he has to earn their trust and find his way in an unfamiliar culture. It's not all a pretty story, or unrealistically neat, but it's one that resonates. It's not a 'religious' book per se, so whether or not you're a believer, it's worth reading.
4 comments:
I remember reading this book too - and just loving it! Crying, I'm sure and filled with a powerful sense of the landscape and feeling that I understood something of the first Canadians tie to their land. I've only got hazy memories of the storyline but I know it had a big impact on me at the time of reading it!
Oh, yes! I loved that book, though it must be 25 years or more since I read it. I don't own it, so I will have to search the State library system. Surely all the copies won't have been culled?
Hi Ruth,
Both my husband & I love this book - we each had a copy when we met. I found them both again when I was trying to cull the overflowing bookshelves; sat there rereading and, yes, crying! (I say 'trying' - I'm more likely to find another bookcase but the family gently suggested some books really should not be kept!)
Hi Ruth,
Both my husband & I love this book - we each had a copy when we met. I found them both again when I was trying to cull the overflowing bookshelves; sat there rereading and, yes, crying! (I say 'trying' - I'm more likely to find another bookcase but the family gently suggested some books really should not be kept!)
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