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gleefulreader's review
4.0
This unusual story is told through two unrelated storylines. The first, set in 1909, is the story of the unexpected friendship between two girls who meet on a roller coaster at Hanlan's Point (Toronto's Coney Island). The second is the story of a recently bereaved woman who has lost her (lesbian) partner. The 1909 storyline was terrific in its ability to bring to life a completely different era in Toronto history, with the Toronto Islands and spiritualists and suffragettes and the attendant difficulties of being attracted to another woman. Highly recommended!
lenascholman's review
4.0
Growing up I loved the series "That Scatterbrained Booky" because of the rich portrayal or the city and the era. This book delivers all of that and more with exquisite prose. My favourite line is a description of August and the "carnal heat of the abattoirs." I also loved the unexpected quirkiness of the 1909 Toronto family. An original book!
amyrhoda's review
4.0
I loved this book. Funny, I just took a star off [book:The Nightingale|21853621] because I enjoyed it after I read it, but then forgot about it. I think I'm going to add a star to this book because I remember it so fondly.
I enjoyed the relationships in this book. There is a lovely romance, and there's also a woman struggling with the death of a wife (partner? I don't remember) who she didn't really love. I also enjoyed the setting — Toronto Island is one of my favourite places, so it was a treat to visit it in the cold of winter. (I know you can physically visit Toronto Island in winter, but I wouldn't want to — for me it's a summer place.)
I think I originally gave this only three stars because the ending didn't ring as true as the rest of the book. I can't remember if it was rushed or just felt like a mis-fit. (As usual, I should have reviewed sooner!) But that impression has faded and I'm left with a warm memory of this book.
I enjoyed the relationships in this book. There is a lovely romance, and there's also a woman struggling with the death of a wife (partner? I don't remember) who she didn't really love. I also enjoyed the setting — Toronto Island is one of my favourite places, so it was a treat to visit it in the cold of winter. (I know you can physically visit Toronto Island in winter, but I wouldn't want to — for me it's a summer place.)
I think I originally gave this only three stars because the ending didn't ring as true as the rest of the book. I can't remember if it was rushed or just felt like a mis-fit. (As usual, I should have reviewed sooner!) But that impression has faded and I'm left with a warm memory of this book.
ailsabristow's review
3.0
It took me a while to read this book, and a while to get into it. Maybe it was something about the twin tracks of the story. Half of this book was set in Toronto in the early 1900s, where a chance encounter between two young girls on a rollercoaster occurs, while the other half is sent in present day Toronto, where photographer Joss mourns the death of her partner, Bianca, who she never truly loved. Although each half of the book was engaging, it was hard to draw the links between the two, and so the constant shift between narratives had the effect of jolting me out of the story.
Still, once I was able to settle in to the story, there was lots to enjoy here. The Bette and Fred half of the book was by far my favourite, with Woodrow's vivid attention to detail bringing turn of the century Toronto to life. The story wore what must have been meticulous research lightly, for the most part (the point at which one of the carnival workers, Charlie, casually referred to Boston marriages felt a little out of place to me, but hey, that's a minor complaint).
However, my overall feeling at the end of this book was that I wanted more: more depth in either one or other of the stories. I wasn't wholly satisfied by the way the two halves of the book finally connected, and the fairly mystical ending of the whole thing didn't quite jive for me.
So, an interesting and a times evocative read, but not one that upended my world.
Still, once I was able to settle in to the story, there was lots to enjoy here. The Bette and Fred half of the book was by far my favourite, with Woodrow's vivid attention to detail bringing turn of the century Toronto to life. The story wore what must have been meticulous research lightly, for the most part (the point at which one of the carnival workers, Charlie, casually referred to Boston marriages felt a little out of place to me, but hey, that's a minor complaint).
However, my overall feeling at the end of this book was that I wanted more: more depth in either one or other of the stories. I wasn't wholly satisfied by the way the two halves of the book finally connected, and the fairly mystical ending of the whole thing didn't quite jive for me.
So, an interesting and a times evocative read, but not one that upended my world.
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