Quill and Quire

BOOK REVIEWS

Voyageurs

By Margaret Elphinstone

The best historical fiction is worth reading for two reasons: it tells a good story, and it imparts a lot of information painlessly. Scottish writer Margaret Elphinstone’s Voyageurs almost succeeds on both counts. Mark Greenhow, ... Read More »

February 22, 2004 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Death Du Jour

By Kathy Reichs

Forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs was the first-time crime-novelist sensation of 1997. Her acclaimed debut, Déjà Dead, made the New York Times bestseller list, won the Arthur Ellis Award, and was a bestseller in both Canada ... Read More »

February 22, 2004 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

The Dead of Winter

By Lisa Appignanesi

Set in Montreal immediately following the 1989 massacre of 14 women at Université de Montréal, Lisa Appignanesi’s fifth novel begins with the apparent suicide of a fictional stage actress named Madeleine Blais, and follows the ... Read More »

February 22, 2004 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Violent Stars

By Phyllis Gotlieb

Canadians have never been a people to harbour imperial ambitions. We’re an offshoot of one failed empire and the neighbour of its successor. When it comes to the arts, Canadians are cultural chameleons, quietly absorbing ... Read More »

February 22, 2004 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Tell It Slant

By Beth Follett

Toronto publisher and editor Beth Follett isn’t shy about placing her debut novel, Tell It Slant, in some heady literary company. The title is taken from an Emily Dickinson poem, and within the first few ... Read More »

February 22, 2004 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels