The Macken Charm,Used

Product Description It is the summer of 1956, and although Rusty Macken is eager to leave rural Vancouver Island and his family for university, the events of Glorys funeral will not make it easy. Over the course of a single day, the rambunctious Macken clan gathers at the site of the burneddown seaside hotel that was once the family base to mourn and remember the glamorous city girl who married the wildest Macken of all but never quite adapted to their country ways. By the time the sun comes up on the following day, Rusty may have participated in something of a miracle. At the very least, he will have been forced to confront the uneasy secrets of his own heart. Compassionate, hilarious, and wise, The Macken Charm brilliantly captures the joys, the frustrations, and the rich human drama of family life. Review The Macken Charm proves [Jack Hodgins] to be one of the best writers of novels in this country.Quill & Quire (starred review)The Macken Charm takes up the theme of the family with wild exuberance.Hodgins is a funny writer and, in the comic tradition of W.O. Mitchell, Paul Quarrington and other talltale spinners, he can make you laugh out loud. He can also make you cry and there lies the gift of the storyteller.KitchenerWaterloo RecordWritten in flawless prose word for word, Hodgins is one of the countrys best writers.Books in CanadaIt is a fine, funny, sad and readable [novel], a great yarn, the kind only an expert storyteller can produce.Ottawa CitizenAn engaging tribute to family and community and lost innocence.Montreal GazetteA rollicking novel.Canadian LiteratureA joyous, vigorous, humorous novel that, in the best traditions of comedy, hovers precariously but purposefully on the brink of the tragic.The Macken Charm is a bravura performance, and deserves a wide readership.CBRA[Hodgins] brilliantly evokes time and place.Vancouver SunEntertaining.This is a colorful, imaginative story.Winnipeg Free PressHodgins has written a powerful novel about grief and beauty, about what has been lost and how to redeem yourself after failure.Ottawa X Press From the Inside Flap It is the summer of 1956, and although Rusty Macken is eager to leave rural Vancouver Island ? and his family ? for university, the events of Glory?s funeral will not make it easy. Over the course of a single day, the rambunctious Macken clan gathers at the site of the burneddown seaside hotel that was once the family base to mourn and remember the glamorous city girl who married the wildest Macken of all but never quite adapted to their country ways. By the time the sun comes up on the following day, Rusty may have participated in something of a miracle. At the very least, he will have been forced to confront the uneasy secrets of his own heart. Compassionate, hilarious, and wise, The Macken Charm brilliantly captures the joys, the frustrations, and the rich human drama of family life. About the Author Jack Hodgins was born and raised on Vancouver Island. He taught Creative Writing at a number of Canadian universities, and retired from the University of Victoria in 2002.He is the author of seven novels, including The Invention of the World; The Resurrection of Joseph Bourne, winner of the Governor Generals Award; The Macken Charm; Broken Ground, winner of the Ethel Wilson Prize for Fiction; and Distance; and three books of short stories, Spit Delaneys Island, a finalist for the Governor Generals Award; The Barclay Family Theatre; and Damage Done by the Storm. He is also the author of A Passion for Narrative: A Guide for Writing Fiction. Hodgins has been awarded the CanadaAustralia Prize, among many others, has received three honorary degrees, and has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.From the Hardcover edition.