A Student of Weather [Paperback]

It begins in 1938 on a farm in Saskatchewan, Canada with two lonely motherless sisters, nine years apart in age and worlds apart in looks and personality. Norma Joyce is small, dark, wiry, homely, inquisitive, provocative, and restless, while older sister Lucinda is a ravishing redhead, quiet, serene, the hard working homemaker for father and younger sister. Although Norma is just a kid, when Maurice Dove, a 'student of weather' visits the farm, both sisters, each in their own way, fall desperately in love with him, a love to last a lifetime, but with tragic consequences. The presence of Maurice will be the wedge that drives the sisters apart and alters the family fate, although the personality of each character will also determine the outcome of the story, which later shifts to Ottawa and then alternates between Ottawa and New York City.

What makes this novel stand out from the crowd aside from its careful plotting and lovely descriptive passages about foliage, flora, and of course weather, are the ways in which the author makes brilliant use of small details of personality and psychology to drive what would otherwise be an ordinary story into high gear and to create unforgettable complex characters. She gets it right on target, too, so much so, that the reader feels that he/she is a witness to real peoples' lives. This book is one of my top picks of the year!

The tension between the sisters is as old as mankind, and Norma Joyce is unable to do anything but what speaks to her true nature. The sisters peaceful coexistence is threatened by the reality of Maurice, ultimately defining each young woman in unexpected ways.

Norma seems at times driven by her own dark desire, even as a child. Her challenge is to live in a way that is self- rather than other-defining. Her true identity remains in shadow until she learns to walk comfortably through the rooms of her own soul, accepting the limitations of her family's inability to express love.

The texture of this novel is extraordinary. A first-time read is only the beginning; A STUDENT OF WEATHER will take on new incarnations with each reading.

When a student of weather arrives at their home, both Lucinda and Norma Joyce tumble into a love for him, and the story begins there.

Norma Joyce is a wonderful character, and her character is often both a joy and hurtful to read. There is an extreme level of pathos and empathy to this work, and all of it important. The story meanders from Saskatchewan to Ottawa and even to New York as we follow Norma Joyce, and as the secrets of her family are uncovered, and her deceits and kindesses are explored, we find a woman of remarkable iron strength.

For myself, the benchmark of a good solid work of literature will always be a strong character base, and "A Student of Weather" definately has that. Between the Hardys, and the student of weather, Maurice Dove, for which the novel is named, there are no weak characters here. I've re-read my copy a few times, and still find something new to its pages.

If you are at all a fan of recent-historical fiction, or simply a lover of strong characters, especially strong women, then this is a book for you. Elizabeth Hay is a name to watch out for.