- Paperback: 165 pages
- Publisher: Cormorant Books (Aug 4 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1896951600
- ISBN-13: 978-1896951607
- Product Dimensions: 21.4 x 14.9 x 1.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 358 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,153,540 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Book Description
Adieu, Betty Crocker continues the very well received Fillion Family Saga, which began with A Good Life and was followed by The Extraordinary Garden. In this, the third volume, Benoît investigates the life of his mother's sister, Arlette, who was a domestic presence in the extended family, but who remained a mystery to her nephew.
Arlette's story appears simple at the first: she was a traditional stay-at-home mother in the 1960s and 1970s, with a home in the suburbs of Montreal, two children, and a husband who drove buses. She was always prepared for visitors, with Rice Krispies Squares or cookies on her ultra-spotless table.
When her husband died in a freak accident, she was left financially well off; she should have been comfortable. But something was wrong — something on which Benoît is not able to put his finger.
Through beautiful prose and a glorious translation, the reader discovers the story of Arlette in the voices of her nephew, her son, her daughter, and, finally, herself. A tragedy, the story of Arlette is also a story of grace, courage under pressure.
Arlette's story appears simple at the first: she was a traditional stay-at-home mother in the 1960s and 1970s, with a home in the suburbs of Montreal, two children, and a husband who drove buses. She was always prepared for visitors, with Rice Krispies Squares or cookies on her ultra-spotless table.
When her husband died in a freak accident, she was left financially well off; she should have been comfortable. But something was wrong — something on which Benoît is not able to put his finger.
Through beautiful prose and a glorious translation, the reader discovers the story of Arlette in the voices of her nephew, her son, her daughter, and, finally, herself. A tragedy, the story of Arlette is also a story of grace, courage under pressure.
From the Publisher
"Betty Crocker is dead. That's my new favourite line in fiction. ... Gravel's tone is conversational and colloquial, and his plots quotidian. When his narrator describes his mental unease, his season of faint discontent, as 'nothing dramatic', he gives a fair summary of the plot of this novel, which finally is both as ordinary and extraordinary as life itself." Sara O'Leary, Vancouver Sun, August 2005
"Adieu, Betty Crocker is a delight ... and Sheila Fischman has masterfully caught the rhythms and drolleries of Gravel's style." Mary Soderstrom, Quill and Quire, July 2005
"In Adieu, Betty Cocker, the third of his novels about the Fillion family of Montreal's Hochelaga neighbourhood, Francois Gravel skilfully evokes a time back in the 1960s when the Beatles were on the scene, peace and love were the buzzwords, and contentment was still to be found in a house surrounded by the proverbial white picket fence. ...Gravel manages to write his way into the subconscious, evoking emotions that every reader will recognise - pathos, resignation and love. With Sheila Fischman beautifully translating the work so that it loses none of its Quebecois nuance, we learn that Arlette was incapable of venturing outside, not even for a picnic supper in her own backyard." Lisa Fitterman, the Montreal Gazette, March 2005
"Adieu, Betty Crocker is an exceptionally gentle work. Its many observations are delivered in a low key and at a languid pace. It is a credit to Gravel's style that insights often seem to unfurl almost by accident." Paul Butler, Globe and Mail, September 2005
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.ca
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
