A Jest of God and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

Vous voulez voir cette page en français ? Cliquez ici.

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Search inside another edition of this book
Start reading A Jest of God on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Jest of God [Paperback]

Margaret Laurence (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition --   CDN $13.99 --
Hardcover --   -- --
Paperback CDN $14.40   -- --
Paperback, June 1966 --   -- --
Mass Market Paperback --   -- --
Pocket Book --   -- --

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1966
In this celebrated novel, Margaret Laurence writes with grace, power, and deep compassion about Rachel Cameron, a woman struggling to come to terms with love, with death, with herself and her world.

Trapped in a milieu of deceit and pettiness – her own and that of others – Rachel longs for love, and contact with another human being who shares her rebellious spirit. Through her summer affair with Nick Kazlik, a schoolmate from earlier years, she learns at last to reach out to another person and to make herself vulnerable.

A Jest of God won the Governor General’s Award for 1966 and was released as the successful film, Rachel, Rachel. The novel stands as a poignant and singularly enduring work by one of the world’s most distinguished authors.


From the Paperback edition.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Product Details

Product Description

From Amazon

In A Jest of God, the second of Margaret Laurence's Manawaka novels, 34-year-old Rachel Cameron tries as hard as she can to live her life in the shadows. Suffocated by her overbearing mother, with whom she lives in the tiny flat above her late father's funeral parlour, Rachel buries herself in her job as an elementary school teacher and her dreams of escaping Manawaka and her mother. She longs for friendship and affection but is quick to reject any offers. When she gives in to her desires and has her first sexual experiences, she becomes terrified that she's become pregnant even though she also longs to have a child. When her supposed pregnancy turns out to be a benign tumour, Rachel decides she has to get out of Manawaka.

Laurence brilliantly conjures the stifling anxiety that envelops Rachel, and her fears of transgressing the social norm. A Jest of God, which won the 1966 Governor General's Award for fiction, is a provocative and profoundly moving novel about one woman's struggle to escape the strictures of small-town life and become self-reliant and self-confident, and to learn from, rather than be overwhelmed by, those random jests of God. --Jeffrey Canton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Fresh and arresting…unforgettably good and nothing less than brilliant.”
–Maclean’s

“Superb and movingly human.”
–Saturday Review


From the Paperback edition. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
Search inside this book:

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

› Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

5 star
5
4 star
0
3 star
0
2 star
0
1 star
0
5.0 out of 5 stars
5 reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars A Tale of Loneliness and Desire Oct 28 2011
By Debra Purdy Kong TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Thirty-four-old school teacher Rachel Cameron is living a quiet life with her mother in the small Manitoba town of Manawaka. It's not a town where much happens and when it does, everyone knows. The return of an old school friend, Nick Kazlik, adds some spark to Rachel's life, but these are the early 60's, a time where proper women do not follow through on their deepest wishes and needs without repercussions. Rachel embarks on an affair with Nick, her heart and body telling her that this is right and wonderful, while her thoughts are filled with fear about getting caught, or worse, pregnancy.

Rachel's conflicted emotions and desires drive the plot and tension as she copes with her passive-aggressive mother, and the school principal she barely tolerates. Doing the right thing in Rachel's world means living an incredibly lonely life, which lead to moments of desperation. Should she continue to fulfill the expectations placed on her, or is there a way to break free?

A Jest of God is a beautifully written book by Canadian literary icon, Margaret Laurence. It's been over twenty years since I read a Laurence novel, and her writing flows with the same seamless elegance I remember. I wasn't surprised to learn that this book won the Governor General's Award in 1966. Laurence's work will continue to withstand the test of time.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable and True Oct 5 1997
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
A Jest of God epitomises Margaret Laurence's focus on characters whose stories are usually never told. The protagonist, Rachel, is a spinster school-teacher in small town Manitoba. She is stifled both by her closed community and by internalising their pettiness.
Rachel's inner-dialogue sets the claustophobic atmosphere, while also being funny, frustrating and moving. Laurence's portrait of an ordinairy woman coming to terms with herself and with surroundings is flawless and highly readable.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Margaret Lawrence does it once again. April 5 1999
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Although I find Margaret Lawrence to be an incredible author, all her books tend to be the same. Different people but always the same place, type of character, style. . . this is at least the case with all her books in the Manawaka Series. Stone Angel was my favorite, A jest of God was pretty good though.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
Want to see more reviews on this item?

    Your Shopping Cart is empty.

    Give it purpose—fill it with books, DVDs, clothes, electronics, and more.

    If you already have an account, sign in.

    View Cart (0 items)

      Listmania!

      Create a Listmania! list

      Look for similar items by category

      Feedback

      Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?