- Paperback: 248 pages
- Publisher: Dundurn (April 27 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 155488389X
- ISBN-13: 978-1554883899
- Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15.2 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 340 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#139,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #25 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Family & Childhood
- #37 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Regional Canada > Ontario
- #43 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Regional Canada > Prairie Provinces
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"Memories of the Beach…provides a glimpse at life in one of Toronto’s more unique neighborhoods as Williams unearths nuggets of history while retelling tales of her Depression-era childhood."
(Christian Week )"While she may not have been on “la rive gauche” in Paris, but only on the boardwalk on the north shore of Lake Ontario, Williams does seem to have confirmed [Marshall] McLuhan’s opinion that, indeed, she can write, by vividly recreating the world of her childhood."
(Catholic Insight )Memories of the Beach makes an excellent summer read, one that may leave you thinking about your own childhood and the places and times that formed the person you are today. (Guelph Mercury )
Regular Irish American Post contributor, Lorraine O’Donnell Williams grew up in the storied Beach district of Toronto, with its amusement park, racetrack and other entertainments. Her fun glimpses into 1930s and 1940s Toronto and its residents leave a delightful impression of one of Canada’s major cities. Her family, with its all is lovable quirks, brings the tale to life through its familiar-to-all cycle of daily life at school, dance classes, parties, weddings and advice from the elders. (Irish American Post )
"Readers will enjoy the old landmarks that are mentioned, as well as the many photographs that support her narrative. Lorraine is an erudite writer with a charming style....[Memories of the Beach] was a fascinating read and I have no hesitation in recommending it to all, young and old, who knew, or who would like to know more of, the old Toronto." (Arts in Motion (Markham Arts Council Newsletter) )
Product Description
Advance praise for Memories of the Beach:
"Lorraine O'Donnell Williams has given us a charming and evocative memoir of the Beach districit six or seven decades ago, when it was a separate world in the southeast corner of Toronto. Everyone who knew the Beach that was, and everyone who knows the Beach of today, will enjoy her account of growing up in that special place." -- Robert Fulford, author of Accidental City: The Transformation of Toronto
"In this richly rendered memoir of a Catholic girl growing up in Toronto's Beach community in the 1930s and 1940s, Lorraine Williams not only vividly captures the feeling of a more innocent age, but at the same time touches on a universal truth -- that the place in which we are nurtured forms an integral part of the person we become. Simply wonderful." -- Michael Bedard, author of the Governor General Award-winning Redwork
In this rare combination of history and memoir, Lorraine O'Donnell Williams details life within Toronto's Beach community in the 1930s and '40s from the vantage point of her front verandah, which abutted the boardwalk. Her extensive research has uncovered numerous hidden facets of the heritage of this exceptional neighbourhood, including the stories of what was in its time one of North America's most remarkable amusement parks, the popular dance hall, and how the area was transformed from cottage to urban living.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An evocative memoir,
By Sylvia Maultash Warsh (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Memories of the Beach: Reflections on a Toronto Childhood (Paperback)
Lorraine Williams has written that rare memoir that combines poignant personal history with the history of a well-loved part of Toronto, the Beach. With warm familiarity she describes the area's development from the pioneering Ashbridge family that farmed the lakefront in the 1790s, to the Scarboro Beach Amusement Park that rivaled Coney Island in the early 1900s. As she recounts her girlhood growing up in a loving Catholic family, she never loses sight of the times she lived in or the events swirling around her. During World War II, a neighbouring family gets word that their two sons are missing in action in Belgium. The author, who overhears this news from an adult, makes us feel her "rush of sorrow" when she remembers the two young men on the beach a few years earlier, racing around the lifeguard stand to catch the attention of a sunbathing beauty.
Lorraine's stories of her family touch the heart; especially the one of her Uncle Hugh who was so devoted to his wife, Lorraine's Aunt Aggie, that when she died he closed up the floor she occupied in their building and moved to a local hotel to live out the rest of his life. In a bittersweet moment, one of Lorraine's English profs, the legendary Marshall McLuhan, surprises her with a remark at her graduation. When told she's planning to do social work, he comments that he'd pictured her heading for Paris to write. This statement confounds her; why, she wonders, hadn't he told her sooner he thought she could be a writer? Lorraine often admits she doesn't have answers, yet she continues to ask the questions. Her memory for detail, as well as the personal family photos included in the book, create an evocative recreation of a childhood. Highly recommended.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A delightful read,
By
This review is from: Memories of the Beach: Reflections on a Toronto Childhood (Paperback)
Lorraine O'Donnell Williams has successfully evoked a time and place that is rich in memory and emotion. Her recollections are filled with vivid descriptions, humour and an abiding affection for her childhood neighbourhood; and the memoir is peopled by rich and colourful characters, not the least of which is young Lorraine. A delightful read!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews) 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Memories of the Beach,
By Laura Davis "Laura" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Memories of the Beach: Reflections on a Toronto Childhood (Paperback)
Memories of the Beach, Reflections on a Toronto Childhood by Canadian author Lorraine O'Donnell Williams is her wonderful memoir of the Toronto Beach community during the 1930's and '40's. I have never been to the beach area, but I feel like I have now. The author has an amazing recall of names, people, places and events, which added to this rich history of Toronto.
Her childhood sounded idyllic, watching people pass by on the boardwalk and swimming in Lake Ontario. She shares several stories that will make you laugh out loud at her audacity as a child. Her sense of humour and love of life shine throughout the book. The only thing that made me gasp, was the language in one chapter. I am not used to the "f" word as I only review Christian books. So, based on that I assumed it would be "clean". However, it was only one chapter and did not take away from the rest of the book at all. Any lover of history, particularly those who live in the Beach area of Toronto, will enjoy Memories of the Beach.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gentle and insightful,
By Carrie Swearingen - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Memories of the Beach: Reflections on a Toronto Childhood (Paperback)
Memories of the Beach provided a detailed look into a child and young adult's life on Lake Ontario in an era of innocence after the Great Depression. This insightful autobiography helped me to understand much of what childhood must have been like for my mother, who is the same age as Ms. O'Donnell Williams and grew up on the beaches of Chicago's South Shore. The author spends time describing many details (streets, turns, buildings) that may only be of great interest to those who are familiar with the beach neighborhoods of Toronto. I would have enjoyed seeing a map amid the book's photo inclusions. Still, I felt the damp evenings on the veranda, understood her relationships with school children and the obvious gender roles of the day. I much appreciated the author's relationship with her uncle, whom she was with at the end of his life, and how this softened her feelings about not having been available to her father in the same way before he passed away. I sometimes questioned her uncommon ability to recall details and feelings from age four or five, but was impressed with her admission to being a "mean girl" at times and how a local theatre group forged new friendships and support in ways she had not before experienced. This was a gentle summer read and one I will remember.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Book absorbs readers in another time and place,
By Beth Dotson Brown - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Memories of the Beach: Reflections on a Toronto Childhood (Paperback)
Lorraine O'Donnell Williams' memories grabbed me and pulled me to the beach with her as I read about a time and place unfamiliar to me. I enjoyed walking through the neighborhood, sitting in her classroom and meeting the family with the writer. It was as if she opened her photo album and scrapbook and added the words I need to step into her life for awhile.
|
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Family & Childhood
- Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > Canadian
- Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Memoirs
- Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Regional Canada > Ontario
- Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Regional Canada > Prairie Provinces
- Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Specific Groups > Women
- Books > History > Americas > Canada
- Books > History > Canada
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
