- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Canada (Aug 26 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0143016245
- ISBN-13: 978-0143016243
- Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 13.4 x 1.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 249 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #334,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Book Description
In the 1950s, in the Ontario tobacco-growing community of Smoke, a young boy on the verge of manhood is scarred forever. A night out with his buddies, too much booze and a lit cigarette, and Buster McFiddie's life will never be the same. Through the process of healing, one man's voice speaks to him, softly, to ease his pain, spinning yarns of The Purple Gang, the notorious Detroit mob. It is the voice of John Gray, the town doctor, and soon it's clear that telling these tales means as much to Doc as hearing them means to Buster.
In an era of conformity, a disfigured boy tries to move his life forward, and an old man grapples desperately with his past: the convergence of two lives on the cusp will change each of them, and the small-town world that binds them, in ways they could not have imagined.
Elizabeth Ruth's second novel is a tour de force: a potent, richly inventive story of identity and transformation, of reconciliation between the way you are seen, and the truth of who you really are.
About the Author
Elizabeth Ruth is the author of the acclaimed first novel Ten Good Seconds of Silence. She lives in Toronto.
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
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Smoke but NO Fire,
By Reader and Writer "Chris" (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Smoke (Paperback)
Smoke-- but no Fire Let me be clear: I hate trying to enjoy a piece of art and getting bombarded by dumptrucks full of flaws. Example at hand, the novel Smoke by Elizabeth Ruth. I tried, really. I wanted to like it. But then, oh then. Narration flips viewpoints for no reason. We are told the emotions the characters feel even before they can react and show us. Hackneyed word use screams from every page, coats are slipped on, hot stares fall upon necks, car door handles are cranked, songs end abruptly, legs are tightly crossed, scents waft, people worry themselves sick, sun filters down. People never walk up stairs they mount stairs, so often in fact that I was waiting for the stairs to get pregnant. Even verbs do not correlate. Three sentences in a row start: 1.) B. is wearing... 2.) He stuck a red blow... 3.) He intends to give.... Time sequencing is a mess. In one part the character goes to the school, skips school, takes a 20 mile hike, hikes back, spends a couple hours at a doctor's house, walks to a field, lays in the field for hours, and then we find it's only early afternoon. The final blow is what is probably designed to be the plot-- a boring, dull, rambling, repetitive rehasing of teen discussions and a vague question about price setting and tobacco. It's full of characters whose motivations, goals and problems are completely undeveloped and meaningless. At the halfway point I skimmed the remainder of the book. It's just bad writing. Penguin -- get a grip!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Holy Smoke,
By A Customer
This review is from: Smoke (Paperback)
I almost wish Smoke was the start of a series. I know that the lives of Buster and Jelly Bean will be extraordinary without being fantastical. It's so rare to find characters so richly drawn and heart felt. Ruth really lets you feel the characters, you understand their thoughts and motivations in a single paragraph. I raced through this book - anxious to see what happened next - then stretched the last 30 pages out as long as I could. I want to tell you what happens but know that would be wrong. I've already gone back over the story to read it again, look for clues, foreshadowing, and re-introduce myself to this world. WONDERFUL!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
you have got to read this book!,
By fraser gilbert (Montreal) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Smoke (Paperback)
This book was fantastic. Quintessential Canadian novel, with an incredible twist that makes it a very original story. I don't want to spoil it, but it's a doozee.I found the writing in Smoke to be emotional, challenging and accessible with characters that will probably resonate in my mind for a long time to come. Looking forward to Elizabeth Ruth's next book...in the meantime, I highly recommend reading this one.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
Most recent customer reviews |
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?
|
