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Review
"[Hill] lures the reader with the sheer naturalness of the hilarious script, while sneaking in telling stories about the sad state of race relations in this country." --The Globe and Mail
"Some Great Thing is not only a crackling good yarn, it is funny and wise and filled with wonderful people." --Paul Quarrington
"Some Great Thing is not only a crackling good yarn, it is funny and wise and filled with wonderful people." --Paul Quarrington
Product Description
Mahatma Grafton is a disillusioned university graduate burdened with a famous name, and suffering from the curse of his generation -- a total lack of interest in the state of the world. The son of a retired railway porter from Winnipeg, he returns home for a job as a reporter with The Winnipeg Herald. Soon Mahatma is scoping local stories of murder and mayhem, breaking a promise to himself to avoid writing victim stories.
As Mahatma is unexpectedly drawn into the inflammatory issue of French-language rights in Manitoba, with all its racial side-channels, he is surprised to find that he has a social conscience. Combating his boss's flair for weaving hysteria into his stories, Mahatma learns that to stay afloat he must remain true to himself.
Populated with colourful characters -- including an unlikely welfare crusader, a burned-out fellow reporter, a French-language-rights activist, and a visiting journalist from Cameroon -- Some Great Thing is a fascinating portrait of a major urban newspaper and a deeply perceptive story of one man's coming of age.
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Most helpful customer reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
some great canadiana,
By "spaceprincess12" (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Some Great Thing (Paperback)
Mahatma Grafton is a university graduate who, having no idea what he wants to do with his life, returns to his hometown of Winnipeg to work for a newspaper. Over the course of his first year on the job, he discovers purpose in his life, with the help of a colourful array of characters, including a welfare crusader, a burned-out fellow reporter, an unlikely french-language-rights activist, and a visiting journalist from Cameroon.Aside from being incredibly well-written and entertaining, this book is an intelligent reflection of Canadian issues, including race, language, government policy and opinions regarding our American neighbors. Some Great Thing is loosely connected to Hill's second book, Any Known Blood, which is also a fabulous read.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not great, but a worthwhile read,
By
This review is from: Some Great Thing (Paperback)
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I opened my next Lawrence Hill novel, Some Great Thing. I knew that it most likely wouldn't be like the last read'The Book of Negroes'but instead of dilly-dallying, I cracked it open and started reading (sidenote: I found out the best way to get myself into a new book is to only bring that book with me for the day ' then I'm forced to read it). It was a great read.Not something I normally read about, Some Great Thing is about Mahatma Grafton, a young man who wants to make a mark in the world and decides to try journalism. Throughout the novel, the reader sees how Grafton moves from someone who writes somewhat-insignificant pieces to someone who writes pieces with meaning. Not being one who normally reads the newspaper (I'm terrible, I know), I do have some idea of how it all works. Call me ignorant, but I never even thought that something I read in the paper might not be the truth. Hill introduces the reader to honest people and dishonest people. He also shows us that it's not about colour, but about the person inside. There's also a fair amount of humour in the book that is bound to have the reader in stitches. It's not an earth-shattering read, but it's definitely a book to add to your shelf.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
It was a great book!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Some Great Thing (Paperback)
I don't read much but I would like to say that this was a very good book. I read it for a school project and it was very interesting. I like the characters and it never makes you bored. Hope you like it just as much as I!
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