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Swann Paperback – Oct. 22 1996

4.1 out of 5 stars 38 ratings

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Product description

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Although best known for The Stone Diaries, which won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Governor General's Award, Carol Shields has anointed Swann as her favourite offspring. Swann, a literary mystery that won the Arthur Ellis Award for best Canadian mystery, is among Shields's most eccentric works. It revolves around the papers of a fictional Canadian poet named Mary Swann, the stifled, uneducated, and almost friendless wife of a violent, poverty-stricken farmer. Just before her murder at the hands of her husband, Swann had delivered a paper bag containing her scraps of poetry to Frederic Cruzzi, the editor of a Kingston small press. Swann's book is initially forgotten, until Sarah Maloney, a young American feminist academic, discovers it. The novel itself begins after Swann has gained a small but growing reputation as a sort of northern Emily Dickinson, as her various readers prepare for an academic symposium in her honour.

The bulk of Swann is divided into four sections, one devoted to each of the novel's main characters, all of whom are guilty of distorting or even destroying Swann's work and character to suit their own purposes. Along with Sarah and Frederic, the reader meets Morton Jimroy, Swann's rather pathetic and repellent biographer, and Rose Hindmarch, the middle-aged spinster who was Swann's only lasting human contact outside of her marriage. Swann is, in a sense, a writer's revenge novel, gently satirizing everyone who lives through the literary establishment, from academics to publishers, rare book collectors, and even common readers. Nevertheless, this compulsively readable book should delight anyone with a weak spot for fine literary mischief. --Jack Illingworth

Review

"One of the best novels I have read… deft, funny, poignant, surprising and beautifully shaped—in total command of itself and its language." -- Margaret Atwood

"A brilliant literary mystery...a delightful send-up of the scholarly sideshow that surrounds a work of art." -- Kirkus Reviews

"...a compelling work...exquisitely crafted..." -- Globe and Mail

"Gently satirical… [Carol Shields] has a compassion for her characters that can make you ache for them." -- The New York Times

"Well-drawn characters, expert writing, and silky malice are combined in an exceptionally satisfying work of fiction" -- The Atlantic Monthly

"A spicily witty tale of literary malarkey." -- The Sunday Times (U.K.)

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage Canada; 3rd Printing edition (Oct. 22 1996)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0679307877
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0679307877
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 408 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.97 x 2.54 x 21.59 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 38 ratings

About the author

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Carol Shields (1935–2003) was born in Oak Park, Illinois. She studied at Hanover College, the University of Exeter in England, and the University of Ottawa. In 1957, she married Donald Shields and moved to Canada permanently. She taught at the University of Ottawa, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Manitoba, and served as chancellor of the University of Winnipeg. She wrote ten novels and three short story collections, in addition to poetry, plays, criticism, and a biography of Jane Austen. Her novel The Stone Diaries won the Pulitzer Prize, the Governor General’s Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award; it was also shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Shields was further recognized with a Canada Council Major Award, two Canadian National Magazine Awards, the Canadian Authors Association Award, and countless other prizes and honors.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
38 global ratings
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Top reviews from Canada

Reviewed in Canada on July 21, 2021
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Reviewed in Canada on December 23, 2016
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Reviewed in Canada on March 27, 2017
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Reviewed in Canada on December 15, 2016
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Reviewed in Canada on April 19, 2017
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Reviewed in Canada on February 24, 2001
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in Canada on July 27, 2000
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Reviewed in Canada on August 2, 2011

Top reviews from other countries

Rebecca from Alaska
3.0 out of 5 stars Hauntingly Beautiful Writing
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2017
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4 people found this helpful
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M. N. Crowe
3.0 out of 5 stars Not my favorite Carol Shields novel
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2015
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17 people found this helpful
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Alice H.
4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting view of writers, publishers, and reviewer, with a bit of a mystery in the mix.
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2017
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9 people found this helpful
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charlotte goering
5.0 out of 5 stars When the writing matters...
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2017
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4 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Worth a read
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2020
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