Book 35, They Shall Inherit the Earth (1934) - Morley Callaghan
From the back cover:
“This is the story of a father and his son, and a tragic accident that changed both of their lives. It is a story about fate and the terrible and permanent effects of a single decision made in a split second one summer day. It is a story about the lives people lived in Canada in the Thirties–lives marked by the earnest naivety, the financial desperation, and the wild gaiety of the times. Finally, it is a story about conscience–about the moment when one man discovered he could no longer escape the truth about himself. First published in 1934, They Shall Inherit the Earth led to Morley Callaghan’s reputation as a writer of international stature.”

Other useful links:
the Wikipedia entry for Morley Callaghan

My thoughts:
They Shall Inherit the Earth is a kind of Passion play: the protagonist, Michael Aikenhead, commits a sin, suffers, and is finally redeemed (not through God, religion, or political utopianism but through the love of a good woman). As an echo of this main plot, Michael’s father, Andrew, also has a similar experience (his redemption comes from reconciliation with his son which is set in motion by the aforementioned woman, Anna).

Much of the narration is really description of the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters (especially but not limited to those of Michael). However, Callaghan’s sparse style (Hemingway-like) and artificial dialogue creates a sense of distance between the reader and the characters.

The Shall Inherit the Earth presents us with a convincing snapshot of Depression-era northeastern North America (we’re invited to suppose this is Toronto, but it really could be any of the cities in the area). The oppressive weight of widespread un- and under-employment with its wandering, aimless men, impoverished and subjugated women, and the false hope promised by both religion and political ideologies fills the book.

I ended up liking this book in the end (probably because it ended on such an optimistic note), though I found it frustrating and slow at first. The only characters I really liked were Ross and Anna, but neither of them were developed all that much.

One scene that really blew my mind is one in which while Anna is giving birth, Michael is in the waiting room talking to a nun. Instead of asking her if she wants a priest and what religion she is, the nun asks him and when he says he doesn’t know, she gets permission from him to baptise her! Crazy! Talk about infantalization of women. When I told my mum about that part, she said, Now imagine what women had to fight through to get as far as they have. That stuff wasn’t in the law, it wasn’t like they could challenge a law and have it changed. That attitude was just accepted everywhere.

Book 34, Life in the Clearings Versus the Bush (1853) - Susanna Moodie
From the back cover:
“In Life in the Clearings versus the Bush (1853), the sequel to Roughing It in the Bush (1852), Susanna Moodie turns from examination of pioneer life in the bush to a portrayal of the relatively sophisticated society springing up in the clearings along Lake Ontario. During a trip from Belleville to Niagara Falls, Moodie acts as a meticulous observer of the social customs and practices of the times.

Invaluable as social history and as a candid self-portrait of a remarkable woman, Life in the Clearings versus the Bush chronicles, with wit and wisdom, Canadian society in the mid-nineteenth century.”

Other useful links:
the Wikipedia entry for Susanna Moodie

My thoughts:
First off, I have to say that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as Roughing It in the Bush. She spent far less time observing people, places, and customs and a lot more time talking about (the Christian) God. When she did describe life in Canada it was interesting as usual and some parts were fascinating (her observations of the “Lunatic Asylum” for example). There are a couple of essays that were interesting too, especially looking back on things from a century and a half later, like the one about wearing mourning. I don’t know if she would be happy or horrified to see how far those customs have been abandoned. I was particularly intrigued by the story of Grace Marks because I know that Margaret Atwood based her book Alias Grace upon this account. I have yet to read Margaret Atwood’s book, but I will do so soon while the memories are still fresh.

Book 33, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1959) - Mordecai Richler
From a publisher:
“The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz is the novel that established Mordecai Richler as one of the world’s best comic writers. Growing up in the heart of Montreal’s Jewish ghetto, Duddy Kravitz is obsessed with his grandfather’s saying, ‘A man without land is nothing.’ In his relentless pursuit of property and his drive to become a somebody, he will wheel and deal, he will swindle and forge, he will even try making movies. And in spite of the setbacks he suffers, the sacrifices he must make along the way, Duddy never loses faith that his dream is worth the price he must pay. This blistering satire traces the eventful coming-of-age of a cynical dreamer. Amoral, inventive, ruthless, and scheming, Duddy Kravitz is one of the most magnetic anti-heroes in literature, a man who learns the hard way that dreams are never exactly what they seem, even when they do come true.”

Other useful links:
the Wikipedia entry for Mordecai Richler
the Wikipedia entry for The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz

My thoughts:
I wish I had read this around the same time as I read St. Urbain’s Horseman because the memory of the figure of Duddy Kravitz from that book is a little fuzzy. A very interesting book with a misogynist, greedy protagonist that you can’t help but root for, even as he destroys everyone around him. In real life I’d be signing petitions against development of the lake and I’d think Duddy deserves to go to jail for something, he’s just so inconsiderate and immoral. And yet, and yet, he still has a kernel of conscience and sensitivity (although it may be completely egocentric). Not as full a book as Horseman, but excellent none the less.

Book 32, Anne of Green Gables (1908) - Lucy Maud Montgomery
From a publisher:
“When siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert decide to send word to an orphanage for a little boy to help on their land, both their lives are forever changed by an unexpected mistake—an 11-year-old girl named Anne Shirley. A young, imaginative, spunky, red-haired orphan arrives, longing for a real family, friends, and a place to call home. Through a series of lessons and adventures she soon captures the hearts of the Cuthberts and all those around her in the small town of Avonlea.”

Other useful links:
the Wikipedia entry for Lucy Maud Montgomery
the Wikipedia entry for Anne of Green Gables

My thoughts:
I’m rereading this again since it is the 100th anniversary of the book and it’s probably been about 12 years since I read it last. I’m looking at it with quite a different perspective.
–

I read this in a couple of days in late August while lounging at the pool. I did definitely have a different perspective this time ’round. I read Margaret Atwood’s analysis of the book in which she says that the true heroine of the book is Marilla, and this time I paid particular attention to Marilla’s development. I also tried to read it with a view to the Canadian literature which preceded it and was able to compare it to Little Women (very favourably—I didn’t care for the moralising of the latter book. Of course all of that extra background knowledge and focus did not detract a whit from the exuberance, joy, and pathos of Anne’s story.

If you’ve not read this book before, I urge you to pick it up. It’s such a delight.