A Splinter in the Heart - Hardcover

Purdy, Al

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 077107218X ISBN 13: 9780771072185

Publisher: McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1991

Synopsis

Al Purdy’s only novel, A Splinter in the Heart, is an unforgettable coming-of-age story that unfolds against the real-life tragedy of what came to be known as the Trenton Disaster. Set in 1918, it tells the story of sixteen-year-old Patrick Cameron and the events that will change him – and the Ontario town in which he lives – forever. Over the course of one summer and fall, Patrick finds love with a girl whose betrayal he cannot foresee, confronts the death of his beloved grandfather, and comes to terms with a neighbourhood rival. All the while, his hometown of Trenton lives precariously in the shadow of a dynamite factory, a sinister reminder of the Great War, which brought such prosperity to the town. Vivid with character and event, and evocative of time and place, A Splinter in the Heart is a moving portrait of a young man’s journey into adulthood in an era of change.

About this title

About the Author

<b>Al Purdy</b> was born in 1918, in Wooler, Ontario. He wrote his first poem at the age of thirteen and published his first collection of poetry, <i>The Enchanted Echo</i>, in 1944. In a writing career that spanned over fifty years, he published over thirty books of poetry; a novel; two volumes of memoirs, most recently <i>Reaching for the Beaufort Sea</i>; and four books of correspondence, including <i>Margaret Laurence </i>–<i> Al Purdy: A Friendship in Letters</i>. His final collection of poetry, <i>Beyond Remembering: The Collected Poems of Al Purdy</i>, will be released posthumously in the fall of 2000. Purdy also wrote radio and television plays for the CBC, served as writer-in-residence at a number of Canadian universities, and edited several anthologies of poetry.<br><br>

From the Inside Flap

17;s only novel, <i>A Splinter in the Heart</i>, is an unforgettable coming-of-age story that unfolds against the real-life tragedy of what came to be known as the Trenton Disaster. Set in 1918, it tells the story of sixteen-year-old Patrick Cameron and the events that will change him – and the Ontario town in which he lives – forever. Over the course of one summer and fall, Patrick finds love with a girl whose betrayal he cannot foresee, confronts the death of his beloved grandfather, and comes to terms with a neighbourhood rival. All the while, his hometown of Trenton lives precariously in the shadow of a dynamite factory, a sinister reminder of the Great War, which brought such prosperity to the town. Vivid with character and event, and evocative of time and place, <i>A Splinter in the Heart</i> is a moving portrait of a young man’s journey into adulthood in an era of change.

Edition details

• Publisher: McClelland & Stewart Inc.
• Publication date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 077107218X
• ISBN 13: 9780771072185
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 259