A powerful first novel about a family that slips from fortune's favor and a town broken by the forces of modernity Across a bend of Ontario's Attawan River lies the Island, a working-class neighborhood of whitewashed houses and vine-freighted fences, black willows and decaying sheds. Here, for generations, the Walkers have lived among the other mill workers. The family's troubles begin in the summer of 1965, when a union organizer comes to town and Alf Walker is forced to choose between loyalty to his friends at the mill and advancement up the company ranks. Alf's worries are aggravated by his wife, Margaret, who has never reconciled her middle-class English upbringing to her blue-collar reality. As the summer passes, Joe, their son, is also forced to reckon with his family's standing when he falls headlong for a beautiful newcomer on a bridge--a girl far beyond him, with greater experience and broader horizons. As the threat of mill closures looms, the Walkers grapple with their personal crises, just as the rest of the town fights to protect its way of life amid the risks of unionization and the harsh demands of corporate power. Superbly crafted and deeply moving, this remarkable debut follows the Walkers to the very bottom of their night only to confirm, in the end, life's ultimate hopefulness. "The Island Walkers" is at once a love letter to a place, a gripping family saga, and a testimony to the emergence of an important new novelist.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
"We don't have many novels that cross generations like this and give us the interior of lives, a feeling for social history, and an incredibly strong sense of place. The story is so ambitious and complex, yet simply, beautifully told. The whole thing flows along like a river, a real page-turner with Dantean echoes and lyrical insights that are often breathtaking--a great accomplishment."
Already a bestseller in Canada - a spellbinding first novel about a family that slips from fortune's favour
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 38846236-6
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: BookHolders, Towson, MD, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. [ No Hassle 30 Day Returns ][ Ships Daily ] [ Underlining/Highlighting: NONE ] [ Writing: NONE ] [ Edition: first ] Publisher: Metropolitan Books Pub Date: 1/12/2004 Binding: Hardcover Pages: 464 first edition. Seller Inventory # 6004835
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Bluff Books, Natchez, MS, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 0805074112 Text clean and unmarked. Light wear to dust jacket. TSB-181. Seller Inventory # SKU1002555
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 2.45. Seller Inventory # G0805074112I4N10
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: As New. No Jacket. Pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 2.45. Seller Inventory # G0805074112I2N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 2.45. Seller Inventory # G0805074112I4N10
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 2.45. Seller Inventory # G0805074112I3N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Missing dust jacket; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 2.45. Seller Inventory # G0805074112I4N01
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Wonder Book, Frederick, MD, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. Very Good condition. Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp. Seller Inventory # Y10L-00726
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Ebooksweb, Bensalem, PA, U.S.A.
Condition: Acceptable. Used: Acceptable Condition. Seller Inventory # 52GZZZ01T94G_ns
Quantity: 1 available