Barefoot at the Lake: A Memoir of Summer People and Water Creatures (Large Print Edition) - Hardcover

Fogle, Bruce

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1871510511 ISBN 13: 9781871510515

Publisher: Large Print Bookshop, 2015

Synopsis

Lake Chemong, 1954.

Every summer, from June to August, the Fogle family pack up and leave the big city of Toronto, escaping to their white, cedar-clad cottage, the last in a row of a cluster of houses nestled in primordial forest on a wide, ink-blue lake. Mr Fogle, a silent mountain of a man, built the cottage himself. In the mind of ten year old Bruce, his father is brown and green, the colours of the land, his whip smart, gregarious mother, a vivid and fiery red. This year, joining his parents, his older brother Rob and Angus the family dog, is his mother’s wise and enigmatic brother, Reub.

At first, this summer break seems like any other. Bruce spends his days floating in the row boat with Grace from next door, jumping off the diving raft, eating peach pie, watching the seagulls and herons, observing frogs and turtles and catching crayfish.

Relishing the heat of the sun on his bare skin and the sludge of the lakebed beneath his toes, he, even at this young age, understands his life is pretty perfect. But then everything starts to change. Family dynamics are shifting, and over the summer both the harshness of the adult world and the thoughtless cruelty of children leave their mark. By the time the weather turns Bruce will be a different child, and will have chosen his own path to understanding the shifting, fragile wilderness that frames their summer idyll.

Teeming with wonderful characters, Barefoot at the Lake is the story of a boy discovering his place in the world and realising his deep connection with nature. It is a memoir that will utterly transport you – you’ll feel the sun on your face, the pebbles of the lake under foot and catch the scent of the pine on the wind.

About this title

Review:

"Bruce Fogle is best known as the veterinarian author of numerous guides to cat and dog care... [Barefoot at the Lake] is a book full of quiet wisdom and also an inspiring account of how an adult vocation can grow from the formative experiences of childhood"—The Bookseller
"Bruce Fogle's sweet, beautifully-written memoir, Barefoot at the Lake, precisely catches the fleeting magic of both adolescence and Canadian summer. Reading it is like peering into a snapshot, taken long ago at a beloved cottage." David Macfarlane, author of Summer Gone
"As contemplative and unhurried as a long and lazy summer day, Barefoot at the Lake is a delightful return to an age of innocence, seen through the eyes of a soulful young boy. Dive into its world of frogs and minnows, campfire yarns and home-baked peach pies; you won't want to pull yourself away when sundown comes." Margaret Langrick, star of My American Cousin
"

About the Author:

Bruce Fogle is a veterinarian and the best-selling author of many books about Dogs and Cats, including "The Encyclopedia of the Dog" and the "K.I.S.S guide to Living with a Dog." This is his first memoir.

About this edition

• Publisher: Large Print Bookshop
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1871510511
• ISBN 13: 9781871510515
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 264