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Jason's Quest
A young mole tries to discover the cause and cure for the strange sickness spreading over the city of Molanium.
194 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
1 person is currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Laurence
47 books412 followersCanada's classic authoress was born Jean Margaret Wemyss on July 18, 1926 in the prairie town of Neepawa, Manitoba, Canada. Her Mom, Verna, passed away early. Her Aunt Margaret helped her Father take care of her for a year, then they married and had a Son. Their Father died two years afterwards. Aunt Margaret was a Mother to her, raising the kids in theirr maternal Grandfather's home.
Margaret wrote stories in elementary school. Her professional writing career began in 1943 with a job at the town newspaper and continued in 1944, when she entered the Honours English program at Winnipeg's United College (University Of Winnipeg.) After graduating in 1947, she was hired as a reporter for The Winnipeg Citizen. That year, she married Jack Laurence, a civil engineer.
Jack's profession took the couple to England, Somalia, and eventually Ghana, where Margaret gained an appreciation for Africa and the storytelling traditions of its peoples. It was in Africa that their children, Jocelyn and David, were born, and when Margaret began to work seriously on her writing. Her book of essays about and translations of Somali poetry and prose was published in 1954 as A Tree for Poverty. A collection of short stories, The Tomorrow-Tamer, as well as a novel, This Side Jordan (both focusing on African subjects) were published after Margaret returned home to Canada. Her fiction was thereafter concerned with Canadian subjects, but she maintained her interest in African literature and in 1968 published a critical analysis of Nigerian literature, Long Drums and Cannons: Nigerian Dramatists and Novelists 1952-1966. Present in her African works is a concern with the ethical dilemma of being a white colonialist living in colonial Africa.
In 1957, Margaret and her family moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, for five years. In 1962, Margaret & Jack divorced. She moved to London, England for a year, followed by a cottage in Buckinghamshire for ten years, although she visited Canada often. During this period, Margaret wrote her first works with Canadian subject matter.
"The Stone Angel" was published in 1964, and was the first of her "Manawaka novels", the fictional prairie community modelled after her hometown of Neepawa, Manitoba. It was followed by "A Jest Of God" in 1966 (for which she won her first Governor General's Award,) "The Fire-Dwellers" in 1969, and "A Bird In The House" in 1970. Margaret received critical and commercial acclaim in Canada and in 1971, was honoured by being named a Companion to the Order of Canada.
In the early 1970s, she returned to Canada and settled in Lakefield, Ontario. She continued to write and was writer-in-residence at the University Of Toronto, the University Of Western Ontario, and Trent University. In 1974, Margaret completed her final novel, "The Diviners", for which she received the Governor General's Award and the Molson Prize. It was followed by a book of essays, Heart Of A Stranger" in 1976 and several children's books: "Jason's Quest", "The Olden-Days Coat", "Six Darn Cows", and "The Christmas Birthday Story". Her autobiography "Dance On The Earth" was published in 1987.
Margaret died on January 5, 1987 at her home in Lakefield, after learning her lung cancer diagnosis was terminal. She is buried in Neepawa Cemetery, a few metres from the stone angel which inspired her novel.
Margaret wrote stories in elementary school. Her professional writing career began in 1943 with a job at the town newspaper and continued in 1944, when she entered the Honours English program at Winnipeg's United College (University Of Winnipeg.) After graduating in 1947, she was hired as a reporter for The Winnipeg Citizen. That year, she married Jack Laurence, a civil engineer.
Jack's profession took the couple to England, Somalia, and eventually Ghana, where Margaret gained an appreciation for Africa and the storytelling traditions of its peoples. It was in Africa that their children, Jocelyn and David, were born, and when Margaret began to work seriously on her writing. Her book of essays about and translations of Somali poetry and prose was published in 1954 as A Tree for Poverty. A collection of short stories, The Tomorrow-Tamer, as well as a novel, This Side Jordan (both focusing on African subjects) were published after Margaret returned home to Canada. Her fiction was thereafter concerned with Canadian subjects, but she maintained her interest in African literature and in 1968 published a critical analysis of Nigerian literature, Long Drums and Cannons: Nigerian Dramatists and Novelists 1952-1966. Present in her African works is a concern with the ethical dilemma of being a white colonialist living in colonial Africa.
In 1957, Margaret and her family moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, for five years. In 1962, Margaret & Jack divorced. She moved to London, England for a year, followed by a cottage in Buckinghamshire for ten years, although she visited Canada often. During this period, Margaret wrote her first works with Canadian subject matter.
"The Stone Angel" was published in 1964, and was the first of her "Manawaka novels", the fictional prairie community modelled after her hometown of Neepawa, Manitoba. It was followed by "A Jest Of God" in 1966 (for which she won her first Governor General's Award,) "The Fire-Dwellers" in 1969, and "A Bird In The House" in 1970. Margaret received critical and commercial acclaim in Canada and in 1971, was honoured by being named a Companion to the Order of Canada.
In the early 1970s, she returned to Canada and settled in Lakefield, Ontario. She continued to write and was writer-in-residence at the University Of Toronto, the University Of Western Ontario, and Trent University. In 1974, Margaret completed her final novel, "The Diviners", for which she received the Governor General's Award and the Molson Prize. It was followed by a book of essays, Heart Of A Stranger" in 1976 and several children's books: "Jason's Quest", "The Olden-Days Coat", "Six Darn Cows", and "The Christmas Birthday Story". Her autobiography "Dance On The Earth" was published in 1987.
Margaret died on January 5, 1987 at her home in Lakefield, after learning her lung cancer diagnosis was terminal. She is buried in Neepawa Cemetery, a few metres from the stone angel which inspired her novel.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 16, 2019
It's unfortunate that Jason's Quest seems to be such an obscure book, because it really is a cute and creative story. The protagonists are really sweet characters(though Topaz is annoying at first, even she changes for the better), the plot is paced very well, and it's fun to see how Margaret Laurence imagines the way animals live in a society unknown to humans. The story does have its silly moments, but there is enough in the way of good-quality writing and lovable characters that it is a book that adults can enjoy as well as kids.
Jason's Quest is a good-natured adventure tale that deserves much more recognition than it gets. Readers of any age who enjoy light adventures and talking animal stories can find something to love here!
Jason's Quest is a good-natured adventure tale that deserves much more recognition than it gets. Readers of any age who enjoy light adventures and talking animal stories can find something to love here!
November 10, 2019
This is one of the lost books of my childhood--a book I found in the Lincoln school library and loved, but later I could not remember the title or the author. Then, magically, I found it at a library book sale.
It's about a young mole who goes on a quest for the cure to a mysterious malady that is afflicting his people, along with an owl and two cats. They meet good and bad animals of all sorts on their way to and in London. It's still a wonderful book.
It's about a young mole who goes on a quest for the cure to a mysterious malady that is afflicting his people, along with an owl and two cats. They meet good and bad animals of all sorts on their way to and in London. It's still a wonderful book.
August 10, 2009
Mole sets out with friends to find a cure for the malaise in his village. One of Laura Ellis's top 5 books she read as a child.
February 6, 2026
(It's been years since I read this, so I can't write an indepth review of it. This is a short one for now.)
I always thought this was such a good book.
The characters are fun, the story was interesting. I loved reading it when I was little, and thought it would make a great old-fashioned tv show, just completely following the book's plot.
The different animal societies and creative ways they live alongside human societies really intriuged me, and the cast of characters worked well with each other.
I also liked the little animal versions of real songs that were spattered throughout the book. "When Irish Moles Are Digging" is my favorite.
I would reccomend this book.
A "Jason's Quest" tv show is sadly unlikely to happen, but when I was around 11 or something, I took it upon myself to compose a theme song for it.
It goes like this:
Jason! Just a normal mole.
Jason! Lives within a hole.
Jason! Has to find a cure.
Jason! Needs to cure the bore.
Jason! Can he do it? He's not sure, BUT HE'LL TRY
Jason! Just a normal mole.
Jason! Lives within a hole.
Jason! Left his cozy nest.
Jason! Thinks the cap knows best.
Jason...THIS IS JASON'S QUEST!
(Imagine the theme song playing to music with a strong beat, and over it are different scenes of Jason and his friends doing stuff, animated in an old-Disney-like style, and then at the very end Jason holds up his umbrella like a sword and the title appears above him.)
I always thought this was such a good book.
The characters are fun, the story was interesting. I loved reading it when I was little, and thought it would make a great old-fashioned tv show, just completely following the book's plot.
The different animal societies and creative ways they live alongside human societies really intriuged me, and the cast of characters worked well with each other.
I also liked the little animal versions of real songs that were spattered throughout the book. "When Irish Moles Are Digging" is my favorite.
I would reccomend this book.
A "Jason's Quest" tv show is sadly unlikely to happen, but when I was around 11 or something, I took it upon myself to compose a theme song for it.
It goes like this:
Jason! Just a normal mole.
Jason! Lives within a hole.
Jason! Has to find a cure.
Jason! Needs to cure the bore.
Jason! Can he do it? He's not sure, BUT HE'LL TRY
Jason! Just a normal mole.
Jason! Lives within a hole.
Jason! Left his cozy nest.
Jason! Thinks the cap knows best.
Jason...THIS IS JASON'S QUEST!
(Imagine the theme song playing to music with a strong beat, and over it are different scenes of Jason and his friends doing stuff, animated in an old-Disney-like style, and then at the very end Jason holds up his umbrella like a sword and the title appears above him.)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews