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Reading by Lightning
Reading by Lightning is the story of a young woman developing a sense of herself during the Depression and World War II. In the barn loft on their prairie farm, Lily Piper listens to sermons about the Second Coming, bracing herself for the moment when they'll be snatched away to another reality. But Lily's new reality turns out to be England, where she's sent just before the war to look after her grandmother. There she discovers a whole different way of being in the world.
388 pages, Paperback
First published September 11, 2008
4 people are currently reading
237 people want to read
About the author
Joan Thomas
6 books107 followersWild Hope, my fifth novel, is a love story, a mystery, and a critique of contemporary values. Two of my previous books, Five Wives and Curiosity, were fictional dives into real events. My novels have won numerous prizes, including the Governor General's Award for Fiction, the Amazon Prize, the McNally Robinson Prize, and a Commonwealth Prize. I live in Winnipeg. You can visit me at joanthomas.ca.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
March 25, 2021
The first book I read by Joan Thomas was Five Wives. Then I read The Opening Sky. Had I started with this book I’m not as sure I would have been so keen to read more of her work.
This wasn’t a story that stands out in any big way. Yet the novel won the Amazon.ca First Novel Award in 2009, along with other literary awards. So yes, there’s that!
And yes, the writing is good!
Some of the story is about her father immigrating to Canada, settling in Manitoba, Canada in the 1930s. But the main story revolves around his daughter Lily who will go to England as a teen to live with her grandmother for several years before WW2 begins.
There are no big dramatic moments, just little life events unfolding.
In the first part of the book there is a bit of mystery about what ails her father.
Her mother is religious, cool and distance.
There are changes in points of view in some sections throughout the book.
One of my favourite descriptions is about picking grasshopper legs out of the cracked wheat.
The lack of dialogue tags is frustrating. Yet, when she goes to England there is far more dialogue for awhile in the beginning, and with dialogue tags. I guess all this is part of what is acceptable with literary fiction, along with the ending of the book.
I did find the middle of the book to be less interesting and in fact at one point dragged on a bit too long.
The story did pick up at a better pace once she returned to Manitoba after her father’s death.
if you like this time period of history, this is probably a good read.
This wasn’t a story that stands out in any big way. Yet the novel won the Amazon.ca First Novel Award in 2009, along with other literary awards. So yes, there’s that!
And yes, the writing is good!
Some of the story is about her father immigrating to Canada, settling in Manitoba, Canada in the 1930s. But the main story revolves around his daughter Lily who will go to England as a teen to live with her grandmother for several years before WW2 begins.
There are no big dramatic moments, just little life events unfolding.
In the first part of the book there is a bit of mystery about what ails her father.
Her mother is religious, cool and distance.
There are changes in points of view in some sections throughout the book.
One of my favourite descriptions is about picking grasshopper legs out of the cracked wheat.
The lack of dialogue tags is frustrating. Yet, when she goes to England there is far more dialogue for awhile in the beginning, and with dialogue tags. I guess all this is part of what is acceptable with literary fiction, along with the ending of the book.
I did find the middle of the book to be less interesting and in fact at one point dragged on a bit too long.
The story did pick up at a better pace once she returned to Manitoba after her father’s death.
if you like this time period of history, this is probably a good read.
August 1, 2020
Disappointing ending for me, left me hanging
August 23, 2013
Fascinated with book 1 in the novel, we meet the MCs and settle in to the depression era terrain of the Manitoban prairie of cental Canada. Description of the realities of Lily's father's journey from England to Canada vs the minister's imaginative utopian settlement that set him on the journey; realities of prairie life hardships; relational realities of Lily's childhood journey to adulthood; intensely tangible. Now sixteen, at her grandfather's passing, Lily's father sends her to England to care for his mother...
book 2 - England
Lily meets her father's family who welcome her into their lives as one of their own. She is someone of importance to them. Sisters. Cousins. A Nana who loves and needs her as she struggles with health as Lily's homemaking skills prove essential. Much social and relational growth combined with the opportunity to continue her education adds to her self confidence. The threatened impending war becomes reality. As does the call to return to her homeland, Canada...
book 3 - back home
[without giving away spoilers]
Her grown brother enlists for the Canadian war effort. Upon his departure, homelife erupts with complications. Lily's outgrown the old ways of family doing and being. She's been stretched and no longer fits the framework of her mother's creation. How will Lily survive when she can't choose another life path?
A story that leaves readers without conclusions but enough information to draw one's own.
book 2 - England
Lily meets her father's family who welcome her into their lives as one of their own. She is someone of importance to them. Sisters. Cousins. A Nana who loves and needs her as she struggles with health as Lily's homemaking skills prove essential. Much social and relational growth combined with the opportunity to continue her education adds to her self confidence. The threatened impending war becomes reality. As does the call to return to her homeland, Canada...
book 3 - back home
[without giving away spoilers]
Her grown brother enlists for the Canadian war effort. Upon his departure, homelife erupts with complications. Lily's outgrown the old ways of family doing and being. She's been stretched and no longer fits the framework of her mother's creation. How will Lily survive when she can't choose another life path?
A story that leaves readers without conclusions but enough information to draw one's own.
May 20, 2011
The novel follows Lily Piper from her childhood on a farm in Manitoba, to England at the outbreak of World War 11, and back to Manitoba where she takes over the running of the family farm. The novel explores Lily's feelings about herself, her relations with her parents and with two significant young men in her life. The characters are well developed and the language is faultless. However, this is one of the most low-key and understated books I have read and, while this should be a positive feature, I found myself disengaged from the characters, especially from Lily! I was interested in the story of the Barr Colonists, in learning about life in England just before the second World War, and in the anti-communist attitude in Canada at that time. I found the characters of George and Russell quite captivating, but was frustrated at my inability to engage with Lily, the central charcter of the book! Having read rave reviews about this novel, I suspect that my frustration is the result of failure on my part, rather than in the novel itself!
May 1, 2021
Slow-going, up to being somewhat boring at times. Dialogue seems not real but related by the author, due to “he said, she said” with no quotation marks. It is not dynamic. I’m not fond of this type of writing.
Excerpt : Aunt Lucy stood in the hall and shook her head at him. Pick one, she said. Take a notebook, I said helpfully. You can write your own. You can write poetry. I think it’s all been said, he said. Then it was time to walk him to the coach and then time for him to get on the coach.
Eliminating the repetition of “said, said” would have made the book more compact and more enjoyable to read. Authors also use different words. The excerpt could be written something like this:
Aunt Lucy stood in the hall and shook her head at him. “Pick one.”
“Take a notebook,” I added helpfully. “You can write your own. You can write poetry.”
“I think it’s all been said,” he replied.
The storyline is interesting, but the characters remain vague. It’s hard to get a grip on most of them and “understand” why they are acting like they were.
Excerpt : Aunt Lucy stood in the hall and shook her head at him. Pick one, she said. Take a notebook, I said helpfully. You can write your own. You can write poetry. I think it’s all been said, he said. Then it was time to walk him to the coach and then time for him to get on the coach.
Eliminating the repetition of “said, said” would have made the book more compact and more enjoyable to read. Authors also use different words. The excerpt could be written something like this:
Aunt Lucy stood in the hall and shook her head at him. “Pick one.”
“Take a notebook,” I added helpfully. “You can write your own. You can write poetry.”
“I think it’s all been said,” he replied.
The storyline is interesting, but the characters remain vague. It’s hard to get a grip on most of them and “understand” why they are acting like they were.
October 11, 2019
Joan Thomas credits the reader with intuition as well as an understanding of a character’s development. A lot is left unsaid. The main character, Lily Piper is a lively independent girl who becomes a robust independent woman. Pay close attention as you read, as Lily’s vivid imagination sometimes elbows it’s way to the forefront of the narrative, and guides the reader away from her reality. She quickly brings it back, as though she has resigned herself to her fate. Speaking of fate, we are left, at the conclusion of the book, to decide hers, and I choose to believe she and Russell will find their way together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2022
I loved this novel. It answered so many questions for me about what it must have been like for my grandparents emigrating from England to the Canadian prairies in the early 1900s. The characters are strong and the storyline is attractive. Thomas' prose style is literary but wonderfully user-friendly.
February 17, 2024
I took a long break from this because I just could not get into it. The lack of quotation marks makes it difficult at times and I had to re-read a lot of paragraphs to figure out who was speaking, especially if more than one person spoke in the same paragraph. Overall the story is good, but I wasn't a fan of the writing.
October 1, 2017
It was a slog. Took a long time to get through it.
December 19, 2010
I really had no expectations when I decided to pick up this book, other than it seemed to have good regard from various goodreads patrons. So I wandered into it somewhat aimlessly. It's not a genre I normally devour - but I like to mix up my novel types to keep a broad base of interests. This book unfortunately, didn't really do it for me. Don't get me wrong - Joan Thomas can write beautifully. I could feel the harsh cold of a Manitoba winter down to my bones!! But the story just seemed to be - well - almost pointless. Or, at least, I found I really wasn't sure what the premise of the book was supposed to be about.
I can honestly say that I'm glad I did my customary pre story read of the quotes before I got under way. You know the ones I'm talking about ... the ones the authors always put at the very beginning of the story just to pique your interest! Without the ones at the front of this book I'm not sure if I would have got the point of the start of the book at all. I'm not sure if I would have even continued it truthfully, other than the quotes made me inquisitive as to how and when they would come into the forefront of the story so I soldiered on.
I am glad that I did. It's worth getting to the middle of the book to see how the choices you make in the culture you live in come to make you what you are in your mind's eye. How the choices you make in the culture you live in, determine how others will see you. An interesting idea to be sure!
So would I recommend this book? It's beautifully written, but I found the characters to be flat and boring most of the time. It's probably more true to life than I would care to read about, so that's probably what makes it seem somewhat painful to read. Not the best story, but one of some interest. Too scattered and nothing that jumps out to keep your interest piqued for long. In the end I was just glad to have it done.
I can honestly say that I'm glad I did my customary pre story read of the quotes before I got under way. You know the ones I'm talking about ... the ones the authors always put at the very beginning of the story just to pique your interest! Without the ones at the front of this book I'm not sure if I would have got the point of the start of the book at all. I'm not sure if I would have even continued it truthfully, other than the quotes made me inquisitive as to how and when they would come into the forefront of the story so I soldiered on.
I am glad that I did. It's worth getting to the middle of the book to see how the choices you make in the culture you live in come to make you what you are in your mind's eye. How the choices you make in the culture you live in, determine how others will see you. An interesting idea to be sure!
So would I recommend this book? It's beautifully written, but I found the characters to be flat and boring most of the time. It's probably more true to life than I would care to read about, so that's probably what makes it seem somewhat painful to read. Not the best story, but one of some interest. Too scattered and nothing that jumps out to keep your interest piqued for long. In the end I was just glad to have it done.
July 3, 2013
The coming-of-age novel is always a fantastic read. It is even more so if the book documents a time,: place, culture or gender that may be unfamiliar with the reader. In turn the reader may learn a little bit of insight that improves their own understanding or lives. Joan Thomas' novel Reading by Lightning is such a novel.
Page 11-12
I run down the wooden steps and there's Charlotte Bates standing beside the ice chest with a boy. both of them are drinking root beer from bottles. Hello, Lily, says Charlotte in her warm way, and the boy looks up. He's dark haired and strongly built, not tall but taller than both of us. A cottonwood grows so close to the street that the boardwalk was built out around its massive trunk, and this tree drops moving green shadows onto his face and Charlotte's in the bright sunlight.
We're off for a drive, Charlotte says. Russell has Dad's car. Lily, this is my brother from Toronto. You meet at last! Lily Piper, Russell Bates!
Charlotte gestures prettily from me to Russell and smiles to acknowledge my mother, but my mother (who is unacquainted with formal introduction) just keeps walking, one shoulder lower than the other because she's hauling a jug of vinegar for pickling. She doesn't even say, Come on, Lily, and surprise flits over Charlotte's face.
Come for a drive in the country, the boy says, looking at me.
Lily's from the country, says Charlotte.
my complete review
Page 11-12
I run down the wooden steps and there's Charlotte Bates standing beside the ice chest with a boy. both of them are drinking root beer from bottles. Hello, Lily, says Charlotte in her warm way, and the boy looks up. He's dark haired and strongly built, not tall but taller than both of us. A cottonwood grows so close to the street that the boardwalk was built out around its massive trunk, and this tree drops moving green shadows onto his face and Charlotte's in the bright sunlight.
We're off for a drive, Charlotte says. Russell has Dad's car. Lily, this is my brother from Toronto. You meet at last! Lily Piper, Russell Bates!
Charlotte gestures prettily from me to Russell and smiles to acknowledge my mother, but my mother (who is unacquainted with formal introduction) just keeps walking, one shoulder lower than the other because she's hauling a jug of vinegar for pickling. She doesn't even say, Come on, Lily, and surprise flits over Charlotte's face.
Come for a drive in the country, the boy says, looking at me.
Lily's from the country, says Charlotte.
my complete review
March 13, 2009
Reading by Lightning by Joan Thomas, published by Goose Lane Editions, made its way into my mailbox from Mini Book Expo. It's a coming of age novel at a time that the world is on the brink of World War II, particularly in England.
It took me a long while to get into this book, more than 100 pages, which was disheartening. In Book One readers will wander through Lily Piper's musings and her interactions or lack thereof with her parents. The wavering narrative and tangents of Lily drag on for long stretches, and readers may have a hard time following along. Her relationship with her mother is cantankerous at times and Lily is often portrayed as a wayward child led by the sin in her heart. There are a number of instances where Lily wanders off with boys alone, which in many ways should ruin her reputation.
"Wonderful for your maidenly inhibitions (going to hand me the flask and then reaching around me to unscrew it himself and in the process circling me with both arms). The way we tussled around and he pressed the mouth of the flask to my mouth and I resisted or pretended to resist, whiskey meanwhile sliding hotly in through my lips and dribbling down my chin and onto my bathing suit." (Page 88)
To read more, go here: http://savvyverseandwit.blogspot.com/...
It took me a long while to get into this book, more than 100 pages, which was disheartening. In Book One readers will wander through Lily Piper's musings and her interactions or lack thereof with her parents. The wavering narrative and tangents of Lily drag on for long stretches, and readers may have a hard time following along. Her relationship with her mother is cantankerous at times and Lily is often portrayed as a wayward child led by the sin in her heart. There are a number of instances where Lily wanders off with boys alone, which in many ways should ruin her reputation.
"Wonderful for your maidenly inhibitions (going to hand me the flask and then reaching around me to unscrew it himself and in the process circling me with both arms). The way we tussled around and he pressed the mouth of the flask to my mouth and I resisted or pretended to resist, whiskey meanwhile sliding hotly in through my lips and dribbling down my chin and onto my bathing suit." (Page 88)
To read more, go here: http://savvyverseandwit.blogspot.com/...
November 18, 2010
This novel is going to be Winnipeg’s selection for the 2009 On the Same Page read – a very good choice in my opinion. I really enjoyed it. Lily Piper lives on the isolated prairie with her farm family, fundamentalist Christians ready for the Rapture. She is not the good daughter her mother wants, and they have a poor relationship. She loves her father but doesn’t understand him and tries to imagine his past. Eventually we learn that he is an epileptic. When her teen years arrive, Lily is offered a chance of escape; her English grandmother requires someone to live with her. Lily sets off for England and the contrasts between the isolation of her Canadian life and the fullness of life among her English family are great. She falls in love with her adopted cousin, George. World War II arrives and this affects her family in both countries. Eventually Lily must return to the prairies to care for her mother. My notes made weeks after completing the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2010
Beautiful language. I enjoyed this book on many levels. The characters are complicated, the plot as well. The character development was really nicely done. Even in their most pathetic states, the characters evoke respect and sympathy. The story touches on early colonization of Saskatchewan, farm life, British immigrants, war in England. But the themes are much more personal -- family relationships, love, faith, etc. Even epilepsy. We are unescapably shaped by the experiences and inheritances of our youth.
I was so relieved the author did not give the story a pat and happy ending.
Some critics found that the author's technique of changing points of view, location, and time frequently made following the story difficult. I did not find this to be the case, but I'm not sure why she did this in terms of point of view.
4 and 1/2 stars.
I was so relieved the author did not give the story a pat and happy ending.
Some critics found that the author's technique of changing points of view, location, and time frequently made following the story difficult. I did not find this to be the case, but I'm not sure why she did this in terms of point of view.
4 and 1/2 stars.
February 9, 2016
Had to read this for book club but it was very slow going in the beginning and difficult to get into. This is one of those books that, had I picked it to read, would have abandoned it long ago. Since it was for book club I felt compelled to finish it.
Although the author liberally utilizes some very nice turns of phrase and imagery, the story itself was weak and lacking. It was also difficult to determine what was going on at times because of how she jumps forwards and backwards in such an abrupt and disjointed manner. Not to mention the change in point of view.
I'm an intelligent enough person and I still do not understand the ending or know what we're to assume happens with Lily and her circumstance. One of the worst novel endings I've ever encountered.
So glad this one is over.
Although the author liberally utilizes some very nice turns of phrase and imagery, the story itself was weak and lacking. It was also difficult to determine what was going on at times because of how she jumps forwards and backwards in such an abrupt and disjointed manner. Not to mention the change in point of view.
I'm an intelligent enough person and I still do not understand the ending or know what we're to assume happens with Lily and her circumstance. One of the worst novel endings I've ever encountered.
So glad this one is over.
July 4, 2011
This was a very satisfying read for me. I liked the location of rural Manitoba and the history of the settlement of Western Canada by the Barr Colonists. It was a harsh life for those early immigrants and in Lily Piper's story we see the results. For me this is a coming of age story that was beautifully written. Lily grows up in a household that is silent about most of the important things. Her parent's histories, health, love and family. Much of what she learns comes from observation and conjecture and thus that is how most of the story unfolds for the reader. Read in August 2010 and later in 2011 for Book
Club
I re-read this book for Book Club and have to say that I still really liked it.
Club
I re-read this book for Book Club and have to say that I still really liked it.
September 9, 2011
Took me a while to get into it - I kept putting it down and then picking it back up again. I think part of the problem for me was how it is written - None of the dialogue is in quotes, so there were many times I didn't realize it was actually not the narrator's thoughts, but someone speaking. And because I picked it up and put it down so many times I had to re-adjust each time. I finally took it outdoors one sunny afternoon and finished it. I should have done that from the get go and made it vacation book.
That said:
I did enjoy the story. A coming of age type book set during the first world war in Manitoba and England. I was able to relate to Lily more than I thought I would at the beginning. She is a lot like me.
I would have given in a 3.5 if allowed...
That said:
I did enjoy the story. A coming of age type book set during the first world war in Manitoba and England. I was able to relate to Lily more than I thought I would at the beginning. She is a lot like me.
I would have given in a 3.5 if allowed...
September 8, 2009
I was frequently blown away by Thomas' use of language and the books general smartness. Told almost entirely from Lily's point of view (there are a couple of sections that tell the story of her father's arrival in Canada that provide a break from Lily) I felt that the novel's energy was hampered by Lily's inability(?) to emotionally (and to a certain extent intellectually) engage with the people that surround her. Even the England section were Lily is seemingly happy is restrained. I wonder if maybe the control over the language and the ideas did in the overall development of the novel? Nonetheless, I thought it a stellar read, if for the language alone, and will recommend it to others.
April 23, 2014
When I read Joan Thomas's book Curiosity I was enthralled by her writing and the story of paleantologist Mary Anning so I quickly got her book Reading by Lightning. My expectations were dampened quickly as this book is low key, slow to move and the character Lily just seems to float through life on the edge of everything that happens to her. I had a hard time relating to her because her reactions were dulled and distant as if she was standing on the outside looking in. However, the writing is good and because it takes place in Manitoba my home province and I know well the history of the Barr Colonists I did finish the book. I'm left wondering what she will write about next.
May 16, 2010
I always look for award-winners as I read many, many books and am sometimes disappointed in quality. RBL is an award-winner and I learned much from it. The story is set in 2 different locales and I felt for the girl as she tried to balance responsibilities with just concerns for her own welfare. I didn't agree with all her decisions, but I felt what each character went through as she did the deciding. I think you'll all enjoy the story and learn some different cultural traits, historical facts and perhaps a little about people too.
October 10, 2010
Beautiful language and historical description. At some points, I wanted to just savour the writing in this book. I liked the historical nature of the plot and learned a lot about the Barr Colonists and World War 2. The characters were well rounded and well depicted. There were a few plot points that bugged, but I won't go into description of them here for fear of giving something away.
Edited to add- I agree with the reviewer who said that the descriptions in Manitoba were much more lush and fleshed out than the descriptions of life in England.
Edited to add- I agree with the reviewer who said that the descriptions in Manitoba were much more lush and fleshed out than the descriptions of life in England.
April 12, 2009
Very good book by Winnipeg author Joan Thomas. It is a young woman's coming of age story set in 1930s and second world war rural Manitoba and England. Beautiful characterization and interesting insights into the folly of people like Isaac Barr who believed the English to be superior human beings and, therefore, destined to be superior Canadian farmers. Here's hoping Thomas tries her hand at another novel. Good stuff.
July 17, 2009
Stark and clear, this book makes a dramatic shift from 1930s depression-era Canadian praries to urban pre--war England. I'm more interested in prarie stories right now so I'm sort of dragging in this part of the novel but I will perservere. I also find that Joan Thomas holds back too much on her primary character - there is an aspect to her identity that is not present for me. However, it is beautifully written and I look forward to reviewing again when it is done.
January 8, 2010
A girl's coming of age story, set in rural Manitoba in the 40s. A fascinating look at the beginning of Canada. Lily spends 4 years in England, but the descriptions of everything around her in Manitoba are much more vivid than the English ones. She seems detached and unhappy most of the time, which drags the story down a bit, but necessary to give you a glimpse of her life - her relationship with mother etc. Bleak but beautiful.
August 28, 2014
Joan Thomas has a beautiful way with language and I enjoyed her writing style. However I felt that the story itself was a bit lackluster. I could certainly empathize with the main character and felt for her trials with her cold mother, dysfunctional father, and restrictive life growing up. It just never seemed to get going and Lily's life seemed to come right back to where she had been in her childhood. Not a bad read, but nothing too exciting. I did think the title was very catchy though.
February 4, 2009
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Beautiful language, fascinating characters, interesting settings (Manitoba/England pre/during WWII)- the whole package. Highly recommended. Deserves to be nominated for a fiction award.
November 28, 2012
This book is a first novel and has won many prizes. I found it slow going but was only reading it in small doses. The characters are fascinating. It is interesting to see Lily grow up against the background of rural Manitoba and England before and during World War II.
December 30, 2009
My grade 11 Honours English teacher wrote this. Novelty! Won a lot of national book prizes this year.
Read
November 14, 2010Another wonderful book by this very gifted author.
Want to read
October 29, 2010NO
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews