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The Carnivore
“A cleverly constructed and evocatively written novel.” ― Booklist A wife harbors suspicions about her husband’s image as a hero cop in this suspenseful novel, a winner of the Toronto Book Award A historical novel of disaster and betrayal Back in 1954, Hurricane Hazel barreled through Toronto, killing eighty-one people. Ray and Mary Townes were a young married couple, and while Mary, a nurse, performed her own small miracles that night, her police officer husband was celebrated for his heroism as the newspapers reported on his lifesaving rescues. As the two tried to resume their life together in the shell-shocked city, Mary felt some doubt about her husband’s story. But the truth remained elusive ― until the day, decades later, when a reporter came knocking . . . Suspenseful and moving, The Carnivore is a tale of both a historical natural disaster, and the quiet dangers that lurk within a marriage, with “many twists and turns [and] lots of action.” ( Globe and Mail )
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 3, 2010
This story is well written, but the subject matter may not be appealing to a vast audience. I had difficulty getting into the plot, and switching between character narratives and times was a bit awkward in some places.
This is the story of a marriage built on deception and nourished by mutual hatred. Ray is a cheating, less than forthright detective married to Mary, a disillusioned, cold-hearted nurse. When Ray is declared a hero after a hurricane hits Toronto in the 1950's, Mary begins to see familiar changes in him--frighteningly similar to when he was having an affair. Mary comes very close to infidelity herself, with her obstetrician, but manages to pull herself out of that temptation by her conviction that she must create the life she idolizes with the materials she has been given.
The story line switches back an forth between the events surrounding the hurricane and back to present time, where Ray is dying of emphysema and Mary is once again martyred as she cares for him. She is waiting for him to die so she can enjoy her freedom, and he is hoping to live just a little longer, seeking acceptance. They both loathe each other and blame the other for destroying the life they each had hoped to live. Ray, according to Mary, has never accepted responsibility for the affair, for causing her miscarriage, or for accepting honors for heroism he did not deserve. Ray blames the failure of the marriage on Mary's unreasonably high standards and has spent the majority of his time sneaking things and keeping secrets because he was unable to present Mary with his needs with any hope of her accepting him as he really was.
A sad, sad tale. It certainly speaks of a different generation where divorce was not an option and people learned to live off of hatred and spite.
This is the story of a marriage built on deception and nourished by mutual hatred. Ray is a cheating, less than forthright detective married to Mary, a disillusioned, cold-hearted nurse. When Ray is declared a hero after a hurricane hits Toronto in the 1950's, Mary begins to see familiar changes in him--frighteningly similar to when he was having an affair. Mary comes very close to infidelity herself, with her obstetrician, but manages to pull herself out of that temptation by her conviction that she must create the life she idolizes with the materials she has been given.
The story line switches back an forth between the events surrounding the hurricane and back to present time, where Ray is dying of emphysema and Mary is once again martyred as she cares for him. She is waiting for him to die so she can enjoy her freedom, and he is hoping to live just a little longer, seeking acceptance. They both loathe each other and blame the other for destroying the life they each had hoped to live. Ray, according to Mary, has never accepted responsibility for the affair, for causing her miscarriage, or for accepting honors for heroism he did not deserve. Ray blames the failure of the marriage on Mary's unreasonably high standards and has spent the majority of his time sneaking things and keeping secrets because he was unable to present Mary with his needs with any hope of her accepting him as he really was.
A sad, sad tale. It certainly speaks of a different generation where divorce was not an option and people learned to live off of hatred and spite.
March 30, 2011
This is one of those books that makes you want to find out more about the situation depicted: Hurricane Hazel. I was in luck because being a former Toronto resident (now is Oshawa) my dear mother actually remembered the night the hurricane struck. I pumped her for info, memories, any relatives affected? It turns out that Hazel was the most destructive natural force to ever tear through Toronto; and it continues to be to this day. The story focuses on Ray Townes, a retired Toronto police officer and his wife Mary. We are introduced to them at the end of Ray's life as he is dying of emphysema. Due to heroic acts he performed during the hurricane Ray has been lauded throughout most of his adult life as a hero. Ray Townes feels that he does not deserve those accolades. Certain dark secrets are revealed about that night, and events that lead up and after, that threaten to tear his family apart. Told from both his and Mary's perspective we shift back and forth between eras to get a full picture of the destructive nature of that night and its aftermath. Hazel did not just tear apart homes, it tore apart lives. Not just by strong winds and rain but by the pain it left in its wake. It provides a powerful back-drop for this heartwrenching family drama.
August 9, 2010
The Carnivore is a story of love, marriage, and infidelity that begins at the time of the devastating hurricane and subsequent floods that stormed through Toronto in 1954. Ray Townes, a police officer, is in the eyes of the public a hero. Mary Townes, a nurse, takes care of the dying and wounded at St. Joseph’s Hospital in the chaotic aftermath of the storm. The depiction of the storm, and especially the chaos in the Emergency Room was very realistic.
The book is also a profound look back over the marriage of Ray and Mary, a loving couple whose lives are changed by the events surrounding the storm and Ray’s infidelity. Mary knows that something is not right with her husband, and she does not rest until she knows the truth. The story is told from both of their perspectives.
There are so many surprises to the story that just when I thought I knew what was coming next, the story twisted to another direction. The story has an emotional draw as you watch the couple, the mistakes they make, and the secrets that they keep. The Carnivore is an interesting, thoughtful and exciting story written with a historic event angle.
The book is also a profound look back over the marriage of Ray and Mary, a loving couple whose lives are changed by the events surrounding the storm and Ray’s infidelity. Mary knows that something is not right with her husband, and she does not rest until she knows the truth. The story is told from both of their perspectives.
There are so many surprises to the story that just when I thought I knew what was coming next, the story twisted to another direction. The story has an emotional draw as you watch the couple, the mistakes they make, and the secrets that they keep. The Carnivore is an interesting, thoughtful and exciting story written with a historic event angle.
August 9, 2019
One of those books that depicts "the other woman" as weirdly predatory, giving her no signifiers other than being an object of desire for the married man. Weirdly slow in the wrong ways, and disjointed writing in some parts.
June 23, 2020
This book is hard to rate. The writing was beautiful and the story believable. But I didn’t particularly enjoy the story and I really didn’t like any of the characters (although that’s probably the point). It was really cool to read a story set in Toronto though!
October 13, 2021
Well written and interesting, a niche story that just didn't quite find its footing for me. I enjoyed the historical and local aspect of it, revisiting Hurricane Hazel that hit Toronto in the 50s. The story of the couple, though, didn't quite have the emotion or drama that I expected.
May 7, 2022
I think I would give this 2 1/2 stars just because it was so slow. The story is OK and could be really good. It takes place mostly during a hurricane in Toronto, or it is mostly rehashing what happened that day. Not an uplifting read and it really drags.
October 11, 2010
It is 2004, and Ray Townes, an ex-Toronto policeman is dying from emphysema. In his final days, he looks back on his not-so-perfect life. Dominating his regrets are his extra-marital affairs, although he suffers from a certain lack of remorse. He also feels he deserves everything his is willing to go out and grab for himself, which didn't endear him much to this reader.
This attitude also prepared the ground for me to sympathise with the internal thoughts of his long-suffering wife, Mary, whose romantic, naive view of their married life changes as she comes to realise what kind of man she has married.
Included in the mix is Ray’s part in Hurricane Hazel which struck the city in 1954. His heroic actions to save lives hides a dark secret he kept during that time.
Mary was an emergency room nurse on the night of the hurricane. One patient sticks out, a woman brought in with hypothermia and semi-conscious. Through the woman’s ramblings, Mary uncovers the secrets of what really happened that night and which fuels her growing resentment of the man she believed to be perfect.
When a young, enthusiastic reporter comes calling to rehash Ray’s story for an anniversary article, Ray relives the motives for his actions on that night in 1954.
Mark Sinnett delves into the minds of Ray and Mary, whose thoughts intrude upon what they ought to feel about events in their married life. Mary harbours no illusions about Ray, and her unstinting devotion has changed over the years to a spiteful tolerance.
One aspect I found interesting was the historical aspect of the hours before Hazel struck. No one appeared to take the weather seriously – where drunks lobbed beer bottles onto the streets to watch them bob along in the water.
Ray pounded on doors and waded through rising waters in an attempt to get the locals to move to higher ground, not always successfully. I felt his anger, and then his frustration when he ended up trapped in a house with a family of five and had to bash his way out through the roof, almost becoming a victim himself.
Their daughter, Jenny, plays a minor part in the book. So minor she isn’t really worth mentioning. Mary’s views on her daughter’s lesbianism could have been handled without her silent shadow in the doorway.
This is less the story of a hurricane, more the way guilt, betrayal and resentment can poison a relationship until there is nothing left but a quiet, festering hate. The author portrays Ray’s slowly fermenting guilt and Mary’s sense of betrayal eloquently, together with her private, cruel revenge she longs to wreak on her now helpless husband - if she could.
This novel is deep and haunting, with clever cameos to illustrate a marriage that died in its early stages. However, don’t expect a happy ending. There isn’t one for Ray and Mary.
This attitude also prepared the ground for me to sympathise with the internal thoughts of his long-suffering wife, Mary, whose romantic, naive view of their married life changes as she comes to realise what kind of man she has married.
Included in the mix is Ray’s part in Hurricane Hazel which struck the city in 1954. His heroic actions to save lives hides a dark secret he kept during that time.
Mary was an emergency room nurse on the night of the hurricane. One patient sticks out, a woman brought in with hypothermia and semi-conscious. Through the woman’s ramblings, Mary uncovers the secrets of what really happened that night and which fuels her growing resentment of the man she believed to be perfect.
When a young, enthusiastic reporter comes calling to rehash Ray’s story for an anniversary article, Ray relives the motives for his actions on that night in 1954.
Mark Sinnett delves into the minds of Ray and Mary, whose thoughts intrude upon what they ought to feel about events in their married life. Mary harbours no illusions about Ray, and her unstinting devotion has changed over the years to a spiteful tolerance.
One aspect I found interesting was the historical aspect of the hours before Hazel struck. No one appeared to take the weather seriously – where drunks lobbed beer bottles onto the streets to watch them bob along in the water.
Ray pounded on doors and waded through rising waters in an attempt to get the locals to move to higher ground, not always successfully. I felt his anger, and then his frustration when he ended up trapped in a house with a family of five and had to bash his way out through the roof, almost becoming a victim himself.
Their daughter, Jenny, plays a minor part in the book. So minor she isn’t really worth mentioning. Mary’s views on her daughter’s lesbianism could have been handled without her silent shadow in the doorway.
This is less the story of a hurricane, more the way guilt, betrayal and resentment can poison a relationship until there is nothing left but a quiet, festering hate. The author portrays Ray’s slowly fermenting guilt and Mary’s sense of betrayal eloquently, together with her private, cruel revenge she longs to wreak on her now helpless husband - if she could.
This novel is deep and haunting, with clever cameos to illustrate a marriage that died in its early stages. However, don’t expect a happy ending. There isn’t one for Ray and Mary.
August 19, 2009
The Carnivore opens with a dramatic description of a flooded intersection in downtown Toronto during the first hours of Hurricane Hazel's 1954 descent on the city. In this early stage of the storm, no one was taking the weather very seriously – young men swam through the streets with machismo and drunks lobbed beer bottles onto the road to watch them bob along the rising waters. Readers versed in Toronto's history, however, will know that such nonchalant attitudes did not persist along with the rain.
In his grim reimagining of this iconic Toronto event, author Mark Sinnett parallels the storm's destruction with the breakdown of a couple's marriage. Ray, a cop, is reluctantly thrusts into the spotlight after saving numerous lives during the hurricane, yet he is tortured by a secret love affair and his inability to confess his unseemly deeds. Mary, a nurse who is pregnant with the couple's first child, revels in her husband's heroics.
As the story unfolds, deceit and betrayal come to the fore. Sinnett employs a back-and-forth storytelling method, moving between the years 1954 and 2004, and alternating between the points of view of the two main characters. Although this seesaw movement should help elevate the novel's suspense, it feels too deliberate and systematic, and in fact diminishes the tension.
For a story containing many key aspects of a blockbuster thriller (massive storm, dirty secrets, and torrid sex), the plot drags significantly, especially in the middle. The character development also frequently falters. One of the book's most interesting characters, Ray and Mary's daughter, Jenny, could have been used to further demonstrate the destructive nature of her parents' relationship, but instead her scenes seem extraneous.
The book's setting is its strongest and most captivating element. Descriptions of various Toronto locations are abundant, providing the reader with a vivid picture of the city and the legendary storm that ravaged it.
(Originally published in Quill & Quire , September 2009)
In his grim reimagining of this iconic Toronto event, author Mark Sinnett parallels the storm's destruction with the breakdown of a couple's marriage. Ray, a cop, is reluctantly thrusts into the spotlight after saving numerous lives during the hurricane, yet he is tortured by a secret love affair and his inability to confess his unseemly deeds. Mary, a nurse who is pregnant with the couple's first child, revels in her husband's heroics.
As the story unfolds, deceit and betrayal come to the fore. Sinnett employs a back-and-forth storytelling method, moving between the years 1954 and 2004, and alternating between the points of view of the two main characters. Although this seesaw movement should help elevate the novel's suspense, it feels too deliberate and systematic, and in fact diminishes the tension.
For a story containing many key aspects of a blockbuster thriller (massive storm, dirty secrets, and torrid sex), the plot drags significantly, especially in the middle. The character development also frequently falters. One of the book's most interesting characters, Ray and Mary's daughter, Jenny, could have been used to further demonstrate the destructive nature of her parents' relationship, but instead her scenes seem extraneous.
The book's setting is its strongest and most captivating element. Descriptions of various Toronto locations are abundant, providing the reader with a vivid picture of the city and the legendary storm that ravaged it.
(Originally published in Quill & Quire , September 2009)
March 16, 2013
Best lines:
You see, if we had separated long ago perhaps I would have lost innumerable moments like this. And given the pain they cause us, the pain they cause me, the infinite regret, I would choose that. Yes, let us consign the beautiful bits to oblivion, I say, rather than have them cower here, fetid little ghost children, illuminating nothing more than this dank shadowland we have picked as our lot in life.
Your problem here, the fatal flaw, is that you can't change the truth.
I was frustrating her. The afternoon had become tinged with sadness. Analysis was the enemy of our relationship. I was so much better in the safe half-light of her apartment.
And then Mary arrived. I realized again and instantly that our meeting was a mistake, that I was incapable of saying the things she wanted and needed to hear. Should I have sent her away? Was that even a possibility, given how tenuous our relationship had become, how brittle? Regardless, I guided her inside and bought us tickets. I led her, nearly mute, to a display I wanted to see, hoping it would calm me. But then... then I said the most terrible things. I set into motion an express train of events every bit as awful as anything I've admitted so far.
...There are all the lies I employed to disguise those things. I deny nothing; I acknowledge nearly everything, at least in this half-light.
What more harm can it do? Deprivation is pointless now.
I was wrong, he believed, to be so consumed by the idea of duty. There is no way of knowing how things would have turned out.
You see, if we had separated long ago perhaps I would have lost innumerable moments like this. And given the pain they cause us, the pain they cause me, the infinite regret, I would choose that. Yes, let us consign the beautiful bits to oblivion, I say, rather than have them cower here, fetid little ghost children, illuminating nothing more than this dank shadowland we have picked as our lot in life.
Your problem here, the fatal flaw, is that you can't change the truth.
I was frustrating her. The afternoon had become tinged with sadness. Analysis was the enemy of our relationship. I was so much better in the safe half-light of her apartment.
And then Mary arrived. I realized again and instantly that our meeting was a mistake, that I was incapable of saying the things she wanted and needed to hear. Should I have sent her away? Was that even a possibility, given how tenuous our relationship had become, how brittle? Regardless, I guided her inside and bought us tickets. I led her, nearly mute, to a display I wanted to see, hoping it would calm me. But then... then I said the most terrible things. I set into motion an express train of events every bit as awful as anything I've admitted so far.
...There are all the lies I employed to disguise those things. I deny nothing; I acknowledge nearly everything, at least in this half-light.
What more harm can it do? Deprivation is pointless now.
I was wrong, he believed, to be so consumed by the idea of duty. There is no way of knowing how things would have turned out.
July 13, 2011
I enjoyed this book. It's odd, but I do not remember Hurricane Hazel. I was 11 at the time. Yet the hurricane I remember most was one before it that year ... it happened in the summer. Our family rented at cottage at Lake Scugog. During the week, my father, my aunt and grandparents stayed at home in Toronto.
That left my mother with me, at 11, my cousin at 8 and my brother at around 5 or so, at the cottage during the storm caused by the tail end of another American hurricane. When I say tail end, I mean the effect of the hurricane that just happened to whisk by us - it was by no means the full effect.
When it started happening, winds roaring, rain pouring, my 8 year old cousin and I ran around getting the storm windows up on the front of the cottage before the whole of it got soaked. My grandfather - Popper - drove up from Whitby worried that we would be alright.
He was so surprised and proud of my cousin and I for having been able to cope. My mother was the kind that had no idea of how to do a 'man's job' ... she wouldn't even attempt it. She was pleased as punch that Donny and I had the confidence to do this.
We had learned how by merely watching our elders.
This book - Carnivore - reflected this time in our Canadian culture so well. I just loved it.
The characters annoyed me - ha ha! If an author can make you feel strongly about his characters, he's done his job.
That left my mother with me, at 11, my cousin at 8 and my brother at around 5 or so, at the cottage during the storm caused by the tail end of another American hurricane. When I say tail end, I mean the effect of the hurricane that just happened to whisk by us - it was by no means the full effect.
When it started happening, winds roaring, rain pouring, my 8 year old cousin and I ran around getting the storm windows up on the front of the cottage before the whole of it got soaked. My grandfather - Popper - drove up from Whitby worried that we would be alright.
He was so surprised and proud of my cousin and I for having been able to cope. My mother was the kind that had no idea of how to do a 'man's job' ... she wouldn't even attempt it. She was pleased as punch that Donny and I had the confidence to do this.
We had learned how by merely watching our elders.
This book - Carnivore - reflected this time in our Canadian culture so well. I just loved it.
The characters annoyed me - ha ha! If an author can make you feel strongly about his characters, he's done his job.
October 25, 2010
The Carnivore traces the dissolution of a marriage blown off course in the aftermath of Toronto's infamous Hurricane Hazel. In 1954, a young police officer, Ray Townes, attains a near-mythic status as reports of his bravery at the Humber River circulate in the days after the hurricane hits. Even as his peers gild his name in the presses, Ray fears the worst as rescue teams threaten to dredge up the truth from the muddied waters...
On the same night, Mary Townes, a nurse at St. Joseph's Hospital and Ray's wife, tends to the injured and the dying. Among the victims is a woman, disoriented and near death, with the name of a man on her lips. With suspicions rising as the flood water abate, Mary investigates her husband's claim to heroism at the expense of their happiness together.
Mark Sinnett's award-winning novel cycles between the tragic events taking place in 1954 and the white noise of extended bitterness in 2004, as Ray tries to atone for his past at the end of his life. Readers also cycle between the competing first-person narratives of Ray and Mary, characters who deserve equal amounts of pity and contempt. Readers are best advised to stick with the text as the real grit picks up at the halfway mark.
Ideal for: Historical fiction fans; Torontonians who like their history dirty; Folks who like their marriages bitter and riddled with spite.
On the same night, Mary Townes, a nurse at St. Joseph's Hospital and Ray's wife, tends to the injured and the dying. Among the victims is a woman, disoriented and near death, with the name of a man on her lips. With suspicions rising as the flood water abate, Mary investigates her husband's claim to heroism at the expense of their happiness together.
Mark Sinnett's award-winning novel cycles between the tragic events taking place in 1954 and the white noise of extended bitterness in 2004, as Ray tries to atone for his past at the end of his life. Readers also cycle between the competing first-person narratives of Ray and Mary, characters who deserve equal amounts of pity and contempt. Readers are best advised to stick with the text as the real grit picks up at the halfway mark.
Ideal for: Historical fiction fans; Torontonians who like their history dirty; Folks who like their marriages bitter and riddled with spite.
February 21, 2010
The review on this novel makes me feel like I should like this book. lol. It makes it sound exciting with some odd little twists and like it has a lot to offer. I disagree.
Yes, it is set up using the hurricane Hazel as the backdrop to their story. How there are different sides to the story. But, just so lacking. Am I really expected to feel sorry for a cheating husband? Oh poor you. You slept with someone else and it's nagging on your conscience. Or, should I feel sorry for the wife getting cheated on? Who knew about the affair and still stayed with him? Hey - you knew about it and STILL decided to stay. That was your choice. I resent the fact that you will stay married to someone and just resent them.
Oh wait - for like two sentences she reveals that it wasn't all bad. There were a few good laughs. Some moments of joy. Good grief.
And is he a hero like the papers proclaim? I believe so. Even if he let one person die, he still saved many others. He's not God. And even if he went out in a mad dash to find the missing girl, he didn't ignore the others while he was searching.
Stupid in my opinion. GRR.
Yes, it is set up using the hurricane Hazel as the backdrop to their story. How there are different sides to the story. But, just so lacking. Am I really expected to feel sorry for a cheating husband? Oh poor you. You slept with someone else and it's nagging on your conscience. Or, should I feel sorry for the wife getting cheated on? Who knew about the affair and still stayed with him? Hey - you knew about it and STILL decided to stay. That was your choice. I resent the fact that you will stay married to someone and just resent them.
Oh wait - for like two sentences she reveals that it wasn't all bad. There were a few good laughs. Some moments of joy. Good grief.
And is he a hero like the papers proclaim? I believe so. Even if he let one person die, he still saved many others. He's not God. And even if he went out in a mad dash to find the missing girl, he didn't ignore the others while he was searching.
Stupid in my opinion. GRR.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2015
I'm struggling to understand how this book won an award. I've never felt so much disdain for two characters in my life, not to mention wanting to stab each of them in the eye with a pen dipped in STFU.
Thankfully this book was a quick 256 pages or I would never have seen it through to the end. Even having taken one day of my life to read this feels like Sinnett owes me 24 hours of my life back. The only solace is take is knowing that he spent far more time writing it than I wasted reading it.
It's too bad, really. It wasn't the writing itself that was bad at all. Had it not been for the pathetic, weak, woe-is-me, philandering, utterly useless personalities of the two MC's telling the story (EI: had they perhaps had something worth hearing to say, or had they at least been written in their own voices, as they truly blend together into a swamp of selfish idiocy), this book could have been something great. Alas, this is not the case.
Thankfully this book was a quick 256 pages or I would never have seen it through to the end. Even having taken one day of my life to read this feels like Sinnett owes me 24 hours of my life back. The only solace is take is knowing that he spent far more time writing it than I wasted reading it.
It's too bad, really. It wasn't the writing itself that was bad at all. Had it not been for the pathetic, weak, woe-is-me, philandering, utterly useless personalities of the two MC's telling the story (EI: had they perhaps had something worth hearing to say, or had they at least been written in their own voices, as they truly blend together into a swamp of selfish idiocy), this book could have been something great. Alas, this is not the case.
January 19, 2011
This book was the winner of the 2010 Toronto Book Awards. I haven't read all the nominees yet, but so far I'd say this is my favourite. It's about a husband and wife in Toronto, from the horrific floods in 1954 up to the present day. The husband was a police officer, and hailed as a hero during the flood, but he has some secrets from that day and the consequences created a rift between him and his wife that lasted for years. I would have liked more of how the city dealt with the flood, but I liked how interwoven the city and the family were. A good read.
December 28, 2010
I thought this was a great book. It was character driven and still a page turner. I read the the whole thing over one week. I found it so enjoyable, I'm going to vote for it for my friends to read, and I gave a copy to my mother (also an avid reader).
July 11, 2012
The story of a marriage in trouble set against the backdrop of Hurrican Hazel as it ripped through Southern Ontario in 1954. An interesting read for anyone who lived through Hazel and its aftermath. Thoroughly researched, stark, unapologetic.
Read
October 20, 2012Great read, historical fiction novel about devastating Toronto Hurricane in the 1950's, story has it all: drama, suspense, intrigue, infidelity relationships~don't miss it, available now in print edition coming soon in audiobook narrated by Nick Hahn www.hahnfirst.com
August 22, 2010
You can see my review for this book at http://www.bellasbookshelves.com/?p=3436
January 1, 2011
Sometimes you have to wonder why someone would write a book about such unlikeable people.
June 23, 2012
I gave up about halfway through, it just felt that the story was going nowhere VERY slowly...I couldn't do it.
January 6, 2014
A good book and a good look at how a marriage is affected quickly by events and slowly by bitterness. Bonus was that it took place in Toronto.
November 27, 2014
Perceptive writing, depressing premise: A betrayal in a marriage and the fierce bitterness that follows. Really a 3.5, but I'll round up.
December 13, 2016
Didn't make it past the 15% mark. Despite the looming event of Hurricane Hazel, I found this book to be a snooze. The main characters were boring and unlikable.
January 6, 2011
A simple plot, with much space being given to character development. Very, very Toronto-centric.
Read
December 22, 2010Couldn't get into it after trying a few times.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews