Related Subjects: Author Index Reviews Page 1 2
Book reviews for "Engel,_Marian" sorted by average review score:

Bear
Published in Hardcover by McClelland & Stewart (1976)
Author: Marian Engel
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A disturbing tale finely told
Marian Engel's short novel Bear is an odd book. Winner of the Governor General's Award (Canada) in 1976, it clearly has attained critical success. In broad outline, Engel tells the story of a bookish young woman, Lou, working as an archivist in dusty historical institute, who is given the field assignment to catalog a nineteenth century library located on a remote island in Ontario. The only other inhabitant of the island is the pet bear of prior the occupants, and a strongly sexual - though not consummated - relationship develops between them The subject matter of this book may be very disturbing to some - an afterward in the Canadian edition to this book notes that many have described the book as "pornographic". I do not agree with this censor's view, but agree that it is not a book for children or prudes.

The real "subject" of the book is Lou's growth from retiring recluse to more confident woman; although the medium of transformation is through sexual awakening, this is not the sole or even principal end result.

Finally, a word must be added about Engel's wonderful writing. Her characters, settings, and descriptions are lively, strongly visual, and at times amusing. Take, for example, her musings on historical Canadians: "The Canadian tradition was, she had found, on the whole, genteel. Any evidence that an ancestor had performed any acts other than working and praying was usually destroyed. Families handily became respectable in retrospect but it was, as [Lou] and the [Institute Director] often mourned, hell on history." More such fine writing awaits the reader of this short but non-complacent novel, which I recommend.


Annotated Bibliography of Canada's Major Authors: Marian Engel, Anne Hebert, Robert Kroetsch, and Thomas Raddall
Published in Hardcover by G K Hall (1988)
Authors: Robert Lecker and Jack David
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San Antonio Spurs Official Team Yearbook
Published in Paperback by Professional Pubns (1998)
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The Ring of McAllister: A Score-Raising Mystery Featuring 1,000 Must-Know SAT Vocabulary Words
Published in Paperback by Kaplan Press (24 December, 2002)
Author: Robert Marantz
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The Grassy Sea
Published in Textbook Binding by St. Martin's Press (Short) (1979)
Author: Marian Engel
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Honeyman Festival
Published in Paperback by Penguin Putnam~trade ()
Author: Marian Engel
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I Took My Frog to the Library
Published in Paperback by Live Oak Media (1992)
Authors: Eric A. Kimmel, Blanche Sims, Deborah Brodie, and Blance Simms
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Dancing Cats of Applesap, The
Published in Paperback by Aladdin Library (01 May, 2002)
Authors: Joelle Shefts and Janet Lisle
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Joanne : the last days of a modern marriage
Published in Unknown Binding by PaperJacks ()
Author: Marian Engel
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How You Can Find Happiness During the Collapse of Western Civilization
Published in Hardcover by HarperCollins (1983)
Author: Robert J. Ringer
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Related Subjects: Author Index Reviews Page 1 2

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