As a youngster I was first fascinated by the magic of the biblical account of the first end of the earth. And now, as before, I am awstruck. Timothy Findley has not held back in his confrontation of the ignorance and subsequent treachery involved in faith: placing a science/religion dichotemy in the fabled time and setting, is particulary poignant. Much of the story is truely disturbing, engulfed in stenches and darknesses of different kinds, especially when the two ark factions are established. Noahs actions themselves are not so disturbing, but his all-to-real belief - his heartfelt and sacrimonial conviction - that his actions are justified by god. His god and friend and offerer of impunity. But I did enjoy some of the dark humour, so aptly placed to relieve tension (such as demons shouting their last 'whee!' as they are jettisoned). I do admit that much of the story was beyond me, but such obscurity seems rather fitting for a modern myth. And at the end I find myself relating more strongly then ever to the notion that at the end of every day there is a pertinent dread in the expectation of a brand new tomorrow and a brand new age, a brand new and a very foriegn world. But who is there we can pray for rain? Another great commentary on humanity; a fullfilling read.

I believe that "Stones" is one of the lesser known books by Findley, and is somewhat weaker than most of his popular works. "Stones" is made up of multiple stories happening to various Canadian characters. The stories generally take up only one chapter and then you don't hear from those characters again. I enjoyed reading this, but am not always a fan of this type of work. I often find myself attached to a specific story and am then disappointed when it is dropped for another; I find myself wanting to know what else happened. However, it is an interesting collection of characters and an interesting portrait of Canadian life.

Timothy Findley is a former actor and radio performer and scriptwriter from Canada who has written one incredible novel (_Not Wanted On the Voyage_) and quite a few good ones. There is no such thing as a "characteristic" Findley novel, and this is no exception.

With _The Telling Of Lies_, the author takes on the murder mystery genre, but of course it's not your typical mystery. It takes place on the south coast of Maine, at a resort hotel with an assortment of characters. The narrator/protagonist, a middle-aged woman, not only tackles and solves the mystery, but intersperses the main plot with memories of her experiences in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during the Second World War.

The story is well told. I liked this book better than _Famous Last Words_ (though it is a less complicated and momentous story) and _The Piano Man's Daughter_, about as much as _The Butterfly Plague_ and his memoir/essay collection _Inside Memory_, but not as much as his masterpiece, _Not Wanted On the Voyage_.

Pilgrim begins quite enigmatically and I began it with a lot of hope for one very special book. Unfortunately, the book's enigmatic qualities soon fizzle as the plot veers off course only to finish with many dangling threads. I do not mind dangling threads if the plot supports and calls for them, but Pilgrim seemed to need a little more. We simply don't know what Findley is trying to tell us.

Findley's writing, as always, is truly first rate and the book is enjoyable to read for this reason alone. While I found it difficult to identify with the character of Pilgrim (this could have been deliberate on Findley's part, I know, given the book's nature), I did enjoy the "intimate" look at Carl Jung and his long-suffering and loyal wife, Emma. How true this account of the Jung's is is not really important. This is fiction, not fact. What is important is that Findley gives us an engrossing portrait of a marriage that could stand a little work, especially on the part of Jung.

Pilgrim is a good book and one that I don't think anyone will regret reading. It is definitely not Findley's best and contains some plot holes that I think would have been better had they been filled.

"The Pilgrim" is my introduction to the work of Mr. Timothy Findley. One of the joys of reading is when the reader finds a new author, at least new for the reader, and a whole new body of work can be read and looked forward to.

My Reason for the Review's Title is this, I picked up, read, and then put this book back many times before finally purchasing it. What gave me pause was the idea that without a strong working knowledge of Carl Jung this book could not be enjoyed or understood. Happily I was wrong.

If your knowledge of Carl Jung is nearly nil, you will still love this book. If you are extremely knowledgeable about him, this will add to or subtract from the book as you judge how he is portrayed. In either instance, the book can be enjoyed by anyone who appreciates a great story begat by a wordsmith, a master craftsman. The book is not a "light" read, but neither is it a daunting one. It requires a bit of thought, which only adds to the experience.

The following is not in the book, but I kept this in mind when reading and found it helpful. Whether it brought me where the Author intended I couldn't say, but for me it worked.

"Time" is literally meaningless as it is a construct of Man. It is a reference point that was created for our convenience. What our watches and calendars tell us is only what we have programmed them to say, and we have changed the guidelines several times throughout Human History.

I offer the thought only as I found it helpful, I could be way off base.

In any event, a splendid story, a gifted Author, a book you will enjoy, just skip the book jacket.

I've only read about half of this book, but I'm already convinced that Pilgrim is a monumental literary achievement and an intelligent, enlightening read. This narrative describes the real Doctor Karl Gustav Jung's therapy and obsession with a fictional, suicidal patient named Pilgrim. Pilgrim has attempted to take his life on several occasions but is unable to achieve death. He appears to be immortal. The story brings to life Jung's theory of the subconscious and the significant role it plays in all our lives. Pilgrim represents the "Everyman" of our inner worlds. His character, intentionally lacking a proper name and individual identity represents, all collective unconsciousness. As the story unfolds this premise becomes increasingly apparent. So far, Pilgrim is mute in the story. Jung fails to achieve verbal communication with him. Instead he studies his patient with the aid of a collection of his personal journals, which span time from the 15th century to the novel's current 20th century setting . As Jung studies these journals his own inner-voice is in constant dialog with him helping to clarify Pilgrim's experience. Is this the voice of Pilgrim? As Pilgrim's story unfolds there is a recurring theme of vagueness where Pilgrim's own sense of sexual identity is concerned. This theme corresponds closely with Jung's theory of the Anima and Animus. Through this theory Jung postulated that we are all psychologically bisexual due to the fact that the only thing that determines our external sex is a dominant number of female or male genes. He believed that, "the smaller number of contrasexual genes produces a corresponding contrasexual character which usually remains unconscious." In the story Jung discovers that the inner-voice he dialogs with as he is reading Pilgrim's journal is female. The above context renders the character's designation as Pilgrim an appropriate one. Jung's belief was that consciousness by its nature has no limits. It is capable of indefinite extension. Pilgrim's story and experiences of immortally traveling through time, as well as his own struggles with Anima and Animus throughout his journeys, is artfully illustrated through Findley's work. Aside from the psycho./spiritual revelations that this novel provides, there are two other reasons for reading it- the intense imagery found in Findley's writing and the sense of enjoyment and adventure experienced through Pilgrim's journey. For a more thorough understanding of the novel, I recommend that you read Herman Hesse's, Demian and Karl Jung's autobiography, Memories, Dreams, Reflections.

I had to read The Wars for my English class, and initially I had a hard time starting the book. After reading it I appreciate the quality of the story that Findley weaves. This is not your average story of the horrors of war; it is the tale of one young man fighting the world war along with his own personal battles. In the end it is up to the reader to decide if one mans actions are of a hero's status, or merely the attempts of an insane man trying to make sense of someplace where insanity is the norm.

I have read few books that effectively communicate the horrors of war as this one did. Even though this is a work of fiction, I felt as though I was in the trenches with Robert Ross & experiencing firsthand the horrible experience these people must have gone through. Another great book about WW1 is "Generals Die in Bed" - written by another Cdn. author (I forget the name) - another incredibly powerful firsthand experience of a terrible time in our history.

Timothy Findley has written an important anti-war WWI novel, comparable to Pat Barker's acclaimed Regeneration trilogy. Even a poorly-taught English class (in Canada) did not blunt the impact of this powerful book -- and now, in the US in the fall of '01, the effects of war on the psyche are painfully pertinent. Read it with 21st century eyes -- The similarities between trench warfare and the modern war as fought in Desert Storm are chilling -- not in terms of how men specifically fought, but in terms of the impact of the alienation, the sense of helplessness, the isolation, and the sheer horror of it all, on the young men (and today women) who do the fighting. Whatever your politics, give this book a chance.

As you read this book, you can really start to feel for this cast of characters. All have something they need to work through in order to move forward with their life.

Although to me this isn't his best work, I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of this novel, and the assortment of people that Findley brought to life.

The Kincaid family lives a superficially contented, easy life revolving around the theatre in Stratford until one day their gardener slices their phone cable, some vital calls are missed, and their lives begin to unravel.

A very readable, suspenseful novel, a bit different from what I'm used to from Findley. I'm a big Findley fan, but this is not my absolute favourite of his... and Findley himself called it his "slightest book," although I'm not sure I'd go that far. It still goes to say that this is a really great book with believable characters and a complicated plot with common but complex themes. It may even make you question your own character and what events it would take to make you break away from what you think is most important in your life.

Note also that anyone who's ever been to Stratford, Ontario, will recognize a lot of landmarks and even people in this story!

Hmm, originally I had given this book five stars but I reread it a couple of days ago and decided it was really four stars. I also read an interview from a couple of years ago in which Findley himself referred to it as 'slight'. I don't know if I would call it that as there is a lot of things going on, however there are somethings that in my opinion could have been left out. For example Troy...a one time shock effect? Other than bringing Jane's plantation past to the present there was no real significance to him. And that damned blue dress...talk about something you just want to forget! The setting is wonderful though and so are the characters...whether this is Findley's best or not it still deserves a read.