Road Ends
Lawson, MaryIn this return to the fictional northern Ontario town of Struan, the Cartwright family are under scrutiny. When Megan, the only girl of the large brood flits the nest, the household begins to implode. Narrated by Megan, older brother Tom and father Edward, this is the story of the unravelling of a dysfunctional family, its ups and downs and the tension between seeking independence and accepting responsibility.
With its vivid backdrop of the 1900s Ontario silver rush, life in provincial Struan and the swinging London of the 1960s, this is a compelling and heart-rending read of what makes us who we are.
Comments from Groups
We very much enjoyed this book, and it provoked much discussion about the issues that were raised. All will be chasing down the earlier books, and we look forward to reading them and any others that Mary Lawson may publish. A very successful meeting. Wellington 142Our group thoroughly enjoyed this cleverly crafted novel. The characters engaged us, particularly Megan. This is our second book by Mary Lawson, and a number of our group have ordered the third from the library. Richmond 005
We all liked it, although some found it a bit bleak. Dunedin 033
We had a very lively discussion about the book, and dysfunctional families. It was a good read - hard to say that we 'enjoyed' reading it because it was so sad. We thought the book was well written, insightful and had a happy ending. There were great descriptions of the cold...you could feel it! Christchurch 012
Two members really liked the book, but the rest of the group felt the family was too dysfunctional to retain their interest. It was felt there were just too many ingredients for a satisfying read, and this led to quite an intense discussion of the writing style, subject matter, family relationships etc. Auckland 071
All (except one) of us thought this was a great read. The thought-provoking questions made for an excellent discussion. Rotorua 006
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2013