Town Called Solace, A
Lawson, MaryIn the remote northern Ontario town of Solace, three disparate people are brought together in 1972 by events in the past colliding with the present. The chief instigator is Elizabeth, nearing the end of her life and heading off to hospital; her young neighbour Clara who is to care for Elizabeth's cat; and Liam, a sudden and in Clara's eyes unwelcome addition to the neighbourhood.
Authentic and tender, this emotionally satisfying story imbues the quiet challenges of daily life with depth and meaning. [Larger font]
Pages
288
288
Year
2021
2021
Reviews
21-10-2024
The group enjoyed both the book and the discussion questions.
08-07-2024
We all really enjoyed this book. Even though there were some heavy themes - loss, trust, grief - there was kindness, compassion and hope - and real characters. Beautiful language, characters and setting.
12-06-2024
Everyone really liked this book, especially the sympathetically drawn characters. We had a good discussion about trust and honesty in relationships and the damage that can be done.
02-04-2024
A lovely story of how people come into each other's lives and help each other. It shows how important it is to have someone to talk to and listen to and how these relationships can shape our lives. An easy read that was well liked by all.
23-11-2023
We all enjoyed this gentle story of a small town and the caring interaction of its inhabitants. It was easy to read, drawing us in in the lives of the townsfolk with a poignancy we found very realistic and satisfying. As small town people ourselves, we could identify with the people of Solace. A lovely read to end our year.
24-07-2023
Everyone LOVED this book. Easy read, 'larger' print and an interesting page turner. Funny, sad, poignant and left you wanting more...
19-07-2023
A unanimous "Loved it". It was an easy read and each reader was pulled through the storyline from "go to whoa". Several read it in a day! One person read it twice. It was given the highest score since our group's inception.
19-07-2023
Most of the group enjoyed the book - producing some interesting discussion.
12-07-2023
One of the few books everyone enjoyed. Despite its easy to read gentle style, the story contains lots of complexity and emotion, making it a satisfying read.
10-07-2023
This was a great read and robustly discussed by our group. In this era it was common to withhold bad news from children in order to protect. But trust is everything, and easily undermined. Never underestimate the consequences of secrets and lies on a child.
23-06-2023
All members of our group enjoyed this novel. Perfectly described characters. Some found the jumping backwards and forwards in time difficult, and the ending not convincing. We will be seeking out more of Mary Lawson's writing.
22-05-2023
A satisfying read. A study of attitudes in the 70s where children were not included in some of life's sadder moments, and how that impacted in the child's mental health.
17-04-2023
We all enjoyed this book very much. It was easy to read (provided you took notice of the movements backwards and forwards in time). Several members who knew that part of Canada thought the descriptions captured it well. The characters were well thought out. Recommended.
13-02-2023
This book was enjoyed by all members. While the individual characters had their own complexities the stories were woven well together. Recommended as a light read for other groups.
28-11-2022
Really enjoyed the characters and easy to read.
08-11-2022
We really enjoyed this story. An easy read.
29-06-2022
This book was enjoyed by all members of our group. An easy read with a complex weaving of characters and relationships.
20-06-2022
We all liked this book. Lovely writing style and good characterisation.
22-04-2022
Highly recommended ( as are others by this author). Genuine sounding child characters and many layers to the story. It explores relationships between parents and children, spouses and neighbours, in a realistic way.