GG Book Review: The Law of Dreams
Posted in Books and tagged with 4 eh, Book Review, Books, Governor General on 01/05/2010 08:06 am by JennBeherns, Peter. The Law of Dreams. House of Anansi Press. (2006)
Driven from the only home he has known during Ireland’s Great Hunger of 1847, Fergus O’Brien makes the harrowing journey from County Clare to Canada, travelling with bold girls, pearl boys, navvies, and highwaymen. Full of vivid, unforgettable characters, The Law of Dreams is lyrical, emotional, and thoroughly extraordinary.
From the Back Cover
I really wanted Fergus to succeed. Really. There was something about him that made me want to help him any way I could. To say I empathized would be accurate. At times, I found the book a bit graphic, but I imagine it is pale in comparison to some of the horrific realities people in that time faced. The women he took up with along the way did not get my sympathies as much, which is suprising because I am a woman. I just thought that they were all a little too dependent, or whiny. They seemed dishonest (although some of them were supposed to be, by profession), which I don’t think gives them a fair shake.
All in all, a pretty decent book and deserving of the GG Award for Fiction. It is evident that a lot of research and thought went into developing this book.
The themes are class, finding oneself and survival.
I read this as part of my Governor General Literary Award Challenge.
January 5th, 2010 at 9:31 am
Sounds like a pretty good book. Not sure it would be one for me, but I enjoyed reading your thoughts!
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January 5th, 2010 at 11:36 am
Perhaps he couldnt write women that well cause he’s a man. Often there is a two dimensional spin on characters of the opposite sex. (instead of being 3 dimensional / well rounded) but i read a lot of sci fi and so there is more intimate relations which is typically where that stuff starts to show… not that it always happens that way but it just might be that in this case
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January 5th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
I wrote a short erotic story for a co-worker.
The opening line was, ‘you boys ready?’ she asked sexily.
It didn’t go over well.
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January 5th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
It is all in how the author writes his characters I think whether you like them or not.
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