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Suzanne
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
36 posts | 15 read | 13 to read
LibraryThing
blurb
KVanRead
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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My #bookspin and #doublespin for January. One for #ReadCanada that I just found available on Hoopla and one from #MountTBR

MsMelissa I am looking forward to your thoughts on Suzanne. I read it a few years back. 3y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
KVanRead @Book_Fiend_Melissa ooh looking forward to your thoughts then too. Hoping to start it soon. 3y
See All 10 Comments
Megabooks The Poet X is great! 3y
KVanRead @Megabooks Starting it right now 😀 3y
Tanisha_A I had a fabulous time reading The Poet X! Enjoy 3y
Caryl Another cheer for The Poet X! 💖 3y
KVanRead @Tanisha_A @Caryl I‘m loving it so far. 3y
Josee.lit.a.lu.et.lira Can you please tag me when you review Suzanne? I‘m not here as much, and I want to know 😉 🙏🏻 3y
KVanRead @Josee.lit.a.lu.et.lira Will do! 3y
38 likes10 comments
review
merelybookish
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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Pickpick

Suzanne is an imagined biography of the author's grandmother who abandoned her own children when they were young. Using a file of letters and clippings she found in Suzanne's apartment after her death, Barbeau-Lavalette begins to reconstruct her life, and try to understand why she left, knowing her absence has shaped her as well. Like Suzanne, my paternal grandmother abandoned her young kids. I grew up fascinated and intrigued by this. 👇

merelybookish I understand B-L's desire to put pieces together to understand, even empathize with Suzanne. On top of that Suzanne led an interesting life as an artist and political activist so her history is rich and memorable. 4y
merelybookish Also my first read for #wit month. 🙂 4y
Leftcoastzen Looks fascinating! 4y
See All 7 Comments
vivastory Sounds intriguing! 4y
merelybookish @vivastory @Leftcoastzen It sort of fits with the saying that well-behaved women don't make history. If Suzanne has stayed with her kids, she probably wouldn't have experienced or participated the things she did. 4y
mirnas I've read that novel a week ago and loved it very much! 4y
merelybookish @mirnass I loved it too! Especially the earlier sections. 4y
67 likes2 stack adds7 comments
review
mirnas
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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Pickpick

I have really enjoyed reading this book! Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette tells a story of her grandmother, painter and poet Suzanne Meloche, who left her family and her children in a pursuit of the freedom.
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Un livre extraordinaire! Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette cherche les traces de sa grande-mère Suzanne en essayant de comprendre pourquoi elle a abandonné ses enfants.

Josee.lit.a.lu.et.lira I‘m so happy to read you enjoyed it! Isn't Anais's writing fabulous? For me who lives in Quebec, reviewing the history of the Refus Global, a milestone in our Franco-Judeo-Christian evolution, that I studied in college, was also fascinating. 🙏🏻 4y
twohectobooks I really want to read this one! I didn‘t realize that the title was different in French! 4y
MsMelissa This was a so-so from me, although I did find parts of the story quite fascinating. I read the English version, and was expecting, based on reviews, to be blown away by the prose. Unfortunately, I think something may have been lost in translation, as I didn‘t find the writing all that special. I really need to improve my French so that I can read the original! 4y
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mirnas @Josee.a.lu.lit.et.lira Yes, she's a good writer! I especially liked the narration in the second persone. It is a story about Quebec, but at the same time it is so universal. 4y
mirnas @twohectobooks I was supprised too. They could have simply translare it "The woman who runs away" or something like that. The original title reflecrs the content much better than "Suzanne". 4y
mirnas @Book_Fiend_Melissa I agree! I try to read as much as I can in the original version. No matter how good the translator is, always so much gets losts in translation. 4y
Josee.lit.a.lu.et.lira @mirnass I agree, I feel their intimate story is universal. The added point of view on Qc‘s history was a bonus for me. 4y
Josee.lit.a.lu.et.lira @twohectobooks I wonder why they stray so far away sometimes when translating titles. I feel that in this case, they failed the essence of the book. I wish I knew someone who knows about that 😉 I also sometimes question book covers 😅🤷🏻‍♀️ 4y
KVanRead @Book_Fiend_Melissa Good to know. I was planning on being lazy and reading this in translation but now I think I will push myself to read it in French. 4y
MsMelissa @KVanRead smart! My two IRL friends who are big readers are Francophone. Even though they both do most of their reading in English I recommended they stick with the original on this one given how lovely the French prose is supposed to be. My reading comprehension in French is fairly good, but when it comes to novels I can struggle so I just go with the English. 4y
28 likes10 comments
blurb
Josee.lit.a.lu.et.lira
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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#HappyCanadaDay
To celebrate Canada Day @KVanRead is hosting a Can Lit giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a Can Lit novel of their choice (based on online selection). To enter all you need to do is repost this pic and tag @KVanRead

The winner will be selected on July 4.
1. Tagged
2. Stéphane Dompierre
3. Mtl Smoked Meat ?

Consider yourself tagged, if you feel like playing ?

KVanRead Thanks for playing! I‘ll be looking for both of these authors now! And I miss MTL smoked meat! My husband even worked at The Main way way back in the day ☺️ 4y
LeahBergen How did I forget about Montreal smoked meat?? ❤️ 4y
Josee.lit.a.lu.et.lira @KVanRead I know Anaïs is translated, but I doubt Stéphane is. But if you read French « Marcher sur un Lego... » is hilarious ? Morlante is also great. I guess you lived our visited MTL quite a bit way back when ? 4y
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KVanRead @Josee.a.lu.lit.et.lira I met my husband in MTL in 97 and lived there until 04 a time, coincidentally when j‘ai marché sur beaucoup trop de Lego with two small kids at home? I don‘t read or speak enough French anymore but I want to improve on that so thanks for the book suggestions! 4y
Josee.lit.a.lu.et.lira @KVanRead ok, so you were very familiar with MTL‘s beat! Sorry for those Lego pains 😅 If you need #Franco inspiration let me know, I read about 50/50 Franco-Anglo. 4y
KVanRead @Josee.a.lu.lit.et.lira Will do! Thanks!! 4y
23 likes1 stack add6 comments
review
Suet624
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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Pickpick

Thanks to @Lindy for posting this book ages ago. This is a fictionalized account of the author‘s grandmother, a woman who abandoned her two children, ages 1 & 3. The author hired a PI to learn more about this woman who so deeply damaged her children. The novel touches on so much: artistic freedom, a mother‘s duty, Canadian history, the Freedom Riders in the US, passion & emptiness. The story was beautifully told. 🔽

Suet624 Check out Lindy‘s posts under the book title for some beautiful quotes from the book. This is officially my last book of 2019. (edited) 4y
Lindy @Suet624 👍😇 4y
55 likes2 comments
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Augustdana
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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First day of summer for me! School finished yesterday and I‘m living it up. Almost done Suzanne, mostly because it‘s due in five days....and there goes my drink

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Augustdana
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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Got notification from the library that this book was ready just as I was out the door to head home for the weekend.

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Suet624
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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I see that my two new books have a brown theme to them. Can‘t wait to dive in.

62 likes1 stack add
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LaraS
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette

Can we talk about how perfect the cover art is for this book? A blurry, dreamy image of a woman amidst an ambiguous, fill-in-the-blank background. Spot on.

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LaraS
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette

Finally catching up on #CanadaReads podcast...Yanic Truesdale on the themes of this book: “Resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”

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Lindy
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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“Marcel and Jean-Paul have a mission. They have come to get tarps, the ones that cover cars that have just been unloaded on the docks.”
______

Artists who are now well-known started out stealing tarps made of jute canvas because they couldn‘t afford buying something to paint on. Marcel Barbeau became Suzanne‘s first husband. Photo is of Jean-Paul Riopelle, also mentioned in the passage above.

review
Lindy
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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Pickpick

I‘m fascinated by stories about why women would abandon their children & this one has a whole lot more going for it besides that, including: a dive into 1930s & 40s Quebec history, politics & culture; a milieu of young artists working for social change; & astounding prose. The author‘s fictionalized account of her grandmother‘s story surprised me with its tenderness & depth of connection to a person who had caused such pain in her family. 💔❤️

Lindy #CanadianAuthor #translation by Rhonda Mullins. 5y
Suet624 What a captivating review. You had already inspired me to stack the book and this review now makes me want to start reading it immediately! 5y
Lindy @Suet624 🥳 5y
40 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Lindy
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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Translator Rhonda Mullins (above, left): “Anaïs writes in very short sentences, which makes translation sound easy, but it's one of those every-word-counts scenarios.”

The writing style is one of the aspects I loved about this book, so I‘m grateful to the #translator. Example:

“My mother, broken-hearted. The shards of glass left forever under her skin, traces of the abandonment she carries like a coat of arms.”

(Internet photo)

Tanisha_A Oh that statement. 💔 5y
Lindy @Tanisha_A Even the translator cried when she worked on certain portions of this book. 5y
38 likes2 comments
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Lindy
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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Because I am made partly from your desertion. Your absence is part of me and it shaped me. You are the one to whom I owe the murky water that feeds my roots, which run deep.
So you continue to exist.
In my unquenchable thirst to love.
And in my need to be free, like an absolute necessity.

GatheringBooks how utterly sad. 😭💕🧚🏼‍♀️ 5y
Lindy @GatheringBooks The catalyst for this passage is very sad—a mother abandons two young children—but her granddaughter has made peace with that fact by getting to know her grandmother in retrospect. In context, it‘s bittersweet. 5y
Suet624 Oh boy. 😭😭 5y
38 likes3 comments
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Lindy
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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“Claudia found scales more musical than most pieces and played them one after the other with heartfelt enjoyment. She could have played only scales.”

Ha! That‘s how I felt when I took piano lessons at age 9 & 10. I practiced scales while vocalizing the notes. And I enjoyed learning music theory more than playing music.

(Image by Renoir)

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Lindy
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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We don‘t fall from the sky. We grow on our family tree. –Nancy Huston

hermyknee ♥️ 5y
47 likes1 comment
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Lindy
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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Quebec has become a field of ruins. French Canadians have become a small people whose destiny is decided by others. —Paul-Emile Borduas

(Painting: Untitled by Paul-Emile Borduas)

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Lindy
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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You would like your words to singe the page too. You would like to have a book that lives on a shelf, somewhere, with your name on it, a book that is alive enough to upset people.

saresmoore Yes, I would. 5y
Lindy @saresmoore ❤️ 5y
Suet624 💕💕💕 @saresmoore 5y
40 likes3 comments
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Lindy
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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“Automatism was never figurative. Its world is the inner world. An outward projection of the inner world. Surrealism is based on a representation of the inner world, automatism on a nonrepresentation of the inner world.” -Claude Gauvreau

I‘m loving all of the art talk in this novel. (Image: detail from Pierre Gauvreau‘s Foire d‘empoigne)

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Lindy
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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People now say that the names of dead and buried children helped carry Maurice Duplessis to victory, artificially swelling the ranks of voters.
We know from a reliable source that the list of electors included the name of Octave Pion. Workhorse by trade.

(Internet photo)

Suet624 This horse is gorgeous. Obviously. 5y
batsy @Suet624 And totally knows it 🐴 5y
Lindy @Suet624 @batsy I found the photo on a site with click bait “the 10 most beautiful horses in the world.” 5y
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tournevis That's a myth about Duplessis, but it's a great quote! 5y
Lindy @tournevis It‘s in a fictional account, but there are historical facts in this book, so thanks for pointing out that this particular thing is a myth. 5y
tournevis @Lindy What I mean by this is that before 1960, there were dead people voting in Québec, but voter fraud was never as pervasive as myth states and Liberals did it as much as Union nationale et al. Duplessis wasn't worse. Tashereau did it too. 5y
Lindy @tournevis So maybe a horse‘s name was on the electoral list? 5y
tournevis @Lindy It's a common (human) name for the period. The Pion familly is very well established around the Saint-Hyacinthe region. 5y
37 likes9 comments
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Lindy
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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You dive into the water after the rat, which you catch with both hands, holding it firmly, brandishing it like a trophy, your eyes sharp and your face like an animal‘s.
“Got it!”
Your sister Claire looks at you, impressed. You turn to face the English kids, the rat in hand, your dress dirty. You stare at them, a rebel.
You are four years old.
Mass is starting in five minutes.
You have mud in your underwear.

(Internet photo)

Suet624 FANTASTIC! Stacked. 😁 5y
Lindy @Suet624 👍 5y
Fridameetslucy Wow. Liked that passage ! 5y
38 likes2 stack adds3 comments
review
candority
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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Mehso-so

The author of this book never knew her maternal grandmother, Suzanne, who abandoned her children when they were young. After her death in 2009, Barbeau-Lavalette hired a private detective to learn more and with the knowledge she gained, she wrote a fictionalized account of her grandmother‘s life. Suzanne is written in second-person and in short vignettes, which I loved, but overall, it was just an okay read for me. #CanadaReads2019 #CanadaReads

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xicanti
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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I finished another puzzle while I streamed Canada Reads on the Halifax schedule. No spoilers for today‘s debate, but I‘ll say I‘m both disappointed with and unsurprised at yesterday‘s elimination. Goodbye, SUZANNE! I loved you so, so much, but I do get why you didn‘t resonate as strongly with the panel. #canadareads

candority I‘m a bit surprised by today‘s elimination, but honestly, they‘re all such strong contenders that any elimination is difficult to accept. I don‘t envy the panellists this year - it is a tough decision to make! 5y
xicanti @candority I expected BROTHER to at least hit the finale, even though I liked the writing far less than Lisa Ray did, so today was a bit of a shock! I feel like this year‘s panelists have done a good job of celebrating all the books, though. They‘ve helped me see angles I didn‘t recognize as I read. 5y
candority I did too! The writing is much stronger in literary terms, but that‘s not as important to this year‘s competition. I totally agree - the panelists have all been very thoughtful with their discussions. It‘s been a joy to watch! 5y
xicanti @candority it‘s a nice change from the arguments the last two panels had! 5y
62 likes4 comments
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xicanti
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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I had BIG PLANS to eat my delicious lunch while I watched the first day of Canada Reads, but it turns out CBC doesn‘t put it up on Gem until later in the day (WHY) and I had trouble streaming it through their website. Boooooo. Guess I‘ll catch it tonight instead.

No spoilers, please, if you had better luck than me!

Graywacke Your lunch looks terrific. 5y
xicanti @Graywacke it was amazing. 5y
Tamra What a yummy lunch as a consolation. 5y
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Suzze I‘m DVRing it on CBC. I have an appointment at the same time it‘s on. 5y
xicanti @Tamra it WAS a big pick me up. 5y
xicanti @Suzze yeah, I‘ve got it set to record too. I‘m surprised it didn‘t go up on Gem right away, though, like all the other CBC shows. 5y
BookishTrish I woke up at 4 am to listen. It wasn‘t posted to my podcast app yesterday. 5y
xicanti @BookishTrish sounds like CBC really needs to do a better job of making this thing available. 5y
50 likes8 comments
review
xicanti
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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Pickpick

This was magnificent. As she fictionalizes her grandmother's life in a cascade of vignettes, Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette reaches not only for answers as to why Suzanne abandoned her family but also for ways to love the woman. What a gorgeous, personal work.

I can see why opinions are divided, though. The book's in second person, and it isn't at all nice. Feel-good material this ain't, but compelling? Damn, is it ever. #CanadaReads #caseyplusbooks

46 likes1 stack add
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xicanti
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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SUZANNE is shaping up to be my favourite book of #CanadaReads. If this year goes the same as 2017 and 2018, that means it'll be voted off first.

Come on, SUZANNE! Break the cycle!

This chocolate is phenomenal. I got it at Dollar Tree, so y'all should check and see if your local store has any (unless you're allergic to anything in it, of course).

tpixie Love that brand! Awesome! It‘s sold at Target , but ours recently closed. We have a Dollar Tree! 5y
xicanti @tpixie I always wanted to try Brookside, but it's normally pretty expensive here. $1.25 works way better for me than supermarket prices. 5y
tpixie @xicanti yes!!! 5y
BookishTrish It‘s mine too! 5y
47 likes4 comments
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BookishTrish
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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I live where I live! Every year it seems to get more expensive to raise our family here though... 😳 I read all through the day and usually get up before 6 to have a decaf and some book time to start the day 💙 Surprise me #friyayintro

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BookishTrish
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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Wow! I had such a busy month and still managed to read a lot. #insomnia for the win! #badcold for the assist!

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xicanti
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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HELL YEAH HUGE LIBRARY HAUL! I got lots of comics, the last #CanadaReads title I need, and a short story collection from the longlist. Y'all know I'm a sucker for linked stories.

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Great haul!! 5y
xicanti @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I'm so excited! A bunch of holds came in all at once, and I found even more good stuff just browsing the shelves. 5y
wordzie 😂🙌 5y
57 likes3 comments
review
JacqMac
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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Bailedbailed

I tried. And then I tried again. And again. I don‘t mind the second person narration. Or the snapshots of life. But I hate Suzanne. She is such a narcissist. I can‘t do narcissists. She reminds me of someone I don‘t care to remember. I just don‘t want to spend one more minute with her. So I‘m letting her go.
#CanadaReads2019

Melissa_J We are both #teambail today! 5y
JacqMac @Melissa_J Lol I can understand why you bailed. I don‘t like bailing on a Canada Reads book either. But sometimes you have to do it for you. 5y
academiconbreak I couldn't deal with the first page even, with the whole sucking hungrily at her mother's nipple business. I started Brother last night. It's beautiful. 5y
wordzie ❤Nice 5y
67 likes4 comments
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xicanti
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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I'm not much of an app person (yeah, I know, I'm a weirdo), but I had trouble with my library's catalogue website last week so I finally caved and got their app. Now I'm kind of obsessed with how easy it is to check my holds and all that. Whee!

I'm excited SUZANNE is in transit now, too. It's the last #CanadaReads title I need. (I've got a digital copy of THE WOO-WOO but I kept my paper hold just in case.) Double whee!

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BookishTrish
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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Pickpick

I wish I had more facility with words so I could express how much I loved this book. Second person perspective when done this well is incomparable. Anais imagines into the void her grandmother left behind when she abandoned her babies in pursuit of art. So so good. #CanadaReads

Melissa_J Oh good! Once I finish the Eisen book I‘ll have a go at this one. 5y
Melissa_J Turns out you and I had different experiences with this one. I liked the book overall, but it was a little too literary for my tastes. Plus, I didn‘t like the second person narration at all 😕 5y
94 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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BookishTrish
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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I may have cancelled plans this evening for some #CanadaReads by the fire

Melissa_J Can‘t wait to hear what you think. I‘m reading the Max Eisen book at the moment, and finished Homes last weekend. 5y
BookishTrish @Melissa_J My husband has Homes on the go right now and is struggling a bit. What did you think of it? 5y
BookishTrish I‘m thinking of doing the Eisen book last. 5y
Melissa_J I thought it was very good, but I don‘t think it‘s good enough to win. 5y
87 likes4 comments
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BookishTrish
Suzanne | Anas Barbeau-Lavalette
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Since the man who lovingly brings me coffee each morning has absconded with The Woo Woo, I‘m started my #CanadaReads journey with Suzanne. Has anyone read it? My $$ is on you @tournevis

StephanieMarie It's been on my tbr for years since I heard the translator being interviewed on CBC when she was first working on it, but I couldn't find a copy! I'm thrilled it's on Canada Reads because now my local library is ordering it in 😁 5y
BookishTrish @StephanieMarie I am entranced so far. I hope you like it! Let me know. 5y
86 likes2 stack adds2 comments