![]() ![]() It’s oddly tender in places, often funny and on the back of my copy is described both as ‘the best Canadian novel of all time’ and ‘the most controversial novel ever written in Canada.’ And if that doesn’t make you want to read it, I don’t know what will. Engel’s writing is pitch perfect, and I could have included many more quotes in this review – I was spoiled for choice.īear is a novel about self-discovery and solitude, the natural world and its healing powers on a fragile soul. Two things I love in a novel – or novella I should probably say – and that is beautiful, unfussy prose, the other a strong sense of place. However, I did really enjoy Bear, for me a four star rather than a five star read – though I couldn’t explain why. I think I was affected by my preconceptions of this, and that idea it might not be for me. ![]() I admit I approached with caution – after all there’s really only one thing people talk about when they talk about this novel, and that’s rather a shame it’s about so much more than that (more about that later). When I saw that Bear qualified for the #1976club I decided it was fate. I confess to having bought this new Daunt Books edition of Bear on something of a whim – and then wondered if I wanted to read it. Anyone who follows Dorian on Twitter may well have seen his huge enthusiasm for Bear by Marian Engel – Dorian wrote a wonderful essay about the book which you can read here. ![]()
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