Cathy Marie Buchanan

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Cathy Marie Buchanan

Goodreads Author


Born
Niagara Falls, Canada
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June 2009

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New York Times bestseller and book club favourite Cathy Marie Buchanan is the author of three novels.

Her most recent, Daughter of Black Lake, was chosen as a Best Fiction for Fall by Entertainment Weekly and Parade magazine. Her previous novel, The Painted Girls, was a New York Times bestseller, a #1 national bestseller in Canada, and was named a best book of the year by NPR, Good Housekeeping and Goodreads. Her debut novel, The Day the Falls Stood Still, was a New York Times bestseller, a Barnes & Noble Recommends selection and a Canada Reads Top 40 Essential Canadian Novels of the Decade. Her work has been translated into nine languages. Buchanan holds a BSc (Honours Biochemistry) and an MBA from Western University, and recently became a
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Cathy Marie Buchanan My new novel Daughter of Black Lake is a transporting story of love and survival set in the misty boglands of pagan Britain. Right now I'm busy with p…moreMy new novel Daughter of Black Lake is a transporting story of love and survival set in the misty boglands of pagan Britain. Right now I'm busy with publicity for the launch (and working on the first draft of novel #4)(less)
Cathy Marie Buchanan In 2002, I opened the newspaper to see a photograph of an unnervingly well-preserved 2000-year-old human body. I could not lift my gaze from the gentl…moreIn 2002, I opened the newspaper to see a photograph of an unnervingly well-preserved 2000-year-old human body. I could not lift my gaze from the gentle face—the finely creased skin, the matted hair, the beard stubble that appeared as freshly grown as that of any man. The rope noose that brought death was still looped around the neck. (Check out the pic!) The accompanying article explained that the chemical nature of the peat bog, from which the body was unearthed, had enabled the flesh and skin to survive across millennia, providing clues to the world in which the man lived and died.

I would learn that Tollund Man, as the body was named, was not unique. Dozens of similarly unspoiled bodies had been recovered from the boglands of Northern Europe. Each was submerged in a watery grave thousands of years ago, but as time passes, rushes dying at a pool’s fringes begin to fill the water and the thickening stew of plant matter eventually transforms to peat. In recent years, the peat-preserved bodies were disentombed, usually by an unsuspecting peat cutter harvesting the peat for fuel.

I read about others, most particularly Lindow Man, a 2000-year-old bog body that was discovered in 1984 near Wilmslow, Cheshire in a peat bog formed by the once much larger Black Lake. Scientific study determined that before the body was deposited in the ancient lake, the head was bashed, the neck garroted, and the throat slit. The findings were in keeping with a sort of ritualistic overkilling that archaeologists had seen elsewhere and that they surmised was undertaken as an offering to earn the favour of multiple gods. Though human sacrifice of the age typically involved individuals considered of lesser value, further study of Lindow Man suggested that he was highborn, perhaps even a druid who went willingly to his death. Radiocarbon dating placed the sacrifice firmly within the same half century as the Isle of Anglesey druid massacre and Boudicca’s rebellion. The timing led archaeologists to hypothesize that the high stakes of the period had provoked the Britons and their druid leaders to break with tradition and to offer the gods a man deemed of exceptional worth.

As I read, I wondered about a society so firm in its beliefs that humans were sacrificed, possibly with consent, to guarantee the next year’s crops or to ensure success on the battlefield. What would it be like to believe—beyond a shadow of a doubt—that the gods could be angered and then bribed to end the deluge of rain that would rot the wheat needed to survive? I pondered, too, the beauty and simplicity of a community that lived and breathed its daily and seasonal rituals, that was bound to the land in the most exceptional way. With the inferences about Lindow Man’s life and death as bedrock, I would write a story that explored living in the Iron Age—the close ties to the natural world, the pagan traditions and superstitions, the gods who dealt mercy or vengeance, the druid emissaries who interpreted divine will.(less)
Average rating: 3.62 · 43,923 ratings · 4,602 reviews · 6 distinct worksSimilar authors
The Painted Girls

3.61 avg rating — 36,234 ratings — published 2012 — 35 editions
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The Day the Falls Stood Still

3.71 avg rating — 5,808 ratings — published 2009 — 44 editions
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Daughter of Black Lake

3.56 avg rating — 1,830 ratings — published 2020 — 11 editions
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Bois de Boulogne: A Short S...

3.86 avg rating — 50 ratings — published 2013
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The Painted Girls: A Novel

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Cathy Marie Buchanan Cathy Marie Buchanan said: " I'm not going to review my own novel, but here are some lovely words of support (and if you're sold you can pre-order Daughter of Black Lake):

“Buchanan has crafted an engrossing novel awash in historical atmosphere. From religious beliefs to culture
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“In those clouds I have seen aberrations-flecks of shimmering silver, orbs of color a shade more intense than their surroundings. I have seen them more than once, and I haves decided they are prayers, mine and everyone else's, too.”
Cathy Marie Buchanan, The Day the Falls Stood Still

“It is about being born downtrodden and staying that way. Hard work makes no difference, he is saying. My lot, the lots of those around me, were cast the moment we were born into the gutter to parents who never managed to step outside the gutter themselves.”
Cathy Marie Buchanan, The Painted Girls

“Willfulness, such as yours, is exactly what a girl needs to raise herself up to do something useful with her life.”
Cathy Marie Buchanan, The Painted Girls

Polls

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Vote For 1 Book For December 2016- Top 2 Win

The Princess Bride The Princess Bride  by William Goldman by William Goldman
What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be...well...a lot less than the man of her dreams?
 
  4 votes 26.7%

I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban I Am Malala The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai by Malala Yousafzai
When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.
 
  3 votes 20.0%

The Painted Girls The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan by Cathy Marie Buchanan
Set at a moment of profound artistic, cultural, and societal change, The Painted Girls is a tale of two remarkable sisters rendered uniquely vulnerable to the darker impulses of “civilized society.”
 
  3 votes 20.0%

Paper Angels Paper Angels by Jimmy Wayne by Jimmy Wayne
This is the story about a man and a boy one December. A man whose life is changed by a simple expression of kindness, and a boy who takes that expression of kindness and shows the true meaning of Christmas.
 
  2 votes 13.3%

Skipping Christmas Skipping Christmas by John Grisham by John Grisham
A classic tale for modern times, Skipping Christmas offers a hilarious look at the chaos and frenzy that has become part of our holiday tradition.
 
  2 votes 13.3%

Homegoing Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi by Yaa Gyasi
The unforgettable New York Times best seller begins with the story of two half-sisters, separated by forces beyond their control: one sold into slavery, the other married to a British slaver. Written with tremendous sweep and power, Homegoing traces the generations of family who follow, as their destinies lead them through two continents and three hundred years of history, each life indelibly drawn, as the legacy of slavery is fully revealed in light of the present day.
 
  1 vote 6.7%

Leaving Blythe River Leaving Blythe River by Catherine Ryan Hyde by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Seventeen-year-old Ethan Underwood is totally unprepared to search for his father in the Blythe River National Wilderness. Not only is he small, scrawny, and skittish but he’s barely speaking to the man after a traumatic betrayal. Yet when his father vanishes from their remote cabin and rangers abandon the rescue mission, suddenly it’s up to Ethan to keep looking. Angry or not, he’s his father’s only hope
 
  0 votes 0.0%

Shelter Us Shelter Us by Laura Nicole Diamond by Laura Nicole Diamond

Shelter Us speaks to the quiet joys and anxieties of parenthood, and illuminates the place all parents know: that shadowy space between unconditional love and fear of unbearable loss.
 
  0 votes 0.0%

Shiver Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1) by Maggie Stiefvater by Maggie Stiefvater
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.
 
  0 votes 0.0%

The Flower Arrangement The Flower Arrangement by Ella Griffin by Ella Griffin
Golden peonies bowing their heads beneath blue delphinium bells. Delicate pink anemones threaded between freckled green orchids. Soft apricot roses woven together with velvety purple irises. Every bouquet tells a story. And every story begins at Blossom & Grow, a tiny jewel-like flower shop in the heart of Dublin. Here, among the buckets of fragrant blooms, beneath the flickering candles and lanterns, Lara works her magic.
 
  0 votes 0.0%

The Language of Flowers The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.
 
  0 votes 0.0%

The Pearl That Broke Its Shell The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi by Nadia Hashimi
Crisscrossing in time, The Pearl the Broke Its Shell interweaves the tales of these two women separated by a century who share similar destinies. But what will happen once Rahima is of marriageable age? Will Shekiba always live as a man? And if Rahima cannot adapt to life as a bride, how will she survive?
 
  0 votes 0.0%

15 total votes
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“It is about being born downtrodden and staying that way. Hard work makes no difference, he is saying. My lot, the lots of those around me, were cast the moment we were born into the gutter to parents who never managed to step outside the gutter themselves.”
Cathy Marie Buchanan, The Painted Girls

34830 Cathy Marie Buchanan Hosts a Q&A — 13 members — last activity Jul 26, 2010 06:31AM
From Monday July 12th to Sunday July 25th Cathy Marie Buchanan will be answering questions about The Day the Falls Stood Still and the writing life.
97599 Ask Cathy Marie Buchanan - Wednesday, March 27th! — 93 members — last activity Mar 28, 2013 06:47PM
Join us on Wednesday, March 27th for a special discussion with author Cathy Marie Buchanan! Cathy Marie Buchanan will be discussing her work, includin ...more
87982 52 weeks, 52 books — 1375 members — last activity Jan 27, 2025 05:21AM
This year, we'll read a book a week - an eclectic mix of bestsellers, finds, and old favourites. With an emphasis on fiction but some non-fiction too. ...more
5121 Oh Canada — 468 members — last activity Jun 30, 2025 10:45AM
Canadians, please come and share your favourite national literature on the group bookshelf... whether it's books by Canadian authors, those featuring ...more
23815 Alice Baker Library Book Club — 33 members — last activity Jun 26, 2024 11:58AM
This book club will read and discuss a wide variety of genres. Participation is not required but is appreciated. Books of the month are suggestions on ...more
33611 Make a book a bestseller — 949 members — last activity Dec 24, 2020 05:16AM
If a bunch of people can get Betty White to host Saturday Night Live seems like we can make a great book(s) a bestseller.
74404 Q&A with Catherine McKenzie — 138 members — last activity Oct 29, 2020 04:56PM
...July 25, 2012 to August 24, 2012...
100662 Ask Caroline Leavitt - Wednesday, June 12th! — 56 members — last activity Jun 12, 2013 05:04PM
Join us on Wednesday, June 12th for a special discussion with New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt! Caroline will be discussing her work ...more
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message 1: by Dale

Dale Thele Cathy, thanx for accepting my friend request :)


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