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What Is Left the Daughter

Howard Norman

Start date: December 1, 2010

Finish date: January 31, 2011

Discussion: Group Book Discussion

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What Members Thought

Nov 13, 2010 Misha rated it really liked it

Shelves: literary-fiction, history

When I started reading the book, I was so sure it would be a 5 star read . But by the time, I had reached the middle, it became a little dull at parts.Don't get me wrong! This is still an amazing novel, just not as great as I expected.

This book is written in the form of Wyatt, the narrator's letter to his daughter - a sort of confession.
Wyatt is someone I sympathized a lot with. His parents' double suicide changed his life forever. What I really admired was Wyatt admitted to all his mistakes and ...more

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Oct 11, 2010 Bookmarks Magazine rated it really liked it

Shelves: nov-dec-2010

Wyatt Hillyer's epistolary confession, a gothic tale "about the illogic of love and the violent chaos it leaves in its wake" (New York Times Book Review), explores a darker side of human nature--specifically, the cruelty inflicted by ordinary people living under extraordinary circumstances. Norman's plot unfurls steadily, with mounting tension and a restrained but unyielding sense of foreboding rendered all the more threatening by his unhurried, sober tone. The critics commended the "rough-hewn ...more

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Jan 30, 2011 Lisa Hickman rated it liked it

Shelves: library-books, bookmarks-2010

Wyatt Hillyer has written a letter to his estranged daughter revealing his tragic past, secrets, and ultimately his love for his daughter and her mother. Set in Nova Scotia, the remoteness of the area is felt in the isolation of Wyatt's character. Tragedy and tension always seem to be brooding in the atmosphere. WWII, the threat of U-boats, the sinking of the Caribou all contribute to the dark emotions, which eventually change Wyatt's life forever.

The dark tone of Wyatt's life could at times fe ...more

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Nov 08, 2010 Joye rated it really liked it

I loved this book, but in order for one to like this type of book, you need to like Anita Brookner or Kazuo Ishiguro. It is a book of a man retelling his life to his daughter in a ruminating type of way. Beautifully told and sensitive, but if you are looking for lots of big drama, this isn't the book for you. ...more

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Nov 24, 2010 Betsy rated it really liked it

Shelves: american-authors, fiction, historical, on-audio, bookmarks-magazine, 2012

I completely enjoyed this book, and would likely give it a 4.5 if possible. Norman seemed to capture the laconic and blunt style of the Nova Scotian and combine it with beautiful prose and a rigorous storyline which includes unrequited love, suicide, murder and more. I will be seeking out more of Howard Norman's work. ...more

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Dec 19, 2010 Das rated it liked it

Fiction (some of it historical), set in Nova Scotia during WWII. "What is left the daughter", an unusual title for a book, exemplifies the unusual nature of the book with topics ranging from birth, death, murder and unreturned love summarized in a letter to the narrator's estranged daughter.
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