"If you want to know everything that goes on in the life of a diary writer, I imagine you're out of luck, unless you can read between the lines." In this technically impressive and, more importantly, affecting novel, author Julie Johnston has written between the lines. Each chapter is introduced with the actual diary entries of a sixteen-year-old boy who spent the summer at his relatives' Canadian lakeside cottage in 1904. Johnston's chapters flesh out his bare-bones entries-concerned with chores, dances, excursions, and ...
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"If you want to know everything that goes on in the life of a diary writer, I imagine you're out of luck, unless you can read between the lines." In this technically impressive and, more importantly, affecting novel, author Julie Johnston has written between the lines. Each chapter is introduced with the actual diary entries of a sixteen-year-old boy who spent the summer at his relatives' Canadian lakeside cottage in 1904. Johnston's chapters flesh out his bare-bones entries-concerned with chores, dances, excursions, and boat rides-to create an endearing and enduring fictional character. The Fred Dickinson we come to know is humiliated by his stutter and his tendency to stumble; practically expires from embarrassment when he accidentally does a nude swandive in front of a young lady (and spends most of the novel deeply and hopelessly in love with her); and, always, suffers mightily from his father's belittling comments about his "nerves, " immaturity, and weakness of character. Contrary to his father's limited understanding, Fred is a fine young man-sensitive, self-deprecatingly funny, loyal to his adoring brothers and sister, and endowed with a strong moral sense, and Johnston adeptly lets him grow from liking himself not at all to a quiet self-confidence and assertiveness. The large cast of supporting characters stand out as individuals, some almost as memorable as Fred (his younger sister Bessie, for instance, a "manly little girl, " looks at Fred's pocket watch and announces that "it's almost XI to I." When corrected: "'I was speaking Roman, ' Bessie said. 'Which is a foreign language, ' she added grandly.") Johnston captures vividly the turn-of-the-century lake setting, and allthroughout this leisurely-paced novel gets summer just right: how, paradoxically, it's fleeting and yet forever. When it's over, we know that Fred, like the Canada geese he observes overhead, will move on, resolutely headed in the right direction.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains. Bundled media such as CDs, DVDs, floppy disks or access codes may not be included.
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Seller's Description:
Good. A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (including dust cover, if applicable). The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or limited small stickers. Book may have a remainder mark or be a price cutter. EX-LIBRARY COPY.
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Seller's Description:
Good in Good jacket. AO2-DJ is mylar protected. DJ has label on the upper front and lower spine, wrinkling and crease on some edges and corners, front inside flap taped on the top and bottom to the book cover, and light shelf wear otherwise very good. Book has some rubbing on the cover edges, library stamping on the front loose endpaper, label on the title page, some dog-eared pages, light discoloration and shelf wear otherwise very good. Using the backdrop the actual diary of the real Fred Dickinson, author Julie Johnston invents a captivating tale of discovery, passion, and intrigue.
