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Book Cover for: Clara Callan, Richard B. Wright

Clara Callan

Richard B. Wright

In a small town in Canada, Clara Callan reluctantly takes leave of her sister, Nora, who is bound for New York. It's a time when the growing threat of fascism in Europe is a constant worry, and people escape from reality through radio and the movies. Meanwhile, the two sisters -- vastly different in personality, yet inextricably linked by a shared past -- try to find their places within the complex web of social expectations for young women in the 1930s.

While Nora embarks on a glamorous career as a radio-soap opera star, Clara, a strong and independent-minded woman, struggles to observe the traditional boundaries of a small and tight-knit community without relinquishing her dreams of love, freedom, and adventure. However, things aren't as simple as they appear -- Nora's letters eventually reveal life in the big city is less exotic than it seems, and the tranquil solitude of Clara's life is shattered by a series of unforeseeable events. These twists of fate require all of Clara's courage and strength, and finally put the seemingly unbreakable bond between the sisters to the test.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Harper Perennial
  • Publish Date: Dec 2nd, 2003
  • Pages: 415
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.13in - 5.35in - 1.04in - 0.81lb
  • EAN: 9780060506070
  • Categories: LiteraryHistorical - 20th Century - World War II & HolocaustFamily Life - General

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About the Author

Wright, Richard B.: - Richard B. Wright is the author of nine novels, including The Age of Longing, In the Middle of a Life, and Weekend Man. He lives with his wife in Saint Catharines, Ontario.

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Praise for this book

"CLARA CALLAN is one of those rare novels that one might justifiably call a masterpiece." -- -- Jay Parini, author of THE APPRENTICE LOVER

"Superb... Traces with understated compassion ... the separate histories of two sisters." -- Kirkus Reviews (Starred)

"A singularly poignant story about the depravity of human beings [and] their compassion and amazing capacity to endure." -- Times Literary Supplement (London)

"A compelling story of perseverance and quiet triumph." -- Washington Post

"Entertaining." -- Boston Globe

"An amazing feat [that] remind some readers of the American poet Elizabeth Bishop." -- Publishers Weekly

"A classic page-turner." -- Quill & Quire

"A master story-teller." -- The Ottawa Citizen (Canada)

"A compelling narrative and characters that brim with humanity." -- Winnipeg Free Press

"A near-perfect miniature: precisely written, true in voice and setting." -- Toronto Star (on THE AGE OF LONGING)

"Mr. Wright writes with the apparent ease of breathing, and he is both touching and very very funny." -- New York Times (on THE AGE OF LONGING)

"As compelling as any Margaret Atwood or as incisive as a Robertson Davies.... [An] invigoratingly original work." -- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel