The Quarryman's Girl - Paperback

by Melanie Forde (Author)

"This beautifully penned literary novel is deeply entwined with characters so well developed you want to hug them. They're family!" -Virginia Williams, Rosepoint Publishing

A captivating piece of historical fiction. Forde merges human drama and historical intrigue in her compelling latest novel. She structures the plot with plenty of satisfying twists, and she gives her characters complexity, rendered in well-crafted prose. Although the narrative touches on complex topics, such as familial ties, trust, betrayal, aspirations and failures, most of the story focuses on the intense relationships among people trying to make sense of a world turned upside down. Human connection, especially, is at the center of the book. The pacing is measured, the storyline is intriguing, and Forde avoids the familiar melodrama and sentimentality to which a lesser writer might succumb. A gem of a novel. -The Prairies Book Review

Life seemed to be winding down for French-Canadian immigrant Rose Dowd. She had not been fighting the inevitable until Fate forced her to gear up for yet another chapter. Much like her adopted country, as America begins staking out a new international role in World War II, Rose must reinvent herself. Quickly. Before she can move forward, however, she needs to absorb the lessons from her past. Integral to that journey are Rose's sharp-tongued sister Izzy; her perpetually worried son Vince, a resourceful shipyard worker; her long-dead Métis mentor Mère Agathe; her bright and bubbly but sickly granddaughter Netty; and Nate, the "Ragman's Grandson," a club-footed, pre-law student dreading his future and inching instead toward a career as a writer. The Quarryman's Girl follows these vivid characters from the 1880s to the 1940s, from the hard-scrabble pig farms of Quebec to the granite quarries of Quincy, from the frozen St. Lawrence to the deep-channel Fore River. A compelling story from beginning to end, once again Melanie Forde has shown why she is a consummate storyteller and one of contemporary America's finest writers.