Main description:
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.
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“A classic page-turner.”
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“A compelling narrative and characters that brim with humanity.”
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“A compelling story of perseverance and quiet triumph.”
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“A master story-teller.”
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“A near-perfect miniature: precisely written, true in voice and setting.”
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“A singularly poignant story about the depravity of human beings [and] their compassion and amazing capacity to endure.”
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“An amazing feat [that] remind some readers of the American poet Elizabeth Bishop.”
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“As compelling as any Margaret Atwood or as incisive as a Robertson Davies.... [An] invigoratingly original work.”
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“CLARA CALLAN is one of those rare novels that one might justifiably call a masterpiece.”
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“Entertaining.”
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“Mr. Wright writes with the apparent ease of breathing, and he is both touching and very very funny.”
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“Superb... Traces with understated compassion ... the separate histories of two sisters.”
