From Publishers Weekly
A glittering translation drives us into the teeth of the wind battering the sailing vessal Sea Cow, owned and piloted by fearless Crache-a-pic, one-woman thorn in the side of the bootlegger Dieudonne, lord of the French-Canadian coast. There's never a letdown after that first stunning midnight scene of Crache-a-pic at the helm, dumping confiscated lobster traps and hauling lobster, not liquor, back home. It's 1930; Prohibition is the law in Canada and the U.S.; the Depression empties purses and bellies; and only Dieudonne, who has bought the peasants' land for pennies and sold contraband rum for pounds, seems to thrive. But Crache-a-pic, daughter and granddaughter of giants (some say sorcerers), is tough and smart enough to anticipate his moves and to dare to thwart him. Then a handsome cop aptly nicknamed Quicksilver strides into the melee, and Crache-a-pic loses her heart for good. Both wildly funny and profoundly serious, this book by a winner of the Prix Goncourt is always exciting and frequently thrilling, as the narrative pitches to a memorable climax.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
This novel of lost innocence unfolds in a Canadian coastal village during the Depression and under the shadow of Prohibition. The setting is significant, for it allows the major conflicts to develop: rural Canada versus urban America, the boldness of youth (as exemplified by the lovely Crache a Pic, literally "spit in your eye," skipper of her own refurbished craft) against the sinister use of land, sea, and people (as demonstrated by bootleggers Dieudonne and Al Capone). The tone is deceptively light, for these characters are cursed by obligations from the past that lend an eerie sense of predestination to the story. The translation from the French captures the flavor, humor, and pathos of a novel that should appeal to pubic library users. Maillet is the first North American to have won the prestigious Prix Goncourt. Joseph Levandoski, Free Lib. of Philadelphia
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
