the Way The Crow Flies [Paperback]

Ann-marie Macdonald (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Harper-perennial; Reprint edition (2006)
• ASIN: B000WB6NPS
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (137 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing but well-written, February 15, 2004

By 

Diane "dianemax" (Newfoundland, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Way the Crow Flies: A Novel (Hardcover)

I am a fan of Ann Marie MacDonald. I loved her first book, Fall on your Knees. I do not think that this one was as good as her previous one however. Her storytelling in the first one was phenomenal.

This book is an intense drama taking place in the sixties at a base in Ontario at the height of the Cold War and the space race. The story revolves around the families at the base, most notably that of Jack McCarthy and his family. The story is mostly told through Madeline's point of view as a child and later as an adult. Though it is a dark story, Madeline is able to convey some houmor throughout and still make us feel such sorrow for her shattered innocence.

MacDonald looks into the subject of politics, justice, molestation and many others. She has the ability to understand all of these things and write about them in an amazing way.

It is a fascinating story and at the end the reader has to reconsider the fact that the past is not always what it seems. Sometimes when you seek the truth, you uncover much more about others and yourself.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED THE FIRST - THE SECOND EVEN MORE!!, November 15, 2003

By 

"christyrae" (Clarence , NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Way the Crow Flies: A Novel (Hardcover)

A father "wants what he has". MacDonald creates a family that all of us who grew up in the sixties wanted to be a part of - and then she deconstructs it!! Exquisitely, quietly, despairingly the characters struggle to make sense of a world, a time and an event that does not fit into their innocent technicolor lives.

MacDonald's story hardly let me breathe - her sense of place, her depth of character, and her incredible insight into the mythical innocence of childhood is so pure and so true it hurts.

MacDonald is my kind of writer. She uses up all your senses, she surrounds you with place and time, and she pulls you into the story and leaves you exhausted but hopeful.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MacDonald's done it again!, January 22, 2004

By 

Lisa Fischbach "Lisa Fischbach" (Henryville, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Way the Crow Flies: A Novel (Hardcover)

I couldn't agree more with most of the other reviewers here, although I will go so far as to say that the first 150 pages (rather than 100 as mentioned by another reviewer) are a bit slow and difficult to wade through, even so I say it still earns 5 stars. Once this wonderful, destined to be a classic novel gains momentum, you'll be rereading passages just to make it last longer. It is a very long book at just over 700 pages. As in MacDonald's debut novel Fall on Your Knees, she has created characters that you will love, hate, cheer for, jeer at and cry for. Both of her books have a penchant for elicting our emotions. I found myself weeping for the main character Madeleine at several points throughout the book. This is a mystery, a family saga, a spy novel, a coming of age novel, a comedy (though possibly a dark one), a love story, and a horror story. It encompasses all genres in one.
Set amidst the backdrop of the race for the moon, the cold war and a time that was safe and family oriented but rapidly changing.
I loved the depiction of the family of the era, the marriage of Jack and Mimi, who was the consumate wife of the time. The relationships between parents and children, especially that of Jack and Madeleine. MacDonald's use of language and realism is incomparable to most of todays authors.
I just can't say enough about this book, if you are considering it, and you must be or you wouldn't be reading this, consider no more, click on the buy button, you won't regret it. The characters will live on in your memory like old friends forever.