Findley, Timothy

Average customer rating:

A gripping read
Findley is a master...
Modern day Heart of Darkness
Real fine.
kudos to findley' headhunter

Headhunter
Timothy Findley
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0517598272
Release Date: 1994-03-22

Customer Reviews:

A gripping read.......2005-11-15

I don't usually like "mystery" or "suspense" novels, but this book took me by surprise and proved impossible to put down. The plot is not "overlong and overwrought". In fact, Findley builds the story meticulously. Right from the first page a sense of forboding and horror pervades the book, very much as in the model, Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" (also used by Coppola in "Apocalypse Now"). Perhaps not a "successor" to Conrad's novel, but certainly a very worthwhile development from it and one which does not owe its genius to the original. Certainly the reader will get more out of this book having read Conrad.

This book should please suspense readers as well as those after something a little more substantial. I am very surprised the book is not better known and am curious to read more by Timothy Findley.

Findley is a master..........1999-08-25

Headhunter is a complex novel which combines images from Conrad's Heart of Darkness (the escape of Mr. Kurtz) and Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (Jay Gatz, the lady in white) into a superb psycological novel. Findley is a master of the screw-with-your-head type of novel, and he has proved it with Headhunter.

The novel has countless dimensions that cannot be revealed through one reading. I look forward to reading it again (when I get it back from the last person I told "You HAVE to read this!").

It's lengthy, but definitly worth the time. Enjoy the book!

Modern day Heart of Darkness.......1998-04-11

Findley updates the distrubing images and symbolism of Conrad's classic Heart of Darkness, in this riveting epic. The character development is incredibly precise and leaves the reader with a true sense of being invloved with the characters. It is much easier to comprehend if you have read and studied Conrad's book, but a must for anyone who enjoyed the classic. Headhunter is book that will stay with you for the ages.

Real fine........1998-04-07

The Headhunter was good. I laughed, I was amazed, I was scared, I was glad. What more could you ask for. Good job Timothy Findley. Keep up the good work.

kudos to findley' headhunter.......1997-06-17

This is a superb literary thriller, the thinking person's antidote to hip, but mind-numbing, pop culture referencing. It helps to have some stored up memories of Heart of Darkness, as well as other works such as The Great Gatsby, but its chills do not extend only to the bookish. Warning: This book reveals what "the horror, the horror" means to a late 20th c. audience. It's not for the squeamish, but it is worthy of attention

Average customer rating:

Don't Throw Stones

Stones
Timothy Findley
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0385300026
Release Date: 1990-01-01

Book Description

Findley exposes the sharp changes in the traditional institutions of love andmarriage and family through a vivid terrain of images and insightful stories.10,000 print.

Customer Reviews:

Don't Throw Stones.......2000-03-05

I believe that "Stones" is one of the lesser known books by Findley, and is somewhat weaker than most of his popular works. "Stones" is made up of multiple stories happening to various Canadian characters. The stories generally take up only one chapter and then you don't hear from those characters again. I enjoyed reading this, but am not always a fan of this type of work. I often find myself attached to a specific story and am then disappointed when it is dropped for another; I find myself wanting to know what else happened. However, it is an interesting collection of characters and an interesting portrait of Canadian life.

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Wanting Deeper Characters
But what a voyage it is!
Brilliant writing, heart-wrenching / hopeful tale
Noah's Flood; unconventional perspectives on an ancient tale
Enthralling

Not Wanted on the Voyage
Timothy Findley
Manufacturer: Laurel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

Wanting Deeper Characters.......2006-07-30

Findley's Not Wanted on the Voyage parodies the biblical story of Noah. His God is a depressed tyrant, hundreds of years old: egomanical, megalomaniacal, suicidal. He is feared and hated by his creatures who have begun heaping derision and scorn upon him. Noah is almost as old: God's loyal friend and lieutenant. He is the executor of God's will the way Goehring may have been of Hitler's. Humanity's sinfulness before The Flood is therefore only a life-affirming rebellion against a tyrant.

Another rebellion brews on board the ark lead by Lucy (Lucifer incarnated as a woman who has married one of Noah's sons) and Noah's oppressed alcoholic wife, Mrs. Noyes. Mrs. Noyes, of course, speaks with the animals all the time, feeding and nursing them. The lines are drawn: the empathetic nature-lovers vs. the brutal Yahwist gestapo. The ending is really no surprise, as a return to the earth when the waters recede will be a return to a world ordered by the tyrant and his martinet Noah.

OK, so Findley's got a problem with the God of Judaism and Christianity. Readers can embrace his anti-theological stance or not and still be enchanted by a good story. But this isn't that good a story. The characters are flat and the story simply carries out the agenda. I found it hard to care about these any of these characters, either the good-evil or the evil-good. They seemed the product more of a pamphleteer than of an insightful storyteller. This book was published in 1984. Perhaps Findley's powers have since matured.

But what a voyage it is!.......2006-06-12

This is an epic tale with epic scope and vision. A retelling of the "Noah's Arc myth", Findley reinvents the earth and what life on it once could have been like (but probably wasn't!). Although he depicts a world rife with magic and fantastical elements, he artfully paints it with a brush and colour so rich that you are easily able to suspend disbelief and slip into the past as Findley sees it.

This story is filled with novel plot twists, both in terms of Findley's incredibly liberal interpretation of the original story (only the very basic elements are present here: God is displeased with man's "evolution" on earth and decides to start from scratch by flooding the earth), the world he creates, and also his unconventional definitions of good & evil. For what is a story based on the Bible if it does not ultimately boil down to a tale of morality and the age-old struggle between the Righteous and the Sinners?

I think it goes without saying that religious individuals who accept the Bible "as rote" will not appreciate this novel and will likely be offended by Findley's ideas, since this is him reinterpreting scripture not only through fiction but also as fiction. So be it. However, if you have an open mind and your thoughts on religion are flexible, this novel will fascinate and provoke you. The character of Lucy is rarely thrust into the spotlight, but I found her to be one of the most interesting individuals; one who gave me pause and caused me to reflect and reconsider. The prose is elegant and powerful, but I must admit that I found this to be a challenging (but captivating!) read. I'm convinced that I don't really "get" the ending, but this will undoubtedly be a book that I read again only to discover meaning I overlooked the first time through. Like true great writing should, this book will satisfy you time and time again, transforming you with every read. Definitely purchase this one.

Brilliant writing, heart-wrenching / hopeful tale.......2002-08-16

This is fiction at its best (and not just Canadian fiction)!! It's usually hard to try to get me to read a book in which animals talk, and characters are mythical / Biblical; however, this was such a captivating read. The best books make its readers feel: and this one certainly does. Images from its pages became branded onto my mind for a long long time. Findley's strength comes in truly sympathizing with all living things. E.g. I started to get choked up as the fairies hovered around the ark, getting weaker and weaker as they see their chance for salvation diminish. This book IS mythical, but it's also very real: Findley's sense of social justice, his views against autocracy and mindless, blind followers of authority are clearly shown. This book mourns the cruelty that is humanity, but it also celebrates heroism, bravery, and loyalty.

Noah's Flood; unconventional perspectives on an ancient tale.......2002-05-03

Findley set himself an ambitious task in writing this novel. He takes the Biblical story of Noah and the Ark and reinterprets it. This represents a new trend in late 20th century literature; the rewriting of traditional stories, often in the attempt to undermine the intended purpose of the story. Aside from this work, this idea can be seen in Gardner's "Grendel" (based upon the thousand year old English epic poem "Beowulf") and the "Politically Correct" series: Bedtime stories, Parables, and the Politically Correct Guide to the Bible. It is interesting to see how post-modernism is changing (if not corrupting) literature. Post-modernism asserts that there is no meta-narrative, no authoritative version of events, no absolute truth and so forth. Of course, it is almost immediately obvious that such a philosophy is riddled with contradiction (see "Relativism: Feet planted firmly in mid-air," by Frank Beckwith and Gregory Koukl for more; I've also reviewed this book) and as such should not be taken as serious philosophy.

"Not wanted on the voyage" strikes me as a much better novel than Findley's "The Wars" (which I have reviewed), a tale about a Canadian soldier in World War 1. I would not say there is a substantive difference in terms of writing style, but I simply found the happenings of World War 1 uninteresting to read in a fictional setting. My main criticism of this novel is the pace; the first part is almost painfully slow. The reader has to wait about 60 pages to meet Yahweh (God, who is described an ancient man, strained with exhaustion) and then, another 140 pages for the Ark to be finished and the Flood to begin. I consider the Ark and the Flood to be the main events of the story, however it may be told, and those events should be the most prominent. Despite the pace, there are several things about the novel that I enjoyed.

The depiction of Yahweh (i.e. the God of Christianity/Judaism) is without a doubt theologically wrong in most respects, but as a character, Findley paints him well. Yahweh is shown to be exhausted, depressed and very human. When Yahweh arrives in Doctor Noyes' home (Findley substitutes Noyes for Noah), there is a sense that it is God's last refuge. Unfortunately, after this one meeting, Yahweh is not seen again.

The portrayal of the various supernatural characters is both amusing and fresh. Lucifer is depicted as the woman Lucy who marries one of Noyes sons and boards the ark. One of my favorite passages from the novel reveals Lucy as the the Dissenter of Heaven, the one who disturbed the peace:

"A long time ago," she said; "in a place I have almost forgotten - I heard a rumour of another world. With all my heart - because I could not abide the place I was in - I wanted to see that world. I wanted to go there and to be there and to live there. Where I was born - the trees were always in the sun... The merciless light. It never rained - though we never lacked for water. Always fair weather! Dull. I wanted difference. And I wondered - does it rain there? Are there clouds, perhaps, and there shade in that other world? I wanted somewhere to stand, you see, that would give me a view of deserts and of snow. I wanted that desperately. I wanted, too, someone I could argue with. Someone - just once - with whom I could disagree.... Who say that dry is wet - and black is white? and if I were to say; `I am not I - but whoever I wish to be.'" (page 282)

This quote is one of the more insightful observations that Findley makes in the novel (i.e. besides such ideas as religion when mixed with power, tends to corrupt). It is ironic that someone would desire foul weather, dissent and trouble instead of bliss.

The Archangel Michael is Michael Archangelis who might be best described as a holy warrior. In the novel, Michael is the well-armed and experienced protector of Yahweh who never sleeps and the brother of the fallen Lucifer. Oddly enough, demons are among the "animals" included in the ark. Demons are described in the novel as fiery, roughly dog-sized animals that are playful. I somehow found this bizarre for I tend to consider such beings immaterial, similar to angels. There are also strange beings called Faeries which are some sort of small, bright beings. Nothing is really said about them, other than the fact that they are frightened easily and live in the forest.

Noyes' family is a mixed bunch; some loyal to the father and some to the mother. They are hardly saints, yet they could not really be called fully corrupt either. Noah (or Doctor Noyes) is an oppressive father whose passion for God leads him to be a negligent husband and father; further, there are hints that he is some sort of scientist (there is mention made of him experimenting with animals and attempting alchemy). This realistic showing of family life is one of the endearing qualities of the novel. On the other hand, the fact that all the animals can talk is quite strange. Mrs. Noyes cat, Mottyl, has quite a role throughout the novel and one wonders why this is the case. Is there some sort of subtle symbolism intended here or is it simply a device to let the reader know what the animals think about the Ark, the Flood, and the people aboard it?

A word of warning to some readers that there is a rather violent sex scene in the novel, it lasts about two pages and some readers may want to skip this section.

Enthralling.......2001-12-17

I choose this book for an English 30 novel study, thinking it to be another religious book on how great God was. Wow, was I wrong. This book makes God look like an old man and Noah his old fool companion. Like all of the books by Timothy Findley I have read, this one has amazing word choice and describes everything in vivid detail. A few parts of the book are disturbing, but they set the scene for the rest of the story and comliment the characters. (Compliment not always being a good thing though). I would recommend this book for someone with an open mindd, not one who is very set in their beliefs.

Average customer rating:

Please read this review before buying 'The Wars'.
One of the best
Total Garbage! and not for kids
the characters and relationship of mr. and mrs. ross
One of the Greatest Canadian Novels

The Wars
Timothy Findley
Manufacturer: Faber and Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0571207995

Customer Reviews:

Please read this review before buying 'The Wars'........2007-06-07

I am surprised at the reviews of this novel. I see some people claiming to have literally burned this book and I see a `teacher' who condemns a Governor General's Award winning novel without the courtesy of proper punctuation or even capital letters (on Amazon.ca). And I see people claiming that this novel is the greatest ever produced by a Canadian. The truth is somewhere in between. But make no mistake: it is a classic for good reason.

Anger comes from confusion so it is no surprise to see many angry people reacting to `The Wars'. It is a difficult read. Robert Ross is a difficult character to identify with because Findley holds him at arm's length for almost the entire novel. The only instances I remember where the reader is given direct access to Robert's innermost thoughts are in the opening section, before he enlists in the army. From there we are shown his actions and only the most obvious of thoughts. Much of the novel is presented as hearsay, where the reader sees the toll the war takes on both his family and personal life, and this is perhaps the reason for the negative reviews here: the reader cannot become attached to Robert Ross. Findley does not present empathy as an option. We are forced to examine his actions coolly with little emotion involved save the horror of killing or the pleasure of love. What does this say about Findley's goal with this novel? Why does he not allow us to be close to Robert Ross? Because he is not a hero. He is not a great man. He was the average soldier (or officer, in this case) and his trials were average for the Great War.

This is a novel about World War One written sixty years (or so) after the armistice, and we are now approaching its one hundred year anniversary. So why do readers think it should be a rip roaring adventure of bravery and heroism? Wake up people. It is a novel about the legacy the war has left. It is about how we were and are affected by it and that is why it is written from the point of view or a reseacher/historian. It is about darkness and savagery and how these things are in all of us, only to be revealed by the horrors we subject each other to. Look at the things Robert has to deal with within his own army. Are the Germans the `bad guys' in this novel? We only ever see one, and he shows great humanity and sacrifice. Robert's own army wreaks as much destruction and havoc in the lives of their own soldiers as they do to the Germans. It is not a heroic tale of Us versus Them. It is a cautionary tale of Us vs. Ourselves.

Do not expect `Saving Private Ryan'. Expect `Apocalypse Now'. Do not expect a page turner. Expect a meditation on humanity's darkest hour, and you will not be disappointed. This is a novel to be read by the intelligent and the brave, not the simple and arrogant. Approach it with the right mindset and you will find a classic.

One of the best.......2006-04-24

One of the best what? One of the best Canadian novels, one of the best war novels . . . take your pick.

Joeseph Jonston must only like stories where there are only good people doing nice things, and where children are sheltered from the scary fact that sometimes the world is a bad place. I think this is the problem when you have a work of art as powerful and brilliant as The Wars --- it gets assigned in high schools, and people who wouldn't know a good book from a hole in the ground are made to read it.

The Wars examines the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual wages of World War One (I think the plural in the title references the fact that there are so many other "little" wars simultaneously going on within the main character, within his family, within society, etc).

Findley explores his themes with powerful, poetic, and concise prose. The Wars is a short book, and Findley's fluid style means it can be read quickly. However, not a single word is wasted. The prose is rich with fresh imagery, but those images are never just decoration, or descriptive showmanshp --- they all have their purpose and their place. This is one of the calling cards of a great writer.

Some would say the age warning is appropriate. Some of the events of the plot and some of the images are indeed explicitly violent or sexual. They are never gratuitous, and are used to drive home the horror of World War One, but the more squeemish or puritanical readers may find them off-putting.

Total Garbage! and not for kids.......2006-02-18

This book was a total waste of my time. The plot was bad, and there was something bad about almost every character. What was this guy thinking. If there were negative stars, this book would be -5. And seeing that kids were reading this, I'm getting a Nauseous feeling. Too many issues. And what Idiot would rank this book at even 2 stars never mind 5. This piece of $h!t isn't worth anyones time.

the characters and relationship of mr. and mrs. ross.......2005-03-30

characters relationship, describe the relationship of mr. and mrs ross, is there any details of their courship, what is the insight into their relationship?

One of the Greatest Canadian Novels.......2005-02-23

Timothy Findley's The Wars is an achievement that goes far beyond words. The captivitating, thrilling, exciting and shocking twists he puts on this novel are insurpassable. After reading this novel, I got the impression of just how magnificent a writer Findley is. He uses many forms of literary structure to create this remarkable piece of work and when you finish reading it, you are left breathless. The plot line is magnificent, and it's perhaps the greatest war story ever written. The deep analysis of characters and examination of warfare go far beyond anybodys' expectations.

Highly recommmended to anyone who loves reading.

Average customer rating:

A fantastic post-modern read
A great read...although sometimes too complicated
The Electric Moment
Fascinating Novel
Extraordinary Fiction!

Famous Last Words
Timothy Findley
Manufacturer: Faber and Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 057120905X

Customer Reviews:

A fantastic post-modern read.......2005-08-31

Interesting that The Wars deals with the First World War and one man's personal transformation both before the war and during it. Famous Last Words, in a sense, picks up where the other novel left off. While the author's fictional protagonist/antagonist Mauberly is the inadvertent co-narrator of the story, the novel really focuses on varying characters and motives both during and after the Second World War.

The most intriguing part of this novel is the discovery of Mauberly's writings on the walls of a European hotel room and the impending decisions to be made about its historical importance. American soldiers have to decide whether to preserve the historical narrative written by a questionable character or destroy all memory--artistic or otherwise--of a gruesome war.

One gets the sense that Findley is making a post-modern comment on the myth of truth-telling and the conflict between art and politics. But also, the irony of Findlay as storyteller commenting on the subjectivity of storytelling is not lost.

All the Findlay elements are here in this novel: intrigue, mystery, psycho-analysis, and moral ambiguity. It does not have the power or punch of The Wars, but it is a confusingly fascinating read.

A great read...although sometimes too complicated.......2004-06-26

Findley's "Famous Last Words" is an excellent novel, although sometimes wordy. In reading other works by Findley I found many similarities in the plot. Findley truly mixes fact and fiction in a believable fashion. This book was set well before my time, but I found Findley's use of fiction was in all the right places. The main plot of the secret underbelly of a fascist conspiracy to take over Europe transpiring before, during, and after WWII that featured a writer named Maulberely was interesting but confusing. Famous Last Words is unique, and exciting, providing the realization that not everything is as it seems...

The Electric Moment.......2003-05-15

To begin with, every reader of this book should first read the poem "Hugh Selwyn Mauberly" by Ezra Pound, since this fictional persona of Pound's ends up being the central character of this fascinating book. The book works mainly on two levels: 1.) That of the intrigues, relationships and a certain "cabal" surrounding the rise of the Fascists and Nazis to power and their eventual defeat, all plausible (I did some research), and historically based, which makes the book the page-turner that it is. 2.) The embedded questionings of human motivations and actions and meditation-provoking sections futher calling into question what ultimately comprises history.

This second aspect is what makes the book more than just your average historical thriller. Findley has a fine manner of putting events into a poetic, philosophical cast. - But the book meanders a bit much, and somehow lacks a certain panache and poetic/philosophical heft that detracts from its effectiveness- Perhaps this is inevitable in a book that weaves in and out of so many different intrigues, betrayals and deceptions while at the same time employing a prose style that is downright contemplative at times. In other words, the two levels don't quite seem to mesh as they should.

Aside from a little muddlednesss, however, this is a very fine piece of literature. It will having you turning the pages in excited bewilderment while at the same time pondering the questions it provokes about mankind and history.

There is an intriguing passage in the middle of Mauberly's narrative where he imagines a future historian, a "dread academic, much too careful of his research" who will completely botch things in his account of these times "because he will not acknowledge that history is made in the electric moment, and its flowering is all in chance....There is more in history of impulse than we dare to know."---So, can a "true" history be written after all? Or does a fictional account, such as this book containing a narrative written by a fictional character, have the famous last words?

Fascinating Novel.......2002-07-15

This is available in New York Stores. Fascinating novel of intrigue and suspense

Extraordinary Fiction!.......2000-01-19

Timothy Findley's new novel is the result of a poetic and limitless imagination which goes beyond the confines of national boundaries and places him securely among the most original creative writers in the twentieth century. With a rich, brilliantly crafted plot, this novel of gripping international intrigue is one of his best yet. Ingenius characters and a fantastic plot make this novel a brilliant example of Findley's genius. A captivating piece of fiction.

Average customer rating:

The Immortal Critic of Art and Pschology
good book.
Thought Provoking...
Life Everlasting
Canada's Gem

Pilgrim: A Novel
Timothy Findley
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Amazon.com

Timothy Findley's Pilgrim is the story of a man who can't die even though he tries over and over to kill himself. Diagnosed as schizophrenic, in 1912 he's placed in a Zurich clinic where Carl Gustav Jung is hard as work trying to determine the perimeter of the collective unconscious. For Jung, this man becomes an embodiment of the psyche's mystery. Claiming to have no past history but to have simply arrived one day at consciousness, Pilgrim lives in a limbo outside individuality and subjectivity. He's everyone and no one. Is he a messenger? Or is he a basket case? As the novel gathers momentum, we realize that Pilgrim is a character much like Virginia Woolf's Orlando, traversing gender and time, a witness. But whereas Woolf is a feverish and emotional writer, Findley is philosophical and dry, playful and slightly pretentious. Imagining conversations between Pilgrim and Henry James, Leonardo da Vinci, and Oscar Wilde, this novel is like a party full of beautiful guests. Or a safe train trip through an exotic landscape of consciousness where men use cologne that smells like "moss... lemons... ferns" and schizophrenics are elegant and well dressed, like the old countess who believes she lives on the moon and asks her doctor, "Is this a ballroom? Am I being courted?" --Emily White

Book Description

On April 17, 1912 -- ironically, only two days after the sinking of the Titanic -- a figure known only as Pilgrim tries to commit suicide by hanging himself from a tree. When he is found five hours later, his heart miraculously begins to beat again. Pilgrim, it seems, can never die. Escorted by his beloved friend, Lady Symbol Quartermaine, Pilgrim is admitted to the famous Burgholzu Psychiatrist Clinic In Zurichm, where he will begin a battle of psyche and soul with Carl Jung, the self-professed mystical scientist of the unconscious Slowly, Jung coaxes Pilgrim to tell his astonishing story -- one that seemingly spans 4,000 years and includes such historical figures as Leonardo da Vinci and Henry James. But is Pilgrim delusional? Are these his memories merely dreams...or is his immortal existence truly a miracle.

Customer Reviews:

The Immortal Critic of Art and Pschology.......2007-03-13

The Pilgrim, a suicidal and renown art historian, hates art, as much as he hates life. In fact, the only thing he despises more is psychology in general, and the specific idea that there is but one temporal linear reality. Given this overbearing focus on negativity, it is a miracle that Timothy Findley has created a beautiful tale of about the elegant and not-so-elegant intricacies involved in both the practice of psychology and creation of art. Both the psychologists and the artists are protrayed with brutal specifics, but they seem more ignorant of goodness than practicing of evil.
The author uses artificial contrivances excessively to explain inconsistancies, but on the whole, he sucessfully makes this impossible myth seem almost believable. The protagonist can be neither loved nor hated, yet the reader strives to understand him. Some of the fasinating minor characters are introduced and then abandoned, before they are adequately developed, but a sprinkling of well researched historical figures provide a path for pursuing the plausibilty of some other aspects of this tale even beyond the novel itself.
It was a good read.

good book........2006-04-28

I really enjoyed this book. Intresting characters, facinating creative licence on historical figures and the whole plot with Da'vinci and the Mona Lisa is great. His charactersation of Dr. Jung was very enjoyable. My only critisism is the author diverges into other minor characters without any reason and uses whole chapters to do this. I can see a few paragraphs but a chapter was to much. By relating a few facts or tid bits it would have made a much more facinating read. I was also left with a feeling that I did not really know the main character as much as I would have liked. Pilgrim is shown hopping from body to body through time and space but there was a lack of essential essence to the man save as witness to greatness.

Thought Provoking..........2005-12-18

I picked this book up quite a few times before I finally decided to read it, basically because I thought it would delve too much into the Jungian concepts, etc, of which I don't have much knowledge...I'd just heard of Jung before I read this! However, the book was really quite interesting, and though it looks like a daunting read, its really not...its thought provoking (as my review title suggests!), and it makes you pause once in a while to think somethings through...something you hadnt really thought of much before, some new concept, and such, but still, it is perfectly understandable...and even if one doesn't have a lot of knowledge of psychology to start off with, it makes one interested in finding out more...or at least it did me!...I would reccomend this for anyone who is looking for a slightly challenging read.

Life Everlasting.......2005-07-27

In Pilgrim Timothy Findley mixes fiction and fact in a necklace of words that are a feast for the soul. Pilgrim is a man whose past is shrouded in mystery. His story is a remarkable literary gem , a true mosaic for the mind. Findley traverses the heights of imagination in a book filled with passion , adventure and the many textures of life. There is a sparkling freshness to this utterly original creative endeavor.

Pilgrim is as individual as a snowflake. A book which inspires , enlightens and enriches the reader. Pilgrims life is altered by an idealistic Carl Jung who is seeking to serve the betterment of the universe. This book is so well written that at times you forget that its not history , its but a magnificent work of fiction.

Pilgrim is a tremendous achievement. The characters are vibrant , fascinating and astounding. There is a fantastic aura to this piece of literature. Pilgrims is an existence to be celebrated. A mythic existence of presence and being which becomes a journey of understanding and begs the question - What price immortality?

Timothy Findleys artistic vision enchants and inspires. The limitless realities throughout this book make the ordinary extraordinary. Imagination is knowledge and Findley once again proves himself a very wise man. The authentic voice of Timothy Findley takes us to visually stunning places , he paints a vibrant portrait of a man whose very existence is authentic and soul stirring. Pilgrim is a heart centered endeavor that i am profoundly proud to have read.

Canada's Gem.......2005-07-06

If you're looking for a diversion or a fun, entertaining read that features a movie plot, you might want to skip this one. If you're looking for literature that actually challenges you, you should definitely consider this book. Mr. Findley's world is one of compelling ideas, fully-realized characters, and some of the best, atmospheric writing I have ever come across. It's not material you can digest right away. It's writing from which you'll gain more with each re-read.

The world lost one of its very best writers when Mr. Findley died. A tragedy for those of us Americans who had only just been introduced to him.

Average customer rating:

interesting but lengthy
I've read better...
the mystery and dread of fatherhood
By all views, a good book
Beautiful Tale of a Mother's Madness

The Piano Mans Daughter
Timothy Findley , and Colm Feore
Manufacturer: BTC Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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Famous Last Words
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ASIN: 0864922574

Amazon.com

As the story opens, Lily, the heroine of Timothy Findley's Victorian-Gothic-style novel as seen through the narrative of her son Charlie, is ending her days in an asylum; her life unfolds as a Dickensian tale of deprivation and struggle between the feminine and the coldly masculine, leading to that "madwoman in the attic" denouement. Yet Charlie is reclaiming his mother's life through his loving telling of her story. "She could break your heart with that riveting gaze," he says. Music, vaudeville, and silent movies resonate through the lives in the novel, set in turn-of-the-century Toronto. Findley is a best-selling and award-winning Canadian writer, author of The Wars and Famous Last Words.

Book Description

In 1939, Charlie Kilworth, a piano tuner, determines to learn the identity of his father and the source of his mother's madness. Against a rich backdrop of bygone Toronto, his quest delivers surprise after surprise about his mother's love affairs, the roots of her torment, and the people who shaped her fiery nature.

Customer Reviews:

interesting but lengthy.......2006-01-31

This writer is very adept at describing surroundings and different characters. I liked the story very much and yet I felt he left out key emotional responses to huge shifts in Lily's life. It is an interesting book and I was sad when it ended but I felt it would have been enhanced by more in-depth emotional descriptions.

I've read better..........2005-08-23

This wasn't great but it wasn't that bad either. At times the constant jumping around was confusing. Timothy Findley does tell a good story but there were a lot of gaps that rather left me hanging.
It's a long, long story of a boy/man trying to find out who his father is. His mother suffers from various forms of maddness and the reader follows her mother's and then her life up to her death. I found the first part of the story better than the second. The part where Lily goes to Europe was vague and disjointed and none of the people she meets there were developed.
Having said that, I still quite enjoyed it.

the mystery and dread of fatherhood.......2004-06-18

The winner of numerous awards, Canadian author Findley shapes this 1996 novel around a young man's quest for his father and his dread of becoming a father himself.

Narrator Charlie Kilworth is the son of mad, beautiful, evervescent and tormented Lily Kilworth, who cannot or will not remember who Charlie's father is. It is her story Charlie tells, after her death in an asylum fire, a fire she may herself have set.

Lily's story begins before her birth, when her mother, Ede, meets an itinerant piano man. "The sight of him was like a match being struck," Ede recalls, beginning the incendiary allusions that punctuate the novel and haunt Lily's private world.

The piano man dies before he can wed Ede but eight years later she marries his brother, Frederick, an ambitious piano manufacturer whose one unorthodoxy is falling in love with Ede. He accepts Lily but without knowing of her affliction - severe epileptic seizures.

He is as repelled by Lily's epilepsy as Ede is frightened by it and becomes, for Lily, the demon of her childhood, the focus of rebellion and despair. But even though Frederick locks her in the attic whenever company is expected and finally banishes her to a school for difficult girls, Lily blossoms.

A beautiful, vibrant young woman, "hampered" not "handicapped" (the word makes her indignant) by her illness, she goes to England with a friend and it's there that Charlie is conceived. He knows only that the event occurred in January 1910 and he examines Lily's photos intently, imagining fathers, and questions her friends, adding pieces to the life she has already related to him.

Lily and Charlie return to Toronto before World War I but Frederick, outraged by Charlie's birth, refuses to see them. They begin a round of living in expensive hotels, going to dances where Charlie is always her partner, and seeing movies. For Charlie the life is a series of enchantments and nightmares as his mother's demons pursue her and drag him along. A child, he learns to watch over his mother although his dependency often renders him helpless.

When tragedy pushes Lily over the edge into madness, Charlie is liberated into normalcy - school, friends his own age, relatives. "It made a decent life - secure in ways I had never known." Lily emerges from the asylum but never permanently.

Charlie's voice is wistful, awed, admiring, impatient, petulant and wise. But it is Lily who colors and shapes the story, taking flight from her son's narration. Findley's writing is deeply atmosheric, enveloping the reader in the Canada of 1890 to 1920. He invites an intimacy with his characters (many not even touched on here) that creates a bond without violating their essential human secrecy.

A rewarding novel, which will linger in the mind.

By all views, a good book.......2003-10-10

You may think this story is only about Lily and her strange way of life, but it is so much more. It is also about her mother, her mother's empty life, although it would appear to be so full, her mother's loss of love, and other family wounds. Then , also woven into the story is the life and beliefs of her son, Charlie, who narates the tale of the strange legacy this family carries.

At times there are sad situations, sometimes a moment of joy and happiness also seems sad, because you realize how fleeting that moment will be for the characters involved. The madness of a woman so desperate to also be a mother and the way her needs all intertwine are very well written, and I think the author deserves huge kudos on this fact. the plot is interesting, the details are well written, and the story is intriguing. I love feeling like I am somewhere, for instance at a silent film, taking in the details Findley offers and so you also learn about a whole different time and way of life.

While some of the other reviews have criticised his over use of italics I found them so important to the book- for they usually revealed the true thoughts behind ones words and they showed how often we are not honest in what we say to what we are really thinking. All in all there is a lot to be learned from this book, whether it is a sympathetic moment, a new understanding of a different time, or the need to take what good you can from life at all times (a lesson we always need to be reminded of) you will not put this book down without thinking and enjoying some new and interesting thoughts.

Those fans of old time movies and the likes of Charlie Chaplan...etc. would probably enjoy many of the stories in the book even more, for these old time favorites may have been the only escape for some of the tragedy in these characters lives, and parts of the book revolves around them. I think for people who enjoy reading an interesting tale, especially one that touches on the need to break free from generational issues, this book would be a good additon to your reading list.

Beautiful Tale of a Mother's Madness.......2002-03-26

A very beautifully written tale narrated from the son's perspective. Findley's characters are very well developed though the use of italics becomes slightly annoying as the book progresses.

Average customer rating:

An excellent book
powerful goth tale
An incredible look at human nature in dysfunctional families
Socking view on how our society works as a whole!!!
This Canadian author should be read by more Americans

The Last of the Crazy People
Timothy Findley
Manufacturer: Dell Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

The Piano Man's Daughter
The Butterfly Plague
Spadework: A Novel
Pilgrim
Famous Last Words

ASIN: 0440346703

Customer Reviews:

An excellent book.......2004-02-15

Findley is a very gifted writer, and his talent shines through in this book. "The Last of the Crazy People" is a stunning piece about a dysfunctional family. From the first page, Findley calculatingly begins to describe the family in such a way that holds the readers attention. Reading this book is like watching a car crash in slow motion. It is a creative and intriguing read.

powerful goth tale.......2002-08-26

This is Findley's first novel, written in 1967 and set in the mid-1960s. It takes place in a small town setting outside of Toronto, but could very well have been set in deepest Mississippi for all the southern goth elements that dominate this book. A family disintegrates through the eyes of an 11-year-old boy. Mother won't leave her room, Brother is consumed by alcohol, Father is powerless. The boy's best friends are his cats and the black housemaid he is most attached to. In true southern goth style, things unravel in horrible ways as the family members drift further apart over the course of what should be a magical summer for the typical 11-year-old. Darkness, decay, death, despair, and the opening of a young boy's eyes to the realities of the world. Emotionally powerful, this book is simply awesome. Highly recommended for southern goth fans.

An incredible look at human nature in dysfunctional families.......1999-11-26

Much of Findley's work revolves around upscale families with problems. The Last of the Crazy People is no exception. As seen through the eyes of the youngest child in the family, who is really the only one not yet corrupted by loss of innocence, the story is told with the accuracy that only a child's perception will grant. Beautifully written, this is yet another book by Timothy Findley that i have loved.

Socking view on how our society works as a whole!!!.......1999-05-30

This is one of Mr. Findley's finest works. The metaphorical imagry used to discribe us as mankind is graphic and haunting. I know that I'll never forget,"The Last Of The Crazy People".

This Canadian author should be read by more Americans.......1998-08-22

Timothy Findley's first novel is a powerfully shocking read full of characters who reach out to the reader. Set in Ontario in 1964, the main character is an 11 year old boy, Hooker Winslow, living within a dysfunctional family. Findley holds your attention while you identify with this young man trying to learn about the problems in his family--but no one will tell him the truth. Not his distanced father who speaks to no one except his own spinster sister Rosetta who lives FOR her brother. Not his mother, the "crazy" Jessica who no longer wants to be a mother. Sometimes his drunken brother Gil. And the maid, Iris, tries to help him--but the truth is never within his grasp. The ending is breath-taking. Read this novel and you'll become a Findley fan.

Average customer rating:

The Last of The Crazy People
Timothy Findley
Manufacturer: General Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000CNNM9

Average customer rating:

Back Cover Copy

The Butterfly Plague
Timothy Findley
Manufacturer: Arrow Books (A Division of Random House Group)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Stones
The Last of the Crazy People
Spadework: A Novel
The Wars

ASIN: 0099563401

Customer Reviews:

Back Cover Copy.......2004-06-09

It seemed that the whole world had turned out at the station to watch the arrival of the Santa Fe Super Chief. Dolly Damarosch, the famed dirctor, was there with his luscious superstar, Myra Jacobs. Bully Moxon - that lovable performer who tap-danced his way into the hearts of America - was there on the platform. They were all there...waiting. And none of them had any idea that this was the beginning of The Butterfly Plague.

"Funny, colorful, brilliant - you won't be able to put it down!" - Cosmopolitan

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