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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
To create a colourfully realised narrative seen through only youthful eyes is not an easy task, as the glut of badly written novels in this vein attests. Fortunately, some writers possess the skill in no uncertain terms. Ann-Marie MacDonald is such a writer, and The Way the Crow Flies is an arresting contribution to the genre. Every word is at the service of the narrative trajectory, and MacDonald never loses sight of her primary aim: to present to the reader all the pain, splendour and humour of the human condition.
The McCarthy family has thrived after the Second World War. When the family is posted to a secluded Canadian Air Force base, a new world opens for eight-year-old Madeleine, who is intoxicated by the sights around her. Her world, she thinks, is perfect: an exquisite mother and a dashing father who is a wing commander. But this is the early 1960s, and the cold war is in place. Madeleine doesn't know that her father is involved in a world of secrets, and when a savage killing in the region begins to affect the family, cracks begin to appear in Madeleine's perfect world. Twenty years pass, and Madeleine's life is still affected by the search for the truth and a killer.
Weighing in at some 700-odd pages, The Way the Crow Flies reads quite as compellingly as a much shorter novel, and the earlier sections of the book are magically rendered, with Madeleine an affectingly drawn character. But MacDonald's story extends beyond this era; the latter part of the book, as her heroine grows older, is quite as assiduously detailed as the earlier sections. The author's subjects are commitment and betrayal, and these themes are realised in the context of a trenchant and distinctive narrative. MacDonald's earlier Fall on Your Knees achieved some acclaim, but this one is likely to bring her many new readers. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
‘The Way the Crow Flies is moving and compulsively readable … Madeleine is a memorable and individual creation, feisty and believable, funny and sympathetic.’
Guardian
‘A gripping, epic tale.’
Vogue
‘The truth about the crime turns out to be farm more shocking than that which we ahve been led to believe … The depiction of a child’s world is chillingly authentic.’
TLS
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First Sentence
The sun came out after the war and our world went Technicolor. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
The sun came out after the war and our world went Technicolor. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought 'The Way the Crow Flies' on holiday; looking for a trashy easy-to-read paper back for the beach. What I got was a book that had me gripped, tingling, aghast and often horrified. Reading through the fingers of my hand like a scared child watching a ghost film on TV. The strength of the writing has you gripped by the lapels. The depiction of life seen through a child's eyes is awe inspiring. The wonderful and clever intertwining of a 'Who Dunnit' with a family love story, political aspects of the era, a child's introspection and a Somerset-Maugham like ablilty to succinctly introduce believable and strong characters make for a book you simply can't put down and leaves one breathless.
It is an absolute must.
It is an absolute must.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
To review this novel in depth, I feel, would be to give away too many of the myriad intertwined secrets, which make this such a brilliant read. I had thought of giving the title to this review "Le Carre meets To Kill a Mockingbird", however that makes this, the second novel by Canadian author Anne Marie McDonald appear derivative, and insults the originality of the novel. The narrative combines elements of childhood whimsy, Cold War spy thriller and murder mystery in equal parts, without ever becoming formulaic. It explores the darker themes of childhood more thouroughly than the author's original novel, "Fall On Your Knees". A must read.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Despite the length, totally enthralling and I felt a cut above Fall on your knees. Be patient for the first 150 scene setting pages. They pay great dividends in the end as you truly do get to know the McCarthys well. I was incomunicado for the 2 weeks it took me to read and was torn between hate (If that man comes near my patch, I think I'll do time to be rid of the him !!!), despair and every emotion MacDonald encourages through this beautifully written book. My wife is convinced I am now suffering from some new disease the symptoms of which cause me to sigh, groan and swear quietly on frequent occasions. I had to put the book down too often just to catch my breath. Despite all, I have to say I was somewhat disappointed/ maybe confused or missed the point by the ending. How does Madeline know all these facts ? The story has been told from her and Mike's perspective nearly totally. Not by some narrator just popping in a twist at the end, and unless she was a silent witness, she certainly could not have known all of the details depicted. If she had taken a trip to meet either of the 2 others named then I would have understood. Can someone provide the answer please, but overall , my book of the past 12 months. I would rather have had another 100 pages developing the end rather than presenting as it has been. But then again I never wanted the book to end....
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
"... right now she is in one of the safest places of all. School."
Set in Canada and beginning in the early 1960s, this compellingly readable novel is based on the post-war dream of happy families, the consumer utopia, when no one was without a... Read more
Published 1 day ago by Eileen Shaw
A fantastic book
This is a wonderful novel, set in Canada in the 60's, it combines a thriller with political aspects of the time and world war 2 and much of it is narrated from a child's point of... Read more
Published 7 months ago by maryeliza
Good, but not quite unforgettable
I really liked this novel. The characters are so real it is impossible not to grow fond of them and love them, especially Madeleine and her father, Jack. Read more
Published 15 months ago by S. H. wilson
Exellent, Brilliant, Fantastic.
I bought this book after reading about the Steven Truscott case, which was the inspiration for Ann-marie MacDonalds story. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Mrs. L. J. Rose
a customer
One of the best books I've ever read, unforgettable. Can't wait for Anne's new book.
Published on 25 Oct 2009 by Dr. Lawrence S. Tout
Unforgettable
It took me a while to get into this book and it didn't seem to hold my interest at the beginning as much as Fall on Your Knees did. Read more
Published on 15 July 2009 by Ayn Rand
Superb!!
What a powerful book! The reader becomes absolutely caught up in Madeleine's world, but also the other characters are so well developed that you feel that you know them all really... Read more
Published on 14 Jun 2009 by Pen pal
Simply Brilliant
This book reminded me very much of A Quiet Belief in Angels (Ellory) in that it there is a murder mystery here but it is really secondary to telling the story of someone involved. Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2008 by Lisa Henshaw
Utterly compulsive reading
Shocking, terrifying and nightmare-provoking. I had to get to the end in the shortest possible time. An unforgettable book.
Published on 8 Aug 2005
Hard-hitting - stunning
What a book! It pulls no punches, whizzes backwards and forward in time, and deals with a very uncomfortable subject, but at the same time it is eminently readable. Read more
Published on 5 Mar 2005
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