Finished January 3
Reading by Lightning by Joan Thomas
This book has had numerous award nominations and wins (amazon.ca first novel award nominee, Book of the Year for Manitoba Reads, and Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book, Canada and the Caribbean) but more importantly it is a really good read.
We follow Lily Piper from her home on the Manitoba prairies in a community of strict Christianity, to England where she cares for her aging grandmother after her grandfather's death and explores her father's origins. She is in Lancashire for the start of World War II and tries to find her place there until news from home takes her rushing back to Manitoba.
It is back home where she takes a closer look at her family's expectations and how they have affected her attitudes and feelings. She also faces the expectations of community and friends, and must decide for herself how she wants to live and choose her own destiny.
Lily is a survivor, but sometimes she survives by being carried along by events, while she dreams a different future. This is a good read about a very interesting character.
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