Written in luminous prose, The Whirlpool is a haunting tale set in Niagara Falls, Ontario, in the summer of 1889. This is the season of reckless river stunts, a time when the undertaker's widow is busy with funerals, her days shadowed by her young son's curious silence. Across the street in Kick's Hotel, where Fleda and her husband, David McDougal, have temporary rooms, Fleda dreams of the place above the whirlpool where she first encountered the poet, a man who enters her life and, unwittingly, changes everything. As the ...
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Written in luminous prose, The Whirlpool is a haunting tale set in Niagara Falls, Ontario, in the summer of 1889. This is the season of reckless river stunts, a time when the undertaker's widow is busy with funerals, her days shadowed by her young son's curious silence. Across the street in Kick's Hotel, where Fleda and her husband, David McDougal, have temporary rooms, Fleda dreams of the place above the whirlpool where she first encountered the poet, a man who enters her life and, unwittingly, changes everything. As the summer progresses, the lives of these characters become entangled, and darker, more sinister currents gain momentum. The Whirlpool , Jane Urquhart's first novel, received Le prix du meilleur livre �tranger (Best Foreign Book Award) in France and marked the brilliant debut of a major voice in Canadian fiction.
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Add this copy of The Whirlpool to cart. $6.50, good condition, Sold by Montclair Book Center rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Montclair, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by McClelland & Stewart.
This novel begins with the last days of Robert Browning and also ends with him. The book is set in Niagara Falls Ontario, summer of the year 1899. I centers on 4 main characters. David, an historian and his wife Fleda, who decide to live by the falls. David is obsessed with military history, especially Laura Secord. Fleda is obsessed with the poet Robert Browning and the whirlpool (at the botttom of the falls. Patrick, a poet, comes to Niagara Falls and befriends David, so that he can get close to Fleda. He has secretly been watching her, while she reads poetry and gazes at the whirlpool.
The widow Maude manages an undertaking business. She is very methodical in everything she does. She waits for the impending suicides and accidently deaths that she knows will be coming. From each body she keeps their effects. These are the poor unfortunate souls who have tried to ride the falls or swim the whirpool and have failed. Her poor son, since his father died is believed to be touched in the head and mute. He can say some words. He knows alot more than people think.
All of these people end up bound in some way to each other and bound by the Whirlpool itself. Very different, yet enjoyable read. I recommend this book highly.
