Comments on: The Little Shadows, by Marina Endicott

By: Colleen Maloney

Colleen Maloney — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:05:11 +0000

I had the pleasure of hearing Marina Endicott read from The Little Shadows at the Vancouver Writers & Readers festival a few weeks ago. I would take her on vacation, all expenses paid, just to have her read to me every night. She hit all the right notes.

C. Maloney

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:36:34 +0000

BiP: Interesting that yours is the first comment on this review, almost a month after it first went up. I don't think The Little Sisters has the pizazz to attract much attention in prize season (most of the reviews I have seen have been muted) but I'll bet it gets more attention when book clubs start looking at next year's agenda -- Endicott was a book club favorite with Good To A Fault and the structure of this one is the kind that appeals to discussion groups.

By: Buried In Print

Buried In Print — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:45:55 +0000

One quality of this novel that I really appreciated was the way that the structure mirrors the shape of the performers’ lives; as you’ve suggested, the idea of reading this novel in short bursts (well, you’ve suggested on a holiday, but it’s not quite my idea of holiday reading, for girth alone, unless you have an e-reader!) really does suit.

I don’t have sisters, but, if I did, I could see where that aspect of the story would be of considerable interest. Character-wise, I found the “minor” characters quite intriguing too. (I don’t want to give away the names of those who do begin to take on a shape of their own, because of course the nature of performing life means that some are successful and continue to perform and some are not and fade into the background.)

(And, as far as the Giller longlist reading goes, I found it interesting to compare some of the decision-making that one of the sisters in this novel had to grapple with alongside Peira’s in Genni Gunn’s Solitaria. Different places, same dilemma.)