From: Dr. Ruth I. Gordon <Druthgo>
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 17:17:50 -0700

I am a great fan of Doyle and have at hand his "Covered Bridge," which is a continuation of "Easy Avenue." I also just came across my annotation ((in
"Elementary School Library Collection" [Brodart]) of "Uncle Ronald" and other annotations, all accepts, that will appear in the next edition
(22nd?),)) Doyle's voice is his and only his--but--I see in it Richler's
(sp?) diction, too, except that Doyle's is Canadian Irish (and sometimes French), and Richler's ("St. Urbaine's Horsemen" etc.,) is Canadian Russian Jewish. Both provide clear settings and very physical and very human beings. The mixture of tough reality and soft tenderness accompanied by humor is certainly worth the reading and knowing in Doyle. Too many of us south of Canada, do not seem to know that its development and its immigration patterns, and its social life and customs are remarkably similar to ours. Another problem about "popular reading" in the U.S. might be that here Groundwood and several other fine Canadian publishers, are distributed by Publishers Group West (located in Berkeley, CA) and not by one of the U.S. "biggies"--even though BPGW is pretty big.

You might contact BPGW for their several catalogs. They also handle several of the smaller, albeit distinguished, U.S. publishers (Front Street, Nat'l Geographic, Tomi Inc., etc., etc.)

Anyway--take a try on Brian Doyle and then compare life north of the border with life south and I think we'll find we're only different in certain small ways. Doyle has created some of the most delightfully eccentric characters who have ever walked off a page--and they all seem basically decent. Now, isn't THAT nice!

 Grandma

================="You may not be able to change the world, but at least you can embarrass the guilty." Jessica Mitford (191796)
Received on Fri 10 Sep 1999 07:17:50 PM CDT