David Adams Richards — River of the Brokenhearted

Jonathan Cape Ltd 2004 Paperback, 400pp. Janie McCleary runs one of the first movie theatres in New Brunswick. A successful woman in a world of men, she is ostracised, a victim of double-dealing and overt violence. She trusts no one outside her family.Spanning generations, RIVER OF THE BROKEN HEARTED explores the life of this formidable woman, a pioneer before the age of feminism, and her legacy as it unfolds tragically in the lives of her son and grandchildren.Written with aching compassion and masterful sophistication, musing on the tyranny of memory and history, and peers into the hearts of these extraordinary characters. There Richards finds an alchemy of veniality and goodwill, of deceit and brotherliness, of cruelty and love.Once again, David Adams Richards has brought us a work of astonishing grace, rooted on the great Miramichi River of New Brunswick, but universal in scope. (ISBN: 9780224072601). Good.