Clara Callan

by Richard B. Wright

Book Overview

In a small town in Canada, Clara Callan reluctantly takes leave of her sister, Nora, who is bound for New York. It's a time when the growing threat of fascism in Europe is a constant worry, and people escape from reality through radio and the movies. Meanwhile, the two sisters -- vastly different in personality, yet inextricably linked by a shared past -- try to find their places within the complex web of social expectations for young women in...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060506075
• ISBN13: 9780060506070
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 415 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.3" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Highly Recommended

I became curious about this book after finding out it won both the GG Award and the Giller. I had read The Weekend Man and Final Things by the same author, and both of those were excellent, but this book showcased Wright's incredible talent at his craft. This book is written in diary and letter format from the perspective of Clara Callan, a thirtysomething school teacher in the 1930s. It begins with her father's death, and her sister's move to New York City. Clara is alone in the small town that she grew up, and she chronicles a 4-year period in great detail. I'm sometimes hesitant to read books by men with female protagonists because sometimes the unintentional maleness of the character's thoughts permeates their characterization. Wright does a great job writing from a female point of view, however and Clara and Nora are easy to relate to and seem like they could be the same women that live next door or that you interact with day to day. The research behind the book is very noteable, as the history of the times is effortlessly entertwined with the diary entries and serves as both editorial comment and historical re-telling. This is a wonderful book and an incredible accomplishment. It is definitely the type of book you should buy and then pass around to your friends to enjoy as well.

Thought provoking

A wonderful book. I've been reading it for the past 15 months. I read it through once within a few days and since then I've been dipping every few days -- possible and enriching because it's told in journal entries and letters. I've read several others of Mr Wright. I would urge anyone (especially fifty-something males) to get a copy of his 'Weekend Man,' his first novel written in the early 70s. One of my most favorite works of fiction ever. As for 'Clara Callan,' it is easily one of the most satisfying novels I've read in recent years.

Masterful Storyteller

Richard B. Wright has written a marvelous story of two sisters who grew up in a small Canadian town. The time is the 1930's, and the author is able to bring alive the times, the movies, the newspapers, the famous people, the politics, and has been able to weave these events into the lives of the characters in the book. The author received the Canadian Giller Prize and the Governor General's Award for this novel.The story is told through the two voices of Clara and Nora Callan mostly in letter format. Letter format has not been a favorite of mine, but the author brings these women to life in a extraordinary manner.Clara is a school teacher and lives alone in her deceased father's home. Clara was her father's favorite, and seems to be a lot like him, frugal and conservative. She is prone to think of excuses why she should not have a telephone or a radio. Clara is a lover of books and reads voraciously. And, Clara writes poetry, not the kind of poetry her family or friends would appreciate. However, she expresses her poetry to us, the readers in a compelling narrative. She leads a fairly ordinary existence, but then something happens that requires all of her strength and perserverance and this changes her entire life.Nora had more of a dream for her life. She left the small Canadian town for the big, bright lights of New York City. Nora found a job in radio very quickly and began her glamorous life. She soon had a job on a soap opera that became very popular, and she played the part of a beloved character. Her Canadian town is very proud of her- the young girl who made good.She has several men in her life, but not the right kind. Either they are married or not the marrying kind. Life in the city that is so exciting becomes more humdrum, but she maintains that allusion of mystery . Evelyn is a friend of Nora's. She is an author and pens the scipts for Nora's radio show. They become good friends even though Evelyn is a lover of women and Nora a lover of men. Evelyn is very well paid for her job and lives extravagantly- Nora is often the lucky recipient while meeting the rich and the famous. Both sisters come to love Evelyn for her kindness and generosity, and she becomes a prime mover throughout their lives.Each woman has her tale to tell and brings with her the people she meets. Even though the lives of these women are disclosed, their characters are brought to life without deep psychological probing. These are people who are so ordinary and extraordinary at the same time. The twists and turns of life are fully revealed and so rewarding in this marvelous book. prisrob

An unremarkable life?

Clara Callan, the protagonist of Wright's novel, is a small town spinster in the 1930s. She lives a reasonably comfortable life thanks to the inheritance of her father's house and a job as a local schoolteacher. Through her diary entries and exchanges of letters, mainly with her more glamorous younger sister Nora, Clara reveals herself to the reader. Wright has created a believable character that "grows on you" as her personality emerges little by little. Life's difficulties during the Depression years, in particular for a single woman in rural Southern Ontario become apparent through the description of daily events. However, a very dramatic personal incident and its aftermath force Clara to confront her new circumstances in a very direct manner. While she was accustomed to express her daily experiences and reflections in poems, events interfere and poetry becomes impossible. She recognizes "how suddenly a life can become misshapen, divided brutally into before and after a dire event." Her beliefs are challenged and so is her self-contained whole-ness as a person. Clara's personal story is embedded in the realities of the mid-thirties where unemployment is rife and poverty spreading. Although at the periphery of the main thrust of the book, Wright alludes to the emerging pre-war anxieties. He touches on the contrasts between city and rural living, utilizing Clara's reluctance to accept such innovations as the telephone, as an example. Yet, the regular Saturday trips to Toronto, perceived by her as a necessary escape from the village, lead to a new, important phase in her personal development, giving her also a new taste of independence. She visits her sister in New York, although in rather difficult time in her life. Cleverly, Wright lets her visit pre-war Italy as a third party to her sister's vacation. It allows the author to add impressions of the growing political conflicts in Europe as a backdrop without losing the focus of the story. The counterweight to Clara is Nora, who could not bear small-town Ontario and leaves for New York to "make it in radio". She becomes successful as a radio voice in daytime "soaps" and her personal life seems to take on some aspects of a soap opera itself. Nora is privileged in finding a solid rock in a glamorous female friend, Evelyn, while her on and off affairs are far less successful. Clara, always concerned about her sister and her superficial lifestyle, attempts to remain the firm family base for her sister, but her own life story places her more and more on a shaky ground. She finds advice and empathy through her correspondence with Evelyn. Clara Callan is a very engaging story indeed. Wright successfully places himself into the mind of a woman: Clara's personality quietly and gently takes hold of the reader as one follows her in the exploration of the multifaceted realities of her time and place.