A Certain Mr. Takahashi


Book Description

Winner of the 1985 Seal Books First Novel Award and of the Books in Canada First Novel Award To Mrs. Hopper, Yoshi Takahashi may be just another name from her daughters’ past, but for Jean and her sister, Colette, he stands for much more. Years ago, Mr. Takahashi moved into their Toronto neighbourhood and sent the adolescent lives of Jean and Colette into a tailspin. They weren’t content merely to befriend the Japanese pianist - in their infatuation they sought to mirror his life as closely as possible. The enchantment lingers into adult life in ways both sisters are reluctant to recognize. This weekend they have been invited to an extravagant family celebration in Victoria, B.C. As the party gains momentum, so does the tension between the sisters. As before, the larger-than-life Mr. Takahashi casts his spell. Originally published in 1985, A Certain Mr. Takahashi won the coveted Seal First Novel Award and the Books in Canada/W.H. Smith First Novel Award.




A Certain Mr. Takahashi


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The Instructor


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1996 Ontario Trillium Literary Award — Shortlisted 1996 Discover These Great New Writers, Barnes and Noble Award — Shortlisted What begins as a young woman’s infatuation soon escalates into a piercing study in power, obsession, and the disparity between art and reality. In this elegant novel of passion and art, award-winning Ann Ireland extends the boundaries of the traditional love story. The Instructor probes the nature of power shifts between man and woman, teacher and student. It is a story of needs that become twisted into obsession. Simone Paris is nineteen when she leaves a small town bound for Mexico with her art instructor, Otto Guest. Their affair is loaded with desire, not only physical but intellectual. Theirs is a mutual addiction made up of philosophy and shared aesthetic interest, entwined with sexual fascination. Six years after their relationship crumbles, Otto returns to Simone. His reappearance triggers vivid memories which she expresses in a voice matured by experience and regret.




In Search of Robinson Crusoe


Book Description

This book seeks to discover the actual man and the true adventures behind the life of Alexander Selkirk, the real-life Robinson Crusoe.




The Blue Guitar


Book Description

Nerves crunch at the international classical guitar competition in Montreal. There is more than pretty music being performed on this stage. At the International Classical Guitar Competition in Montreal, top-flight musicians fly in from all over the world to compete in a gruelling week. A career can be made or lost here, and the slightest mishap - a lapse of memory, a shaking right hand, a broken fingernail - can ruin years of preparation. More than a decade ago Toby made the finals in a similar competition but suffered a breakdown and is only now venturing back into the fray. Middle-aged Lucy is tired of playing bar mitzvahs and weddings and is determined to perform the recital of her life. Trace is a kayaking teenager from the West Coast who seems careless in her talent. Judges and contestants alike battle and scheme to achieve what they most desire here. There is much more than pretty music being performed on this stage.




Annual Reunion


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The Wood-worker


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The Instructor


Book Description

When nineteen-year-old Simone Paris followed her art instructor/ lover Otto Guest to Mexico, she had no idea of the impact the decision will have on the formation of her personal identity. When Otto reappears, six years later, Simone is confronted with forgotten relics from her past and feelings long-since buried.