Hooked on Canadian Books
by T.F. Rigelhof
ISBN 9781897151754 | 6" x 9" | HC | $32
Categories:Non-Fiction - Essays/Letters
Purchase:Local Bookstores | mcnallyrobinson.com | archambault.ca | amazon.ca | chapters.indigo.ca
Synopsis
Having been a contributing reviewer for The Globe and Mail for more than twenty years, T.F. Rigelhof knows good literature. Hooked on Canadian Books is a conversational survey of the novels published since 1984 he deems to be “the good, the better, and the best.” In addition to his readings of well-known Canadian writers, he brings the work of newer and lesser-known voices to more deserving attention, relates personal moments shared with his picks, details his relationship with the Montreal bookstore that got him hooked in the first place, all while defending Canadian literature from stereotypes, celebrating its successes, and promoting its future. Perfect for book clubs.Preview
Reviews
"A series of insightful (at times incendiary) arguements and observations about the Canadian novel that will perhaps raise the level of literary debate in Canada ... [Rigelhof] has, diligently and intelligently, presented a series of well-organized arguments that examine the Canadian novel from the perspective of a reader who is trying to anatomize a very diverse spectrum of writing ... until the map-making critic shows up, the Canadian reader is going to have to find his or her own way. This book will give them some useful ideas of where they could end up."
— The Globe and Mail
"Hooked is a perfect book of lists: on almost every page, there's something to nod along to or something to quibble about, or both, and - often enough to keep a reader awake - something that makes you want to throw it at a wall."
— MacLeans
"There's always a lot of talk about the desirability of a more informed literary debate in this country. The chief obstacle is simply that so few people are informed, have done the necessary legwork, put in 'the time' that someone like Rigelhof has. It is that foundation that makes Hooked on Canadian Books so valuable a resource and such an essential part of an ongoing conversation."
— Toronto Star
