Synopses & Reviews
Fans of Howard Norman, the internationally acclaimed author of
The Hunting of L and
The Bird Artist and a two-time National Book Award finalist, will find in his latest novel an intense and intriguingly unconventional love story all the hallmarks of this masterly writer: sparkling yet spare language, a totally compelling air of mystery spread over our workaday world, and ability to capture the metaphorical heartbeat at the center of our lives.
Like many of Howard Norman's celebrated novels, Devotion begins with an announcement that a crime has taken place. In blunt, police-blotter language, we learn that on August 19, 1985, David Kozel and his father-in-law engaged in assault by mutual affray. Once again Norman sets out to explore a great mystery: why seemingly quiet, contained people lose control. What could possibly enrage David enough that he would strike at the father of his new bride? Why would William, a gentle man who looks after an estate and its flock of swan s in Nova Scotia, be so angry at the man who has just married his beloved only child, the ardent, red-haired Maggie? And what would lead Maggie to believe, after a whirlwind romance, that David has been unfaithful to her on their honeymoon? In his signature style haunting and evocative Norman lays bare the inventive stupidities people are capable of when wounded and confused.
At its core, Devotion is an elegantly constructed, never sentimental examination of love: romantic love (and its flip side, hate); filial love at its most tender; and, of course, love for the vast open spaces of Nova Scotia, which are very much at the center of this deeply felt novel.
Review
"[A] beautifully written story...but one is left thinking that any of the main characters could easily have lessened the travails of all. A rather slight entry from such an accomplished novelist." Booklist
Review
"Norman explores a treacherous yet familiar emotional landscape with consequences that may appeal to readers who enjoy the interior fiction of Alice Munro or Annie Proulx." Library Journal
Review
"The novel is...flawed...by overabundant exposition and occasionally awkward shifts from present- to past-tense narration. But it's filled with engaging characters...and oddball details....Vintage Norman, though not as good as The Bird Artist (1994) or The Museum Guard (1998)." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[A]n intelligent novel....Thoughtful dialogue and narrative passages combine with imagery and symbolism to distinguish Norman's fiction." San Antonio Express-News
Review
"[Certain details] yank Norman's readers out of the story. Coupled with the occasional unbelievable description, this can make Devotion hard going....These lapses of authorial attention stick out, in part, because Norman's prose can be so vivid." New York Times
Review
"...Norman is a silver-tipped original, a wielder of comic improbabilities that come to be serious inevitabilities." Los Angeles Times
Review
"This is a fine, curious little novel about love set in Nova Scotia....Norman manages to make it feel expansive by refracting the story through other writers' and artists' work..." Philadelphia Inquirer
Synopsis
An eloquent study of love, hate, human relationships, and emotional upheaval examines the causes of a violent quarrel between David Kozel and his new father-in-law, William, a gentle man who cares for a Nova Scotia estate and its swans, as well as David's new wife Maggie's belief that David has been unfaithful to her on their honeymoon. 50,000 first printing.
Synopsis
In his signature style, the acclaimed author of The Bird Artist and two-time National Book Award finalist lays bare the inventive stupidities people are capable of when wounded and confused in this intense and intriguingly unconventional love story.
Synopsis
Like many of Howard Norman's celebrated novels, Devotion begins
with an announcement that a crime has taken place. In blunt,
police-blotter language, we learn that on August 19, 1985, David Kozel
and his father-in-law engaged in "assault by mutual affray." Once again
Norman sets out to explore a great mystery: why seemingly quiet, contained
people lose control. What could possibly enrage David enough
that he would strike at the father of his new bride? Why would
William, a gentle man who looks after an estate—and its flock of
swans—in Nova Scotia, be so angry at the man who has just married his
beloved only child, the ardent, red-haired Maggie? And what would
lead Maggie to believe, after a whirlwind romance, that David has been
unfaithful to her on their honeymoon? In his signature style—haunting
and evocative—Norman lays bare the inventive stupidities people are
capable of when wounded and confused.
At its core, Devotion is an elegantly constructed, never sentimental
examination of love: romantic love (and its flip side, hate); filial love at
its most tender; and, of course, love for the vast open spaces of Nova
Scotia, which are very much at the center of this deeply felt novel.
Synopsis
Like many of Howard Normans celebrated novels, this intense and intriguingly unconventional love story begins with a crime. David Kozol has assaulted his father-in-law on a London street. What could possibly enrage David enough that he would strike the father of his new bride? Why would William, the gentle caretaker of an estate in Nova Scotia along with its flock of swans be so angry at the man who has just married his beloved daughter Maggie? And what would lead Maggie to believe that David has been unfaithful to her?
At its core, Devotion is an elegantly constructed, unsparing examination of love in its various forms -- romantic, filial -- and of course, love for the vast open spaces of the natural world.
About the Author
Howard Norman has been nominated twice for the National Book Award and has received the Lannan Award for fiction, a Guggenheim fellowship, and a Whiting Award. He is the author of five previous novels, including The Bird Artist and The Northern Lights, two memoirs, and many books for children. He lives in Washington, D.C., and Vermont with his wife and daughter.