Synopses & Reviews
A riveting story of love, envy, and betrayal set in the dying days of the lumber industry.
Its the mid-twentieth century and the Canadian lumber industry is dying. Only men who are strong in body and spirit, men like Will Jameson, can lead the expeditions to harvest timber in the perilous mountain landscape. But when Will dies in a tragic accident, it falls to his younger brother, Owen, to take command.
Recently returned from military duty, Owen watches his war-hero status quickly fade as he becomes entangled in a triangle between Reggie, the man he saved on the battlefield, and Reggie's wife, Camellia, the woman he desires. As the town turns against him and the logging expedition becomes more treacherous, Owen seems trapped in a destiny full of betrayal, love, envy, and jealousy.
David Adams Richards creates a devastating portraitrich with passion, ambition, and mythic vision of a pre-mechanized time where greatness and weakness hinge on the relentlessness of fate. A compelling work, The Friends of Meager Fortune proves that Richards is one of the finest novelists writing today.
Review
"Richards clearly demonstrates the vicissitudes of life, how heroes are created, how quickly they can topple from their pedestals, how the scorned can be reviled and then revered." Booklist
Review
"Richards, an award-winning Canadian novelist...can count this new novel among his best work." Library Journal
About the Author
David Adams Richards was born in Newcastle, New Brunswick, in 1950. After attending St. Thomas University, he turned full-time to writing. He is the acclaimed writer of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction including the Governor General's Award-winning Nights Below Station Street, and the Giller Prize for Mercy Among the Children.