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2020 Title is:
Crow
By: Amy Spurway
When Stacey Fortune is diagnosed with three highly unpredictable — and inoperable — brain tumours, she abandons the crumbling glamour of her life in Toronto for her mother Effie's scruffy trailer in rural Cape Breton. Back home, she's known as Crow, and everybody suspects that her family is cursed.
With her future all but sealed, Crow decides to go down in a blaze of unforgettable glory by writing a memoir that will raise eyebrows and drop jaws. She'll dig up "the dirt" on her family tree, including the supposed curse, and uncover the truth about her mysterious father, who disappeared a month before she was born.
But first, Crow must contend with an eclectic assortment of characters, including her gossipy Aunt Peggy, hedonistic party-pal Char, homebound best friend Allie, and high-school flame Willy. She'll also have to figure out how to live with her mother and how to muddle through the unsettling visual disturbances that are becoming more and more vivid each day.
Witty, energetic, and crackling with sharp Cape Breton humour, Crow is a story of big twists, big personalities, big drama, and even bigger heart. (courtesy of Goose Lane Editions)
Amy Spurway was born and raised on Cape Breton Island, where, at the age of eleven, she landed her first writing and performing gigs with CBC Radio.
Amy holds a B.A. in English from the University of New Brunswick, and a degree in Radio & Television Arts (writing concentration) from Ryerson University. She has worked as a freelance writer, communications consultant, editor, and performer. Her work has appeared in Today's Parent, the Toronto Star, Babble, and Elephant Journal, as well as in the realms of advertising, marketing, non-profit and corporate communications, education, health, and politics.
Amy lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, with her husband Matthew, and their three daughters. (Courtesy of amypurway.com)
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Click here to download the reading guide where you will find a detailed synopsis of the book, discussion questions, further suggested reading titles and more.
Virtual Oxford Reads Gala Join in on Facebook Live Saturday November 7 @ 7pm You can follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/OxfordCountyLibrary You can follow Woodstock Public Library on Facebook: www.facebook.com/myWPL
Join us for our 3rd annual Oxford Reads Gala in partnership with the Woodstock Public Library! This year we are celebrating the novel Crow by Amy Spurway. CBC Radio London's Chris dela Torre is back to host a conversation with the author followed by a live Q&A. This year's gala will be entirely virtual and take place on OCL's and WPL's Facebook Live.
About Oxford Reads
A collaboration between Oxford County Library and Woodstock Public Library.
A community-wide reading initiative that connects each of Oxford County’s unique communities while celebrating Canadian literature and fostering discussion.
Selection Criteria
After compiling long and short lists of potential titles, Crow was was selected by staff at Oxford County Library and Woodstock Public Library considering the following criteria:
Thank you to:
ECW Press Merrifield Book Shop Whitehots
The Writers Union of Canada