Book
The winter vault / Anne Michaels.
Summary:
"In 1964, a newly married Canadian couple settle into a houseboat on the Nile just below Abu Simbel. At the time of the building of the Aswam dam, Avery Escher is one of the engineers responsible for the dismantling and reconstruction of a sacred temple, a 'machine-worshipper' who is nonetheless sensitive to their destructive power. Jean is a botanist by avocation, passionately interested in everything that grows. They met on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, witnessing the construction of the Seaway as it swallowed towns, homes, and lives. Now, at the edge of another world about to be inundated in the name of progress, much of what they most believe in is tested. When a tragic event occurs, nearing the end of Avery’s time in Egypt, he and Jean return to separate lives in Toronto; Avery to school to study architecture and Jean into the orbit of Lucjan, a Polish émigré artist whose haunting tales of occupied Warsaw pull her further from her husband, while offering her the chance to assume her most essential life."--Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 0307455769
- ISBN: 9780771058905 (hc.)
- ISBN: 9780307270825
- ISBN: 9780771059094 (trade pbk.)
- ISBN: 077105890X
- Physical Description: 341 p. ; 22 cm.
- Publisher: Toronto : McClelland & Stewart, c2009.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Married people > Fiction.
Engineering > Social aspects > Fiction.
Loss (Psychology) > Fiction.
Engineering > Egypt > Fiction.
Engineers > Fiction.
Canadians > Egypt > Fiction.
Husband and wife > Fiction.
Aswan High Dam (Egypt) > Fiction.
Toronto (Ont.) > Fiction. - Genre:
- Canadian fiction.
Love stories.
Historical fiction.
Available copies
- 12 of 14 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Valemount Public Library.
Holds
- 1 current hold with 14 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valemount Public Library | f mic (Text) | 35194014121016 | Adult Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
Engineer Avery Escher and his wife Jean live in Egypt as he works on rescuing the temple of Abu Simbel from the waters of the Aswan Dam, but after observing the displacement of Egyptians settlers and losing a child, their marriage seems to fall apart. - Random House, Inc.
In The Winter Vault, award-winning poet and novelist Anne Michaels crafts a love story of extraordinary depth and complexity, juxtaposing historic dislocations with the most intimate moments of individual lives.
In 1964, a newly married Canadian couple settles into a Nile River houseboat moored below the towering figures of Abu Simbel. Avery is one of the engineers responsible for moving the temple above the rapidly rising waters of the Aswan Dam. At the edge of a world about to be lost forever, Avery and and his new wife Jean begin to create their own world. But it will not be enough to bind them when tragedy strikes and they go back to separate lives in Toronto. There Jean meets Lucjan, a Polish artist whose haunting stories of his shattered childhood in occupied Warsaw draw her further away from Avery. But, in time, he will also show her the way back to consolation and forgiveness.