Book Reviews

Book Blurb

As soon as he graduated high school, Paul Thompson fled the tiny, heavily Ukrainian town of Liddon, Saskatchewan, for bigger and better things. Now in his late thirties, Paul owns a struggling art gallery in Toronto. His grandmother’s one-hundredth birthday is approaching, and Paul will return to place where he grew up for the first time since he left. 

 

The town—and the province—don’t match Paul’s memories. Have they changed? Or has he? He reconnects with Dylan Shevchenko, an old friend who now teaches phys. ed. in Regina. When Paul learns his grandmother had an Aboriginal son he never knew about, he wonders what else he missed while he was away. Did he make the right choice all those years ago? He receives the rare opportunity to start over when he discovers a gallery for sale in Regina. He’s faced with a choice between his youthful dreams in the big city and making a life with Dylan in a place that somehow finally feels like home.

 

 

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Book Review

As a recent “addition” to Canada, and not having had the time to explore beyond Toronto, I was especially curious to find out more about Saskatchewan. The story took me from the tiny (fictional) town of Liddon - which Paul, the main character, escaped as soon as he was able after high school graduation - to Toronto, where he spent twenty years enjoying big city life, and right back to the next biggest town near Liddon, the not-fictional Regina. But ‘Wheat Kings and Pretty Things’ gave me more than fantastic sense of what life in the “Land of the Living Skies” is like and how it has changed versus twenty years ago. It is also populated with a quirky, very special, and utterly charming (well, most of them) set of characters. I was spellbound from beginning to end!

 

Paul does not have a lot of good memories of small-town life, where he was more or less out because “everyone just knew”, and never felt at home. He figured his interests would be better met in a big city like Toronto, but twenty years later the shine has dulled more than a little. When he returns to his hometown for his grandmother’s one-hundredth birthday, one surprise after another makes him wonder if his memories are faulty. His wide-eyed wonder came across loud and clear, and I loved following his discoveries and watching his shock.

 

One of the biggest surprises for Paul is his childhood best friend, Dylan. They didn’t keep in touch, but as they get to know each other again over the course of the weekend of Nana’s party, it becomes very clear that much was not spoken when they were teenagers. The reunion is full of revelations, surprising heat, and it sets in motion some major changes in Paul’s life. Very well done!

 

If you like reunions, if you enjoy watching characters grow and change, and if you’re looking for a read that combines a great setting with entertaining, sometimes funny, family drama, then you will probably like this novella as much as I do. As far as I am concerned, it’s an emotional gem!

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 45 pages/15599 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	09-August-2017
Price	$3.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/wheat-kings-and-pretty-things-by-gs-wiley-8747-b