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The Way the Crow Flies
- Narrated by: Ann-Marie MacDonald
- Length: 29 hrs and 1 min
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Publisher's Summary
2004 Canadian Booksellers Association Libris Award - Fiction Book of the Year
Winner
2004 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book (Canada & Caribbean, Nominated
2003 Scotiabank Giller Prize
In The Way the Crow Flies, Ann-Marie MacDonald takes us back to the early 1960’s, a time of optimism infused with the excitement of the space race and overshadowed by the menace of the Cold War—a world filtered through the imagination of Madeleine McCarthy, a spirited nine-year-old. Unaware that her father, Jack, is caught up in his own web of secrets, she at first welcomes her family’s posting to a sleepy air force base in southern Ontario.
The base, however, is home to some intriguing inhabitants, including the unconventional Froehlich family, and the odd Mr. March, whose power over the children is a secret burden that they carry. Then tragedy strikes, and a local murder intersects with global forces, binding the participants for life. As tension in the McCarthy’s household builds, Jack must decide where his loyalty lies, and Madeleine learns about the ambiguity of human morality—a lesson that will become clear only when the quest for the truth, and the killer, is renewed twenty years later.
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What the critics say
“The prime contender for book of the fall. [T]his is an engaging and ingeniously plotted portrait of a ‘perfect’ 1960s Canadian family coming to terms with all its imperfections.” (Quill & Quire)
“[A] richly involving novel. MacDonald...makes Jack and Mimi ring true emotionally, without cliché.” (The Bookseller)
“A little girl’s body, lying in a field, is the first image in this absorbing, psychologically rich second novel by the Canadian bestselling author of Fall On Your Knees.... MacDonald is an expert storyteller, providing an intricate recreation of life on a military base in the 1960s...a chronicle of innocence betrayed.... The finale comes as a thunderclap, rearranging the reader’s vision of everything that has gone before. It’s a powerful story, delicately layered with complex secrets, told with a masterful command of narrative and a strong moral message.” (PW Daily, starred review)
What listeners say about The Way the Crow Flies
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 2023-10-22
Wow!
I began listening to this book without really knowing anything about it. I was intrigued immediately.
The story line, the historical references, the characters - everything is so amazingly interwoven.
Ann-Marie MacDonald is a wonderful novelist and a fantastic narrator.
This book is going to stay with me for a while.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Mona_Lisa
- 2024-05-15
Astounding mystery.
A slow burn but it catches on fire. The web takes time to build and tell the tale that creates this era so vividly. Astounding that this book has some basis on real story. I was captivated by the layers of mystery and the characters. Such a shocker. Ann-Marie McDonald paints in prose so richly.
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- Kenkaren
- 2023-05-30
Beautiful
A wonderful masterfully written novel. The narration by the the author is superb. a real classic!
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- Caryn
- 2024-10-12
The characters
I loved everything about this book, the of the best books I’ve read! A definite good read
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- Michelle Preyde
- 2023-07-27
Loved it!
The narration by the author was awesome. And excellent story teller. I loved Mimi - that characters contribution was so much enjoyed. As a Canadian, I knew exactly what this story was about. And appreciated the authors twist on the story. But you don’t need to know anything about Canadian history to enjoy this book. In case you are curious about my Canadian reference … google the Steven Truscott story.
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- Boscotti_M
- 2024-10-07
Nostalgic, funny and heart wrenching
I don’t know if there’s a target demographic for Ann-Marie MacDonald’s work, but if there is, I’m probably not it. Nonetheless, I do love this woman’s work. I read Fall on Your Knees when I was still reading print books, but the audiobook formal is made for the unique talents of Ms MacD. This story is an emotional rollercoaster. The story’s subject is difficult, but it’s read captivatingly. I had no choice but to stay with it, laughing out loud while somehow feeling nostalgic about the Cold War. I’d really like to be Ann-Marie’s Ed McMahon, sitting on a couch, letting her brilliant wit cast its spell.
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- Angela
- 2023-06-22
True AM MACDONALD
Loosely based on a true story that rocked Ontario over 60 years ago. It's sad and funny and mesmerizing. It grabs you and leaves you so that you want to hold on to the characters like dear friends. You will fall in love and hate as if you are part of their world.
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- Toni
- 2023-06-27
Excellent novel
I really enjoyed this story. I’m a military wife, it struck home for me, so many familiar scenes and words
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- Judy
- 2022-04-28
Fabulous and Intriguing novel!
This is a fabulous and intriguing novel! I LOVE ❤️ it! It’s so detailed and profound! Like being back in the sixties. It provides insights into military life I’ve never understood before. It has scenes of Nazi Germany that are so haunting and heartbreaking that they stay with you for some time. Especially poignant with the current Russian attack on Ukraine. The later scenes in the seventies and eighties had me back in the steps of my own life. Powerful! Yes, it’s long but I still didn’t want it to end it’s that good. Plus a surprise twist ending.
Ann-Marie’s reading of her own work is perfect! The best performance of a book I have ever heard! She has different voices for the different characters that are so good that I forgot it was one person reading. She uses three different languages and even sings. Such fun.
I Highly recommend this novel!
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- SilkeForce
- 2023-05-30
Outstanding
An amazing study of human nature that moves along as gently as a real life into a bowl, startling and inevitable conclusion. It’s a page turner.
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