Short Stories - The Barclay Family Theatre - Short stories by Jack Hodgins

Here are Barclay Desmond, whose ambition is to grow up to be a Finn, and Bella Barclay Robson, who must fly across the country to save her only son from the Russian peril in Ottawa. Here is Mr Pernouski, Christina's husband, probably the fattest man to ride a B C ferry who believes he can offer every man and woman their heart's desire. Here is Mabel's husband, Jacob Weins, fresh from the ruins of Port Annie, discovering new purpose in life during a memorable visit to Japan. But most dramatic of all are the Fabulous Barclay Sisters, the girls with flair, whose company is "like getting a lifetime's pass to the movies," and who, like Jack Hodgins himself, love to transform everyday life into something wonderful.

(from the cover of the Macmillan of Canada Laurentian edition)

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Reviews

"It's unforgettable ... The Barclay Family Theatre leaves the reader with the magic and wholeness of extraordinary moments."

Windsor Star

"Each time Jack Hodgins appears in print, he manages to prove, to me at any rate, how much society owes its artists."

Victoria Times-Colonist

"In The Barclay Family Theatre we are clearly reading the work of a major novelist at the height of his powers and fully in control of his material ... It's virtuoso writing."

Quill & Quire