Novel - The Honorary Patron

Any new book by Jack Hodgins reminds us that satisfying literature and deep-gut laugher naturally go hand in hand. With The Honorary Patron, Hodgins one again turns his comic spotlight on the quirky inhabitants of Vancouver Island - with the usual enchanting and hilarious results.

When a near-fossilized Professor Crane returns from a long absence to host his home town's Shakespeare Festival, he quickly finds himself enmeshed in a tumultuous life he thought he'd permanently left behind. A romance forty years in the past is miraculously resurrected, as are old enemies and even older instincts. The question is, can a dose of home kick-start the professor back into flesh-and-blood actions? The engaging answer is this exuberant novel that will leave you feeling very good about life.

(from the cover of the M&S Paperback edition)

Winner of the Commonwealth Regional Prize.

Reviews

"Hodgins' writing is full of felicities, of perfect turns of phrase that bring home unexpected new meanings."

Books in Canada

"Hodgins is a cool and subtle moralist, a writer not afraid of tackling big subjects and complicated ideas."

Montreal Gazette

"Hodgins' storytelling is both intuitive and accomplished, sustaining the reader's attention by skilful movement."

The Whig-Standard (Kingston)

"Infused with a great sense of humanity."

Edmonton Sun