Product Description
The Tin Flute, Gabrielle Roy’s first novel, is a classic of Canadian fiction. Imbued with Roy’s unique brand of compassion and compelling understanding, this moving story focuses on a family in the Saint-Henri slums of Montreal, its struggles to overcome poverty and ignorance, and its search for love.

An affecting story of familial tenderness, sacrifice, and survival during the Second World War, The Tin Flute won both the Governor General’s Award and the Prix Fémina of France. The novel was made into a critically acclaimed motion picture in 1983.


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Customer Reviews (14)

Strong stuff ...
Tougher than the title ... strong characterizations and an out of the mainstream geography of drama ... this book was recommended by a very smart and well-read woman ... and proved itself worth the cost and effort.Recommended reading.

Great book!
I had to read this book for a course. Haven'y finished it yet but its really good so far!! :)

canadian classic
It's really too bad that Canadian authors aren't publicized more in the U.S. I bought this book from amazon-canada because I wouldnt have known what to look for. It's won several literary prizes in Canada and is well deserving of them. The story of a French-Canadian family during the depression and early years of WWII in Montreal, it portrays a world that no longer exists. In this country, the people would have been Tom Brokaw's Greatest Generation. The differences between then and now were phenomenal. Men joined the Army to put food on the table. They looked everywhere for honest work, even part time or temporary or low-paying. They didn't join gangs or deal drugs. People weren't afraid of each other, even in the worst neighborhoods. Yet their lives were unbelievably hard. There was high infant mortality. A child with leukemia was doomed. Landlords put whole families out in the street when they got behind with the rent, often due to unemployment. The war ended the depression, but some of the characters ask themselves if it's worth the price, or if peace as they knew it was any better. The author wrote this book at the time it took place, in a city she knew. It could have easily been set in Detroit or Chicago, London or Dublin. There is a universal quality to this story, that gives a vivid picture of the times. The book isn't cheerful, but it's also not hopeless. At the end you don't know what will happen to these people, but they have a chance. A really moving story.

The Tin Flute Soundtrack
I haven't read the book but I 've seen a couple of series of
the movie. I like the story but I LOVE the soundtrack.
Does anybody know where can I find it??

Order of Canada
I purchased this novel for the purpose of completing my B.A. Degree.This book was required in a course for french canadian literture. I have read it in both in english and french. The works of Gabrielle Roy has won three Orders of Canada prior to her death.This book was also considered for the Noble Prize in Lit. on several occasions.It is a powerful novel of the multiple forces that work against people of poor socio-economic status.It descrbes, in detail,the lives of a poor working class family in the industrialized St. Henri district of Montreal at the onset of WWII.Although the characters are fictional, the situation and circumstances of their lives are quite real.The novel has been defined as an example of the realist genre and personifies the era very well.The most interesting aspect of the novel is not the obvious elements of poverty like crime, lack of education and illness but the mental and emotional suffering of its victims.One may judge the actions of the characters harsely but this would be unfair.One must appreciate their situation and thereby feel compassion for them.It is a good story. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Tin Flute Piercesthe Soul
This novel vividly paints a portarit of wartime Montreal.Its stark reality about poverty and the social conditions of the city are brilliant and huanting.This is a must read for any student of Canadian culture, heritage, and literature.Roy rivals Henry James in her ability to present Florentine's story of love and lost innocence.In any language, this story is outstanding. ... Read more

Product Description
Set against the austere landscape of northern Labrador, Windflower is the poignant story of Elsa Kumachuk, a young Inuit woman torn between two worlds by the birth of her blond-haired, blue-eyed son. Unacknowledged by his father, an American GI, the child is welcomed into the Inuit community with astonishment and delight. Elsa, however, must come to terms with the conflicting values implied by her son’s dual heritage.

Gabrielle Roy’s last novel, Windflower is both a moving account of one woman’s tragic dilemma and a sensitive portrait of a society in transition.


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Customer Reviews (2)

Windflower
Gabrielle Roy the author of the book called "Windflower" is an astonishing but violently and horrifying book about the problems which copes with the Inuit culture and the White dominant race.The American GI's who stationed in the Inuit landscape in northernLabrador during the Vietnam war.It is a novel with thoughtful characterizations, and Inuits have rich culture and hospitable land.
Elsa, the main character who was teenager at that time, likes one of the GI's.In an unexpected situation, rape occurs.A child is born but his appearances seem to be different from the Inuit culture.The child looks like his father, although the mother of the child does not seem to remember what the GI looks like.
She does not care about her heritage as a Inuit but wants to live differently.She wants her child to learn more about his father's society and culture.
In the end Jimmy fore sakes his mother, his home land and it turned out to be true whatElsa wanted for her child to grow up like, to live like the White society.I would say that it is an excellent novel but I think that people are warned to be more careful which ideas to take because we never know where we will end up.

WindFlower
Gabrielle Roy paints a portrait of a culture that has been interfered with by the materialist culture of America.The White dominant race has infiltrated the Innuit landscape, and the effects are portrayed at times as having devastating consequences.It is a novel with thoughtful characterizations, and the Innuit are depicted as having a rich culture, which is creative, insightful, and hospitable.However, there is a horrifying context as well.Rape, incest, and abandonment are regular instances in a novel that leans toward a tragic representation of a culture that has been violated in every way. American GI's stationed in this northern landscape during the Vietnam war take liberty with the women of the Innuit culture.Elsa, the main character, is raped by one such GI, a child is born from their violative union.Jimmy, appears as the Saviour of the people.In the end, he tragically forsakes his mother, his homeland, and opts instead for the White culture which ironically forsook him.It is a novel that celebrates purity, and the indictment of the violation of this purity; whether the purity be of a moral, natural, or spiritual order.The violation of such purity is met with a gentle rebuke, but the lasting consequences are tragic, and melancholy.Elsa's eventual abandonment by her son, and the abandonment of herself substantiates this theme.An excellent novel, but be forewarned, the tragic representations leave an indelible impression that is very difficult to release. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Street of Riches, a rich read!
I found this collection of stories culturally intriguing and found it quite relevant as well to todays world.The sotries intertwine and a complex plot leaves the reader satisfied.If you need action, this may not suit you, but for drama and intrigue, be sure to pick this book up.An excellent example of the excellent Canadian authors from Manitoba!

Street of riches
Well, if you have alot of time to waste this book would be great for ya. it's pretty much memoires of Gabrielle Roy. Some of the little stories inside are interesting others you can easily skip. ... Read more

Product Description
In The Road Past Altamont, Roy daringly returns to the same characters and the nearly identical timespan of Street of Riches, but by looking at her subjects with an entirely fresh vision, she creates a wholly new and deeply personal story of young Christine’s decision to become a writer.

This haunting and poignant tale weaves a delicate but substantial network of impressions, emotions, and human relationships.


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Customer Reviews (1)

A most beautiful little novel
Gabrielle Roy is one of my favorite authors and this book is just another example of how she is able, with few well chosen words, to reach deep into the human spirit. On the surface this is a simple story of a little girl growing up and her small adventures with her grand-mother, an older gentlemen in the neighborhood, and her own mother.And yet, it is so much more.It is about growing old. It is about memories. It is about what makes husband and wives stay together against all odds. It is about what makes life a special gift to each and every one of us.If you have not yet read Gabrielle Roy, you are in for a very unique and special treat!! ... Read more