The Whirlpool

By Jane Urquhart

Written in luminous prose, The Whirlpool is a haunting tale set in Niagara Falls, Ontario, in the summer of 1889. This is the season of reckless river stunts, a time when the undertaker’s widow is busy with funerals, her days shadowed by her young son’s curious silence. Across the street in Kick’s Hotel, where Fleda and her husband, David McDougal, have temporary rooms, Fleda dreams of the place above the whirlpool where she first encountered the poet, a man who enters her life and, unwittingly, changes everything. As the summer progresses, the lives of these characters become entangled, and darker, more sinister currents gain momentum.

The Whirlpool, Jane Urquhart’s first novel, received Le prix du meilleur livre étranger (Best Foreign Book Award) in France and marked the brilliant debut of a major voice in Canadian fiction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 3, 2010
• ISBN: 9781551994307

Jane Urquhart

JANE URQUHART was born in the far north of Ontario. She is the author of eight internationally acclaimed novels, among them The Underpainter, winner of the Governor General’s Award and a finalist for the Orange Prize; Away, winner of the Trillium Book Award; and The Stone Carvers, a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Governor General’s Award and the Man Booker Prize. Her work, which is published in many countries, has been translated into numerous languages. Urquhart has received the Marian Engel Award and the Harbourfront Festival Prize. She is a chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France and is an Officer of the Order of Canada. Her most recent novel, The Night Stages, was published in 2015. Urquhart lives in southeastern Ontario with her husband, artist Tony Urquhart. SCOTT MCKOWEN is an award-winning illustrator and graphic designer. He works in scratchboard, an engraving medium in which white lines are carved into a black surface with a sharp blade. McKowen has illustrated a number of titles for a wide range of publishers. Based in Stratford, Ontario, he operates the design studio Punch & Judy Inc., which creates theatre posters and graphics for leading performance art companies across North America.    

Reviews for The Whirlpool

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really like Jane Urquhart's writing. This novel is set in the late 1890s in Niagara Falls. The undertaker's widow is taking over the business and is busy with the usual summer increase in deaths at the falls. Military historian David McDougal, obsessed with Laura Secord, is studying the war of 1812. His wife, Fleda, is obsessed with poetry, in particular that of Robert Browning. She is living in a tent in the woods and contemplating her life. Patrick, a poet, is in the area for some remedial rest. He becomes obsessed with Fleda. What is interesting is that David seems happiest when he projects Laura Secord's looks and personality on Fleda. Patrick is happiest when he sees Fleda only from a distance and a silence is maintained between them. Neither seemed to see her as herself. As Fleda develops a sense of who she really is and what she really wants, she becomes more distanced from both of them. This is a very atmospheric, poetic book with a deep message about knowing ourselves.

[oldblack-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is one of those books that is probably above my "reading age". I like Urquhart's writing very much and found the story interesting despite my general lack of enthusiasm for 'historical' novels. However I'm not generally a big fan of poetry as I don't usually understand it. This story has a focus on poetry, and in particular on the poetry and life of Robert Browning. Quite a bit of the book seemed very mystical to me and I'd rather read something more concrete and down to earth. Nonetheless, Urquhart remains an author of interest and I have three more of her books on my TBR pile.

[posthumose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's1889 and this story's quirky Victorian characters are each caught up in their own obsessions; whether for a woman-from a distance, nature and poetry, war history, details of death-by the undertaker's widow, or Niagara Falls and the lives its whirpool claims. Robert Browning's last days in Venice are also present as brackets(first and last chapters) to the main story.Rich language, fascinating historical details. Awarded the Best Foreign Book Award in France Recommended.I have read 4 of her other novels:Away***The Underpainter****The Stone Carvers*****A Map of Glass**** (my favourite)Jane Urquhart never disappoints