Turtle Valley
by Gail Anderson-Dargatz | 
Swann
by Carol Shields | 
Galveston
by Paul Quarrington | 
Martin Sloane
by Michael Redhill | 
A Rhinestone Button
by Gail Anderson-Dargatz | 
Inside
by Alix Ohlin | 
Summer of My Amazing Luck
by Miriam Toews | 
The Underpainter
by Jane Urquhart | 
A Mixture of Frailties
by Robertson Davies | 
A Good House
by Bonnie Burnard | 
Bear
by Marian Engel | 
River of the Brokenhearted
by David Adams Richards | 
Leaven of Malice
by Robertson Davies | 
Any Known Blood
by Lawrence Hill | 
Small Ceremonies
by Carol Shields | 
Happenstance
by Carol Shields | 
The Romantic
by Barbara Gowdy | 
The Stone Diaries
by Carol Shields | 
Family Matters
by Rohinton Mistry | 
Medicine Walk
by Richard Wagamese |
At home in Courtenay, B.C., Augusta anxiously awaits news of her dearly loved son-in-law Gabe, who is undergoing brain surgery miles away in Victoria. Her best friend Rose is waiting for Augusta to call as soon as she hears. Through Rose, we begin to learn the story of Augusta's sometimes harsh, sometimes magical life: the startling vision of her mother's early death; the loneliness of her marriage to Karl and her battle with Karl's detestable father, Olaf. We are told of her gentle, platonic affair with a church minister, of her not-so-platonic affair with a man from the town, and the birth of her only child. We also learn of the special affinity between Rose and Augusta, who share the delights and exasperations of old age.