Well we are at the midpoint of the week and tomorrow is Thanksgiving for all my US friends so a Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Today though I have a spotlight on a book I’m looking forward to reading myself. It’s called The Purchase by Linda Spalding and it’s about a Quaker family back in 1798. It sounds so good and I’ve already grabbed myself a copy of the book so I hope to be reading it soon. In the meantime I’m going to tell you a bit about the book and give you a chance at the end of the post to win yourself one of two copies up for giveaway.
THE PURCHASE (from Amazon)
In 1798, Daniel Dickinson, a young Quaker father and widower, leaves his home in Pennsylvania to establish a new life. He sets out with two horses, a wagon full of belongings, his five children, a 15-year-old orphan wife, and a few land warrants for his future homestead. When Daniel suddenly trades a horse for a young slave, Onesimus, it sets in motion a struggle in his conscience that will taint his life forever, and sets in motion a chain of events that lead to two murders and the family’s strange relationship with a runaway slave named Bett. Stripped down and as hard-edged as the realities of pioneer life, Spalding’s writing is nothing short of stunning, as it instantly envelops the reader in the world and time of the novel, and follows the lives of unforgettable characters. Inspired by stories of the author’s own ancestors, The Purchase is a resonant, powerful and timeless novel.
Buy at: Amazon, Amazon Canada, and Chapters Indigo
LINDA SPALDING (from Linda’s website)
Linda Spalding, Kansas-born Canadian fiction and nonfiction writer, often explores world cultures and the clash between contemporary life and traditional beliefs. Her most recent book, The Purchase, won the 2012 Governor General’s Literary Prize for Fiction. The Purchase has been published in Canada by McClelland & Stewart and in the U.S. by Pantheon.
Spalding is also well know for Who Named the Knife (2007), the true story of the murder trial of Maryann Acker, a teenager sentenced to life in prison for a murder committed while on honeymoon in Hawaii. Spalding, who served on the jury, tracks down Maryann 20 years later in order to reexamine the murder and the question of Maryann’s innocence. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called it, a “delicate yet powerful work.” The reviewer for the Miami Herald said, “Spalding is amazing in her ability to seamlessly present a legal paper trail and other research alongside her emotional and honest assessment of herself.” The book was made into a TV movie – Of Murder and Memory – written by Semi Chellis.
Spalding’s earlier books include the novels Mere (2001) co-authored with her daughter Esta Spalding; The Paper Wife (1996); Daughters of Captain Cook (1989); and the nonfiction book The Follow (1998), about renowned orangutan expert Birute Galdikas, one of the three female acolytes of anthropologist Louis Leakey known as “Leakey’s Angels” (along with Jane Goodall and Diane Fossey). The reviewer for the Christian Science Monitor called the Galdikas book, “An intimate and deeply thoughtful chronicle of a woman’s awakening to the many challenges facing orangutans and the earth as a whole.” It was short-listed for the Trillium Book Award and the Pearson Writers’ Trust Non-Fiction Prize.
An editor of Brick, a Journal of Reviews, Spalding has been awarded the Harbourfront Festival Prize for her contribution to the Canadian literary community.
Linda lives in Toronto with her husband, Michael Ondaatje, her dog Jasper and her cat Jack.
GIVEAWAY DETAILS (US/Canada)
I have 2 copies of The Purchase by Linda Spalding to share with my readers. To enter…
- For 1 entry just leave a comment entering the giveaway.
- Tweet, share on Facebook, or blog for 2 extra entries.
This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents and I will draw for the winner on December 12/13. Good luck!
Source: Giveaway copies provided by the publicist.
Oh my I already know I would love to read this book. It would have been very scary to me to have made these long trips back then into new territory. I do hope to win one of these books or it may be a long time before I get to read it. Please put my name in the drawing. I am a follower and I shared this on my Facebook page. Thanks.
Maxie mac262(at)me(dot)com
The Purchase sounds fascinating. I think heart strings will be pulled in this one. Thank you for the opportunity to be a winner.
melback at cebridge dot com
the Purchase sounds like a perfect read fir me.email follower lomazowr@gmail.com will tweet @Rhondareads happy holidays.
Sounds great. I follow via e-mail at jtretin at aol dot com and tweeted @readsalways.
Wow, this sounds reallly good! And what a beautiful cover. Thanks for the chance to win a copy!
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/candc320/status/405745415099670529.
This sounds like a really good book, thanks for posting about it and the giveaway.
Glad this book was called to my attention. Looks good, thanks.
A most fascinating novel which interests me. thanks for this lovely giveaway.
This sounds like a very interesting read! Adding it to my Goodreads list. Thanks for the opportunity to win?
Also shared on facebook.
This sounds like a fascinating read! Pioneer life was so difficult that I’m happy my forefathers made the trek west instead of me.
Shared on Facebook.
kpbarnett1941[at]aol.com
I am a lover of historical fiction and would love to win this book.
This sounds like a well-written, intriguing novel. Thanks for the giveaway.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com
Wonderful review and giveaway. Thanks for this post and feature.
Great review and fab giveaway! I’ve shared on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/katherine.ivan.7/posts/669124599791770). Happy Thanksgivukkah!
A lot of my family on both sides were Quakers in that time period so I would love to read this book. This book sounds so exciting.
CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com
Wonderful book. Would love to win.
Thank you for the chance.
Posted to face book and tweeted it.
I’ve had my eye on this book from the first moment I heard about it (I love the cover, too). Thanks for offering the giveaway, Dar. Hugs to you and little Sammy!
I tweeted: http://t.co/9pW4yhFqKu
CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com
I have read great reviews about The Purchase. Thanks for the chance to win a copy!
This sounds like a great book! I love the concept and I love historical fiction that deals with really influential times.
I tweeted this as well: https://twitter.com/MeghanStith/status/405966340655046656
mestith at gmail dot com
This storyline is intriguing. I would love to know more.
Who would have thought a book involving a Quaker would be so exciting! I’m adding it to my wish list! Please include me in your drawing. Looks fantastic!
KellysShining(at)gmail(dot0com
I also shared this via Twitter!
https://twitter.com/kellyblackwell/status/406277087952007169
Thank you again! Happy Thanksgiving!
KellysShining(at)gmail(dot)com
This sounds different and exciting. Thanks for the giveaway!
laurafabiani at videotron dot ca
Sounds good! I haven’t read about Quakers before but I love books about the Amish so I would probably love it.
This book sounds like a wonderful read. I love books set during this time period. Thanks for having the giveaway.
ayancey1974(at)gmail(dot)com
Shared on Facebook as Anita Yancey.
ayancey1974(at)gmail(dot)com
This sounds very good! I haven’t read anything about Quakers in a while.
The Purchase by Linda Spalding – Spotlight & Giveaway (2 copies-US/Canada) tweeted on 12/5
It is hard to imagine a Quaker owning a slave, I would think that that part of the book would be very thought provoking.
This sounds like a very poignant story! Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy of THE PURCHASE!
texaggs2000 at gmail dot com