When Hurricane Hazel tore through Toronto on October 15, 1954, it left its mark on both the city and its inhabitants. In the aftermath, a young cop...
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Oct 11, 2010
Anita
rated it: 
It is 2004, and Ray Townes, an ex-Toronto policeman is dying from emphysema. In his final days, he looks back on his not-so-perfect life. Dominating his regrets are his extra-marital affairs, although he suffers from a certain lack of remorse. He also feels he deserves everything his is willing to go out and grab for himself, which didn't endear him much to this reader.
This attitude also prepared the ground for me to sympathise with the internal thoughts of his long-suffering wife, More...
This attitude also prepared the ground for me to sympathise with the internal thoughts of his long-suffering wife, More...
Aug 09, 2010
Linda
rated it: 
The Carnivore is a story of love, marriage, and infidelity that begins at the time of the devastating hurricane and subsequent floods that stormed through Toronto in 1954. Ray Townes, a police officer, is in the eyes of the public a hero. Mary Townes, a nurse, takes care of the dying and wounded at St. Joseph’s Hospital in the chaotic aftermath of the storm. The depiction of the storm, and especially the chaos in the Emergency Room was very realistic.
The book is also a profound look More...
The book is also a profound look More...
Feb 21, 2010
Kristy
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Oct 25, 2010
Miz Moffatt
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The Carnivore traces the dissolution of a marriage blown off course in the aftermath of Toronto's infamous Hurricane Hazel. In 1954, a young police officer, Ray Townes, attains a near-mythic status as reports of his bravery at the Humber River circulate in the days after the hurricane hits. Even as his peers gild his name in the presses, Ray fears the worst as rescue teams threaten to dredge up the truth from the muddied waters...
On the same night, Mary Townes, a nurse at St. Joseph's More...
On the same night, Mary Townes, a nurse at St. Joseph's More...
Aug 03, 2010
Andrea
rated it:
This story is well written, but the subject matter may not be appealing to a vast audience. I had difficulty getting into the plot, and switching between character narratives and times was a bit awkward in some places.
This is the story of a marriage built on deception and nourished by mutual hatred. Ray is a cheating, less than forthright detective married to Mary, a disillusioned, cold-hearted nurse. When Ray is declared a hero after a hurricane hits Toronto in the 1950's, Mary beg More...
This is the story of a marriage built on deception and nourished by mutual hatred. Ray is a cheating, less than forthright detective married to Mary, a disillusioned, cold-hearted nurse. When Ray is declared a hero after a hurricane hits Toronto in the 1950's, Mary beg More...
Jul 12, 2011
Carly
rated it:
I enjoyed this book. It's odd, but I do not remember Hurricane Hazel. I was 11 at the time. Yet the hurricane I remember most was one before it that year ... it happened in the summer. Our family rented at cottage at Lake Scugog. During the week, my father, my aunt and grandparents stayed at home in Toronto.
That left my mother with me, at 11, my cousin at 8 and my brother at around 5 or so, at the cottage during the storm caused by the tail end of another American hurricane. When I More...
That left my mother with me, at 11, my cousin at 8 and my brother at around 5 or so, at the cottage during the storm caused by the tail end of another American hurricane. When I More...
Nov 19, 2009
Nicole
rated it:
Ray Townes and his wife Mary have had a mostly antagonistic relationship over the fifty odd years of their marriage. Unfortunately their problems started relatively early - stemming from the events surrounding 1954- the year that Hurricane Hazel hit Toronto, and the year that Ray became a hero saving people all up and down the Humber River.
Mary has always doubted Ray's version of the truth of what happened during the storm, and even as a young reporter has come by the house to inte More...
Mary has always doubted Ray's version of the truth of what happened during the storm, and even as a young reporter has come by the house to inte More...
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Jan 18, 2011
Rachel
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This book was the winner of the 2010 Toronto Book Awards. I haven't read all the nominees yet, but so far I'd say this is my favourite. It's about a husband and wife in Toronto, from the horrific floods in 1954 up to the present day. The husband was a police officer, and hailed as a hero during the flood, but he has some secrets from that day and the consequences created a rift between him and his wife that lasted for years. I would have liked more of how the city dealt with the flood, but I lik
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Mar 30, 2011
Blair
rated it:
This is one of those books that makes you want to find out more about the situation depicted: Hurricane Hazel. I was in luck because being a former Toronto resident (now is Oshawa) my dear mother actually remembered the night the hurricane struck. I pumped her for info, memories, any relatives affected? It turns out that Hazel was the most destructive natural force to ever tear through Toronto; and it continues to be to this day. The story focuses on Ray Townes, a retired Toronto police offi
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Aug 19, 2009
Suzanne
rated it:
The Carnivore opens with a dramatic description of a flooded intersection in downtown Toronto during the first hours of Hurricane Hazel's 1954 descent on the city. In this early stage of the storm, no one was taking the weather very seriously – young men swam through the streets with machismo and drunks lobbed beer bottles onto the road to watch them bob along the rising waters. Readers versed in Toronto's history, however, will know that such nonchalant attitudes did not persist along with the
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Dec 27, 2010
Jill
rated it:
I thought this was a great book. It was character driven and still a page turner. I read the the whole thing over one week. I found it so enjoyable, I'm going to vote for it for my friends to read, and I gave a copy to my mother (also an avid reader).
Jan 01, 2011
Joan
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Sometimes you have to wonder why someone would write a book about such unlikeable people.
Jan 06, 2011
Kevin
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A simple plot, with much space being given to character development. Very, very Toronto-centric.
Oct 17, 2010
Steph
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You can see my review for this book at http://www.bellasbookshelves.com/?p=3436
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