From Stone Orchard: A collection of memories

by Timothy Findley

This book is a collection of memories from Stone Orchard farmhouse, where the author took up residence in a tumbling down19th century farm house. Located in the rolling hills of southern Ontario, it became an inspiration and setting for many of his stories and book.

Genres: Canada, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Autobiography, Canadian Literature, Biography

170 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Timothy Irving Frederick Findley was a Canadian novelist and playwright. He was also informally known by the nickname Tiff or Tiffy, an acronym of his initials.

One of three sons, Findley was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Allan Gilmour Findley, a stockbroker, and his wife, the former Margaret Maude Bull. His paternal grandfather was president of Massey-Harris, the farm-machinery company. He was raised in the upper class Rosedale district of the city, attending boarding school at St. Andrew's College (although leaving during grade 10 for health reasons). He pursued a career in the arts, studying dance and acting, and had significant success as an actor before turning to writing. He was part of the original Stratford Festival company in the 1950s, acting alongside Alec Guinness, and appeared in the first production of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker at the Edinburgh Festival. He also played Peter Pupkin in Sunshine Sketches, the CBC Television adaptation of Stephen Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town.

Though Findley had declared his homosexuality as a teenager, he married actress/photographer Janet Reid in 1959, but the union lasted only three months and was dissolved by divorce or annulment two years later. Eventually he became the domestic partner of writer Bill Whitehead, whom he met in 1962. Findley and Whitehead also collaborated on several documentary projects in the 1970s, including the television miniseries The National Dream and Dieppe 1942.

Through Wilder, Findley became a close friend of actress Ruth Gordon, whose work as a screenwriter and playwright inspired Findley to consider writing as well. After Findley published his first short story in the Tamarack Review, Gordon encouraged him to pursue writing more actively, and he eventually left acting in the 1960s.

Findley's first two novels, The Last of the Crazy People (1967) and The Butterfly Plague (1969), were originally published in Britain and the United States after having been rejected by Canadian publishers. Findley's third novel, The Wars, was published to great acclaim in 1977 and went on to win the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction. It was adapted for film in 1981.

Timothy Findley received a Governor General's Award, the Canadian Authors Association Award, an ACTRA Award, the Order of Ontario, the Ontario Trillium Award, and in 1985 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. He was a founding member and chair of the Writers' Union of Canada, and a president of the Canadian chapter of PEN International.

His writing was typical of the Southern Ontario Gothic style — Findley, in fact, first invented its name — and was heavily influenced by Jungian psychology. Mental illness, gender and sexuality were frequent recurring themes in his work. His characters often carried dark personal secrets, and were often conflicted — sometimes to the point of psychosis — by these burdens.

He publicly mentioned his homosexuality, passingly and perhaps for the first time, on a broadcast of the programme The Shulman File in the 1970s, taking flabbergasted host Morton Shulman completely by surprise.

Findley and Whitehead resided at Stone Orchard, a farm near Cannington, Ontario, and in the south of France. In 1996, Findley was honoured by the French government, who declared him a Chevalier de l'Ordre des arts et des lettres.

Findley was also the author of several dramas for television and stage. Elizabeth Rex, his most successful play, premiered at the Stratford Festival of Canada to rave reviews and won a Governor General's award. His 1993 play The Stillborn Lover was adapted by Shaftesbury Films into the television film External Affairs, which aired on CBC Television in 1999. Shadows, first performed in 2001, was his last completed work. Findley was also an active mentor to a number of young Canadian writers, including Marnie Woodrow and Elizabeth Ruth.

Reviews

[Dani (The Pluviophile Writer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Stone Orchard is a place I wish I could have been apart of. I'm so jealous that Findley was able to lead this kind of life. I know that living there they didn't always have much money but they were constantly surrounded by such life, nature, calm and calamity. Books such as this one make me look at my own life and the changes that I want to make within it in order to stay grounded, closer to nature, to the things that matter to me and to not get so lost up in our busy North American lifestyle.

If I ever get a chance to visit Ontario in the future I would love to see what remains of this Orchard. I'm thankful that Findley wrote this memoir as I said it not only gives me insight into my own life but into Findley's novels and where the inspiration came for them. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Findley's work.

[Joanne-in-Canada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful reminiscences that evoke calmness and reflection. Ah, Timothy, we miss you.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dearly love Timothy Findley but it's super weird and disappointing to read him speaking in his own voice and casually praising the pioneers and Sir John A Macdonald. More generally this whole book reads like a humble brag and as a millenial I just don't get how it was meant to be enjoyable for anybody besides his friends.

[Ava Hamelin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew I would pick this book up two years ago Flying Monkeys Brewery because they had a free little library in the women’s bathroom and it would exactly what I need right now. Timothy, I love you and I want to visit your stone orchard. RIP, you legend.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and enjoyable memoir of a writer who moved to the Canadian countryside with his partner in the 1960s and stayed there 30+ years. It's made up mostly of short "notes from the country"-style journalistic pieces, so it's a good one to pick up and read a section here and there, rather than sitting down and tackling it cover-to-cover.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

A happy discovery in one of the Little Libraries in town. A musty, cover-worn copy of Timothy Findley's memories of his country home near Cannington, Ontario. And it's autographed too!

You can feel his love for that old house on every page as he describes how he and his partner Bill took an abandoned farmhouse and turned it into their cherished home.

It also includes a few recipes, which I quickly skimmed over. I will never be much of a cook.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haven't read anything of Timothy Findlay's in a few years and this made me miss him all the more. It is a collection of memories surrounding the old farmhouse he and his partner Bill, lived in for 30 years. It hits all the right chords for anyone who has had an attachment to a piece of land. The story of them learning, when they first bought the property, of the difference between cistern water and well water was funny and strangely, one I can identify with! Lovely sweet read written by one of my favourites.

[Elaine Cougler · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Stone Orchard is a shameless autobiography by Timothy Findley of the times he and his partner lived on his small farm north of Toronto. Insightful and interesting this is a light read which helps the reader see the man behind the author. Along the way memories from my own childhood were evoked. Good book.

[Anne Taylor Modler · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite findley

[lapetitesouris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one made me sob my eyes out. A collection of stories about relationships, what it means to be human, memories and loss. One to read again. I absolutely love Findley's work.

[Ronald Kelland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corona Pandemic Book No. 1. This is a very appropriate book to read amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. With all of the stress associated with this health crisis we are dealing with is tough to go through. Staying inside with just the family around can be a good thing as it allows us time to reconnect, but when the walks start to close in on us, tempers get short and minor disagreements can easily become more serious than really are.

This short collection of reminiscences by Timothy Findley of his Eden-like country home in rural Ontario is great reading for the soul at these times. The book is charming and restful. Findley’s accounts remind us of the importance of family and friends, of the test fullness of nature and of quality food prepared with care and live. They are about the healing and recuperative powers of a slower, meditative life. There are also recipes in here that may be worth trying as this social distancing continues.

From Stone Orchard is just what the soul needs right now.

[Adelyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d never heard of Findley prior to reading this book, so can’t comment on how this book compares with his non-memoir types. All in all it was a nice read, as someone who grew up in the city many of the more country-type experiences was eye-opening for me (the bit about the water!), and Findley writes so beautifully to capture a lot of the description of Stone Orchard in the narrative. Having different (short) chapters describing the different elements of living life in Stone Orchard was nice, although it comes with the usual case of me relating / enjoying some chapters much more than others. For me the most lacking thing about this book was the lack of a good blurb on the back – I had no idea what to look forward to and by the time I got into the book I was close to the end as it was a relatively thin volume. One that I enjoyed regardless, 3 stars.

[Sharon Ouderkirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favourite books, this collection of essays originally published in Harrowsmith magazine is a delight for all nature and animal lovers. Timothy Findley expanded on the essays for the book version and the result is a peaceful reflection on all that is important in life - kindness, companionship with people and animals, finding your still center in a crazy world, adapting to the natural environment, finding peace.
In 1964, Findley and his partner Bill Whitehead made the decision to move to the country and they found their dream home in Cannington, Ontario. They named it Stone Orchard in honour of its most prolific 'crop' and they lived there for the next 30+ years. The essays in this book are Findley's loving and humour-filled take on country living. The writing reveals a gentle soul whose love for his home, his friends, animals and nature spreads out to, and includes, the reader. Whether he is talking about watching the deer by the pond as night falls, or hosting his friends at a dinner party, Findley is constantly reminding the reader of what makes life worthwhile. He and Bill found something significant at Stone Orchard, not just a home, but a peaceful path through life, a source of strength to sustain them in rough times, a living testament to the importance of love and kindness. I have read this book before, and will read it again. Highly recommended.

[Rick H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy vignettes and stories from a part of the world I know well. Two gays from the city seemed to find community and friendship even in the dark old ages of the 60s and 70s. I appreciate the pioneering courage of Findley and his partner as well as feel some pride to be from a place that welcomed them.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A delightful, heart warming collection of short stories from a gifted Canadian author. Stone Orchard was the name of the house in Ontario where Findlay lived for many years. You get the feeling that a visit to Stone Orchard would definitely be treasured in years to come.

[Jessi Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I think that this book was super awesome! I read other reviews that said it felt like the author was bragging about his life but this story is my life goal. Like I'm sorry these people are jealous about someone who has a good life!

[Sebastian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think they're gay

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gift from Stone Timothy Findley's poignant collection of country-life writings. Timothy Findley and his companion William Whitehead freely admit they were innocent romantics when they purchased Stone Orchard farm over three decades ago. Both in the early stages of their writing careers, they reasoned that nothing could be more conducive to a writerly muse than a gently tumbling-down farmhouse nestled among the rolling hills of the southern Ontario countryside. And they were right. Since that first day they laid eyes upon Stone Orchard and its 50 acres of lawns, perennial gardens, fields of rippling grasses and dense, green woods, it has become much more than a home and a workplace. It has become a refuge for Tiff and Bill, an enduring haven of friendship and love for family, friends and neighbors. And, as they say, if only the walls could talk ... The walls have never talked so eloquently or endearingly as they do in From Stone Orchard , a collection of Timothy Findley's Harrowsmith columns - revised and expanded - plus new writings, all on life at a 19th-century farm just outside of Cannington, Ontario. Here are tales of the farm's past, both distant and the comic coincidences leading to the naming of the swimming pool, and why Margaret Laurence would never dip her toe in it. Or the night dinner party guests went outside in the twilight, dressed like royalty, to watch a herd of majestic deer pass through the gardens. On the eve of their departure from Stone Orchard - it being time for Tiff and Bill to move on - Findley's writings achieve a new poignancy, as a piece of our literary heritage is remembered with humor, affection and magic. Beautifully designed and packaged with lovely woodcut drawings, From Stone Orchard will be a cherished keepsake for Timothy Findley's legions of loyal fans, as well as a treasured gift for anyone whose dreams transport them into the charming landscape of country life. Harper Flamingo Canada

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timothy Findley and his partner Bill Whitehead, determined to get away from the hustle and bustle of busy Toronto, purchased a fifty acre farm called Stone Orchard in Cannington, Southern Ontario. They spent thirty years on this property and although neither of them knew anything about farming, they loved the lifestyle. Their naiveté about farm practices led to many misadventures including dead rats in their drinking water and a multitude of cats which exploded at one point to a population of almost forty. Findley says that both he and Bill believed that many of the cats were mysteriously dropped off during the night by people who no longer wanted them and believed the farm would provide them with a welcoming home. And they were welcome, becoming the source of some of the couple’s funniest and most favourite memories.

The property proved to be a welcome retreat for their writing and Findley wrote some of his well-known titles here, including “The Piano Man’s Daughter” and “Headhunter”. And when they were not writing they were often receiving guests or having some wonderful adventure. A visit from Margaret Laurence is an important memory as was finding an original Susanna Moodie poem under a print they bought at an auction.

This volume is a collection of some of the columns Findley write for Harrowsmith magazine with some additional content about the couple’s private life. Findley wanted to write this memoir as a tribute to the people and the place that had inspired some of his best writing. It is a relaxed and easy read in which one grows to appreciate some of the more personal experiences of this important Canadian writer.

[Tanya]

It has taken me a while to get to this book. A collection of shorts about his farm, most originally published in Harrowsmith, and surprising interesting. I shouldn't say "surprisingly" as Findley never fails to amaze me. His way of using words to tell me about his cats, dogs, neighbours and flowers makes me feel like I'm there.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit disappointing compared to the brilliant fiction from Mr Findley (aka TIFF) but some delightful insights into urbanites coping with the realities of rural properties (a full time handyman is a prerequisite for survival); how pets enter into the plot lines of novels; how important it is to know exactly where your water comes from; and so on.

[Teya Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great insight into the life of Timothy Findley and his partner Bill Whitehead's life in Cannington, Ontario. A different side of Findley that I've only heard of. The best part of the book, as a lover of Findley's literature, is the inspirations clearly drawn from Stone Orchard in many of his novels. Really a delight.