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The Stubborn Season
Where does one person end and the other begin? That's the question that haunts Irene, a girl growing up in Toronto during the Great Depression. Living with her father, a pharmacist who finds comfort in the bottle, and her mother, a woman teetering on the edge of her own depression, Irene's crumbling family situation mirrors the economic and social turmoil just beyond the front door of their respectable, working class neighborhood. As she grows into a young woman, Irene finds herself consumed by her mother's increasingly erratic moods and isolated from a world where unemployment, poverty and bigotry have taken firm root in the water-starved soil of town and country. Yet in the midst of lives that seem lost, Irene finds strength in the unlikely form of David, a young man from the Jewish farming community of Sonnerfeld, Alberta, who is fighting his own battle for dignity, hope and a place in the world.
The Stubborn Season is an utterly compelling first novel, peopled with vivid characters and set against an era that emanates magically from every page. This is a story alive with the claustrophobic darkness of a Victorian row house; the icy loneliness of life riding the rails as a "box car cowboy"; the languid feel of a steamy Sunday afternoon when respectable people closed their stores, and their lives, against intrusion; and the stench of fear in a jail cell packed with communist agitators desperate to change a broken system. It is a story that is hard to put down, intimate in its knowledge of human struggles and strengths, wonderfully written, and altogether satisfying.
The Stubborn Season is an utterly compelling first novel, peopled with vivid characters and set against an era that emanates magically from every page. This is a story alive with the claustrophobic darkness of a Victorian row house; the icy loneliness of life riding the rails as a "box car cowboy"; the languid feel of a steamy Sunday afternoon when respectable people closed their stores, and their lives, against intrusion; and the stench of fear in a jail cell packed with communist agitators desperate to change a broken system. It is a story that is hard to put down, intimate in its knowledge of human struggles and strengths, wonderfully written, and altogether satisfying.
341 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2002
3 people are currently reading
291 people want to read
About the author
Lauren B. Davis
11 books240 followersLauren B. Davis’s most recent work is EVEN SO, to be published by Dundurn Press in the autumn of 2021. It is the story of what happens when compassion and passion collide. Love, faith, lust, guilt, redemption, and the moment of transformation of two women, one a privileged Princeton matron, the other a Catholic nun suffering the silence of god. Can we care about those who do harm? Who deserves forgiveness, and what does redemption mean? Read EVEN SO to explore these questions.
THE GRIMOIRE OF KENSINGTON MARKET (named one of the best books of 2018 by the Globe & Mail, and a finalist for the Fred Lerner, Canadian Authors Association Best Book of the Year), is a story about a bookstore that is the repository of all the stories in the world, and that no one finds unless intended to do so. It is also about addiction, love, guilt, and flying caribous.
Davis is also the author of AGAINST A DARKENING SKY, a novel set in 7th c. Northumbria, as well as THE EMPTY ROOM, published in 2013. A searing, raw and powerful a portrayal of the chaos and pain of alcoholism. Named one of the “Best Books of the Year” by The National Post, and the Winnipeg Free Press, “Editors’ Pick” by Amazon and a “Critics’ Pick” by The Coast (Nova Scotia). Told with compassion, insight and an irresistible gallows humor, THE EMPTY ROOM takes us to the depths of addiction, only to find a revelation at its heart: the importance and grace of one person reaching out to another.
OUR DAILY BREAD (2011), was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and named as one of the “Best Books of the Year” by The Globe & Mail and The Boston Globe.
She is also the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed novels, THE RADIANT CITY (2006), a finalist for the Rogers Writers Trust Fiction Prize; and THE STUBBORN SEASON (2002), a named as one of the Top 15 Bestselling First Novels by Amazon.ca and Books in Canada. She has published two short story collections, AN UNREHEARSED DESIRE (2008) and RAT MEDICINE & OTHER UNLIKELY CURATIVES (2000). Her short fiction has been shortlisted for the CBC Literary Awards, the ReLit Award and she is the recipient of two Mid-Career Writer Sustaining grants from the Canadian Council for the Arts. A well-respected creative writing teacher who has taught in Geneva, Paris and Ireland, as well as in the USA and Canada, she is also a past Mentor with the Humber College Creative Writing by Correspondence Program, and past Writer-in-Residence at Trinity Church, Princeton. She now leads monthly SHARPENING THE QUILL writing workshops in Princeton, New Jersey.
THE GRIMOIRE OF KENSINGTON MARKET (named one of the best books of 2018 by the Globe & Mail, and a finalist for the Fred Lerner, Canadian Authors Association Best Book of the Year), is a story about a bookstore that is the repository of all the stories in the world, and that no one finds unless intended to do so. It is also about addiction, love, guilt, and flying caribous.
Davis is also the author of AGAINST A DARKENING SKY, a novel set in 7th c. Northumbria, as well as THE EMPTY ROOM, published in 2013. A searing, raw and powerful a portrayal of the chaos and pain of alcoholism. Named one of the “Best Books of the Year” by The National Post, and the Winnipeg Free Press, “Editors’ Pick” by Amazon and a “Critics’ Pick” by The Coast (Nova Scotia). Told with compassion, insight and an irresistible gallows humor, THE EMPTY ROOM takes us to the depths of addiction, only to find a revelation at its heart: the importance and grace of one person reaching out to another.
OUR DAILY BREAD (2011), was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and named as one of the “Best Books of the Year” by The Globe & Mail and The Boston Globe.
She is also the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed novels, THE RADIANT CITY (2006), a finalist for the Rogers Writers Trust Fiction Prize; and THE STUBBORN SEASON (2002), a named as one of the Top 15 Bestselling First Novels by Amazon.ca and Books in Canada. She has published two short story collections, AN UNREHEARSED DESIRE (2008) and RAT MEDICINE & OTHER UNLIKELY CURATIVES (2000). Her short fiction has been shortlisted for the CBC Literary Awards, the ReLit Award and she is the recipient of two Mid-Career Writer Sustaining grants from the Canadian Council for the Arts. A well-respected creative writing teacher who has taught in Geneva, Paris and Ireland, as well as in the USA and Canada, she is also a past Mentor with the Humber College Creative Writing by Correspondence Program, and past Writer-in-Residence at Trinity Church, Princeton. She now leads monthly SHARPENING THE QUILL writing workshops in Princeton, New Jersey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
September 19, 2010
I would count this book among the best books I have ever read. The characters are unforgettable, the descriptions are realistic and artistic, and the historical information is enlightening and shocking. I am astounded that we know so little about our own history during the Great Depression: the appalling conditions in the mines and workcamps, the situation of the hobos who rode the rails, the struggles of daily life in the cities. I had no idea that in Canada we had signs in restaurants that said, No Jews or dogs, that Jewish people had a hard time getting jobs, that there was such anti-semitism, and fascism. This book enlightened me on so many levels. I raced to the end, and now, as with all books I love, I will read it again more slowly and savour every word. As a survivor of an alcoholic father and mentally ill mother, I related so deeply to the main character, Irene, and I admire the author's honest description of each member of the family. I urge anyone who loves exceptional writing and historical fiction to buy this book!
November 21, 2017
This book transported us back to depression era Toronto as well as to life (if you can call it a life) on the rails during the same period. The story of Irene and her family is darkly compelling in its gut-wrenching heartache. All three members of the family are afflicted by the ravages of improperly treated mental illness and an ill advised sense of propriety (what WILL those neighbours think?). This mixed with the story of David leaving his home in hopes of finding something better, only to be thrown into a life of danger and desparation, travelling around the country, trying to survive.
However, what I found just as compelling, perhaps more so -- particularly as someone who now enjoys the benefits of unions -- is how horrific the living conditions were, for those hardest hit by the depression. I remember hearing the stories from my grandparents about how hard life was in the thrirties. My mother was born in Toronto in 1932, right into the worst of it. However, in spite of my family's tales of woe, they suffered little (my grandfather always had a decent job) in comparison to many people in the same area and across the country. Union organization and social programs sprung up as a result (thank heavens!!) but reading about it in such a frank way, really makes me appreciate how far Canadian social programs have come and how lucky we are for the Labour movement, in spite of what the media and corporations try to make us believe!!!
With such bleak subject matter, this could easily have turned into a depressingly hard book to read. Not the case. The matter-of-fact style along with the tenacity and dogged determination of the central characters to perservere in hopes of something better, kept me enthralled and, best of all, looking for more information!
This is another great read from Ms. Davis! I look foward to more!!!
However, what I found just as compelling, perhaps more so -- particularly as someone who now enjoys the benefits of unions -- is how horrific the living conditions were, for those hardest hit by the depression. I remember hearing the stories from my grandparents about how hard life was in the thrirties. My mother was born in Toronto in 1932, right into the worst of it. However, in spite of my family's tales of woe, they suffered little (my grandfather always had a decent job) in comparison to many people in the same area and across the country. Union organization and social programs sprung up as a result (thank heavens!!) but reading about it in such a frank way, really makes me appreciate how far Canadian social programs have come and how lucky we are for the Labour movement, in spite of what the media and corporations try to make us believe!!!
With such bleak subject matter, this could easily have turned into a depressingly hard book to read. Not the case. The matter-of-fact style along with the tenacity and dogged determination of the central characters to perservere in hopes of something better, kept me enthralled and, best of all, looking for more information!
This is another great read from Ms. Davis! I look foward to more!!!
December 29, 2008
I generally have a hard time getting into books with a woman/girl as the protagonist, but this story transcends the sexes, touching both the hope and the despair of a young person coming of age. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to relive those emotions, or for one who finds his or her self still struggling through those times.
October 24, 2013
Excellent!!!!! I loved reading about Toronto in the 30's. Great portrait of mental illness in the family, the secrecy and ways families use to deal with it. I recommend it 100%!
February 6, 2012
This story was based in 30s mainly in Toronto, where Irene is growing up with a mother, Margaret, who has some form of mental illness and a father, Douglas, who becoming a heavier drinker each day. Irene struggles to breathe while living at home with her mother's condition and distance from her father, with tension between her parents. All the while, David leaves his family's farm in Saskatchewan to ensure survival of his dad and brothers. Follow these two on their life's journey, see what they can do to help each other and what hope lies for them in the future.
March 1, 2015
The Stubborn Season had me hooked from the very beginning right through to the end. Lauren B. Davis effectively alternates and weaves together the story lines of Irene and David, starting in 1929. Irene is 10 and living in Toronto with her alcoholic father and mentally ill mother. David, a few years older is living in a Jewish farming community called Sonnenfeld, Saskatchewan but goes out on the road in 1930 to try to find work. Their stories tell of how they coped during the depression with rich historical details. The ending wasn't what I expected but I loved it!
September 20, 2013
A beautifully written, heart-breaking, "coming of age" story set during the Great Depression. Initially I gave this book three stars because I did not like the ending. After I dwelled on the book for a few days I realized the ending was very appropriate. I will definitely read more by this author.
January 28, 2012
This is a beautifully written book, and a heartbreaking story.
The characters are well done, the history seemed well researched, the story moved at a good pace and it managed to be awful and hopeful at the same time.
The characters are well done, the history seemed well researched, the story moved at a good pace and it managed to be awful and hopeful at the same time.
November 14, 2013
I liked Daily Bread better, but both tell compelling stories from the point of view of outsiders. I like the historical links, too.
April 14, 2014
One of those rare novels that not only manages to make Canadian history interesting but downright exciting. Beautifully written and a terrific read.
August 5, 2014
Nicely written and full of images of Toronto in the 1930's...perhaps a bit depressing at times (after all it was during the Depression), but thoroughly engrossing. Highly recommended.
March 29, 2015
A story of a young girl growing up during the great depression. This is a great read, with a realistic story. There's two separate story lines that eventually blend into one, when it happens, it's seamless yet noticeable and brilliant.
August 9, 2012
LOVE this book. Wonderful story, beautifully written. Great research about a fascinating chapter in history. Characters I'll never forget.
August 9, 2016
By far my favourite...will there be a follow up?
July 6, 2016
Achingly good!
June 16, 2025
t is almost a century now since the Great Depression destroyed the livelihoods and lives of millions of people around the world, and still it seems beyond the wit and will of political leaders to manage economies to eliminate poverty and protect the jobs of working people. As I wrote in my review of George Orwell's 1933 Down and Out in Paris and London:
With That Man in America wreaking havoc on world trade and what looks like the end of globalisation happening irrespective of anything he might do*, does our government even have a plan? We saw during the pandemic that nobody had a plan...
*sigh*
Most of what I've read about how things were in other countries has been set in the US, the UK and Germany, but I've been interested in the similarities between Australian and Canadian fiction even since I read an essay about it by the late Kevin from Canada. So when I stumbled across The Stubborn Season by Lauren B Davis, and saw that it was set during the depression years in Toronto, I was intrigued.
While the novel's focus is Irene's struggle to negotiate a childhood marred by her father Douglas's alcoholism and her mother Margaret's mental illness, the setting during the Depression in Toronto shows the damage when a community turns in on itself out of misplaced respect for privacy, or poverty-induced shame and/or victim-blaming. Even when an uncle suspects that something is wrong, he is deflected by Irene's habit of hiding the family's problems.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2025/06/16/t...
... in economies throughout the world there is still no ‘safety net’ for the poor and vulnerable. Some countries can’t afford it; some choose to rely on a hit-and-miss system of families or charities providing it; and some are opposed to it on philosophical grounds for the reasons that Orwell describes and rejects – that people will take advantage, will freeload, will cheat the welfare system, or will become ‘welfare dependant’.
With That Man in America wreaking havoc on world trade and what looks like the end of globalisation happening irrespective of anything he might do*, does our government even have a plan? We saw during the pandemic that nobody had a plan...
*sigh*
Most of what I've read about how things were in other countries has been set in the US, the UK and Germany, but I've been interested in the similarities between Australian and Canadian fiction even since I read an essay about it by the late Kevin from Canada. So when I stumbled across The Stubborn Season by Lauren B Davis, and saw that it was set during the depression years in Toronto, I was intrigued.
While the novel's focus is Irene's struggle to negotiate a childhood marred by her father Douglas's alcoholism and her mother Margaret's mental illness, the setting during the Depression in Toronto shows the damage when a community turns in on itself out of misplaced respect for privacy, or poverty-induced shame and/or victim-blaming. Even when an uncle suspects that something is wrong, he is deflected by Irene's habit of hiding the family's problems.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2025/06/16/t...
August 30, 2020
I adore this book. It tackles big themes: mother/daughter relationships, depression, the depression, racism, coming of age, alcoholism and (what I believe from the character portrait) undiagnosed BPD. And yet, everything is done with such a careful and nuanced hand.
Ms. Davis is a master of detail and this book is no exception. You feel as though you are walking the streets of 1930's-1940's Toronto. You can smell the city. You can hear the voices of that time. And, as she changes focus between her two young protagonists, you cannot help but to hope and cheer for them even in their struggles, loss and awakening.
In these pages, there is a great love of humanity.
A must-read book that should be a film!
Ms. Davis is a master of detail and this book is no exception. You feel as though you are walking the streets of 1930's-1940's Toronto. You can smell the city. You can hear the voices of that time. And, as she changes focus between her two young protagonists, you cannot help but to hope and cheer for them even in their struggles, loss and awakening.
In these pages, there is a great love of humanity.
A must-read book that should be a film!
January 10, 2019
Wow! What a riveting book. It has everything: crisp writing, excellent research, history, suspense, romance, drama. Written against a historical backdrop of the Great Depression in Canada, this is a beautiful story of a girl growing up in an oppressive household with a mother who had mental health issues and an alcoholic father. I googled often to learn more about the issues of the day: unemployment and homelessness, riding the trains, the Relief Camps, the Regina Riot, and R. B. Bennett’s government. It’s a page turner and a beautiful story of a young person’s determination to make something of herself against all odds.
June 2, 2020
This is a story of many complexities, including the bourgeoisie family's struggle to maintain a livelihood, the mother's struggle with mental illness, father's struggle to maintain a business during an economic depression, and finally a young Irene's attempt to understand her role in the family. Irene is portrayed as a strong young woman, determined to build her own life while keeping everyone around her happy. Eventually, even Irene finds peace outside the family home and realizes that life must go on. The story is heart-wrenching and very moving, as it attempts to paint a picture of what life was like during the 1930s.
April 4, 2019
This story intrigued me from page one. It is set in Toronto during the depression between 1929 and 1937 and also features a male character from Saskatchewan. Quill and Quire says "it is as close as you’d want to get to the Depression without being there". I thought it was also an important reflection on a woman's world during this time. I was so pleased to learn that there are other books by this author
June 12, 2021
I thought this book was really good. Not a ‘light’ read, but it was gripping enough to make it a fast read. For anyone who has ever been the caregiver for a sick parent, it’s relatable. The feeling of losing part of yourself and becoming a single entity with the person you’re caring for, and basing all the decisions in your world on what’s best for both of you. Overall, I would recommend this book 100%.
January 11, 2018
I liked this book a lot! Set in the depression era, mostly in Toronto, it includes several of the social issues of that time. Workers' rights, mental illness, attitudes toward Jewish people, and the coming of age of a young girl who has to determine how much of herself she can give to her unstable mother without losing sight of her own separate self.
October 1, 2018
I had been meaning to read this book for a while, and finally dove in. Truly loved it, and the Toronto setting starting back in 1929 really captured the spirit of the city and our history. Superbly researched and kept my interest from the fist page right through to the very satisfying ending. Look forward to a sequel as I want to follow the next chapters in Irene's life.
June 4, 2018
a great read.
August 4, 2020
I was really disappointed with this book actually, which made me sad because my dad recommended it - it is a relatable story if you can put yourself in the characters shoes.
January 27, 2023
Touching and despairing, realistic yet hopeful. Very well written.
June 23, 2024
Amazing story highly recommend this book
July 19, 2025
When I first picked up this book, I didn't think I would love it or enjoy it as much as I did! Truly spectacular and such an interesting read.
December 28, 2016
Although I will admit that the book was well-written and did capture many of the elements it set out to, I disagree that it was 'altogether satisfying' (as it claims to be). I understand that a novel written about the Depression is never going to be sunshine and rainbows, and that's certainly not what I was expecting when I picked up this book. I liked that the storyline and the characters weren't perfect... far from it, in many cases. Margaret MacNeil suffers from extreme untreated mental illness, her husband takes to the bottle to cope, their daughter lives almost as a captive in her own home, and that is only one family.
Davis successfully provides a glimpse into what life during the Depression might have been like for some 'average' Canadians at that time, I will give her that much. Where I feel she was somewhat lacking was in character development. Many characters didn't receive the attention I felt they deserved, which disappointed me, as I would have liked to learn more about them. Other characters received a great deal of attention, but their conclusions still felt a bit unfinished in the end.
Overall, 'The Stubborn Season' was an interesting, though not overly compelling read. I didn't find myself itching to read another chapter or to find out what happened to a certain character as I so often do with books that really catch my attention. If you are interested in reading a (fictional) account of the Depression in Canada, or you are particularly drawn to imperfect and damaged characters, then I'd say this book is worth a shot, but let's just say I don't think I'll be putting it on my favourites list anytime soon.
Davis successfully provides a glimpse into what life during the Depression might have been like for some 'average' Canadians at that time, I will give her that much. Where I feel she was somewhat lacking was in character development. Many characters didn't receive the attention I felt they deserved, which disappointed me, as I would have liked to learn more about them. Other characters received a great deal of attention, but their conclusions still felt a bit unfinished in the end.
Overall, 'The Stubborn Season' was an interesting, though not overly compelling read. I didn't find myself itching to read another chapter or to find out what happened to a certain character as I so often do with books that really catch my attention. If you are interested in reading a (fictional) account of the Depression in Canada, or you are particularly drawn to imperfect and damaged characters, then I'd say this book is worth a shot, but let's just say I don't think I'll be putting it on my favourites list anytime soon.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews