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Stories from the Ice Storm
Even in the dark and bitter cold of a freezing January, life, in all its variety, had to go on. At a time when the simplest of domestic chores became a test of ingenuity and endurance, people got married, babies were delivered, journeys were undertaken. Here are stories of all that, and more. There’s the inspiring story of the elderly goldfish, the train-ride from hell, the fifteen problem chimps, the exploding stove and the burning tree. There’s a story from an eighty-five-year-old poet, a child of ten, and even one from a dog.
The gallant people who helped run the shelters and the hospitals share their funniest and most poignant memories. Soldiers in the army, one of those famous Hydro linesmen, and a volunteer firefighter tell us just what it was like. And authors Steven Heighton, Karen Molson, and Jane Urquhart, amongst others, add their own perspective on living through the storm.
The destruction and the human cost reminded people of a war. Though the “enemy” this time was Nature, and in many ways looked beautiful, the ice storm brought real hardship and death. But like a war it also brought people together as never before, and gave Canadians something to remember, whether happy, inspiring, or sad, for the rest of their lives. Stories from the Ice Storm captures all that, for the people who were there, and for the millions of Canadians who looked on.
The gallant people who helped run the shelters and the hospitals share their funniest and most poignant memories. Soldiers in the army, one of those famous Hydro linesmen, and a volunteer firefighter tell us just what it was like. And authors Steven Heighton, Karen Molson, and Jane Urquhart, amongst others, add their own perspective on living through the storm.
The destruction and the human cost reminded people of a war. Though the “enemy” this time was Nature, and in many ways looked beautiful, the ice storm brought real hardship and death. But like a war it also brought people together as never before, and gave Canadians something to remember, whether happy, inspiring, or sad, for the rest of their lives. Stories from the Ice Storm captures all that, for the people who were there, and for the millions of Canadians who looked on.
- GenresNonfictionCanada
360 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
2 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Mark Abley
22 books25 followersMark Abley is a Rhodes Scholar, a Guggenheim Fellow, a husband and a father of two. He grew up in Western Canada, spent several years in England, and has lived in the Montreal area since the early 1980s. His first love was poetry, and he has published four collections. But he is best known for his many books of nonfiction, notably Spoken Here: Travels Among Threatened Languages and The Organist: Fugues, Fatherhood, and a Fragile Mind.
His new book, Strange Bewildering Time: Istanbul to Kathmandu in the Last Year of the Hippie Trail, describes his travels across west and south Asia in the spring of 1978. Mark kept detailed journals during his three-month journey, allowing him to recreate his experiences from the standpoint of a much older man.
In 2022 Mark was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Saskatchewan for his contributions to the literary community.
His new book, Strange Bewildering Time: Istanbul to Kathmandu in the Last Year of the Hippie Trail, describes his travels across west and south Asia in the spring of 1978. Mark kept detailed journals during his three-month journey, allowing him to recreate his experiences from the standpoint of a much older man.
In 2022 Mark was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Saskatchewan for his contributions to the literary community.
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