Canvey Island

by runcie-james

Book by Runcie, James

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Book Club

308 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Canvey Island is a story that begins with the events of the 1953 disastrous flooding of the island itself and proceeds to detail the lasting effects of that event on the lives of a family who lose a member. One of the things I particularly liked about this novel is a convention that I generally do not like, the switching of view points from chapter to chapter, so that the story is told by six people instead of just one. In this case it works, because we need to know how each of these people is reacting to the events as they unfold and also need to be able to get to information that only some of these people have access to.

The major character, a boy named Martin who loses his mother, Lily, in the flood, pulled me in immediately. I cared what was happening to this boy and lamented the events that kept shaping his thoughts and his life as he aged. I formed some very solid ideas about these people at the very beginning of the book, chapter one, and another thing I really loved was that Runcie managed to expand or reverse my thinking on almost every single one of them. In the end, what he gives us is reality. People who are neither saints nor devils and who are all perhaps just doing the best they can with the situations they are in. He made me think about how we love to find someone to blame in life and how seldom there actually IS one clear person who can be blamed. Sometimes we all contribute to the unhappiness around us, and sometimes we are ourselves to blame, and sometimes the choices just aren’t quite as clear as others might think they are. Oh, and sometimes what seems like indifference or even cruelty is someone being as kind as they know how to be.

I truly enjoyed this book. I was attracted to Runcie when I found that he had written the Grantchester series that airs on PBS. I’m a big fan of Sydney Chambers. I did find that same kind of relatability in Canvey Island...people you can believe in, with all the imperfections to prove that they are flesh and blood.

[Diane Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't too fond of any of the characters in this one, except for Vi, who was the only one who could face reality and be honest with herself and others. I felt a lot of the dialogue relied too heavily on cliched thinking, so the conversations felt wooden and stilted. Three stars because I'm being generous, and my reading has been sporadic and uneven because of the busy time of year.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I imagined the sea expanding and contracting as I breathed, a giant presence from which I could never escape. This was what it was like to live in the shadow of ocean. It was the same as the shadow of loss. It would never rest."

This story begins on the night of the flooding of Canvey Island, an actual event that occurred on the night of January 31, 1953. A night that would forever change the life of ten year old Martin Turner.

I found this book to be moving and thoughtful. Harsh and wonderful. Yet, it is about so much more than a storm surge. It's about family and loss. Betrayal and survival. And what it means to survive. Survival is explored in this novel in depth. Within the covers of this book, survival takes on many forms, and what I found out was that some people have to survive - surviving.

This a story that will stick with me for quite a while.

[Blake Fraina · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Runcie’s Canvey Island is a quiet, thoughtful work of fiction that shows how the character of average people is shaped by the most difficult circumstances of their lives, much like the British coastline, which his protagonist tries so desperately to preserve, is inevitably worn away by the ravages of the sea.

As a young boy, Martin witnesses his beloved mother’s death by drowning in a terrible flood on their island home. His father Len, in the meantime, is out dancing on the mainland with Martin’s floozy aunt Violet and her husband George, a man who lost his sanity during a grisly battle in WWII. As an adult, Martin becomes a water engineer, studying England's rugged shore in hopes of understanding, containing and controlling the very sort of catastrophe that took his mother from him.

The book is written in short chapters narrated by all the principle characters – Martin, Len, Violet and George, as well as the two women in Martin's life - his first love, Linda, and his wife, Claire. It’s an ingenius method of storytelling that allows readers to get everyone’s viewpoint, and in their own words. And while some characters, most notably Aunt Violet, at the outset seem irredeemable, by the end of the book their rough edges are worn as smooth as the sea stones lovingly collected by art student Linda. They are like the malleable shoreline continually battered by the relentless seas, victims of their own experiences and, as their past is revealed to us, the characters become more human, easier to understand, somewhat likeable and, in certain respects, even quite valiant.

Some critics were exasperated by the protagonist Martin because they found him to be too passive. For me, this was a large part of the book’s fascination and most certainly its main point - that humans, by our very nature, are reactive more often than we are proactive. Martin, like the other characters, has been shaped by the events of his life. And his attempts to break free prove mostly futile. Particularly in light of the fact that what he's trying to escape is the inevitability of decay and death. After his wife, Claire, goes off on a lengthy, women-only protest against the installation of missiles silos in the UK, he drifts back into an affair with Linda, his high school sweetheart. But ultimately, he hasn’t the fortitude to choose between the women and instead takes the path of least resistance, breaking Linda’s heart once more. A similar choice, we later learn, to the one made by his Aunt Violet so many years earlier.

Runcie has created a loving portrait of post-war England and her people, worn down after the battering of WWII. As the story progresses, and he slowly reveals their secrets, each of his characters acquires the burnish and richness of authenticity and all of them win our sympathies utterly. A truly rewarding read.

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must say that this book surprised me as it's not like anything I have read by James Runcie.The story starts off very vividly with an event I had never heard of, and we are then treated to individual vignettes which span decades.

I warmed to the characters and felt quite deeply for some of them. An interesting book, and one that could be easily missed.

[Kat Walter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tragic and moving at first, but then boring. Characters unlikeable. Clichéd

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turned out to be more of a love story, but I did like it.

[Gail Archibald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got bored

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another book where I didn't like any of the characters. I liked Runcie's Grantchester books much better.

[Ipswichblade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one that’s been on Kindle a long time but a really solid read

[Don Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very unusual style with all characters alternating chapters - Interesting place recovering from horrible flood - Super read

[Wisteria Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Canvey Island[return]James Runcie[return]Other Press[return]978-1-59051-293-7[return]312 pages[return][return][return][return]The story takes place in 1953 on Canvey Island as a storm approaches. Quickly the waters rise and a devastating flood leaves behind destruction and death. One of those dead is Martin s mother Lily. Len, Martin s father had taken Vi, Lily s sister to a dance, as was customary. Lily preferred staying home to dancing. This time her decision proved fatal as her leg was caught in some debris that had settled below the rising food waters. When Martin went to get help it was too late. The water had claimed Lily s life. [return][return]The novel is a story of Martin s life and family relationships. Martin decides to become a water engineer to help cope with the guilt from his inability to save his mum. Martin also must cope with the growing closeness between his father and Aunt Vi. Martin leaves Canvey Island, leaves his first love and leaves his problems behind-or so he thinks. [return][return]Years later, unfulfilled and disappointed with life as it is, Martin returns to Canvey Island. [return]The allure of the past will test his love for his wife Claire as he must chose passion or infidelity, truth or lies. [return][return]The story is told in a multi-voice chapter format from each character s perspective providing depth and understanding. The author s honest look at love and death are [return]difficult and often depressing. However, there is enough drama to keep the reader interested and curious to the end. Recommendation: 3 stars.

[Julie Hedlund · Rating 3 out of 5]

Canvey Island is a good book about "ordinary" people living "normal" lives (in quotes because I don't believe there really is such a thing). This book reminds you that there is a story inside everyone's life. What makes it especially interesting is that while Martin (the boy who lost his mother in the flood at the beginning of the book) is the main character, the story is told from the perspective of several characters. This technique can often be distracting, so I was surprised to find that each character, even the women, had an authentic voice. As a woman, I admire a male writer who can write a believable female character, even if, as in this case, their motivations and histories are not explored as deeply as is the main character, Martin. [return][return]This is a simple, well-written story about the jumble of love, loss and home and how they blend together in the cocktail of life - often with interesting or unexpected results. I probably would have rated it higher if there had been a little more humor in the story. It felt a little one-sided in its portrayal of the "seriousness" of life without enough of the joy.

[Kath Middleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book begins with the true story of the flooding of Canvey Island in 1953 when dozen of lives were lost. Naturally, the consequences of this live on in the families affected and young Martin, who lost his mother, is one such. The interwoven lives of his father, Len, his Aunt Violet and Uncle George are scrutinised and are not what they appear on the surface. George has never recovered his mental health after the war. Martin is determined to study hydrology so as to prevent other such accidents occurring.

This story was beautifully told through ordinary lives put under the spotlight. I enjoy James Runcie’s written style and the fact that he delves into motivations. I began by disliking Violet yet grew, as she did, to appreciate her. I liked young Martin but found him a cold, difficult to like person as he grew older and his love-life became more complex. The weaving together of these stories was skilfully done. A very good read.

[Coleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I did think this book was fairly well written, it just didn't grab me. I was fine with the alternate points of view in each chapter, but somehow, even by the end of the book, I felt like I was someone just getting a very superficial view of a few inhabitants of a certain place, after a certain incident. I didn't feel like the story was pulled together enough & I didn't feel closure at the end, not to mention that none of the characters really appealed to me. By the last page, I was wondering what the real point of the story was & I felt depressed versus hopeful. Like I said, I didn't have a problem with the writing style, but the story itself just didn't really leave me with a good feeling.

[Rosemary · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather dismal novel that starts with a disaster on an island in the Thames estuary and jumps through different points in the main character's life as he falls in love, goes to Cambridge, marries, and is temporarily abandoned by his wife who joins the women's anti-nuclear protest camp at Greenham Common. It's a portrait of a generation but a very gloomy one.

Once Martin's mother was gone (which was very early) I didn't like any of the characters and I found the story bleak and depressing. They all seemed to mess up their lives and it was hard to care. But the author certainly paints a clear picture of changing times in England from the 1950s to the 1990s and it did keep me reading.

[Manda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A starkly beautiful meditation on the meaning of loss, Canvey Island threads together the lives of six different people and the ways they cope with love and grief. The introspective vignettes that make up the novel were incredibly well done and it added so much depth to the story to see the same thing through several different sets of eyes and how what each character knew and felt affected their interactions with each other.

[MacKenzie Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit, the first I'd heard of Canvey Island was from a British Sea Power song of the same name. But for those who are familiar with the 1953 flood that claimed the lives of 58 people, such history is barely a part of this charming novel. The thoughts of "what if" impact these five characters on many levels ... everyone faces those kinds of thoughts throughout their lives. Growing old and accepting that things do happen in life is difficult for all of us ...

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good, and a quick read. Told in the voices of the various characters--interesting but all the 'voices' were basically the same, so you need to check the chapter heading occasionally to see who's speaking. The story of Martin, whose mother is drowned in the 1953 flood that inundated Canvey Island (not far from London, in the Thames estuary). It follows him through his childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Not fabulous, but enjoyable.

[Pamela Darling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy reading Canvey Island, most especially because I recognised most of the places mentioned so was quite a nostalgic journey for me. I was impressed with James Runcie's ability to create the main character as if it was indeed himself that had gone through the trauma of the flood and seeing his mother drown in front of him. I was disappointed that towards the end of the book the story is quite weak and where I would have given four stars felt unable to do so for this reason.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book that had an interesting story very awkwardly told. Each chapter is told from a different person's point of view, making it very choppy and disruptive to read. It also made it really hard to connect with the characters because with each chapter, (all of which were extremely short), the book would give you one brief glimpse into each character's development. But it made it almost impossible to connect with any of them and left each of them feeling very superficial at best.

[Tuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

good novel of england in 50'-80's. kind of thin on the characters and plot but all the music, dancing, and importance of songs to peoples lives is very nice. also has the peace in a greenham(SP?) where 1000's of women camped out to try and stop the cruise missile installation. god, how did we ever get through the 80's?

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Post-war to the present Canvey Island, England is the setting of this lovely, relationship centered novel about a boy whose mother drowns in a flood and the everlasting impact this has upon him and his loved ones throughout his life.

[Femmy]

I read it to page 23, from BAMM Fiction Book Club. I like the sense of urgency created by the story being told from different characters' viewpoint in short sentences, as well as the gripping situation of the storm. But I'm not interested in the story itself, as described in the blurb.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martin looses his mother in a flood. His childhood is changed and he must deal with his life. His story involves relationships, family, trauma from the flood and WWII. Life and death are some of the issues he deals with.

I very much enjoyed this book and the way it was written.

[A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was alright. It wasn't the greatest book that I have ever read and at times I got a little annoyed with the characters. Also, at a few points it just did not seem realistic at all, but it was well written.

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the story of the flood and Martin losing his mother but then as it degenerated into the daily lives of the remaining characters I found myself less enchanted. I felt sad for most of the characters because it was so "mundane." I guess a just expected more.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to live 10 minutes from here!

[Wisteria Leigh]

2009-Winter,historical fiction,Canvey Island,flood,family relationships,marital relationships,ER

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A child loses his mother in a flood, and the story takes his life forward. Martin can be a frustrating character but I enjoyed this snapshot of English life.