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The Diviners
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
28 posts | 26 read | 22 to read
The culmination and completion of Margaret Laurences celebrated Manawaka cycle, The Diviners is an epic novel. This is the powerful story of an independent woman who refuses to abandon her search for love. For Morag Gunn, growing up in a small Canadian prairie town is a toughening process putting distance between herself and a world that wanted no part of her. But in time, the aloneness that had once been forced upon her becomes a precious right relinquished only in her overwhelming need for love. Again and again, Morag is forced to test her strength against the world and finally achieves the life she had determined would be hers. The Diviners has been acclaimed by many critics as the outstanding achievement of Margaret Laurences writing career. In Morag Gunn, Laurence has created a figure whose experience emerges as that of all dispossessed people in search of their birthright, and one who survives as an inspirational symbol of courage and endurance. The Diviners received the Governor Generals Award for Fiction for 1974. From the Paperback edition.
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mcctrish
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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Today I went to Stratford to see a play based on Margaret Lawrence‘s The Diviners and it was wonderful ❤️❤️❤️ I have loved ML for a long time, I‘m so glad the smart creative people do too.

BiblioLitten 💙 It‘s a pretty town. 4mo
mcctrish Stratford is very pretty and the new theatre is so striking 4mo
dabbe Glad you're having a blast! 🤩🤩🤩 4mo
mcctrish @dabbe summer is good 🥰🥰 4mo
dabbe @mcctrish 🩵💙🩵 4mo
41 likes5 comments
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Lindy
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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In my July 20th episode: NYT Best Books; Persian cookery; Shakespeare under a tent; a Canadian feminist classic; literature about art; Canadian SSF; graphic nonfiction; two books about Puerto Ricans; etc

https://youtu.be/ZpcWmoUCc00

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 5mo
28 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
Currey
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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Pickpick

#readingtheamericas2023 #canada Wonderful character study of a young orphan who struggles to build a life for herself of her own design. The main character becomes a mother and a writer and the nature of storytelling in both these roles provides rich layers on top of her simple outer life, her deep inner life and her complicated loves. Plus she lives by a river that flows in two directions.

BarbaraBB Yes, such a gorgeous read. And I love the photo 😍 1y
Librarybelle Great review! 1y
batsy It's a fantastic book. And love this photo! 1y
24 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
BarbaraBB
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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Pickpick

I am so glad I finally picked up this one. The final #Manawake novel offers a fascinating dive into #Canadian history and introduces a bunch of fantastic characters. We all need a Christie, Jules, Ella and Pique in our lives and a Morag of course. Narrator of this great book and what a woman! She is tough and authentic and a real literary heroine if you ask me.

#Roll100 #192025 #1974 #Booked2023 #InMemoriam #1001books #ReadingTheAmericas 🇨🇦

Cinfhen Cool photo - glad the book delivered!! 2y
TrishB Interesting, not read this one but have read others by the author. 2y
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BarbaraBB @TrishB All her books are great I think! 2y
squirrelbrain Love the pic! I‘ve only read one by this author and I should really read more! 2y
batsy Great review! Your last sentence—I absolutely agree. Morag's a tough, prickly character and I first read this about 20 years ago and I've never forgotten her. 2y
vivastory Fantastic review. The read through of Laurence's books remains one of my favorite buddy reads. I loved seeing all of the connections from previous books in this one. 2y
LeahBergen Wonderful review! And just what @vivastory said: this was such a great series to read together. 🥰 2y
Librarybelle Great review! 2y
Leftcoastzen Love the photo , I need to read her ! But I say that about so many authors. 2y
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BarbaraBB
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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#WeeklyForecast 10/23

I don‘t have very high expectations of my reading time the upcoming week so I stick to these two in my forecast. I am having the Everett in progress and it‘s very good again.
I am looking forward to the tagged one, the final #Manawake book. Finally catching up!

Cinfhen Nice 😊 Happy Reading xxxxx 2y
TheKidUpstairs I read The Diviners WAY back in high school, and it blew me away. Hope you enjoy! 2y
merelybookish I hope you enjoy the Diviners! 💜 2y
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Liz_M Happy to be one of many pushing you to pick up The Diviners. 😁 2y
Suet624 Everett has so many books that I haven‘t read. 2y
BarbaraBB @Liz_M You definitely did! 2y
BarbaraBB @Suet624 There is a lot to choose indeed, from his backlist. This one is excellent again! 2y
batsy Looks like two great books. Haven't read the Everett but happy to hear you're enjoying it! 2y
70 likes8 comments
review
rabbitprincess
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
Pickpick

A low Pick because I felt there were too many sex scenes. (I prefer to let the characters do their thing in private. Shut the door and let me know when you‘re done!) I liked the storytelling devices of the mini-movies and the headings to indicate when someone else was recounting a story.

RaeLovesToRead I love it when people post reviews that say too many sex scenes 😅 Rae be like 👀 2y
rabbitprincess @RaeLovesToRead For me, sometimes one sex scene can be too many! 🤣 2y
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merelybookish
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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Another Canadian classic. Loved it when I read it in university and still loved it when I re-read it last year with fellow #manawakans. Laurence's bildungsroman about becoming an artist is a complex weaving together of the past and the present.
#alphabetgame #letterd @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks On my shelf!! 2y
LeahBergen 👏👏 2y
batsy I completely forgot about this. Great choice. 2y
vivastory Fantastic choice! 2y
33 likes1 stack add5 comments
review
batsy
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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Pickpick

I'm the slowest poke that ever poked for this group read but it felt like the book set the pace for me & I had to follow! I first read this as an undergrad in Winnipeg & appreciated it a lot, but reading it now made me understand just how ambitious & wide-ranging it is on the subjects of motherhood, writing, sexuality, & how narratives are constructed both for the individual & a society. Thanks #manawakans for this Laurence deep dive. I loved it.

merelybookish Beautifully said! This book is ambitious and so much of it feels contemporary like her representation of colonialism and her frank portrayal of women's sexuality. 3y
LeahBergen Ahh, lovely review. I‘ve often wondered why The Stone Angel has been required reading in some Canadian high schools; I know I wouldn‘t have appreciated her writing and ideas nearly as much then as I have now (coming to her first as an ‘older‘ woman 😆). 3y
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Suet624 Hahaha. The slowest poke that ever poked. 3y
BiblioLitten I love your review! Stacked! 3y
JennF13 I read this many years ago as a kid in high school, such a great read! 3y
batsy @Suet624 😆 3y
batsy @BiblioLitten I think you'll enjoy making your way through the whole Manawakan sequence! I joined the group a bit later so missed The Stone Angel which I hope to read early next year 😊 3y
batsy @JennF13 It's so rich and layered! 3y
batsy @merelybookish @LeahBergen Thank you, both! Reading and Romeo and Juliet with the Shakespeare group recently convinced me that most high school / early uni reading should be revisited in our later (wiser) years 😁 3y
JennF13 @batsy It‘s beautifully written, easy to read but with a complicated story too. The kind of book you think about long after you read the last page. 3y
78 likes3 stack adds11 comments
review
LeahBergen
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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Pickpick

And we‘ve finished the Manawakan Cycle. ?

Thank you, #Manawakans, for finally inspiring me to read them all and what a moving conclusion to this deftly interwoven series! I loved the central notion that Morag‘s story is also the story of Canada in so many ways, especially the complicated relationships between the British settlers and the Métis of the prairie provinces.

Just brilliant.

LeahBergen Didn‘t you love how the series came full circle with Hagar‘s son, John Shipley, being the one who swapped the knife with Lazarus?? Gah! @vivastory @merelybookish @batsy 3y
vivastory Yes! That was so well done. Another parallel I noticed was the stone angel in the cemetery in book 1 & the unmarked pine crosses in the hills in book 5. 3y
merelybookish Lovely review! I hadnt made the connection to it as Canada's story, but of course, you're right. I did feel the treatment of Metis was more sensitive than I might have expected from a book written in 1970ish. She truly is one of Canada's greats! 🇨🇦❤️ And that is a lovely stack of books! 3y
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merelybookish Ooh good one @vivastory! 3y
vivastory I agree with @merelybookish I definitely want to replace my copies with some that are more aesthetically pleasing like yours. 3y
LeahBergen @vivastory Oh, good point about the crosses. 👌 3y
LeahBergen @merelybookish I was surprised at the sensitivity of it, as well, especially the whole “interracial” 🙄 aspect of the story. 3y
LeahBergen @merelybookish @vivastory I should, as a “collector” 😉 hunt down the Canadian first editions but most of them have pretty awful covers. I‘ve also thought I should buy The Stone Angel to match the rest of these but I have a fondness for this copy in the photo (I read it in Manitoba one summer 😁). 3y
vivastory I have seen that edition of Stone Angel at used bookstores & have been tempted. My copy of Stone Angel isn't too bad, but the rest of the series especially the final 2 don't have the greatest covers 3y
LeahBergen @vivastory I must admit to kind of wanting a first of The Stone Angel … preferably signed. 😆 3y
BarbaraBB This really is Canada‘s story and she‘s a fantastic writer. I will read the final one soon! 3y
LeahBergen @BarbaraBB I think you‘ll like it as much as the others, whenever you get to it! 😘 3y
Cathythoughts Great review ❤️ 3y
batsy Lovely review ❤️ I like that it's also a story of Canada, as you say. I'm still not done because for some reason it's just been one of those week (or weeks 😂) but I hope to soon and then to get to Stone Angel soon after. 3y
LeahBergen @batsy This one took me a while to read, too, even though I heartily enjoyed it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 3y
BiblioLitten I want to read these books 💕 3y
70 likes1 stack add17 comments
review
merelybookish
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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Pickpick

This book meant a lot to me when I first read it and now it means more & means differently. In my 20s, it was Morag's development as a writer that stirred me. Now it's her search for ancestors.
Like @vivastory, my thoughts are all over the place, but I do feel like Christie Logan, diviner of the Nuisance Grounds, might be one of the most memorable characters in Canadian fiction!
Thank you #manawakans! I've loved re-reading Laurence with you!

merelybookish Photo is of my library copy. Someone wrote out the last paragraph and taped it in the back. 🤔 3y
vivastory Wonderful review! I hope to post mine in the next few days. I couldn't agree more re: Christie. He's the Canadian Falstaff. As memorable & as tragic. And Laurence gives him some of the best lines. 3y
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merelybookish @vivastory Not sure this so much a review as a gush-gush. 3y
Cathythoughts Great review… I find too books seem to bring different meanings at different times in life .. 👍🏻 3y
batsy Lovely review. This book kinda blew my mind when I read it as a wannabe writer undergrad in Winnipeg! I'm still halfway through now but like you mentioned there are deeper aspects that resonate this time. 3y
BarbaraBB Lovely review. I haven‘t started this one yet. But I will. The #manawakans definitely made me very happy to discover Laurence 🤍 3y
LeahBergen Great review! I‘m almost at the halfway point and loving the journey. 😊 3y
merelybookish @Cathythoughts Thanks Cathy! Yes, the main character is my age and so her feelings hit very differently now! 3y
merelybookish @batsy So many things made this book feel poignant ina new way. I also live beside a river now and watch it all the time like Morag. 3y
merelybookish @BarbaraBB When you get to it, we will all be happy to discuss it some more with you. 💚 3y
merelybookish @LeahBergen Yes! I found I read this one slower. And that was okay! 3y
BarbaraBB Thank you Margot 🤍🤍 3y
59 likes13 comments
blurb
merelybookish
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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And even a reference to Hagar's son John! Remember he trades a family heirloom for cigarettes?
#manawakans @LeahBergen @BarbaraBB @vivastory @batsy

LeahBergen Ohhhh! 😮 3y
batsy I need to get to Stone Angel (next)! 3y
46 likes2 comments
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LeahBergen
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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Look at this, #Manawakans

Morag‘s first day of grade one and we already know a couple of her other classmates. 😁

merelybookish Yes! She's scattering all the Manawaka characters in this one. I think her neighbor Vernon is the one who becomes Thor in The Fire-Dwellers. 3y
LeahBergen @merelybookish Oh, good catch! The “drip”. 🤣 3y
LeahBergen @merelybookish And there‘s that early house call by Dr. MacLeod, too. 3y
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merelybookish @LeahBergen I missed that initially. But it comes up again later. 3y
batsy Yep! It's exciting to meet old friends on the page 😄 3y
LeahBergen @batsy It is! 😄 3y
vivastory @merelybookish Good catch on Vernon! @LeahBergen The bowl haircut 💈🤣 3y
LeahBergen @vivastory That poor little drip. 😆 3y
52 likes8 comments
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merelybookish
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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Starting the final book in the Manawaka series. #manawakans

vivastory I haven't seen this cover. I haven't started yet, I I hope to start it tomorrow night. 3y
merelybookish @vivastory It's a library book, so probably old. 🙂 3y
LeahBergen That looks like the Canadian first edition. 😊 3y
batsy @LeahBergen @merelybookish Was gonna say that's a very cool edition! 3y
59 likes4 comments
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batsy
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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Thanks for the tag @erzascarletbookgasm !

1. Tagged book. One of those books that got under my skin and stayed there.
2. Shyam Selvadurai
3. Poutine! Now I want some and I can't have it 😭

#HappyCanadaDay and thanks for the opportunity @KVanRead ! Wanna give it a go @Billypar ?

Slajaunie Happy Canada Day! 🇨🇦 4y
KVanRead Thanks for playing. Loved the Diviners. I‘m planning on The Stone Angel for #readCanada 4y
rabbitprincess @KVanRead I‘m glad to hear you loved The Diviners! I read The Stone Angel this year and liked it, although somewhat heavy subject matter (especially relevant these days, I thought). 4y
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KVanRead @rabbitprincess good to know thanks - it‘s been on my shelf forever so I figure it‘s time 😊 4y
LeahBergen Yes! I loved 4y
batsy @KVanRead The Stone Angel is on my TBR 🙂 4y
batsy @LeahBergen Such a good book ❤️ 4y
58 likes7 comments
review
JenniferP
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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Pickpick

I loved this book about a woman trying to escape her small town upbringing while growing to realize how much it shaped her. Highly recommended. #1001books

BarbaraBB Thanks, I‘ll take note! It‘s always such pleasure if anyone discovers another gem on the list! 5y
14 likes1 comment
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brittanyreads
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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"A mother dreamed of her dead daughter and woke, she could swear, to the chilling sound of 'Mama, I'm home.' A Klansman who'd left his meeting in the woods to piss by an old tree jumped suddenly, as if he'd felt hanging feet dragging across his shoulders."

STOP. IT. RIGHT. NOW. ?
I am so glad my view is a cheery one on my morning walk because this book is turning into a creepfest!

ripley_reads YIKES! 6y
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TheKidUpstairs
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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#HumpDayPost @DebbieGrillo (and @MinDea we miss you!!!)

1. I found out I'm having a baby girl!
2. The Bell Jar or The Eyre Affair
3. #WeTheNorth
4. Margaret Laurence's The Diviners

tournevis Congratulations! 6y
wanderinglynn Congrats! 🎉 6y
Bookwormjillk Congratulations!! 6y
See All 14 Comments
LeahBergen Yayyy! Congratulations! 💕💕 6y
OrangeMooseReads Congratulations! 🎊🎉🎈 6y
Nessavamusic Congrats!🎊 6y
Nute Congratulations! 6y
DebbieGrillo Congratulations 💗 6y
Theaelizabet Congratulations! ❤️ 6y
tammysue Congrats!! 💕 6y
JanuarieTimewalker13 Congratulations! 6y
Laughterhp Congrats! 💚💚 6y
Bookzombie Congratulations!! 6y
mrp27 Congrats! 6y
55 likes14 comments
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JenniferP
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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This is my holiday book haul - including a new kindle paper white. Excited to get to these in 2019!

Liz_M Oooh, I want to hear what you think of Proust Squid. After my year of finishing ISoLT, I collected a handful of Proust-themed books, none of which I have read. 😁 6y
12 likes1 comment
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brittanyreads
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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I started this and loved it, but haven‘t finished. I need to! 💟
#blackcatchallenge #purple @Clwojick

57 likes1 stack add
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TheKidUpstairs
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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Book: The Diviners by Margaret Laurence
Author: Emma Donoghue
Movie/TV Show: D2: The Mighty Ducks
Food: Dark Chocolate

#ManicMonday @JoScho

BookishMe I hope to read more from Donoghue. Astray is on my list after enjoying Wonder. The Room seems intense for me with the trigger theme ;)) 6y
JoScho Thanks for playing 💖 6y
71 likes2 comments
review
ErikasMindfulShelf
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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Pickpick

Please excuse the ugly sticker. #freakyfriday book #5.
I liked this book as I was reading it, but I wasn‘t eager to get back to it and read if that makes sense. It took me a long time to finish.

monalyisha @irre that makes total sense! I feel like that often. 7y
emilyhaldi I'm offended that someone would put a sticker that big on the cover of a book 🙄 7y
ErikasMindfulShelf @emilyhaldi Me too. Tried taking it off but it would ruin the book 😩 7y
54 likes3 comments
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EvieBee
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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Today‘s #bookmail ! I only need two more books to complete Margaret Laurence‘s Manawaka cycle! I want them ALL!

#bookhaul

rubyslippersreads 😍📚😍 7y
LeahBergen 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 7y
ephemeralwaltz 😍😍 7y
91 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
Read66
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
Pickpick

So happy to have finally read this classic of Canlit. Margaret Laurence (at least in the books of hers that I have read) was wonderful at creating strong, independent women.

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TheKidUpstairs
The Diviners | Margaret Laurence
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My #bookbag is any bag I happen to be carrying - you can bet there's always a book in there! This is my favourite bookish tote. Chapters-Indigo made these years ago, with Canadian literary, musical, and intellectual celebrities all over it. #love #marchintoreading
@RealLifeReading

RealLifeReading What a great bag! 8y
45 likes1 comment