The landing : a novel

John Ibbitson’s compelling novel tells the story of a talented young violin player who yearns to escape his rural home and discover his calling. Children's Literature Ben Mercer's future is as predictable as the cycle of seasons on the remote Canadian farm where he lives: he will grow up and take over the day-to-day operations of Cook's Landing where rich vacationers come to get supplies and boat repairs. He hates giving up his dream of playing the violin, but sees no way out, as there is no one else to take care of his widowed mother and bitter uncle. When a wealthy American woman—heir to her late husband's publishing fortune—buys the island across from Cook's Landing, Ben receives more than a well-paying job fixing up Ruth Chapman's neglected cottage; he gets a peek into an entirely different world, one of fancy dinner parties, famous writers, and loads of luxuries. The more Ruth teaches Ben about music, the more desperate to avoid a life of poverty at the Landing he becomes. Sadly, as Ben's heartache grows, Ruth becomes increasingly remote, until she leaves the island altogether, shattering Ben's vision of escape. A quietly emotional tale about an artist on the outside looking in, this novel by one of Canada's most well-known writers and journalists recreates Muskoka, an area north of Toronto, in 1934. While generally well written and beautifully vivid in its descriptions, the author relies on deus ex machina to bring about a resolution to Ben's seemingly insurmountable problem. Themes of loss, family discord, and frustrated ambitions will resonate with readers, who will cheer for Ben in his moments of glory and yearn for his freedom. Reviewer: Keri Collins Lewis

John Ibbitson’s compelling novel tells the story of a talented young violin player who yearns to escape his rural home and discover his calling.

VOYA

Fifteen year-old Ben lives a hardscrabble life during the Great Depression with his mother and uncle on a remote island in Canada. His only respite from the backbreaking work of survival is his violin. Ben has something of a genius for music, practicing on his own in their tool shed. When a sophisticated widow, Ruth Chapman from New York, rents one of the nearby cottages for the summer, she hires Ben to do house repairs. She even has him play his violin at a dinner party, where he charms the guests with his lively fiddle tunes. Could Ruth, with her big life and multitude of friends, provide the golden opportunity for Ben to escape his lonely island? With lovely prose, Ibbitson brings to life the rugged beauty and the devastating poverty of the Lake Muskoka region. His characters are as strong and remote as their surroundings. Ben's Uncle Henry barely stops working (or complaining) for a minute of each busy day, despite the pain of an injured leg. When Ruth Chapman breezes into their lives, wearing trousers and smoking like a fiend, she seems a different species. Ben's attraction to the freedom she represents, as well as his deep love for the natural surroundings of his home, create a tension that speaks to all young people on the verge of leaving their nests. It is a quiet, thoughtful story that might require a little pushing to find receptive readers. Nevertheless it rings so true that readers will savor every page. Reviewer: Diane Colson

Will Ben ever escape the Landing? The hardscrabble farm on the shores of Lake Muskoka can't generate a living, so Ben's Uncle Henry sells goods and gas to cottagers from the dock known as Cooks Landing. It had never been much of a living and since the Depression hit, it's even less. Ben's thinking a lot these days, and it's making him miserable. He's thinking about how unfair it is that his uncle only cares about work. He's thinking about what he really wants to do: play the violin. These days, he's lucky to snatch the odd bit of practice between chores, playing to the chickens in the henhouse. A new job fixing up the grand old cottage on nearby Pine Island seems at first to be just one more thing to keep Ben away from his violin. After he meets the island's owner, Ben changes his mind. Ruth Chapman is a cultured and wealthy woman from New York who introduces Ben to an unfamiliar, liberating world. After Ben plays violin for Ruth and her admiring friends, it only makes him more desperate to flee. Then, during a stormy night on Lake Muskoka, everything changes. Ben thinks he will always be stuck at Cook's Landing, barely making ends meet like his uncle. But when he meets a wealthy widow from New York City, he sees himself there too. When she hires him to play his violin, he realizes his gift could unlock the possibilities of the world. Then, during a stormy night on Lake Muskoka, everything changes Ben thinks he will always be stuck at Cook's Landing, barely making ends meet like his uncle. But when he meets a wealthy widow from New York City, he sees himself there too. When she hires him to play his violin, he realizes his gift could unokc the possibilities of the world. Then, during a stormy night on Lake Muskoka, everything changes