I loved this novel. It’s set in a small town close-knit community of 1970s Canada and told from three characters’ perspectives- Clara (about eight years old) Liam (divorced, new to town, slightly mysterious) and Elizabeth (on her death bed, looking back on her life). I guess I have to say not a lot happens, but I still loved it; the writing style, the setting, the peripheral characters. Elizabeth was my least favourite narrator, but still an important and interesting narrator who brought together past and present. I thought Clara’s perspective as a child was cleverly written and pulled on the heart strings. I wanted to find out more about what Liam would do next. I didn’t want the novel to end, always the sign of a good book. This was the first Mary Lawson novel I’ve read- I’ll be looking up the others!

A Town Called Solace is set in 1972, in Northern Ontario. Young Clara's sister Rose is missing and she keeps vigil beside the window every day, waiting for her return, breaking her duties only to attend school and feed her neighbour's cat. When recent divorcee Liam Kane moves in next door, Clara is confused and angry, but gradually things start to change. Mary Lawson's writing reminded me a little of Anne Tyler's in that she is able to make the ordinary seem incredibly interesting. I found the book gripping, charming and funny and would recommend it highly.

I first came across Mary Lawson when Crow Lake was a choice for our Book Club. Having enjoyed that I requested A Town called Solace from NetGalley.
I found this a very readable book that I couldn't put down. Not the gripping thriller sort of book, but one that just made me want to keep reading.
I found the portrayal of Clara very good, you really felt for her, although she was a somewhat odd child.
The ending of the book was well done, so often books end and you are left thinking, what.....

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in return for an honest review.

A beautifully told story set in an isolated rural town in Northern Ontario in 1972. TThe stories of three connected people coalesce in Solace - Elizabeth, at the end of her life with a desire to make amends for something that happened a long time ago; Liam who comes to Solace as a newly divorced man to see the house he has inherited from someone he barely knows; and, next door, eight year old Clara, whose distraught parents are barely there for her because her teenage sister has run away from home. Mary Lawson's story quietly draws the threads together into a gripping yet moving whole.

A small town with a close-knit community lives up to its name in this delightful novel, where the local police officer is known by his first name, the librarian sells home-made ice cream and the younger residents may try to leave, but feel the pull of home. A little girl finds her world falls apart when her beloved sister goes missing, a man quits his job when his marriage crumbles and he comes for a break to the old house he unexpectedly inherits, and an elderly widow lies in hospital remembering the catastrophic event which changed her life and tries to make amends. The connections between these three unfold in a story of grief, forgiveness and new beginnings. The author is recommended by Anne Tyler, one of my favourite writers, and it is easy to see why; Lawson, like Tyler, creates wonderful, believable characters, and tells their stories with tenderness and sympathy. A lovely read, full of warmth and hope.

So lovely to read another book by this wonderful author. I was engaged from the start and read it over 2 nights. Wonderful sense of place as always with Mary Lawson's writing. Gentle, yet gripping, perfect for our lockdown reading.

I found this started well in small town Canada 1972. Clara is at home looking out of the window waiting for her sister Rose to come back. A stranger arrives at the next door house where Clara has been feeding the cat while the neighbour was in hospital. Nothing dramatic but nicely set up and it got my interest.

In fact this really is a story that focusses on just three main characters. Clara who feeds the neighbour's cat, waits for her sister's return and puzzles over the newcomer. Liam who is the newcomer - why is he here. Elizabeth the cat owner from next door. What are the links between these three and who else do they have in their lives? The story reveals the past and tells of the present quite steadily. Long kept secrets emerge too. There are truths, lies and loves in this moving and powerful story about families and lives.

I found each of the main characters interesting and convincing in their own way. I sometimes get some way through a book and wonder "who is this person?" - that never happened in this book. While you could argue that with only 3 characters that is not surprising that would not be fair to the rest of the cast here. There are the people in the town, those who are in the past and those that we never really meet but who are part of this story. Even Moses - just the cat - has his part to play and is well written. Almost all of them have stayed with me and - like the town, Solace - are quite clear in my mind.

The more I read of this the easier I found it to keep reading rather than to put it down. Does anything much happen during the course of this story? Well I guess you need to define "much" and in some senses things do happen and secrets are revealed. This story is emotional sometimes and warm with humanity and humour at others. At times this is a "gentle" book but equally the truth can be hard to bear. What I did find it was enormously satisfying and it has a beauty in the story telling. Before I even finished it I had bought an earlier book of Mary Lawson's and I certainly want to read more by this author. I think this is one of those stories that will stay with me for quite some time.

This is a really gentle read. A small cast of characters who live in a small town in the north of canada. Clara, a young girl, is inconsolable after her teenage sister runs away from home. She is extremely close to her elderly next door neighbour and regularly feeds her cat. When Mrs Orchard, the neighbour, is taken in to hospital Clara continues to feed Moses until suddenly a strange man moves into the house. The man, Liam, has links to Mrs Orchard, but no one really knows why. There follows an uncovering of secrets, as a young girl unable to express her pain over her sisters disappearance to her family or friends, seeks solace in strangers..... in a town called Solace.
Well written, very engaging, and very readable. I liked a lot.

I so enjoyed all of Mary Lawson’s earlier books that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one, after what seems like years waiting. The thing that I remember most clearly from my experience of her previous work is how well she writes children. This novel is no exception - Clara is just wonderful in her imperfect understanding of a complicated time in her family’s lives, not least since everyone is trying to protect her from harsh truths. I loved every moment spent in her company.

I confess I was a little disappointed that the other joy I remember from ML’s writing - the landscape of northern Ontario, its lakes and forests, small towns and backwaters - didn’t come across quite so strongly as I’d have liked. Small town life, for sure, a little bit, and plenty of domestic drama but the characters didn’t engage me all that much, except for Clara of course. An enjoyable, undemanding read that will appeal to all those, like me, who yearned to be taken back to life in the north. I’d just hoped to be immersed deeper in it.

A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson is about a girl whose sister has gone missing and about a man who inherits the house next door. There were some parts I enjoyed but generally it was a bit too twee and cliched for my personal taste.