“ Far Creek Road" by Lesley Krueger is a captivating novel that explores the complexities of suburban life in 1961 Vancouver. Through the eyes of the tenacious and witty protagonist, Mary Alice (Tink) Parker, readers are drawn into a world where the veneer of security and prosperity is shattered by underlying conflicts and secrets. Krueger skillfully weaves a tale that starts innocently but takes a darker turn as McCarthy-era paranoia grips the neighborhood. Tink's friendship with Norman, whose parents are targeted due to their leftist beliefs, adds depth to the narrative as she navigates the challenges of loyalty and standing up against bullies. The novel's exploration of loyalty, friendship, and the impact of secrets on individuals and communities makes it a compelling read that lingers in the mind long after the final page

Thanks to Ms Krueger, the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent - a page-turner that is perceptive, insightful, expertly-paced and very moving. Set in a Vancouver suburb in the 1960s it is narrated by that tricky thing to bring off – a child narrator. Mary Alice, or Tink, is a sassy and observant nine year old whose voice is cleverly and convincingly maintained throughout. She watches and absorbs and tries to make sense of the adult world around her. Initially the novel feels like a gentle and funny portrait of a community seen through a child’s eyes but gradually it all becomes darker and more threatening as we move into the Cold War, the Cuban Missile crisis and the McCarthy era. The deceptively gentle start turns into a devastating end. Politics, prejudice, intolerance – they’re all here and it’s not long before Tink’s childhood innocence is destroyed for ever. A great read.

I was swept away by this story of childhood, friendship, prejudice and the. Cold War. I felt as though I knew the characters.


“In this moment I knew I would die. Not that I would die soon…, although that could happen. It was the solid certainty that I would die one day like everybody else. I’d always been afraid that my parents would die and leave me alone. But now I knew for a fact that I would go too, and I felt riven. Our minister…and the hope of heaven turned as insubstantial as echoes. I was unsubstantial, here on Earth so fleetingly, and I vibrated with horror.”

Far Creek road by Leslie Krueger is a look into life in the 50s according to a 10-year-old girl named Tank she has a best friend named Norman a mom named Bunny in a busy house and family that she constantly compares to the outside world especially her best friend Norman whose family is unconventional his mom even has the audacity to work. This was so much fun to read in a book I definitely enjoyed I would be remiss if I didn’t give it the five stars it definitely deserves. I have read other books by Leslie Krueger and she is the author that I can always depend on for a good story. I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc copy

It was interesting to read about this time period and how people in Canada experienced the Cuban missile crisis. I felt that this was really something different from the plethora of world war one and world war two novels. I am entirely burned out on war fiction presently and was a bit concerned that this book would be white noise for me. This was not the case, luckily. I immediately liked the protagonist and the innocence she brings to the book. Her lack of understanding is used as a way to educate the reader about what the world was like during this time for those that did not experience it. I liked that there was originality in the specific events that happened in the area where the protagonist was growing up. It really added to the authenticity. I was not extremely blown away by this book as I felt it was lacking in grasping the nuances and sensation of this period in time. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

I think for me what drew me was the time period. I love the 50's and 60's.
I guess because my mom grew up in those days.
A lot of historical happenings that I'm sure she'd remember if she were still here.
I used to imagine myself living in those days. When tv first came out along with other things.
This was so interesting that I finished it in one evening. Did I lose sleep? Yes, I did because I truly enjoyed Tink's story. Tink is a remarkable character. I liked her immediately.
I really loved that it was told from her POV. My favorite thing in a book.
No one truly knows what actually goes on inside a family home. Could be good could be bad.
The many secrets and events are what kept me glued to the book.
I also remember Walter Cronkite and the rest of the story. Of course he was older then but still my favorite TV reporter.
I highly recommend this book. Lots of wonderful things are happening here.
Please don't pass up this excellent read! Yes it does start slow but it's worth it
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Four stars for the ending. The first 3/4 of the book did drag for me. In my opinion, a few chapters could have been eliminated as it seemed the same information was in each of them. It did become monotonous. The book is from the perspective of an adult looking back at her childhood memories so I did keep that in mind. It is an excellent book regarding what it was like growing up with the threat of nuclear war. The book took place in Canada, but a lot of the cultural references were in the US. The US/Russia aspect made sense in that context but some of the other references seemed out of place for me. The ending did pick up and showed the consequences of mob mentalities. That is definitely relevant to today as well. I did enjoy the book but it could have been shorter.

A very good read with characters you just have to love. Shades of To Kill a Mockingbird I suppose but more timely at least for anyone who remembers the 1960’s. The author described well how some world events whilst not fully understood by children still can have a big impact.
I’ve got to say this genre of book is my favourite so it had a lot to live up to and it did. I would honestly say a solid four and a half out of five but as no half marks available I’m not churlish enough to mark it down.

Far Creek Road by Lesley Krueger is a very highly recommended domestic drama set in the early 1960's where a young girl faces adult problems. An excellent literary novel!

Mary Alice (Tink) Parker lives in Grouse Valley, a Vancouver suburb. Her father, like many fathers, is a WWII veteran and her mother, like almost all other mothers, is a housewife. Tink is nine (and ten) years-old in the novel and her life full of playing outside, reading comics, and attending school. Tink's brother and sister are much older than her, so she is basically an only child. Her best friend is Norman Horton whose family just moved to the neighborhood. Both of his parents are teachers and the Hortons are different. A working mother is unusual enough, but they are also intellectuals and hold strong left beliefs during the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The narrative foreshadows the coming fear surrounding the threat of a nuclear attack but there are also other things going on in the neighborhood that Tink doesn't understand. Krueger establishes the setting and the innocence of the time which contrast sharply with the changes and adult problems that come later in the novel. Tink is a wonderful, unforgettable, fully realized character. Kruger does an excellent job capturing her innocence, as well as her fear and uncertainty of the events around her that she has no control over.

The time period, at least from a child's point-of-view, is carefully crafted and presented in a realistic way. Duck and cover drills were especially terrifying as some locations practiced these well into the late 60's. With Far Creek Road, Krueger has captured a time in history of unrest and fear and the effects this had on a young girl and her friend. The narrative covers more than the political and international atmosphere of the times. It also clearly shows bullying, abuse, infidelity, and the inevitability of some people's unwillingness to think for themselves when it is easier to go along to get along. In some ways Far Creek Road is reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of ECW Press via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, BookBub, Edelweiss, X, and Amazon.

A thoughtful 8 year old Tink makes for an interesting read. It's 1961 and life in the Vancouver suburbs seems fine on the surface but there's a lot underneath, And then the Cuban missile crisis brings it to the forefront. This is a deceptively simple tale that those of us who grew up in the 60s will most appreciate. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

Far Creek Road by Lesley Krueger is an enticing story of childhood in the early 60s, on its surface. Tink (Mary Alice) is eight years old, a little younger in the beginning and we see the world around her through her eyes. It is a confusing world, full of ghosts and threats. Things don’t get really ugly for her until the Cuban Missile Crisis and the talk of nuclear war. The bomb drills at school got more often, and everyone was looking for someone to blame. As usual, the bullies came out in force. For Norman and Tink it was a time filled with hate, sadly for Norman and his family. The finger of communism was pointed at them and before too long the mob mentality took over. It was a lot of eight-years olds, both literally and figuratively.

Krueger wrote these characters masterfully, imbuing each of them with well-rounded personalities, especially Tink and her family. The Hortons, who lived just down the street, were kind people, both teachers, but we saw them treat others with respect. The Manners’ men, grandfather, father, and son were all bullies and in the end didn’t seem to pay much of a price for their misdeeds. It was a frightening time and Krueger was able to get that across in words, more than simply the drills, but in the whole atmosphere of the piece. It was an excellent story, explaining the time better than any history lesson even could. Well done!

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Far Creek Road by ECW Press, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #ECWPress #LesleyKrueger #FarCreekRoad

This is a delicious book. That's a funny way to describe a book that isn't a cookbook, but it is what comes to mind. It just so perfectly encapsulates the time period and the way that families were. It's slightly before my time as I was just six years old in 1962 but the nostalgia value is immense.
A wonderful story about friendship and children who are strong enough to be different, but who harbor their own fears from that which they don't fully understand. The sense of place is so strong that I felt as if I lived on the block with Tink and Norman--two characters who are awfully hard to let go of when you finish reading this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I loved every sentence.

For me this was a tough book to read. I felt like I was trudging through the book just to get it read. The story is narrated by an 8 year old girl who maybe knew too much about bomb warning sirens and The Cold War. I had a hard time connecting with her or really any of the characters. I believe a lot of research went into this book and I think the author did a great job describing the fear in the people. This story also covers the time period when anyone and anybody could be accused of being a communist and lose their livelihood. I think maybe this book should be listed as YA historical fiction. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

“The Hortons are intellectuals, Tink,” my father said. “They’re readers. Thinkers. Fish out of water, at least around here. They’re not bad people. They’re just different.”

It's a shame that there will be days when avid book readers or new visitors who desire to get back into reading may pass or swipe by this compelling story set in the 1960s on the North Shore of Vancouver, BC, Canada. Neither the cover nor the title reveal too much. So, it is up to myself and other reviewers to get the word out.

Our main protagonist is Mary Alice( Tink) Parker, a ten-year-old girl who is just trying to figure it all out. When she befriends the newly arrived, Norman Horton, it isn't long before her suburban paradise is rocked by fear of communists, missiles, and people who are different. Far Creek Road brings readers back to a time we might have forgotten but still seems relatively similar to the world we live in today.

What I loved about this story:
-Mary Alice as our protagonist. I don't think I could have handled any of the adults in this story.
-The friendship between Mary Alice and Norman.
-This book is a book club selection of promising proportions. So much to unpack and discuss. There will be a wide variety of opinions on all of this cast of characters
-I loved the author's personal connection to so many aspects of this story.
- So much is made of the United States, the Soviet Union, and the Cold War that we sometimes forget that the "Red Scare" was just as prevalent here in Canada.
- One of the most devasting epilogues I have ever read. I understand why the author couldn't give me what I most desired BUT my heart still ached.

“You can never know what goes on inside families, nickens. Not from outside.

Don't miss this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

#FarCreekRoad #NetGalley
Expected Publication Date 24/10/23
Goodreads Review 10/09/23

A historical fiction novel that is times a gentile story, but other times a deep emotional read. I think I prefer more suspense and modern time novels, but I recommend to readers who want to return to another era and follow a great character named Tink.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC!

I found this story captivating, although it was set slightly earlier than when I grew up, I can remember the Cold war concerns, the increased suspicion and hatred of anyone different, hatred based on.. fear of the unknown, I can vaguely even remember "duck and cover" drills at school, and the white hot almost paralyzing fear of the "threat" of nuclear war and of communism (overblown as they seem in retrospect).

I just loved the main character, and her father, and their delicate yet firm strength as they stood by their friends and families , and what they knew was right (essentially not turning their backs on loved ones due to fear-mongering or idle gossip).

A lovely story with lessons that are told with a deft humor and with care. I missed the characters in this book the moment I read the last page - that is a wonderful attestation to an author's storytelling ability, and this author weaves her words into a blanket of warmth and comfort that you will not soon wish to leave. I am going to search for more by this author as soon as I press Send on this review!

Until next time, dear readers, pick up a copy of this book, if you were a child of the 60s or the 70s you will be immediately transported to times treasured in your memories...

In Far Creek Road, Lesley Krueger paints a beautiful suburban gothic landscape, shown through the eyes of precocious nine-year-old Mary Alice "Tink" Parker. Suddenly thrust out of the oblivious security of her youth, Tink is left to navigate a confusing new world of gendered societal expectations and international missile crises.

Using Cold-War era suburban Vancouver as a backdrop, Krueger tells a heartbreaking story of childhood innocence, friendship, and rebellion in the face of political paranoia.

Thank you to ECW Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel!

I spent a pleasant few hours in the company of Tink, who is the star of this book.
Her outlook on life, and the neighbours was a pleasure to read.
Her relationship with Norman was a lovely thing too.
The first half of the book felt like a gentle stroll through the village.
Some heavier subjects later in the story, but still an enjoyable read.