Background
Shields, Carol Ann was born on June 2, 1935 in Oak Park, Illinois, United States. Came to Canada, 1957, naturalized, 1974. Daughter of Robert Elmer and Inez Adelle (Sellgren) Warner.
( Two novels in one, Happenstance tells the story of a ma...)
Two novels in one, Happenstance tells the story of a marriage from the individual perspectives of a husband and wife at a turning point in their relationship When we meet Brenda Bowman in “The Wife’s Story,” the forty-year-old mother of two is preparing to fly to Philadelphia to attend a craft convention that will feature one of her quilts. She already has the flight memorized: leaving Chicago at 8:35, arriving at Philadelphia at 1:33. This will be her first trip solo, her first time away from her husband, Jack, in their decades-long marriage. She’s nervous, excited . . . and tempted when she meets an intriguing stranger. “The Husband’s Story” introduces Jack Bowman, a historian who is left at home with his troubled son and overweight daughter while his wife, Brenda, attends a craft convention. Not used to coping on his own, he’s suddenly confronted with domestic calamities, including the disintegration of his best friend’s marriage. And when he learns that an old flame has published a book on the same topic that Jack has been laboring on for years, Jack’s self-doubt reaches crisis proportions. Happenstance is an intimate portrait of a marriage in transition. “History,” to Jack, is “not the story itself. It’s the end of the story.”
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1480459828/?tag=2022091-20
(The idea for Dropped Threads: What We Aren't Told came up...)
The idea for Dropped Threads: What We Aren't Told came up between Carol Shields and longtime friend Marjorie Anderson over lunch. It appeared that after decades of feminism, the “women's network” still wasn't able to prevent women being caught off-guard by life. There remained subjects women just didn't talk about, or felt they couldn't talk about. Holes existed in the fabric of women's discourse, and they needed examining. They asked thirty-four women to write about moments in life that had taken them by surprise or experiences that received too little discussion, and then they compiled these pieces into a book. It became an instant number one bestseller, a book clubs' favourite and a runaway success. Dropped Threads, says Anderson, "tapped into a powerful need to share personal stories about life's defining moments of surprise and silence." Readers recognized themselves in these honest and intimate stories; there was something universal in these deeply personal accounts. Other stories and suggestions poured in. Dropped Threads would clearly be an ongoing project. Like the first volume, Dropped Threads 2 features stories by well-known novelists and journalists such as Jane Urquhart, Susan Swan and Shelagh Rogers, but also many excellent new writers including teachers, mothers, a civil servant, a therapist. This triumphant follow-up received a starred first review in Quill and Quire magazine, which called it “compassionate and unflinching.” The book deals with such difficult topics as loss, depression, disease, widowhood, violence, and coming to terms with death. Several stories address some of the darker sides of motherhood: - A mother describes how, while sleep-deprived and in a miserable marriage, she is shocked to find infanticide crossing her mind. - Another woman recounts a memory of her alcoholic mother demanding the children prove their loyalty in a terrifying way. - A woman desperate for children refers to the bleak truth as: "Another Christmas of feeling barren." Narrating the fertility treatment she undergoes, the hopes dashed, she is amusing in retrospect and yet brutally honest. While they deal with loss and trauma, the pieces show the path to some kind of acceptance, showing the authors’ determination to learn from pain and pass on the wisdom gained. The volume also covers the rewards of learning to be a parent, choosing to remain single, or fitting in as a lesbian parent. It explores how women feel when something is missing in a friendship, how they experience discrimination, relationship challenges, and other emotions less easily defined but just as close to the bone: - Alison Wearing in “My Life as a Shadow” subtly describes allowing her personality to be subsumed by her boyfriend's. - Pamela Mala Sinha tells how, after suffering a brutal attack, she felt self-hatred and a longing for retribution. - Dana McNairn talks of her uncomfortable marriage to a man from a different social background: "I wanted to fit in with this strange, wondrous family who never raised their voices, never swore and never threw things at one another." Humour, a confiding tone, and beautiful writing elevate and enliven even the darkest stories. Details bring scenes vividly to life, so we feel we are in the room with Barbara Defago when the doctor tells her she has breast cancer, coolly dividing her life into a 'before and after.' Lucid, reflective and poignant, Dropped Threads 2 is for anyone interested in women's true stories.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679312064/?tag=2022091-20
("This is simply a stunning novel, polished to perfection ...)
"This is simply a stunning novel, polished to perfection but never labored. . . . My recommendation is to buy this now and to indulge yourself by enjoying what is in fact a modern classic." -- Literary Review "Small Ceremonies is a fine novel, lucid, and written with great assurance."-- The Guardian The superb first novel from the author of The Stone Diaries, winner of the Governor General's Award, a National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Judith Gill is a well-respected biographer who desperately wants to write fiction. When she joins her academic husband on sabbatical in Birmingham, she finds on the shelves of their rented flat the notes of a failed novelist. With considerable guilt, Judith decides to plagiarize one of the ideas and brings it home to Canada to work on. Frustrated by the creative process but determined to be more imaginative, Judith attends writing classes and later discovers that her tutor, suffering from writer's block, has ripped off 'her' idea. Once again, Shields focuses her sharp gaze on the small ceremonies of life in this novel of rare intelligence and wit. - Back cover of the 1995 Vintage Canada publication "A deft and tightly woven book, and proof, if such were needed, that the apparently sudden brilliance of The Stone Diaries was not sudden at all. . . . That this early novel of Shields' should prove a delight is not surprising, but her prose is constantly so in its supple inventiveness and perfect, enlightening simplicity."-- The Times (London) "...an achievement, a novel of ideas that also moves us." -- Observer (London) "Superb bitchiness" -- Financial Post "Witty and intelligent" -- Macleans
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1857023587/?tag=2022091-20
( Winner of the Marian Engel Award: Passion, longing, reg...)
Winner of the Marian Engel Award: Passion, longing, regret, and transformation infuse these twelve tales by one of our most “shrewd and skillful” storytellers (Chicago Tribune) “Milk Bread Beer Ice” is a road trip shared by a husband and wife who no longer communicate through meaningful dialogue. Fifty-year-old “Hazel” is forced to enter an alien workplace after the sudden death of her husband. In “Today Is the Day,” the village women gather together for their annual ritual of planting blisterlilies. And “Family Secrets” travels to DeKalb, Illinois, and the First World War, as the narrator searches for a missing year in her mother’s life . . . and unearths a surprising connection to Ernest Hemingway. From a group of musicians who discover they share more than classical “Chemistry” to an unhappily married couple who may get a second chance, this remarkable collection, like the ageless orange fish of the title story, is filled with the wonder and magic of everyday life.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1480459852/?tag=2022091-20
( The story of a woman dancing on the edge of a difficult...)
The story of a woman dancing on the edge of a difficult life Ever since her husband left her—seemingly vanishing into thin air—Charleen Forrest has supported herself and her fifteen-year-old son on what she earns as an obscure poet and part-time gofer for an even more obscure scientific journal. But when her estranged mother remarries, prompting an unplanned reunion, Charleen finds herself moving out of her familiar existence. A dazzling counterpoint to Shields’s debut novel, Small Ceremonies, imbued with her scathing wit and dead-on observations, The Box Garden is an unforgettable portrait of a woman who finds transformation—and happiness—where she least expects it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/148045981X/?tag=2022091-20
( The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Stone Diaries ...)
The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Stone Diaries gives us a love story for the ages: the tale of two polar opposites on a rocky road to romance He’s a thrice-divorced late-night talk-show host. She’s an unmarried folklorist obsessed with mermaids. He lives for the present. She lives in the past. Both are leery of commitment. Neither has ever known lasting love. But when Tom Avery and Fay McLeod meet, it’s love—or at least lust—at first sight. And then fate starts to throw them curveballs. Shifting between Tom and Fay’s stories—from their complicated histories through their present-day angst—The Republic of Love features delightful secondary characters in the lovers’ friends and families, including Fay’s seemingly happily married parents and her beloved godmother, Onion. As Tom and Fay forge bravely ahead into a romantic minefield, they make startling discoveries about each other and themselves. With her trademark wit and irony, and a deep compassion for her hero and heroine, Carol Shields gives us a celebration of love in all its guises.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1480459860/?tag=2022091-20
( The small miracles of our day-to-day lives are on capti...)
The small miracles of our day-to-day lives are on captivating display in this unforgettable collection by Pulitzer Prize winner Carol Shields Various Miracles brings together twenty-one short stories, modern parables that illuminate the mysteries of everyday existence. In the title story, four strangers on a bus are all reading the same book. In “Fragility,” Ivy’s husband reflects on their marriage, the death of their young son, Christopher, and the plane ride that will deliver them to a new life. From “The Metaphor Is Dead – Pass It On” to “Home” to “Others”—in which a couple’s act of generosity is repaid in annual Christmas cards with no return address—this collection is by turns witty, inventive, and moving. Whether portraying a violinist yearning to break free of overprotective parents or an elderly widow mowing her lawn to the thunderous timpani of memory, Carol Shields depicts the struggles of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. It’s a world where magic coexists with reality, and where leaps of faith and acts of kindness create their own miracles.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1480459836/?tag=2022091-20
(The idea for Dropped Threads: What We Aren't Told came up...)
The idea for Dropped Threads: What We Aren't Told came up between Carol Shields and longtime friend Marjorie Anderson over lunch. It appeared that after decades of feminism, the "women's network" still wasn't able to prevent women being caught off-guard by life. There remained subjects women just didn't talk about, or felt they couldn't talk about. Holes existed in the fabric of women's discourse, and they needed examining. They asked thirty-four women to write about moments in life that had taken them by surprise or experiences that received too little discussion, and then they compiled these pieces into a book. It became an instant number one bestseller, a book clubs' favourite and a runaway success. Dropped Threads, says Anderson, "tapped into a powerful need to share personal stories about life's defining moments of surprise and silence." Readers recognized themselves in these honest and intimate stories; there was something universal in these deeply personal accounts. Other stories and suggestions poured in. Dropped Threads would clearly be an ongoing project. Like the first volume, Dropped Threads 2""features stories by well-known novelists and journalists such as Jane Urquhart, Susan Swan and Shelagh Rogers, but also many excellent new writers including teachers, mothers, a civil servant, a therapist. This triumphant follow-up received a starred first review in "Quill and Quire "magazine, which called it "compassionate and unflinching." The book deals with such difficult topics as loss, depression, disease, widowhood, violence, and coming to terms with death. Several stories address some of the darker sides of motherhood: - A mother describes how, while sleep-deprived and in a miserable marriage, she is shocked to find infanticide crossing her mind. - Another woman recounts a memory of her alcoholic mother demanding the children prove their loyalty in a terrifying way. - A woman desperate for children refers to the bleak truth as: "Another Christmas of feelin
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009XPVHVO/?tag=2022091-20
( The story of a woman dancing on the edge of a difficult...)
The story of a woman dancing on the edge of a difficult life. Ever since her husband left her - seemingly vanishing into thin air - Charleen Forrest has supported herself and her 15-year-old son on what she earns as an obscure poet and part-time gofer for an even more obscure scientific journal. But when her estranged mother remarries, prompting an unplanned reunion, Charleen finds herself moving out of her familiar existence. A dazzling counterpoint to Shields' debut novel, Small Ceremonies, imbued with her scathing wit and dead-on observations, The Box Garden is an unforgettable portrait of a woman who finds transformation - and happiness - where she least expects it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R508MV2/?tag=2022091-20
( What is the matter with me, I wonder. Why am I always t...)
What is the matter with me, I wonder. Why am I always the one who watches? Judith Gill lives with her husband, son, and daughter in a nice house in the suburbs of Ontario. She has carved out a niche as a respected biographer. Her universe is shaped and bounded by the lives around her, from her family to the subjects of her books. She finds herself in the background of her life, but she hungers to tell stories of her own. In this witty, nuanced novel about art, life, love, and fiction, Carol Shields reveals Judith to readers and to herself—a woman with bold emotions, powerful instincts, and a knack for observing the small ceremonies that give our lives meaning.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1480459569/?tag=2022091-20
(These companion novels -- by turns touching, compassionat...)
These companion novels -- by turns touching, compassionate and humorous -- tell the stories of Jack and Brenda Bowman. In all the years of their marriage they have hardly ever been apart. In THE WIFE'S STORY, Brenda, now forty years old, and who has been surprised to discover a source of creative energy, is about to spend a week away from their home in a Chicago suburb to attend a craft convention in Philadelphia. It is her first trip alone. Removed from her familiar environment, all the gathering emotions that have unsettled her life over the last few years are focussed and bring her to a crisis. Brenda is vulnerable in a strange city. She is also ready to grasp whatever experiences come her way. In THE HUSBAND'S STORY, back in Chicago, Jack faces his own crisis. It is the first time he has been left to cope on his own. He is immobilised by self-doubt, beginning to question his worth and the value of his work as a historian. Suddenly, in that one week, his world falls apart. He has to deal with an attempted suicide, a marital breakdown and, not least, their two difficult children. In the process, he manages to work out his feelings and to learn something about himself. —amazon.co.uk "A perfect little gem of a novel."—The Toronto Star
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140179518/?tag=2022091-20
Shields, Carol Ann was born on June 2, 1935 in Oak Park, Illinois, United States. Came to Canada, 1957, naturalized, 1974. Daughter of Robert Elmer and Inez Adelle (Sellgren) Warner.
Bachelor, Hanover College, 1957. Master of Arts, University Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 1975. Degree (honorary), University Ottawa, 1995.
Degree (honorary), Hanover College, 1996. Degree (honorary), Queen's University, 1996. Degree (honorary), University Winnipeg, 1996.
Degree (honorary), University British Columbia, 1996. Degree (honorary), University Western Ontario, 1997. Degree (honorary), University Toronto, 1998.
Degree (honorary), Concordia University, 1998. Degree (honorary), Carleton University, 2000. Degree (honorary), Wilfrid Laurier University, 2000.
Degree (honorary), University Victoria, 2001. Degree (honorary), Lakehead University, 2001. Degree (honorary), University Calgary, 2001.
Degree (honorary), University Manitoba, 2003. Degree (honorary), Malaspina University College, 2003.
Editorial assistant Canada Slavonic Papers, Ottawa, 1972-1974. Lecturer University Ottawa, 1976-1977, U.B.C., Vancouver, Canada, 1978-1980. Professor University Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, 1980-2000, professor emerita, 2000—2003.
Chancellor University Winnipeg, 1996-2000. Chancellor emerita, 2000—2003.
( Two novels in one, Happenstance tells the story of a ma...)
( Winner of the Marian Engel Award: Passion, longing, reg...)
( The story of a woman dancing on the edge of a difficult...)
( The small miracles of our day-to-day lives are on capti...)
( The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Stone Diaries ...)
(The idea for Dropped Threads: What We Aren't Told came up...)
(The idea for Dropped Threads: What We Aren't Told came up...)
(These companion novels -- by turns touching, compassionat...)
("This is simply a stunning novel, polished to perfection ...)
( The story of a woman dancing on the edge of a difficult...)
(the orange fish by carol shields, 1989, 199 pages...paper...)
( What is the matter with me, I wonder. Why am I always t...)
(Book by Shields, Carol)
Member Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists and Novelists association, Writers Union Canada, Writers Guild Manitoba, Jane Austen Society, Royal Society Canada, North America Canada Council Board Quaker.
Married Donald Hugh Shields, July 20, 1957. Children: John, Anne, Catherine, Margaret, Sara.