WHY I READ THIS BOOKFowler is best known as the author of "The Jane Austen Book Club." Based on that book, I had dismissed the author as a chick lit writer and never so much as glanced at her other work.Several months ago, there was an ongoing online discussion about why female authors were rarely nominated for a certain sci-fi book award. (Unfortunately, I didn't bookmark any of the articles, and now I can't find them.) As a result of that discussion, some well-known authors posted lists of what they considered underappreciated sci-fi books by female authors, and "Sarah Canary" was on one of those lists.Fowler wrote sci-fi? Really? Yup. In fact, she began her writing career publishing sci-fi short stories. (Artificial Things, 1986) My understanding, though, is that she doesn't write hard sci-fi with spaceships and robots and such. Wikipedia defines her style as "eccentric tales of implausible history." I guess it's more like science fantasy.MY THOUGHTS ABOUT "SARAH CANARY"Oh. my. goodness. Wow.And to think I might have missed this book based on a false assumption about the author."Sarah Canary" completely captivated me. It is very well-written in every way, from grammatical styling to story structure. And it has so many different angles - a fantastical journey that is a metaphor or a fable; examination of cultural differences and feminism; legends and history.As soon as I finished it, I wanted to read it again. There is so much going on in this book that I could read it over and over to analyze it and dissect it.I wish I could say something incredible to convince you to read this, but I really can't find the words except to say this: "Sarah Canary" is a treasure and I highly recommend it.
I enjoyed this quirky and unusual book. (I read it because I loved Fowler's later book, We Are All Totally Beside Ourselves.)Though Sarah Canary is the character the book is named for, we see her but don't really learn much about her (and based on the author's notes at the end, that is deliberate: "...what you perceive has more to do with who you are than what you're looking at. Everyone in the book has a different explanation for who Sarah Canary is, based on who they need her to be or wish her to be.") Fowler says she based the plot on The Wizard of Oz, though I'd say the correspondence is pretty loose. Taking place in the late 1800s on the US west coast (Washington state and San Francisco), the story features three main characters - all outsiders on the fringe of society: two men (a Chinese immigrant and a white addict/asylum escapee) and a white suffragist who lectures on sexual freedom for women - as (respectively) the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Lion. (Sarah is Dorothy - though a much more enigmatic character than Dorothy, in my opinion.) One sentence I liked - early on in the book - one male character, groping to understand the issue of female equality, asks: "are women part of the man God created nature for, or are they part of the nature God created for man?" Anyway, an enjoyable read, totally unpredictable. Fowler says "I try above all to write books I think would be fun to read."
What do You think about Sarah Canary (2004)?
First off, do not read the introduction in the masterworks edition if you're not familiar with the story, as was my case. It reveals a lot of what will and will not happen.Otherwise, I did not like this book. Until perhaps a few chapters toward the end none of the characters were really engaging. There is a lot of racism, sexism and ableism that is probably meant to show us how far we have and haven't come but I found it infuriating and depressing more than thought-provoking or whatever it was supposed to convey. The story isn't the kind of story I like or find satisfying.I'm sure I simply missed the point of most of everything. I didn't understand any of the poems and couldn't always link the historical mini-chapters back to the story. Maybe people who likes fantastical/lightly-alternate history novels will fare better.
—Julie
Sarah Canary is less a person than a projection, a receptacle for the fanatsies of others. This may be the usual lot for the stereotypical beauty but Sarah Canary is not lovely, nor does she exhibit many signs of intelligence or sympathy for others. Indeed, she is impressively lacking in social skills, and her behavior is peculiar and unsettling.Mute and possessed of an exsaperating attempt to elude her would be saviors, nevertheless, the effect she has on other's, when they can't ignore her, is electrifying and transformative.KJF keeps readers on their toes with the tar baby escapades, nick of time rescues and unexpected twists in the plot. A reader can be forgiven for assuming that eventually we will be given the backstory, the origens of the enigmatic Ms. C.That is not the point of this book, which turns around the usual heroic conventions. Sarah Canary may be a magnet for the destiny of others, but she has none of the heroines sense of mastery,a deeply passive tendency of allowing her self to be led. The real heroes of the book are are the secondary characters, who are lovingly detailed in all their quirky strengths and doubts.The writing is racy and supple and the book is a delightful romp. Without resorting to the didactic, never judgemental or moralizing, KJF has managed to thouroughly indite the old west frontier that we are so fond of romanticizing.
—Magdelanye
Now this book will rattle any feminist. Told from a historical standpoint of about 1873 it is full of antecedents about the treatment and psychological and physical characteristics of women. I have a feeling a lot of it is meant as black satire however it leaves an unsettling feeling in the pit of your stomach remembering how far women have come. Having finished it now, definitely satire, and if taken in a different light quite funny too. I really enjoyed her opening couple of pages to each chapter that highlighted a current news event for the time period.
—Leah
