Synopsis/Review (Credit: Maxine Hong Kingston)

In the Skin of a Lion is a poem to workers and lovers. Their labours change them; their skin comes off, and they put on new skin, becoming someone else. "I used to be a searcher. I can work dynamite." As they love, and lose their loves, and love again, their lives (and the shape of the novel) explode into fantastic directions. And yet Michael Ondaatje keeps a promise that he makes in the middle of the novel, "The first sentence of every novel should be: 'Trust me, this will take time but there is order here, very faint, very human.' "

The exquisite, violent scenes of disguise, recognition, new guises are the miraculous events that form the lives of heroes and heroines whom we feel for and think about long after we finish reading.

(Bought second-hand at the CAFDA Charity Bookshop, Warwick Street, Claremont.)

What a wonderful, contagious web of storytelling! The quote from Maxine Hong Kingston used in the previous journal entry says it all. I read the book in one day, and it left me in awe of the author's prowess.

The book is on its way to ukcanaus in Australia, as return RABCK. I hope you will enjoy the book as much as I did.

I posted it this morning, opting for surface mail. Quite often a registered package like this gets lucky and is included with items dispatched by airmail. Only time will tell.

International tracking number: RJ021122407ZA
http://tracking.postoffice.co.za
http://www.track-trace.com/post

This arrived on Friday, but could only be collected yesterday from the post office.

Thanks so much for sending this to me, Stoepbrak - I haven't read Michael Ondaatje for a while so am looking forward to this.

I initially wanted to read this book as I’m a fan of Ondaatje’s work (my favourite is Running in the Family) and its setting in Toronto. I finished it this morning and am still thinking about it! I found it somewhat disjointed in that parts were evocative but others just too arty or cold and distant for my taste. I also began to question where it was all headed and how he would draw the characters together (the only character that intrigued me, and sadly this was only towards the end, was Hana). But I did enjoy reading about the obviously well-researched and detailed descriptions of early 20th century Toronto. I wish I had read this before I had visited there years ago!

Thanks again Stoepbrak for sending this to me. Have offered it as a bookray today: http://www.bookcrossing.com/forum/20/492325/

Updated - April 29: No interest in a bookray for this, so will send it as a RABCK soon.

Sent as a birthday RABCK to a wonderful BC friend. Hope you enjoy it!

Thank you for this lovely surprise!! It looks interesting. It will be my first read as I have never read anything by Michael Ontdaatje, (..... have always wanted to but never got around to it). Will let you know how it goes.