Kit's Law

by Donna Morrissey

Book Overview

In this powerful novel from one of the most gifted storytellers to emerge from Canada since Carol Shields, we find "all the old-fashioned virtues: a vivid sense of place, an intricate and suspenseful plot, and a feisty heroine whom we can't help rooting for on every page" (Margot Livesey). Kit Pitman is fourteen and lives in a ramshackle cottage on the outer banks of Newfoundland, where isolation is all she knows. The only visitors are fogbound fishermen...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0618109277
• ISBN13: 9780618109272
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A wonderful story.

As a writer myself, I was enthralled with Donna's writing that draws in the reader with just the right amount of description and dialogue. She has a gift of saying things simply and powerfully. I carried this book around with me like a puppy. I thought about the characters as though they were people I knew. Kit is, like many Newfoundland women, not afraid to rock the boat, a spunky, funny character who says it as it is. I believe this book will withstand time, and be read again and again ten years from now. It has all the crucial human elements we experience. The ending (I won't give it away) is sad and wonderful at once. One of the must-reads. Must, must, must.

Well worth it...

I loved this book. Donna M took me right into the heart of 50's Newfoundland in a very authentic way. I have friends who are from this rugged, rocky place, and she describes the land, personalities and circumstances with a great deal of authenticity, respect and above all, creativity. The characters involved seemed so real to me that I felt I could head out there and meet them...and I wanted to. And our heroine Kit just had my heartstrings being pulled in all directions. I was almost cheering her on out loud...a very involving book. I can strongly recommend this book to just about anyone who is looking to be taken away to another time, place and culture for an unforgettable read. I myself will be giving this book to numerous family members as a gift this Christmas. I can't lose on this winner.

Kit's Law took me home

I recently completed Kit's Law, and, like many who have read the book, once I started I could not stop. I am a 23-year-old Newfoundlander living in Ottawa. I have always been very proud to be a Newfoundlander, and have always know that being a Newfoundlander meant that I was part of something special. I have always had a great appreciation and interest in the rich culture and heritage of my province. However, this interest deepened when I moved away from the province in June of 2000 after graduating from MUN. Ms. Morrisey's book helped to bring me back to the small outport I grew up in through the wonderful story of Kit's braveness, and the strong development of characters in the story who were comparable to those I remember from back home. I felt connected to Kit somehow, although I am not sure how exactly. Most likely it was through Ms. Morrisey's amazing writing style which made the book such a charming piece of work to read. I am anxiously awaiting Ms. Morrisey's next book. I recommend Kit's Law to anyone looking for an amazing and well-written story.

A Great Read, but ...

This is a great story, with many compelling characters and such a riveting storyline that you cannot put it down until you've finished it. Unfortunately however, if it had not come so highly recommneded I never would have made it throught he first 50 or so pages, which I found confusing, cluttered and dense reading. Once I got beyond that however, the novel seemed to settle down and focus -- and then I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next in the Hollow, or how Kit would come to terms with her mother, her "first love" or Doc, to name just a few. Tears will be shed if you stick with it! Also, I can't decide (and my wife and I are still discussing/disagreeing) on whether the last two pages of the novel should be torn out. They almost seem an "add on" or, unlike the rest of the story, not completed integrated with the complexities of Kit's life. Maybe I just LIKE to left wondering? In any event, make no mistake, this IS a GREAT read! With the passage of time, this became a 5 star book!

A gorgeous book of trials and triumph...

Donna Morrissey has earned my eye with this novel. Set in Atlantic Canada, we find ourselves walking alongside Kit, the heroine of the story, through her often difficult life.Raised mostly by her grandmother, with a mother who is developmentally delayed, Kit struggles hard in the small town world to remain independant and strong. When her grandmother dies, Kit's life becomes entangled with the local populace as she suddenly becomes parent to her mother and tries frantically to navigate the world of growing up, falling in love, and learning of her own confused past.An ultimately triumphant novel, Kit is an incredible character that earns sympathy and empathy alike. The vivid prose that Morrissey uses to describe the Canadian countryside is just phenomenal, and the characterizations of the townsfolk are so sharp they draw blood. I have re-read this book on many occassions, and still find something new within its pages, the true test of a really wonderful read.If you like Alice Hoffman, Joyce Carol Oates, or have ever read one of the Oprah's Choice books about a strong female character overcoming nearly impossible environments and life experiences, then this book is for you.