The tin flute,

I purchased this novel for the purpose of completing my B.A. Degree. This book was required in a course for french canadian literture. I have read it in both in english and french. The works of Gabrielle Roy has won three Orders of Canada prior to her death. This book was also considered for the Noble Prize in Lit. on several occasions. It is a powerful novel of the multiple forces that work against people of poor socio-economic status. It descrbes, in detail, the lives of a poor working class family in the industrialized St. Henri district of Montreal at the onset of WWII. Although the characters are fictional, the situation and circumstances of their lives are quite real. The novel has been defined as an example of the realist genre and personifies the era very well. The most interesting aspect of the novel is not the obvious elements of poverty like crime, lack of education and illness but the mental and emotional suffering of its victims. One may judge the actions of the characters harsely but this would be unfair. One must appreciate their situation and thereby feel compassion for them. It is a good story.

This novel vividly paints a portarit of wartime Montreal. Its stark reality about poverty and the social conditions of the city are brilliant and huanting. This is a must read for any student of Canadian culture, heritage, and literature. Roy rivals Henry James in her ability to present Florentine's story of love and lost innocence. In any language, this story is outstanding.

If only more books were written like this! The Tin Flute is the poignant story of a young girl growing up in poverty in the slums of Montreal. It is the 1940's, war is brooding. And we are introduced to a French Canadian family faced with unemployment, too many children, and despair. We suffer as the mother, pregnant again, searches on foot for affordable housing. Her daughter works at the five-and-dime and is inlove with a man who holds contempt for her class and social background. I have read this story three times. It is without a doubt, one the greatest books ever written of its genre. If you enjoyed "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" or "Angela's Ashes" you will no doubt love this story equally well. It is unforgettable.

Roy pronounced "Wa" in her native French, wrote her story about the Lacasse family, in the late 1940's. She writes with frankness and understanding of her characters' all too human vices and frailties, that I think that having read this book has made me a better person. My favorite Book!

This book was part of the Grade 12 curriclum at my high school in Timmins, Ontario, Canada. It was a well written book, giving up detail and insight into what life was like for a struggling family in the 1940's. My favorite character had to be Florentine. She was the most vivid and had the most compasion for others. If you ever want to read a book that has an interresting plot and great characters, then this is the book for you.