Tales of the Town of Widows: and Chronicles from the Land of Men
by Canon, James
What if there were no men? What if one day they just all disappeared? On November 15, 1992 in the small Colombian village of Mariquita that is exactly what happened. Guerilla forces raided the village forcing all of the men to join their cause and massacring those who refused. The women of Mariquita were left widows isolated from the world. What would happen to the town with no men? Who would father the generations to come? In Canon’s debut novel he tackles the issues of a strictly feminine society, while educating readers about the political climate and struggles of Columbia as a nation. An entertaining view on the role of women in society and insight into the time old question “Do we really need men to survive?â€.
- reviewed by Courtney, Independence Regional, PLCMC
What if there were no men? What if one day they just all disappeared? On November 15, 1992 in the small Colombian village of Mariquita that is exactly what happened. Guerilla forces raided the village forcing all of the men to join their cause and massacring those who refused. The women of Mariquita were left widows isolated from the world. What would happen to the town with no men? Who would father the generations to come? In Canon’s debut novel he tackles the issues of a strictly feminine society, while educating readers about the political climate and struggles of Columbia as a nation. An entertaining view on the role of women in society and insight into the time old question “Do we really need men to survive?â€.
- reviewed by Courtney, Independence Regional, PLCMC
January 25th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
Tales from the town of widows is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. As a woman, I can totally identify with all the issues Mr. Canon tackles in his novel. In fact, I’m surprised that a man is able to describe our feelings and emotions with so much accuracy. Canon shows love for his characters, aging them tenderly, without forgetting for a second that they’re humans and have faults. The style of the novel is both lyrical and humorous, and the author’s decision of having the men’s chronicles in between the tales was very smart. Mr. Canon’s vision of the future, a society built on ttraditional female values like harmony, respect, justice and cooperation, deserves the highest praise and support.