-
eBook Edition
- 978-1-4602-5854-5
- epub, mobi, pdf files
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Paperback Edition
- 978-1-4602-5853-8
- 6 x 9 inches
- Black & White interior
- 384 pages
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Hardcover Edition
- 978-1-4602-5852-1
- 6 x 9 inches
- Black & White interior
- 384 pages
- Keywords
- Canadians in WW II,
- Wartime Romance,
- Italian Campaign,
- War Trauma,
- Canadian History,
- Historical Fiction,
- Queer Fiction
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A Wake For The Dreamland
by
Laurel Deedrick-Mayne
Friends William, Robert, and Annie are on the cusp of adulthood while the world is on the brink of war. It is a Canadian summer in 1939 and Robert and Annie’s love has blossomed, even as the inevitability of the boys joining up means separation and the first of many losses. Fearing he might not return, Robert makes William promise to take care of Annie. Every arena of their lives is infiltrated by the war, from the home front to the underground of queer London to the bloody battlefields of Italy. Even in the aftermath, in the shadow of The Dreamland, these friends fight their own inner battles: to have faith in their right to love and be loved, to honour their promises and ultimately find their way “home.” A Wake for the Dreamland was on the Edmonton Journal Bestseller List for 35 weeks before winning the Alberta Readers’ Choice Award.
“Laurel Deedrick-Mayne recreates, with astonishing depth and nuance, a part of our war history that hasn't been written about nearly enough. For that alone, this book is a must-read: and yet there is so much more, too, to enthral us in A Wake for the Dreamland. Here is a novel which takes us from the big-sky beauty of Alberta to the shimmering hills of Italy, from the energetic buzz of young Edmonton to the swinging step of wartime London to the dark heart of war itself. And it takes, us, as well, deep into a shattered mind, into broken hearts, into the shame and rapture of lust — and the joy of love. Accomplishing all this in one novel is an extraordinary feat; this is an extraordinary book. By turns hilarious, harrowing, and heartbreaking, it will dig deep into your heart and never let you go.” Melanie Little, author of The Apprentice’s Masterpiece and Confidence
Laurel Deedrick-Mayne was born and raised in Lacombe, Alberta but has spent her adult life as a city dweller and now makes Edmonton her home. Once an arts administrator (dance publicist, concert promoter and ad copywriter) Laurel has become a juggler: raising a family, managing her private massage therapy practice, serving on multiple arts boards ... and writing. This book is a tribute to the generation of her parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles who took the time to hang on to family letters, clippings, stories, and poetry — all those treasures that inspired this story. A Wake For The Dreamland is Laurel’s first novel.
Contributors
- Author
- Laurel Deedrick-Mayne
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