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OLDERTHAN RAVENS

L. Douglas Reimer

Winnipeg, Turnstone Press, 1989. 180pp, paper, $10.95
ISBN 0-S8801-137-7. CIP


Grades 11 and up/Ages 16 and up
Reviewed by Mollie Hooper.

Volume 18 Number 2
1990 March


Older Than Ravens is Douglas Refiner's first book - a worthwhile addition to the growing body of con­temporary Mennonite writing. Set in a small Manitoba town, a number of the sixteen stories evolve around Peter, the hero or leader of the teenage gang going through the agonies of growing up. Many of the stories are further compli­cated by the strictures of a Mennonite community.

Because of his compelling and witty style and his eye for unusual detail, his characters come to life vividly for us. We can spot each one in a situation familiar from our own teenage years. He tells things as they are but tells them with humour and compassion.

To heighten the interest, endings are left to the reader. By this time our interest is so aroused that our imagina­tions take over. Any telling of them would be anticlimactic.

An attractive cover, good paper, easily read print all add to this very readable book.


Mollie Hooper, Qualicum Beach, B.C.
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