“In Simonds’s gripping tale of two bush women,
one contemporary, one pioneer, a wonderful third force is
revealed — the euphonic, ubiquitous world of trees,
herbs, wildflowers — one with the power to cure, give
refuge, and mysteriously map the human psyche. A wondrous
book, with no false notes.”
— Claudia Casper
“A mesmerizing novel of parallel lives lived on the
edge of wilderness. Simonds’s language masterfully evokes
the natural world, and her story is a moving testament to
the healing power of that world.”
— Esta Spalding
"Seductive, compelling, The Holding takes us
on a haunting journey into the wilds of both the land and
the heart. Merilyn Simonds's cystalline prose is exquisitely
crafted — spare, evocative, wise. I was swept away.
— Sandra Gulland
Quotes from Canadian reviews of The
Holding:
"A dense and complex novel . . . as engrossing as the
most intensely crafted psychological drama . . . compelling,
hypnotic."
—Aritha van Herk, Globe and Mail
"Beautiful and unsettling . . . one woman calling to
another across the years. An extremely sensuous book, a lush
book, not to be read in a hurry."
—Audrey Thomas, National Post
"Weaving shocking revelations and raw emotions at an
assured pace, Simonds tells a haunting tale of life in the
wilderness."
— Calgary Herald
"Soars and pulses with life . . . harshly beautiful,
The Holding offers both a fascinating plot and an
extraordinary sense of place."
— Vancouver Sun
"[A novel] with a fresh psychological twist and
a poetic sensibility . . . its descriptive passages are breathtaking
in their delicacy."
—Quill & Quire
"Complex, sometimes tragic, and deeply moving, The
Holding will draw you in and hold onto you, long after
you put it down."
— Herald Weekend Edition
"Evocative, haunting, seductive. Simonds writes beautifully,
imbuing the landscapes she describes with luxurious detail.
. . .”
— Books in Canada
“Eloquent and haunting . . .”
— Toronto Sun
“A first novel full of poetic imagery and keen observation.
. . . Simonds’s poetic touch is delicate yet sure, her
prose well matched to the emotional and physical landscapes
she has conjured up from the country’s past. . . .”
— London Free Press
“Highly accomplished. . . . Beautifully executed and
researched. . . .”
— Montreal Gazette
“Her precise descriptions of the landscape and its
inhabitants . . . create an authentic physical reality against
which the inner lives of the characters are revealed.”
— Toronto Star
Interviews & Profiles
"This time, Merilyn Simonds chooses to tell stories
as a novel," by Sarah Crosbie, Kingston Whig-Standard,
March 29, 2004.
"A Woman Walks Alone in the Woods," by Paul Gessel,
Ottawa Citizen,April 8, 2004.
"What we remember and what we've lost," by Susan
Walker, Toronto Star, May 9, 2004.
Quotes from U.S. reviews of The
Holding:
"Simonds is a careful, evocative writer, able to tease
out colors from an overcast sky, to find depth in shadows."
— Sue Halpren, New York Times (Selected as
an Editor's Choice)
“Simonds concocts a portentous mix in this atmospherioc
novel . . . Dreamy, savagely romantic.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“Lyrical in its depiction of the merciless Canadian
landscape, Simonds's deeply emotive psychological drama is
a spellbinding, ethereal portrait of women pushed beyond their
breaking points.”
— Booklist
"... a wonder of a book"
— Historical Novels Review
