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That Tune Clutches My Heart by Paul Hendrick

June 13th, 2009 by monnibo

that-tune-clutches-my-heart“On the eve of her first day of senior high, May Sutherland’s mother gives her a diary in which to record her experiences. It’s 1948 and the entire student body at Magee High in Vancouver is divided according to their preference for Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra. After losing her two best friends overnight, May struggles between her disdain for the debate and her loneliness as one of only a handful of neutrals.”

It was really neat to read a novel placed here in Vancouver in a high school that I considered attending. This short novel was a quick and enjoyable read. The voice of May felt very authentic and it was well-written. Being a big fan of Frank Sinatra, it was really interesting to read about the history of the Crosby/Sinatra debate among teens in 1948.

Sometimes the direction of the novel felt questionable, and although the debate between Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra remained central, nothing was particularly resolved. I do think that the format of a diary is hard to write — on one hand you risk over-informing the reader, and on the other, it’s difficult to move forward quickly.

I would definitely recommend That Tune Clutches My Heart, by Vancouverite Paul Headrick. It was also shortlisted for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and received 2nd prize for Prose Fiction for the Alciun Society’s Awards for Excellence in Book Design.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, June 13th, 2009 at 9:49 pm and is filed under Books, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 responses about “That Tune Clutches My Heart by Paul Hendrick”

  1. darcy said:
    June 14th, 2009 at 12:22 am

    I really enjoyyour book reviews.hugs Darcy

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  2. Chan said:
    June 14th, 2009 at 6:15 am

    Hmmm… Sounds interesting, but I know I don’t enjoy diary-style books. (I’d written dairy first, and I really do enjoy all things dairy, so that was silly.)

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  3. nat @ book, line, and sinker said:
    June 14th, 2009 at 12:36 pm

    i love diary-style novels but can’t imagine a high school divided by sinatra or crosby! (i’m a jersey girl, so there is no question who i favor! ha!)

    i haven’t read much fiction set in vancouver…maybe it’s high time for me to check this novel out! thanks for the review.

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  4. Julia said:
    June 16th, 2009 at 12:10 pm

    How cool! A novel set right here in Vancouver. It sounds good too. :)

    [Reply]

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