The Legacy

Sheila Martindale is poetry editor of Canadian Author and Bookman and
author of No Greater Love, her sixth collection of poetry.

The Ferny family is prosperous and bigoted. Husband Georges controls it by tyrannical manipulation. His wife Jeanne hates him and what he stands for but is afraid to oppose him. Son Bruno quietly follows his father’s wishes. Son Robert earns his father’s contempt by having an artistic temperament. Into this family comes Catherine, Bruno’s fiancee. The story, however, revolves around the love that develops between Catherine and Robert.

David Lobdell, who translated Martin’s previous novel Best Man (Oberon Press) has done a similarly fine job on The Legacy. Novels which rely heavily on thoughts and feelings rather than on action run the risk of losing the reader’s interest; but Claire Martin’s prose is elegant and thought-provoking throughout — a real literary treat.