The Ladies' Lending Library: A Novel

“A deeply thoughtful, beautifully written novel.” — Washington Post Book World

A portrait of women caught between countries, cultures, and aspirations—a bittersweet tale, set in the 1960s, of mothers, daughters, friends, and lovers during one unforgettable summer

August, 1963: the year of the sensational release of Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, showcasing a passion too grand to be contained on the movie screen. The women of the Kalyna Beach cottage community, part of a group of first-generation Ukrainian Canadians, gather for gin and gossip, trading the current racy bestsellers among themselves as they seek a brief escape from the predictable rhythms of children and chores.

But dramatic change is coming this summer as innocence falters and the desire for change reaches a boiling point, threatening to disrupt the warm, sweet, heady days and the lives of parents and children, family and friends, forever.

It is August of 1963, the year of the Taylor/Burton film epic Cleopatra, showcasing a passion too grand to be contained on the movie screen. The women of the Kalyna Beach cottage community gather for gin and gossip, trading the current racy bestsellers among themselves as they seek a brief escape from the predictable rhythms of children and chores. But dramatic change is coming this summer as innocence falters and the desire for change reaches a boiling point, threatening to disrupt the warm, sweet, heady days and the lives of parents and children, family and friends, forever.

“A masterful rendering of a group of women in crisis…. A penetrating tableau of a community brought to life.” - National Post (Canada)

“A delight . . . Voices that are instantly believable, desires that are familiar and values that are shifting under the sands of summer. . . I was mesmerized by The Ladies’ Lending Library.” - Owen Sound Sun Times (Ontario)