Irma Voth

Miriam Toews

Book cover for Irma Voth
Image for variant 9781639734801
Book cover for Irma Voth
Image for variant 9781639734801

Irma Voth

Irma Voth

Miriam Toews

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Description

"Thenicely drawn contrast between what Irma knows and suspects and what the readerunderstands about her world gives Irma Voth asuspenseful charge from the first pages." --Jane Smiley, Globe and Mail (Toronto)

Ina rare coming-of-age novel that blends dark truths with upliftingtransformations, acclaimed author Miriam Toewsdelivers the story of a young Mennonite woman, vulnerable yet wise beyond heryears, who carries the burden of a terrible family secret with her during aremarkable journey of survival and redemption. Irma Voth, from the award-winning author of Swing Low and A Complicated Kindness, is a poignant and elegant exploration of one woman's difficult odyssey todiscover her own potential--a path that leads her away from her close-knitcommunity and into the wide and unknown world beyond.

About the Author

Miriam Toews is the author of the bestselling novels Women Talking, Fight Night, All My Puny Sorrows, Summer of My Amazing Luck, A Boy of Good Breeding, A Complicated Kindness, The Flying Troutmans, and the nonfiction works Swing Low and A Truce That Is Not Peace. She is the winner of the Governor General's Award for Fiction, the Libris Award for Fiction Book of the Year, the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, and the Writers' Trust Engel/Findley Award. She lives in Toronto.

Critical Reviews

"Endearingly odd and affecting . . . [Toews] writes with an instinctive grasp of the adolescent point of view." --Maria Russo, New York Times Book Review

"A witty and thoughtful coming-of-age story. . . . A novel about parenthood and sisterhood, and about redefining those relationships as people grow . . . it succeeds tremendously." --The Washington Independent Review of Books

"The wryly funny title character keeps the story poignant." --USA Today

"There is something quite mesmerizing about Toews's prose. It's to do with the rhythm of her language, with the seeming effortlessness of it and, when combined with her quick, offhand wit, it can enliven even the darkest of moments." --Toronto Star

"A literary novel marked by charm, wit and an original approach to language." --Kirkus Reviews

"Simultaneously poignant and humorous . . . perfectly captures this young woman's attempt to find her niche in a world so different from that in which she was raised . . . Toews's unique voice shines." --Booklist

"Toews . . . combines an intimate coming-of-age tale with picaresque and extremely effective prose." --Publishers Weekly

"A strong and skillful novel . . . a parable of redemption, a powerful theme . . . that leaves the reader with a comforting glow of hope." --Annie Proulx, Financial Times

"In this compelling and beautiful novel, Toews's quirky and authentic voice shows increasing range and maturity. She is well on her way to fulfilling her promise as an important and serious writer." --Montreal Gazette

"Miriam Toews has a remarkably light touch. She combines a playfully sardonic humour with crushing pathos." --Times Literary Supplement

"The nicely drawn contrast between what Irma knows and suspects and what the reader understands about her world gives Irma Voth a suspenseful charge from the first pages." --Jane Smiley, Globe and Mail

"Toews's ability to generate comedy and heartache at the same time just soars." --Maclean's (Canada)

"Irma Voth is wryly funny and perceptive." --National Post (Canada)

Publishing Information

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Pub date: 2025-08-26
Length: 272 pages

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