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Earth and High Heaven

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Earth and High Heaven

Gwethalyn Graham

Earth and High Heaven Gwethalyn Graham Earth and High Heaven is, simply, a drama of human relationships -- of two people in love who are confronted by the obstacle of racial intolerance -- presented with such cutting truth, such fidelity to life, such compassion and understanding, that their problem becomes, indelibly, the reader's own. With rare perceptiveness, Gwethalyn Graham takes the reader into the lives of Erica Drake and Marc Reiser, whose two worlds are separated by families and conventions. Here is the story of a man and woman who dared earth and high heaven to make their vision real.

Earth and High Heaven Details

Date : Published January 7th 2003 by (first published 1944) ISBN : 9781896951614 Author : Gwethalyn Graham Format : Paperback 326 pages Genre : Fiction, Romance, Classics, Cultural, , Historical, Historical Fiction

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Diane says

This book is a period piece. Set in in 1942 there are three distinct groups in society -- English protestants, French Catholics and Jews. The English and French are just started to intermarry but Gentile-Jew unions are still seriously frowned upon. This is the story of a young woman from an upper class WASP family falling in love with a young Jewish lawyer and it was a very important book in it's time but was so period specific that it went out of print for twenty years even though it won Canada's ultimate literary award in 1944. It is reminiscent of the movie "Guess Who's Coming Dinner" which was an Academy Award winner in 1967 and also a big sensation for a short period of time. The movie starring the suave Sidney Portier and the renowned Tracy and Hepburn, tells the story of a white woman who is engaged to a black man and brings him home to meet her parents. It is heartening that these two stories are now out-dated relicts of the recent past. Maybe we are making progress as a society after all.

Eve says

One of my favourite books I've ever read - this is such a beautiful read and is still so relevant today

Jane says

Graham wrote this book in 1944 and won the Governor General's award for it. I read it as a teenager and reread it now for book club. It still is a powerful read. The story is set in 1942 Montreal. You have 3 distinct groups of people - Protestant Gentiles, Catholic French Canadians and Jews. This is a story of a gentile girl from a prominent Montreal family falling in love with a Northern Ontario Jewish lawyer. Canada was fighting Nazism and the anti-antisemitism found in Europe and yet antisemitism was alive in Canada. Erica and Marc's families both are against their love and the book explores this dilemma. Sometimes the story gets weighted down with the dialogue exploring this theme. I think the theme is still relevant today. So often we generalize about a race or culture and to break down those barriers we need to meet the individual to see that they are a human being and not a monster.

Annalisa says

Read of this Canadian writer in the biography of . This was a book that made a splash when Richler was school age, although he was supposedly unaware of it. A story of forbidden love between an anglo protestant woman and jewish man during WWII montreal. Racist times indeed and a real page turner, if a bit plodding at times with the focus on the inner thoughts of the characters.

Elisa says

~real review pending~

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All I'll say at the moment is that this was a fantastic book. Set in 1942 during the height of the Nazi regime when the rest of the world was getting really nervous, we meet Erica Drake and Marc Rieser. Marc, of Jewish descent, and Erica, of notable gentry, fall in love much to the consternation of her family. Throughout we watch Erica learn the true meaning of prejudice and fight tooth and nail for what she believes in.

For anyone who thinks Canada has a perfect, squeaky clean record, this book will set you straight. From French-Catholic hate to anti-Semitism, Canada has a record just as bad as any other country. At least we learned.

Tina says

One of my favorite books in a long while. This reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird but with a Canadian twist. I feel this will become a classic for me! A stunning piece of literature.

Ali says

This will almost certainly be on my books of the year list – a book I couldn’t stop reading but didn’t want to finish. It’s hard to convey in a review just how lovely this book is, you may just need to read it. There is something about Gwethalyn Graham’s story-telling, the way in which she creates relationships, the emotional and upsetting nature of the divisions that she portrays which makes this novel so compelling.

I hadn’t heard of Gwethalyn Graham before Persephone re-issued this novel, a Canadian writer who published one other earlier novel before this. Earth and High Heaven was an enormous success remaining on the New York Times bestseller list for thirty-eight weeks. First published in 1944 – those first readers could not have known whether the happy ending that is implicit in the novel’s opening sentence would be replicated for the allies.

Gwethalyn Graham explores the divisions and deeply entrenched prejudices which existed in Canadian society, through the story of Erica Drake and Marc Reiser who meet and fall in love. Set in Montreal during World War Two – Graham shows us how society was divided into three distinct groups.

“Hampered by racial-religious distinctions to start with, relations between the French, English and Jews of Montreal are still further complicated by the fact that all three groups suffer from an inferiority complex – the French because they are a minority in Canada, the English because they are a minority in , and the Jews because they are a minority everywhere.”

Full review: https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2017/...

Kaylee Harkness says

I'm told this is a very popular and important novel. I could barely get through it.

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Brittany Haines says

Such a lovely book!

Will says

Needs to be read in context of the 1930’s and 40’s when it was groundbreaking, apparently. Now it is a rather (actually, very) predictable love story between a Jew and a Montreal WASP. All the twists and arguments seem a bit forced however, they are there to carry the message that G wanted to present - that is, to show how prejudiced Canadian society was towards Jews. All very worthy, but the writing itself is not good enough to compensate.

Carole says

This is the second time that I have read this book. The first time was about 40 years ago. It had a big impact on me then and it was no less powerful this time around. It was first published in 1944 and was a long- running NY Times bestseller and a winner of several literary awards including the Governor General’s Award for Fiction in Canada that year.

The story takes place in Montreal in 1942 and revolves around the relationship between Erica Drake, a Westmount WASP, and Marc Reiser, a Canadian-born Jewish lawyer who has enlisted in the army and is about to be shipped overseas. Although they seem to be a perfect match in every way, their love is threatened by the prejudice that they encounter from both families and within the community.

Some people might think that this novel is dated. However, if that is because it is set in Montreal during World War II, then every novel that is set in a particular time and place is dated. Graham unflinchingly presents the blatant anti-Semitism that was systemic in Canada at that time: hotels and apartment buildings that did not admit Jews, universities that had a quota system with a very limited number of places for Jewish students, athletic and social clubs that had “select members” only. Her presentation of this discrimination was considered very controversial at the time because it was still happening when she wrote about it. Although our society has become much more inclusive almost 70 years later, that does not mean that a book written about that era is dated. This is a very real part of our history.

In addition to the serious issues of xenophobia and racism that Gwethalyn Graham probes with great thoughtfulness and reflection, "Earth and High Heaven" is a real page-turner and a very enjoyable read.

Wendy says

This book was written in the 1940s by a Canadian. It's the story of a Jewish man and a Gentile woman who fall in love. They have to overcome the prejudices of the time concerning mixed marriages. It is beautifully written.

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Rikki Maccuish says

It's almost hard to say this book is a stereotypical book about prejudice and stereotypes because as a millennial I don't and can't pretend to understand the value differences in the early 1900's, but I wasn't blown away by the topic. What I really enjoyed was the true descriptions and insight the author gave regarding Canada. The characters are well developed and the love story was very cinematic. My favourite quote from the book was, "Manchester itself is a tribute to the Canadian talent for choosing a remarkably fine natural setting for a town, and then proceeding to ruin it as far as possible." Besides Montreal, in which the story takes place, ths is mostly true!

Beautiful story that provides an argument for the need to make change instead of wait for others to make it for you. Empowering, insightful and well-written. I couldn't put it down.

Theresa says

I loved this Canadian period story of a Jewish/Protestant courtship fraught with disapproval from families and doubts from the main characters. There was lots of dialogue and descriptions of thoughts and motivations, all adding up to an engrossing read. It’s datedness didn’t lower the appeal for me, and provided a realistic picture of anti-Semitism during WWII outside of Germany. Highly recommended.

Frances says

I first read this when I was in high school (70’s). It was my mother’s who was in a book club years before. I was desperate for something to read and scrounged around and found this old book. It really made an impact on me. I have read it once later and now again. Very well written. It made me think about things I had never considered before. This book and Gentlemen’s Agreement remind me of each other. Great book.

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