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Rating: 
Summary: Insightful, realistic, but not very exciting
Review: I had to read this book for an english project and I found it slighltly boring. The setting was a little depressing and Vanessa's grandfather was very ingnorant and frustrating. The book was realistic and enjoyable though. Her responces towards the several deaths could have been expressed with a little more sorrow and sadness. Her aunt Adna was a nice uplifting character. Overall the book is good, but not the most exciting. It deals with many deaths in the family and is a good for some one who is dealing with a death.
Rating:
Summary: A lesson for everyday life
Review: I have read this book and the very first time, it is true that it gives an impression of overwhelming death and sorrow. The protagonist, Vanessa, comes into contact with life, that is REAL life and she just finds it hard to cope. But it is a story which is just so incredibly true-to-life that any one can identify themselves with the main character. It is only many, many years after that Vanessa understands what had confused her when she was 10 : her grandfather, so much feared and respected, and all the deaths which she had to endure in her family. If you have ever been at that stage, losing some of the people you loved in your heart of hearts, you will understand what Vanessa had to go through and see yourself in her position in front of new things as painful as death. It is not morbid at all, it just shows you that your family is there to help, but that in any case, everything's not hunky-dory!!!
Rating: 
Summary: I recommend this book
Review: I really enjoyed this book. We studied it in school this year and at first I found it a bit slow but after a few pages I started to really get into it. It was easy to identify with the main character Vanessa and I really liked the way the rest of the characters were described, especially the grandfather. Here's a little example; "Well, Peter, you've brought the wood." It was his habit to begin conversations with a statement of the obvious, so that nothing except agreement was possible." I like this because it sums up the grandfather' character in two sentences, even though it's being developped throughout the entire novel. I can't really explain exactly why I enjoyed this book so much, I guess it's because of the subtle humor and the emotion involved. The sad parts are quite moving, and that's difficult to do without making the whole book depressing.
Rating: 
Summary: This book isnt very good
Review: i was forced to read this book by our public schools which are strongly influanced in theocracy i think that this book has too many references to "THE GREAT LORD" well i think this is wrong and obviously i didnt enjoy this book it was too boring and really really slow at most parts its a bunch of short stories which have been writen over a period of time. Margaret laurence isnt a good writer, i personally think that my review has more intelect and insight than any one of her novels
Rating: 
Summary: A Bird in the House: A Great Canadian Book
Review: This book was given to us to read as a part of the Grade 12 English class in Ontario. I wasn't sure I'd like it because short stories are not my favorite kind of story. I was suprised to find that I enjoyed the book. The characters are so real and vivid. Her depitcions and everything about each of them was very good. The best story is the Half-Husky. It has good description and the plot is very well laid out and developed.
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Summary: 8 Great Stories of Canadian Culture and Heritage
Review: This is a book I chose for a Grade 13 English ISU up here in Toronto. This book is in essence, about the developing process of a young female writer, Margaret Laurence, portrayed in this book as Vanessa MacLeod. I found the story entitled "The Loons" was the most interesting, it dealt the Native Indian issue of segregation and compared it with the crying of the loons.
Rating: 
Summary: fields of wheat
Review: Why are students constantly subjected to boring narratives about prairie boredom and depression? I live in the prairies and don't see why anyone would want to capture the soul-crushing essence of it all. If you are free reading, pick a book that will improve your state of well being rather than dragging you into the flat quagmire of prairie realism. However, as required reading there are definately worse books that professors could assign you! ie. double hook!
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