Finnie Walsh - Softcover

Galloway, Steven

Softcover

ISBN 10: 030739865X ISBN 13: 9780307398659

Publisher: Vintage Canada, 2010

Synopsis

Steven Galloway's first novel, an incredible coming of age story, now revised and available in trade paperback from Vintage Canada.

Finnie Walsh is a captivating, Irving-esque story of family, friendship, redemption, and legend.

Paul Woodward lives in Portsmouth, a quiet northern mill-town. Born the day Paul Henderson planted the puck between the pipes against the Soviet Union to win the 1972 Super Series, Paul has no choice about playing hockey. His best friend Finnie Walsh is stinking rich. He is also fellow hockey fanatic and the only good kid in a long line of delinquent brothers. Paul's father works the nightshift at the local mill, owned by Finnie's father. One fateful day the boys noisily prepare for their first season of hockey in the Woodward driveway, keeping Paul's father awake when he should be sleeping. This triggers a chain of world-altering events. Galloway proves that childhood innocence, while not exactly bliss, can be amusing and more than mildly instructional. This is the book John Irving would have written if he understood hockey as well as wrestling. Finnie Walsh, like the fabled games before NHL expansion, is a story about greatness and legend. But it's also a heartsong to family, friendship, and atonement.

About this title

Review:

2001 Amazon.com/Books in Canada First Novel Award Shortlist: As a hockey player, young Paul Woodward is a few steps behind his best pal, Finnie Walsh. Both boys, however, have hockey coursing through their veins. Finnie, the son of the local mill owner, and Paul, the son of a mill worker, forge a fast friendship through endless hours of shooting, stickhandling, and passing. It is hockey that holds them together as they grow into young men. Along the way, they must deal with Paul's eccentric father, his withdrawn sister, and the uncomfortable disparity in their socioeconomic status. As a sports novel, Steven Galloway's first effort leaves a bit to be desired, since it doesn't capture the frantic intensity of the game. As a tale of friendship, however, Finnie Walsh is sweetly endearing and filled with charming quirks and unexpected twists. --S. Duda

About the Author:

STEVEN GALLOWAY is the author of three novels: Finnie Walsh, Ascension, and The Cellist of Sarajevo. His work has been translated into over twenty languages and optioned for film.

About this edition

• Publisher: Vintage Canada
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 030739865X
• ISBN 13: 9780307398659
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176