The Macken Charm Paperback - 2000

From the jacket flap

It is the summer of 1956, and although Rusty Macken is eager to leave rural Vancouver Island - and his family - for university, the events of Glory's funeral will not make it easy. Over the course of a single day, the rambunctious Macken clan gathers at the site of the burned-down seaside hotel that was once the family base to mourn and remember the glamorous city girl who married the wildest Macken of all but never quite adapted to their country ways. By the time the sun comes up on the following day, Rusty may have participated in something of a miracle. At the very least, he will have been forced to confront the uneasy secrets of his own heart. Compassionate, hilarious, and wise, "The Macken Charm brilliantly captures the joys, the frustrations, and the rich human drama of family life.

Media reviews

“The Macken Charm proves [Jack Hodgins] to be one of the best writers of novels in this country.…”
–Quill & Quire (starred review)

“The Macken Charm takes up the theme of the family with wild exuberance.…Hodgins is a funny writer and, in the comic tradition of W.O. Mitchell, Paul Quarrington and other tall-tale spinners, he can make you laugh out loud. He can also make you cry and there lies the gift of the storyteller.”
–Kitchener-Waterloo Record

“Written in flawless prose – word for word, Hodgins is one of the country’s best writers.…”
–Books in Canada

“It is a fine, funny, sad and readable [novel], a great yarn, the kind only an expert storyteller can produce.…”
–Ottawa Citizen

“An engaging tribute to family and community and lost innocence.”
–Montreal Gazette

“A rollicking novel.…”
–Canadian Literature

“A joyous, vigorous, humorous novel that, in the best traditions of comedy, hovers precariously but purposefully on the brink of the tragic.…The Macken Charm is a bravura performance, and deserves a wide readership.”
–CBRA

“[Hodgins] brilliantly evokes time and place.…”
–Vancouver Sun

“Entertaining.…This is a colorful, imaginative story.…”
–Winnipeg Free Press

“Hodgins has written a powerful novel about grief and beauty, about what has been lost and how to redeem yourself after failure.”
–Ottawa X Press