A Complicated Kindness
by Toews, Miriam
Miriam Toews (pronounced tâves) was born in 1964 in the small Mennonite town of Steinbach, Manitoba. She left Steinbach at 18, living in Montreal and London and touring Europe before coming back to Manitoba, where she earned her B.A. in film studies at the University of Manitoba. Later she packed up with her children and partner and moved to Halifax to attend the University of King’s College, where she received her bachelor’s degree in journalism. Upon returning to Winnipeg with her family in 1991, she freelanced at the CBC, making radio documentaries. When her youngest daughter started nursery school, Toews decided it was time to try writing a novel.Miriam Toews’s first novel, Summer of My Amazing Luck, was published in 1996; it was nominated for the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour and won the John Hirsch Award. Published two years later, her second novel, A Boy of Good Breeding, won the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award. She is also the author of Swing Low: A Life, a memoir of her father who committed suicide in 1998 after a lifelong struggle with manic depression. Swing Low won both the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award and the Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-Fiction. Toews has written for the CBC, This American Life (on National Public Radio), Saturday Night, Geist, Canadian Geographic, Open Letters and The New York Times Magazine, and has won the National Magazine Award Gold Medal for Humour. Toews’s third novel, A Complicated Kindness, has been called “a black humour grenade, dealing a devastating explosion of gut-busting laughs alongside heart-wrenching sorrow.” The Globe and Mail quotes Toews as saying: “Sometimes I am bugged by my own tendency to continuously go for the laughs, but I am trying to be genuinely funny even if it’s in a dry, tragic way. I don’t know if there is a Mennonite type of humour, but growing up with my dad, from day one I felt it was my job to make him laugh.” The memory of her father has influenced Toews’s fiction in another profound way: “Loss inspired the story, loss with no answers. I think I needed to put that on Nomi. She was going to be the person who would take me through the process of dealing with loss and wondering where those people went.” She adds: “I have seen the damage that fundamentalism can do. The way the religion is being interpreted, it’s a culture of control and that emphasis on shame and punishment and guilt is not conducive to robust mental health.” Though she no longer attends a Mennonite church, Toews says that she still considers herself a Mennonite. And despite the novel’s exploration of the destructive elements of life in a small religious community, she says: “I hope that people will recognize that there are aspects of it that I really love and really miss.”From the Hardcover edition.
Reviews
Review this book!
Available Copies
A Complicated Kindness: A Novel
by Toews, Miriam
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- No Jacket as Issued
- Edition
- Canadian First
- Published
- 2005
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780676976137
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN
- Item Price
-
A$23.70
Show Details
Description:
Toronto, Ontario: Vintage Canada, 2005. Book. Very Good. Soft cover. Inscribed by Author(s). Canadian First. Complete number line from 1 to 9; inscribed and dated Sept./05 by Miriam Toews on the title page:"For __, with best wishes always, Miriam Toews"; French flaps format; some edge wear to card covers; otherwise a solid, clean copy with no marking or underlining; collectible… Read more about this item Item Price
A$23.70
A Complicated Kindness
by TOEWS: Miriam
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Edition
- Stated First
- Published
- 2004
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780676976120
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Palgrave, Ontario, CAN
- Item Price
-
A$21.82
Show Details
Description:
Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. Stated First . Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. Book is red. Very clean and tight. May not have been opened or red. D.J. has circle with Governor General Award on it. Believe later printing.
Item Price
A$21.82
A Complicated Kindness
by Toews, Miriam
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Published
- 2017
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780735273955
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, USA
- Item Price
-
A$12.61
Show Details
Description:
Vintage Canada, 2017. Paperback. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed. Item Price
A$12.61
A Complicated Kindness
by Toews, Miriam
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Published
- 2004
- Binding
- Soft cover
- ISBN
- 9780676976137
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN
- Item Price
-
A$15.72
Show Details
Description:
Toronto, ON: Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2004. Soft cover. Very Good. Clean, tight, unmarked; absolute minimal shelfwear; "The world according to Nomi Nickel, a heartbreakingly bewildered and wry young woman trapped in a small Mennonite town that seeks to set her on the path to rightiousness and smother her at the same time. Item Price
A$15.72
A Complicated Kindness
by Miriam Toews
- Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Softcover
- ISBN
- 9780676978568
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN
- Item Price
-
A$20.53
Show Details
Description:
new Item Price
A$20.53
More Photos
A Complicated Kindness
by Miriam Toews
- Condition
- Used - Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Fine
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Published
- 2004
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780676976120
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Windsor, Ontario, CAN
- Item Price
-
A$71.10
Show Details
Description:
An absolutely fabulous first Canadian edition (14th printing), inscribed by Miriam Toews directly on the title page [Knopf Canada Toronto (2004)]. The book is in fine condition with no remainder marks, a tight and square binding, with no owner inscriptions or highlighting and no staining or marking. The dust jacket is also in fine condition, not price-clipped ($29.95), with… Read more about this item Item Price
A$71.10
A Complicated Kindness
by Miriam Toews
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Edition
- First Edition
- Published
- 2004
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780676976120
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Edmonton, Alberta, CAN
- Item Price
-
A$47.40
Show Details
Description:
Toronto: Knopf Canada, 2004. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 8vo. Signed by Author. pp. 246.Signed by the author on verso of half title page Item Price
A$47.40
A Complicated Kindness
by Miriam Toews
- Condition
- Used - VERY GOOD
- Published
- 2007
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780676978568
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Aurora, Ontario, CAN
- Item Price
-
A$19.20
Show Details
Description:
Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2007. Paperback. VERY GOOD. Covers show a bit of creasing to edges. Spine is not creased. No writing/markings. 246 pages. -- Please feel free to ask for additional information, or detailed photos. US orders ship USPS from Niagara Falls, NY. Canadian orders ship from Ontario. Item Price
A$19.20
A Complicated Kindness
by Toews, Miriam
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Published
- 2004
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780676976120
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN
- Item Price
-
A$30.81
Show Details
Description:
Toronto, ON: Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2004. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. INSCRIPTION FROM MIRIAM TOEWS on title page; Clean, tight, unmarked; very minimal wear; ;"The world according to Nomi Nickel, a heartbreakingly bewildered and wry young woman trapped in a small Mennonite town that seeks to set her on the path to rightiousness and smother her at… Read more about this item Item Price
A$30.81
A Complicated Kindness
by Toews, Miriam
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780676976137
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, GBR
- Item Price
-
A$11.42
Show Details
Description:
Paperback. Very Good. Item Price
A$11.42
a complicated kindness: a novel
by TOEWS, Miriam
- Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Near Fine
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Published
- 2004
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
London, Ontario, CAN
- Item Price
-
A$71.10
Show Details
Description:
Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. 246 p. 22 cm. Orange hardcover in mylar-covered jacket. Signed by author on title.
Item Price
A$71.10
A Complicated Kindness
by Miriam Toews
- Condition
- Used - FINE
- Jacket Condition
- FINE
- Published
- 2004
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780676976120
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Aurora, Ontario, CAN
- Item Price
-
A$22.36
Show Details
Description:
Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2004. Hardcover. FINE/FINE. 21 cm.. Dust jacket is protected in new archival mylar. 246 pages. -- Please feel free to ask for additional information, or detailed photos. US orders ship USPS from Niagara Falls, NY. Canadian orders ship from Ontario. Item Price
A$22.36
A Complicated Kindness
by Miriam Toews
- Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Edition
- First Edition
- Published
- 2017
- ISBN
- 9780735273955
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Brossard, Quebec, CAN
- Item Price
-
A$5.68
Show Details
Description:
Vintage Canada, Toronto, 2017. First paperback edition. Condition: Near fine, very light edge and corner wear.
Synopsis: "Half of our family, the better-looking half, is missing," Nomi Nickel tells us at the beginning of A Complicated Kindness. Left alone with her sad, peculiar father, her days are spent piecing together why her mother and sister have disappeared and contemplating her inevitable… Read more about this item Item Price
A$5.68
A Complicated Kindness
by Toews, Miriam
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN
- 9780676976137
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, USA
- Item Price
-
A$9.05
Show Details
Description:
Random House of Canada. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Item Price
A$9.05
A Complicated Kindness
by Miriam Toews
- Condition
- Used - Bien
- Edition
- 1ª Edición
- Published
- 2004
- Binding
- Encuadernación de tapa dura
- ISBN
- 9780676976120
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Barcelona, Barcelona, ESP
- Item Price
-
A$11.78
Show Details
Description:
Knopf Canada, 2004. 1ª Edición. Encuadernación de tapa dura. Bien. Good condition. Item Price
A$11.78
A Complicated Kindness: A Novel
by Toews, Miriam
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Published
- 2004
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9781582433219
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, USA
- Item Price
-
A$12.17
Show Details
Description:
Counterpoint, 2004. Hardcover. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed. Item Price
A$12.17
A Complicated Kindness
by Toews, Miriam
- Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- near fine
- Published
- 2004
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780571223992
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Upper Chichester, Pennsylvania, USA
- Item Price
-
A$4.74
Show Details
Description:
UK: faber and faber, 2004. Paperback. Near Fine/near fine. Book and jacket are near fine with minor edge wear, rubbed along the edges and at ends of spines. A couple of the pages had their corners turned down. Item Price
A$4.74
A Complicated Kindness
by Toews, Miriam
- Condition
- As New
- Jacket Condition
- As New
- Published
- 2004
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780676976120
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN
- Item Price
-
A$31.52
Show Details
Description:
Toronto, ON: Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2004. Hardcover. As New/As New. INSCRIPTION FROM MIRIAM TOEWS on title page; As new condition;"The world according to Nomi Nickel, a heartbreakingly bewildered and wry young woman trapped in a small Mennonite town that seeks to set her on the path to rightiousness and smother her at the same time. Item Price
A$31.52
a complicated kindness
by Toews, Miriam
- Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Near Fine
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Published
- 2004
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9781582433219
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Calgary, Alberta, CAN
- Item Price
-
A$47.40
Show Details
Description:
Counterpoint , 2004 First U. S. ed. Complete number line. 246 pp. Black boards. Signed by Toews on the title page. A bright clean copy. Item Price
A$47.40
A Complicated Kindness
by Toews, Miriam
- Condition
- New
- Edition
- 1st Edition 1st Printing
- Published
- 2005
- Binding
- Soft cover
- ISBN
- 9780676976137
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
WESTBANK, British Columbia, CAN
- Item Price
-
A$28.36
Show Details
Description:
U.S.A.: Vintage Canada, 2005. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Soft cover. New. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Vintage Canada, Toronto, Ontario, 2005. Soft cover. Canadian First. Complete number line from 1 to 9. In this stunning coming-of-age novel, award-winner Miriam Toews balances grief and hope in the voice of a witty, beleaguered teenager whose family is shattered… Read more about this item Item Price
A$28.36