 |
Carol Shields |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Dressing Down |  |
|
Carol Shields | |
|
|
|
|
Dressing Down | |
First published by Woman and Home, 2000. Final story in the collection Dressing Up For The Carnival first published by Fourth Estate and Thorndike Press 2001. Paperbacks by Fourth Estate and Penguin 2001.
In 2003, Carol Shields died of breast cancer at the age of 68. Born in Chicago, she moved to England for her secondary education, before settling in Canada. An accomplished novelist and short-story writer, she is best known for The Stone Diaries, which won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize and many other awards. Dressing Up For The Carnival is apparently typical of her work, ranging far and wide in both subject and style, including a gloriously successful exercise in eliminating a fundamental of the English language. The first story in the collection gives its title to the whole, and shows a cosmopolitan assortment of individuals preparing for their day - their appearance in the Carnival of life. As a deliberate counter to this, the final story in the book is Dressing Down, which tells of a pioneering Canadian naturist and the impact of naturism on various members of his family.
Spanning many decades, the story is told by the grandson. When his parents decide to take an extended European tour one summer, he is left in the care of his grandparents. Since they spend their summers at Club Soleil, the lakeside naturist club near Toronto, founded by grandfather in 1926, the narrator sees for himself what social nudity is about. But the main thrust of the story is how two very different attitudes to the human body are reconciled - and otherwise - within an extremely close and loving relationship. Beautifully told, Dressing Down is a gem of a tale. I hope the extracts do it justice - highly recommended.
An edited version of this review appeared in the 2004 July issue of H&E Naturist magazine.
| Nudity | Naturist nudity | A good read? |
 |
 |
 |
Last updated 2004 April 3.
Images Copyright © various authors, photographers, graphic artists, illustrators and publishers.
Other content Copyright © author Tim Forcer
| Authors A:Z | Titles A:Z | Publication date | ||
  |
|
|
||
| Up to Yarns Without Threads front page | ||||