http://anzlitlovers.wordpress.com/200... ( )

Most people are familiar with the story of Noah's Ark, so using the framework to tell a somewhat different story makes sense. At least you have the signposts. Findley definitely filled the story with a lot of other stuff, and no mistake. This story's got all sorts of themes and topics beyond the basic story itself.

Here, God isn't quite so grand, and basically decides in a petty moment to take the world with him when he goes, except his good friend Noah. So Noah builds his ark and populates it with his family, and they wait, but matters aren't so kind on the ark itself.

None of these characters really had much of a personality in the story, and so Findley gives them each a role to play: authoritarian and brutal Noah, his alcoholic, long-suffering wife, his sons, with the eldest being strong as an ox and about as questioning, the middle a scientist, and the youngest an aspiring warrior. All of the wives of the sons also have their roles to play as well, with one of the themes of the book certainly being the place of women within society. Each takes a different path on the ark, and Findley's call towards feminism can be seen strongly by the end. I don't want to get into spoilers, but some of the points with this were very moving.

Some were just brutal, though, if well-described, including the fates of the unicorns, and the Pirates, and some of the people. In particular, it seems that Findley is also concerns with what happens to the least of us, and what dignity they deserve. It's quite poignant, at points, but it can be disturbing, as well.

And some of it was just odd: I had to stop and try to figure out if stuff was really happening some of the time, with the singing and talking animals, and the fairies, and such. I think I worked it out in the end, but it does throw you for a loop some of the time.

I enjoyed the book, and there's a certain magic to it, but it was hard to get through some parts, and I think there are a couple of places where Findley could have been a little less heavy-handed. But I'd still recommend it; it's generally got good style, interesting characters, and some good points to make. ( )

This is one of those books other people love that made me have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach throughout. Perhaps because I am not familiar with christian folk tales and do not fully understand the imagery and irony enmeshed in Findley's story? Yes, I know there is a biblical character named Noah that heard the voice of God and thus saved his family and all of the animals from a great flood, and at the end saw a rainbow that god sent as a message that there would never be another flood (although I learned the rainbow bit from reading another novel, not from Findley's book). But is this story supposed to be wracked with irony?

This novel is painful. It reads like a psychological history of incest and physical, sexual and emotional abuse using the name "God" as reason.

Hey, maybe I hit on something there...perhaps that is Findley's goal?

Avoid this novel if you are:
1. Very Religious
2. Noah's Ark is the story where you find your power to go on in life.
3. You are sensitive to grave injustices to women and children and animals. ( )

I've read this re-telling of the story of Noah's ark four times and I always love it. Timothy Findley creates a magicial world of angels, demons, talking animals and a God who is disillusioned with the human beings he has created. Dr. Noah Noyes is the tyrannical patriarch of a disfunctional family; and as the flood drowns the world, family politics becomes increasingly a matter of survival. Wonderfully done, thought-provoking and Mrs. Noyes is a genuine hero and an inspirational character. ( )

This retelling of the story of the flood puts the tale into a parallel universe, or better, into a world before the end of the world. It's not the world of a kindly ,obedient Noah and his family leading the animals calmly onto the ark. Dr. and Mrs. Noah Noyes preside over a dysfunctional family -- Shem's wife Hannah maneuvers her way into the patriarchal power structure by being the biddable daughter; Japeth, frustrated that his eleven-year old wife Emma refuses to part with her virginity, makes a foray into the world, only to return dyed blue; Ham falls in love in love with the rogue angel, Lucy. It is a world in which sheep are taught to sing, animals speak, and Yahweh drives through the world in a decrepit carriage. The characters are well imagined, especially Mrs. Noyes' cat, Mottle, who is determined to save her last litter of kittens from the nefarious experiments of Dr. Noyes. An entertaining read with some thought-provoking ideas. ( )