Ragged Company: A Novel

I have read most of Richard Wagamese’s publications, and find his work to be filled with wisdom, heart, and mastery of the written word. This is his finest! His ability to tap into our collective humanity with compassion, and make the complex inner lives of chronically unhoused people visible, poignant, relatable, and memorable is unparalleled. This is a must read work that will leave an indelible imprint on your spirit.

Ragged Company is required reading in the attempt to understand the causes and effects of homelessness. We are all brothers and sisters. Family.

Very good book to read. We chose it as a book to review by our book club. All of us enjoyed the book!

This book is about a group of four “rounders” homeless p

The most human story I have ever read. This story is from a heart that was every bit as big as Amelia’s.

These people will slowly take form and inhabit your life. And you will become a better person for knowing them.

At first, reading this book, i was annoying that the writer told the story from the viewpoints of the different characters, but the characters didn't have unique voices. The prose seemed uniform, like a straight third person narrative with different character's name fronting each chapter. At first I waited for the writer to try harder to give them their own vocabularies, slang and dialect, but after a while I realized that having each character tell part of the story was a tool not to reveal an individual, but a way to show how each one of them saw each other and viewed the rest of the group and the way they reacted to each other. Finally, I stopped waiting for the sincere, straightforward writing to turn more stylish, because I was too taken with the details of life stories of the persons in the story, too engaged in the dynamics of this group of friends, too anxious to find out if their friendship would be strong enough to keep them together.

This remarkable book opened my eyes to what survival is like on the street, how it happened, and what gives it heart and soul and connectivity. It's lovingly doused with shades of First nation and other philosophy and written by someone who lived on the street himself and become a beloved and famous Canadian author.

fabulous story

Beautiful, thought-provoking novel from one of Canada's most poetic writers. This is a novel that challenges you to look beyond your impressions and beliefs about the homeless people you see in your city. Why are they there, can they be helped and if so how? Every one has a story and this novel introduces us to a "family" and how they survive, how they wound up where they are, and what happens when they are given the means to leave the street. Perfect for Book Clubs!

Well developed characters and story on loyalty and friendship through hard times, and what matters most in a life well lived.

very well written - love the prose. Also I am enlightened by the people who live day to day with their resourcefulness and living day to day. The female character is very strong, compassionate and so wise.

The author did an excellent job of creating distinct characters in this novel.