Free Press
Book Club

Welcome to the Free Press Book Club!

To help ease some of the isolation-related boredom, we’ve started a monthly book club which will run completely online and is open to anyone and everyone to join.

Each month, we will choose a novel and share it on this page, as well as in an email to those who have registered to participate. We’ll send a couple of follow up notes to check in on your progress and suggest a few discussion topics and questions to think about as you go.

At the end of the month, we’ll all gather to participate in a livestream book club meeting, hosted by our books editor, Ben Sigurdson, or one of our pals from McNally Robinson Booksellers, as well as the author of the book.

You’ll be able to submit questions ahead of time, or drop them into one of the live chat boxes during the meeting. (And don’t worry, we’ll provide an easy-to-access link to the stream, so all you have to do is click.)

Right now, our focus is on local authors of varying genres and backgrounds, so we hope you’re excited to dive in.

The Book

The Gunsmith’s Daughter
By: Margaret Sweatman

Buy Now

From Goose Lane:

1971. Lilac Welsh lives an isolated life with her parents at Rough Rock on the Winnipeg River. Her father, Kal, stern and controlling, has built his wealth by designing powerful guns and ammunition. He’s on the cusp of producing a .50 calibre assault rifle that can shoot down an airplane with a single bullet, when a young stranger named Gavin appears at their door, wanting to meet him before enlisting for the war in Vietnam. Gavin’s arrival sparks an emotional explosion in Lilac’s home and inspires her to begin her own life as a journalist, reporting on the war that’s making her family rich.

Schedule

Tue
Aug 30

September book club pick reminder

The Gunsmith’s Daughter, by Margaret Sweatman

Mon
Sept 12

Check-in

Expect an email from us to check in on your progress. We’ll offer up some discussion questions and other things to think about as you continue reading.

Mon
Sept 19

Livestream information email

This email will provide all the information you need for our livestream book club event, including the access link, some information about your viewing options and how you can submit your questions for the author ahead of time. This information will also be posted to our Free Press Book Club Facebook group.

Mon
Sept 26

Free Press Book Club meeting

Join our live chat starting at 7 p.m. CT with special guest, author Margaret Sweatman.

If you have any questions, please email us at bookclub@winnipegfreepress.com