Donna Milner (September 3, 1946 - November 11, 2021) was a Canadian writer.
Milner was born and raised in
Victoria BC
Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...
. She lived in
Williams Lake, British Columbia
Williams Lake is a city in the Central Interior of British Columbia, in the central part of a region known as the Cariboo. Williams Lake is the second largest city, by population of metropolitan area, in the Cariboo after neighbouring Quesnel. ...
, with her husband Tom. Donna wrote and published the books ''After River, The'' ''Promise of Rain, Somewhere in Between, ''and'' A Place Called Sorry''. She is often referred to as the "Oh, so Canadian author.
Books
After River
Her 2008 book ''After River'' is, according to bcbooklook, "about a woman coming to terms with the disintegration of her family some 35 years after a young American draft resister named River crossed the border into Canada and changed their lives".
The book had a 4/5 star rating on
goodreads
Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and read ...
.com, from over 1,700 ratings . By 2015, the book had been published in 12 countries and into 8 languages.
Somewhere In Between
Milner described this book as "the story of a family dealing with loss and tragedy". One of the characters in the book, Virgil Blue, was inspired by a one-time resident of Milner's home city of
Williams Lake, British Columbia
Williams Lake is a city in the Central Interior of British Columbia, in the central part of a region known as the Cariboo. Williams Lake is the second largest city, by population of metropolitan area, in the Cariboo after neighbouring Quesnel. ...
.
Personal life
Milner was born in
Victoria BC
Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...
in 1946 and was raised in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
. She moved to
Rossland where she married and had children. Having previously worked as a realtor for 25 years,
Milner said in a 2014 interview she and her husband had lived in the
Cariboo
The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia, Canada, centered on a plateau stretching from Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the caribou that were once abundant in the region.
The Cariboo was the ...
for 40 years. She described that prefers writing in the morning and insists upon herself of writing at least two pages in longhand before she can leave the room. She used to go on writing retreats near
Eagle Lake Eagle Lake may refer to:
Cities, towns, townships etc. Canada
* Eagle Lake, Haliburton County, Ontario
* Eagle Lake, Parry Sound District, Ontario
* Eagle Lake 27, Ontario (Indian reserve)
* Eagle Lake, Kenora District, Ontario
United States
* ...
with a friend.
She passed away on November 11th, 2021, after a short battle with cancer.
Recognition
Her book ''After River'' was listed in a top five fiction books list by ''
The Gettysburg Times
''The Gettysburg Times'' is an American newspaper in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania owned by the Sample News Group. It published daily, except for Sundays, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
The ''Times'' was founded in 1902 as ''The Progress'', but i ...
'' in 2008, who described it as "beautifully written", while ''The Promise of Rain'' was listed in ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'' top 100 books in 2010. 9.
The 2010 Globe 100: Canadian fiction
/ref>
Bibliography
*''After River'' (2008)
*''The Promise of Rain'' (2010)
*''Somewhere In Between'' (2014)
*''A Place Called Sorry'' (2015)
References
External links
Homepage
2008 interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Milner, Donna
1946 births
Living people
Canadian women novelists
21st-century Canadian novelists
21st-century Canadian women writers