The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
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The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz is a 1959 novel by Canadian author Mordecai Richler. Richler's fourth novel, it remains one of his most successful works and is regarded as a classic in Canadian literature. In 1974 it was made into a movie starring Richard Dreyfuss and directed by Ted Kotcheff, a friend and one-time room mate of Richler. In 1984 it was adapted into a musical.
Plot
Kravitz is a brash Jewish kid from Montreal who is determined to "make it": whatever "it" is, whatever "it" takes. Taking to heart his grandfather's maxim that a man is nothing without land, Kravitz schemes and dreams and hit on his idea: a lakeshore property in the Laurentians. To become successful, he often betrays the people who have loved and helped him. He finally gains the land he wants, but loses love and friendship.