I also greatly admire his previous novels river thieves and the wreckage i approached reading his newest novel, sweetland, with some excitement. This author michael crummey does know his arse from a dory unlike the hapless toronto journalist writing about the authentic newfoundland and disparaged by the books main character, moses sweetland. Sweetland was a finalist for the 2014 governor generals award for fiction. Mind you, maybe its just that my bones are too western canadian for me to be able to read east coast fiction with the right frame of mind. Oct 11, 2002 river thieves by michael crummey 371pp, canongate. Michael crummey s sweetland is a remarkable novel maybe predictably remarkable, but thats hardly a genuine strike against it, even if id slot sweetland pretty high on my coveted and topsecret shortlist for best canadian novel not to hook me. Read free book excerpt from sweetland by michael crummey, page 1 of 9. Soon, all that will remain will be a ghostly assembly like the one that closes michael crummeys sweetland a scene reminiscent of some. Thereas a quietness to michael crummeyas novel that adds to its power.
Such is the case with moses sweitlund, a stubborn man who has no intention of letting anyone take away his home. Aug 19, 2014 so it took crummey, 48, a while to hit on the idea for sweetland. Michael crummeys sweetland is like a song of mourning. Michael crummeys deceptively spare language perfectly matches the tiny island community at the. The scarcely populated town of sweetland rests on the shore of a remote canadian island. If you call first through customer service, we can pull the copies and have them waiting for you. Ive known for some time, along with most other canadian writers, that michael crummey is one of our finest storytellers. Aug 19, 2014 sweetland by michael crummey is a work of art, a masterpiece, brilliant for its humanity. Sweetland is a story about one mans struggles against the forces of nature on a remote island just off newfoundland. And sweetland the person is not localhero material. Now, in the second decade of the 21st century, they are facing resettlement, and each has been offered a generous compensation package to leave. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. For 12 generations, when the fish were plentiful and when they allbut disappeared, the inhabitants of this remote island in newfoundland have lived and died together. Part independent people for the fierce portrait of its main characters unwavering determination and part absalom, absalom.
Moses is a great character, the community is full of diverse and interesting people, but it. In a couple of decades, a generation at most, dozens of newfoundland communities will have disappeared, and there seems to be no way to reverse the flow. Buy a cheap copy of sweetland book by michael crummey. The island itself is called sweetland, named by moses sweetlandas ancestors, and itas a dying place. Mom is a scriptwriter for television, dad is a mathematician who is home schooling his sons. Sweetland is the story of a newfoundland outport whose residents have been offered a resettlement package. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading sweetland. Sweetland is about a man, moses sweetland, who lives on an island off of newfoundland. This summer my book club kept finding irresistible gems to read. In sweetland, crummey fills each room just right, and the foundations rock solid, built just right for the rooms above. I approached reading his newest novel, sweetland, with some excitement. Fierce and enigmatic moses sweetland, whose ancestors founded the village, is. Michael crummeys sweetland is all of a piece, its apparent simplicity of style, like that of its protagonist and his.
Now, in the second decade of the 21st century, they are facing resettlement. Last month it was the martian by andy weir, and this month we were lucky. The epic tale of an endangered newfoundland community and the struggles of one man determined to resist its extinction. Sweetland is the story of moses sweetland, whos lived on sweetland island all his life and resists governmental pressure to leave the government wants to move island residents to the newfoundland mainland. Michael crummey explains how he wrote a book where the entire last half features only one character. A former fisherman and lighthouse keeper on the verge of 70, sweetland has never been married. Sweetland shares the same setting and crummey depicts a place that is itself about to become. And crummeys refusal to go where you might expectthe offbeat humor can catch you by surpriseprovides page. Sweetland book oakville public library bibliocommons. And crummeys refusal to go where you might expectthe offbeat humor can catch you by surpriseprovides pageturning pleasures. So it took crummey, 48, a while to hit on the idea for sweetland. A deeply suspenseful story about one mans struggles against the forces of nature and the ruins of memory.
It was a bit of a chore to read, but i stuck it out because it was for my book club. His first writing success was in poetry, winning the first bronwen wallace memorial award for unpublished poets in 1994. Michael crummeys sweetland is all of a piece, its apparent simplicity of. Sweetland, crummey who was born and raised in newfoundland, and returned to the island more than a decade ago shifts his approach by 180 degrees. April, 2015 michael crummey was born in buchans, a mining town in the interior of newfoundland, and returned to live in newfoundland and labrador in 2001. On the surface its a book about a dying community the outport island of sweetland and one man, moses sweetland, who. The government has offered a resettlement deal to the community, which is struggling after generations of industry loss and depopulation. A 12yearold boy is the sole survivor of a plane crasha study in before and after. Crummeys newfoundland has become, at best, a remittance economy and, at worst, a stopover for sri lankan refugees headed to toronto. Sixtyeightyearold moses sweetlands family founded the town, and he is the only holdout when the government offers the residents a generous cash settlement to relocate to the mainland, that is effective only if everyone signs on. If you havent yet read anything by michael crummey, you need to correct that asap. Sweetland by michael crummey michael crummey was born in buchans, a mining town in the interior of newfoundland as.
Sweetland is thus in part a parable of how environmental collapse and social collapse are one. Sweetland by michael crummey michael crummey was born in buchans, a mining town in the interior of newfoundland as far from the salt water as you can get and still. I loved his previous novel galore and consider it a canadian classic, easily one of the best books of the last decade. Theres a quietness to michael crummeys novel that adds to its power. Sweetland, by awardwinning canadian author michael crummey, was published in 2015. Michael crummeys latest novel is the tale of a man living on a small, imaginary island off newfoundlands southern coast, the eponymous sweetland, a couple of years ago. Sweetland is purposeful, and it certainly evokes the rawness and fragility of life in newfoundland. When a person is emotionally tied to the land they live on, money for that land is of little or no appeal. I loved this book so much that i read the kindle version in a day, and then listened to the audiobook beautifully narrated by john lee. This is a novel with a vast epic sweep, a tale of racial conflict set against the harsh. Sweetland about this months author michael crummey michael crummey on sweetland resettlement is not a new idea to newfoundland sixty years ago, it was a hamfisted social engineering project instituted by the smallwood government to.
River thieves by michael crummey books the guardian. Crummey takes readers into the heart of the insular fishing community of chance cove, sweetland island, newfoundland. Michael crummey was born in buchans, a mining town in the interior of newfoundland as far from the salt water as you can get and still be in newfoundland, second of four boys. Born in buchans, newfoundland, crummey grew up there and in wabush, labrador, where he moved with his family in the late 1970s. Sweetland book ottawa public library bibliocommons.
A former fisherman and lighthouse keeper on the verge of. But the books central imagethe traumatizing sight of naked dead bodies in the hold of a wrecked shipshocks in a contemporary way. Home sweetland by michael crummey libguides at ramapo. Briefly, sweetland is the story of a canadian island deemed unviable by the government, too expensive to serve with ferries, schools, road repair, and the like. Much of the books beauty lies in its finely wrought portrait of this last. Its slow decline has finally reached a head, with the mainland government offering each islander a generous resettlement package the only stipulation being that everyone must leave. This is a novel with a vast epic sweep, a tale of racial conflict set against the harsh and beautiful backdrop of newfoundland in the. Its slow decline finally reaches a head when the mainland government offers each islander a generous resettlement packagethe sole stipulation being that everyone must leave. Moses is a great character, the community is full of diverse. The scarcely populated town of sweetland clings to the shore of a remote canadian island. By turns darkly comic and heartbreakingly sad, sweetland is a deeply suspenseful story about one mans struggles against. Michael crummey s deceptively spare language perfectly matches the tiny island community at the. Such is the case with moses sweitlund, a stubborn man.
Last month it was the martian by andy weir, and this month we were lucky enough to discuss sweetland by michael crummey. Nov 12, 2019 but the books central imagethe traumatizing sight of naked dead bodies in the hold of a wrecked shipshocks in a contemporary way. We have summaries of each book, as well as links to our catalogue, and other resources for reading groups. Sweetland explores the relentless pull of nostalgia and the complicated connection between man and land in previous novels such as the awardwinning galore, michael crummey has depicted his homeland, the canadian province of newfoundland, as a place where myths and legends can come to life. From the awardwinning, bestselling author of galore comes another unforgettable novel. Sweetland, crummey who was born and raised in newfoundland, and returned to the island more. Jan 19, 2015 a 12yearold boy is the sole survivor of a plane crasha study in before and after. Sweetland ebook hamilton public library bibliocommons. By turns darkly comic and heartbreakingly sad, sweetland is a deeply suspenseful story about one mans struggles against the forces of nature and the ruins of memory. Several generations in a small village on the coast of newfoundland. The book of genesis meets hansel and gretel by way of flowers in the attic. Sweetland is perhaps a perfect novel for book group discussions, as it offers numerous opportunities for interpretation and even speculation about. Jul 28, 2018 here you can find information on the many titles housed in the millcreek community center librarys book club collection. The plot of this story is quite timely and intriguing.
In moses sweetland, crummey has created one of the most engaging, multilayered, truetolife characters one is likely to encounter in a work of fiction. Sweetland by michael crummey halifax public libraries. Michael crummeys sweetland is a remarkable novel maybe predictably remarkable, but thats hardly a genuine strike against it, even if id slot sweetland pretty high on my coveted and topsecret shortlist for best canadian novel not to hook me. Michael crummeys sweetland is all of a piece, its apparent simplicity of style, like that of its protagonist and his setting, concealing a primordial power.
If youve checked the librarys online catalog and you know that the millcreek library book club set collection has the copies you need, you may come directly to millcreek to pick them up. For twelve generations, when the fish were plentiful and when they allbut disappeared. Sweetland the place is not a bucolic paradise threatened with despoliation. It is the tale of a small north atlantic island in newfoundland and an elderly man, both bearing the name of sweetland. Feb 03, 2015 buy sweetland a novel by michael crummey from amazons fiction books store. He went to university with no idea what to do with his life and, to make matters worse, started writing poems in his first year. Michael crummeys sweetland is like a song of mourning the. For twelve generations the inhabitants of a remote island in newfoundland have lived and died together.
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