Description
Macfarlane tells the stories of his ancestors in Newfoundland in a vivid style, often using the point of view of the small boy he was when he first heard them, and including the larger-than-life embellishments of a child's imagination. Through this family's history we experience the hardships of the early 20th century in this remote province, whether caused by illness, nature, or WWI. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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Emulating the circuitous tales told by his mother's relatives, the Goodyears of Newfoundland, David Macfarlane has crafted a masterpiece of history and memory that will remain indelibly in the minds of its readers. Macfarlane weaves the major events of Newfoundland's twentieth century-the ravages of tuberculosis; the great seal-hunt disaster; the bitter debate over whether to become part of Canada; and above all, the First World War-into a saga of the ill-starred yet heroic fortunes of his family, who were rarely in control of events but often at the center of them. With deep affection, he brings to life a multigenerational cast of characters who are as colorful as only Newfoundlanders can be-heroes and charlatans, pirates and dreamers, whose humanity manages to illuminate and enrich our own.
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