Sweetland: A Novel

Until the last 35 pages or so I was ready to rate this book with 5 stars, but the ending disappointed me. The author could have done better, as I think he was fatigued by his own story. I guess I expected more than witnessing Sweetland, one of the most interesting, colorful characters I have come across in recent literature, just fade away into a state of reverie about the past with no chance of any future for him on or away from his eponymous island. This is a novel with setting (you'll feel like you are part of the Newfoundland island scene...it's that good), characterization (and not just Sweetland but so many others as well), plot, language (Mr Crummy knows his dialect) and humor (there are some laugh out loud lines and anecdotes). It is not a happy read but despite the failed ending in my personal view, it did not leave me saddened except for the fact that a way of life was coming to end. This book is literary novel writing at its very best, and I highly recommend it. I myself now want to read more from this author.

the harsh Newfoundland weather. Crummey is at his best when describing Newfoundland's natural world. This is the third book I've read from Mr. Crummey. I like The Innocents the best. I wish he had included some kind of map of the Sweetland community so I could visualize how the various houses and buildings were related to one another. I also had difficulty figuring out some of the human relationships, particularly those involving Pilgrim and Jesse. This is a book that can be a bit hard to follow if you don't read from it everyday. Crummey's main problem is that he doesn't really offer an ending to his novels. He simply stops writing without really concluding. Had Sweetland had a better conclusion I would have given it four stars. Even so, it's well worth reading.

So, nothing much goes on in Sweetland, Newfoundland, right? Wrong! The author gets us to understand the limited life the folks on the island live, their small and large grievances and sorrows and who's really close to whom. The characterization is very good and some of the relationships deep. Everything changes when the government wants to reclaim the island, and former friends become enemies, and enemies find new reasons to care about someone. This book really searches the souls of those who think they can't leave, after a life there and nowhere else, and those who are ready to pick up and go. And, there are some surprises. Enjoy!

[4.5 stars]Sweetland is an incredibly moving book that slowly crept under my skin before going in an unexpected and intriguing direction. It begins as a portrait of a tiny (and quirky) town before moving into a world where reality is hazy.Some reviews noted that Sweetland‘s Canadian Island dialect takes some getting used to, but it didn’t bother me at all. In fact, I found much of the writing downright gorgeous:"He looked up at the hills surrounding the cove, sunlight making them ring with meltwater. He’d always loved that sound, waited for it each spring. Hearing it made him certain of the place he came from. He’d always felt it was more than enough to wake up here, to look out on these hills. As if he’d long ago been measured and made to the island’s specifications."Moses Sweetland is a lovable curmudgeon (a character type that gets me every time…see A.J. Fikry!) and the book has a Grumpy Old Men vibe as Moses and his equally eccentric neighbors rib each other day after day. I loved the way Crummey gradually revealed surprising background information about the town’s history and each of its residents…in a way that reminded me a bit of Did You Ever Have A Family. I’m thrilled to have finally been introduced to this Canadian author and been able to slide Sweetland into my Best Books of 2015 list at the last minute.Check out my blog, Sarah's Book Shelves, for more reviews.

Brief summary and review, no spoilers.This story is told from the point of view of a man named Moses Sweetland. Now elderly, Moses was born, raised and spent almost all of his life on Sweetland, an island off of Newfoundland. The island bears his family name. At the start of the story all the residents of this small town have been offered substantial amounts of money to sell their properties and relocate inland. Everyone but Moses Sweetland and his neighbors Queeny and Loveless have agreed to the sale.Moses is a curmudgeon and lives a solitary life. He does not want to sell his interest in Sweetland and relocate for reasons that seem a little unclear other than he has lived his life there and does not want to go along with everyone else just because he is pressured. We also come to realize that Moses has his own reasons for not wanting to leave and as we continue reading, we find the answers to some of the mysteries surrounding Moses and learn about his upbringing and relationships with his family. We know from the start that Moses Sweetland is alone and very peculiar and we eventually find out why.This is a beautifully written book, to me eminiscent of the writing of William Trevor or Colm Toibin. This is a quiet book in the sense that there is not a lot of action although I would found myself anxiously turning the page to find out what happened next. Instead we follow the relatively insular life of this rugged, lonely and oh-so stubborn man. As we find out more of his life history, our hearts break for him and we can understand why he became the man he did.Recommended. This is a haunting, beautifully told story and the reader will really be transported to this very different place and time. The descriptions of life on the island - and in particular the harrowing scenes in winter - make the cold and misery palpable. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

Brilliant writing.

This book is all about motality, loyalty, loss and a sense of place. The story of Moses Sweetland is quite a simple one, about a man whose deep personal connection to the outport community where he was born and has lived for almost his entire life is so profound that he simply cannot leave, despite all the forces that compel him to do so.In Moses Sweetland, Crummey has created one of the most engaging, multi-layered, true-to-life characters one is likely to encounter in a work of fiction. Every detail of that community, its hard-bitten people and their lifestyle rings true. Reading some passages, I could almost feel the bite of the north Atlantic wind and hear the cries of the seabirds on that rock-bound coast

This novel is an ideal example of a beautifully crafted work of fiction. Or is it? Fiction, I mean. The narrative tells the story of the relocation of people dwelling in the remotest regions of a remote Canadian province: Newfoundland. Their communities have been supported by government funding and when cut backs are initiated people who have been on the same island for generations have to leave their homes for good - with a payoff from the province. We share the experience with Sweetland. It is a very important but depressing story, beautifully told. The reader will have a strong sense of knowing exactly what it was like to live on a remote island through the relocation times, no fabrication, no lies. It was brutal. But you will meet characters you will always remember and admire for their strength and perseverance.

I enjoyed this book very much. I live an urban life in the beautiful coastal city of Vancouver. Although I have travelled a lot I am a creature of my my time and environment. In Canada, there is a continuing set of political and economic issues surrounding settlements with the original inhabitants of the Country. One reads of the special relationship Indians believe they have for the land. It has never been very convincing to me that their relationship with " place" should be any different than anyone else's. This book changed my understanding of the relationship of people and the land. The book is not about indians or land claims it is about family relationships, love, pain, loyalty, memory and place. Sweetland is both a man and a place. For reasons of government efficiency his community is being moved. There are bureaucratic processes and incentives which induce members of the community to support the government plan. There is soon a majority but the agreement has to be unanimous. The ante is raised. Soon there are just a few holdouts. The reader learns of the integration of experience and location, of life and place. The characters are wonderful. The writing clever and consistent. The book expanded my view of important relationships. I'm very glad Michael Crummey wrote the book and I read it.

I'm from the same small mining town (Buchans) that Michael Crummey hails from. I never knew him because I am twenty years older than he and I had left and gone to university before he was born. I've had the pleasure of reading most of his works, but "Sweetland" is by far the best. This powerful story evokes such vivid memories of my life in Newfoundland, but more than that it's an extraordinary tale of perseverance and courage in the face of unbelievable hardship. The people of the "Rock", as it's affectionately known by Newfoundlanders, demonstrate a resilience and fortitude that anyone from "away" will have little conception of and the novel's main character, Sweetland, exemplifies in every way the indomitable spirit of the courage people of Newfoundland. In language rich and evocative of the Newfoundland vernacular, Michael Crummey takes the reader on a journey back in time and forward to the present with seamless ease, weaving an exquisite tapestry of life in a typical island outport, many of which have, sadly, disappeared.