Sweetland
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Sweetland
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Narrated by:
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David Ferry
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Written by:
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Michael Crummey
About this listen
From the award-winning, best-selling author of Galore comes another unforgettable novel. By turns darkly comic and heartbreakingly sad, Sweetland is a deeply suspenseful story about one man's struggles against the forces of nature and the ruins of memory.
For 12 generations, when the fish were plentiful and when they all but disappeared, the inhabitants of this remote island in Newfoundland have lived and died together. Now, in the second decade of the 21st century, they are facing resettlement, and each has been offered a generous compensation package to leave. But the money is offered with a proviso: everyone has to go; the government won't be responsible for one crazy coot who chooses to stay alone on an island.
That coot is Moses Sweetland. Motivated in part by a sense of history and belonging, haunted by memories of the short and lonely time he spent away from his home as a younger man, and concerned that his somewhat eccentric great-nephew will wilt on the mainland, Moses refuses to leave. But in the face of determined, sometimes violent, opposition from his family and his friends, Sweetland is eventually swayed to sign on to the government's plan. Then a tragic accident prompts him to fake his own death and stay on the deserted island. As he manages a desperately diminishing food supply, and battles against the ravages of weather, Sweetland finds himself in the company of the vibrant ghosts of the former islanders, whose porch lights still seem to turn on at night.
©2019 Michael Crummey (P)2019 Doubleday CanadaWhat the critics say
2014, Governor General's Literary Awards-Fiction, Short-listed
2014, International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, Nominated
2015, Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards, Winner
"Seductive, supple and haunting.... Sweetland is a wistful eulogy for a dying way of life." (Toronto Star)
What listeners say about Sweetland
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MQ
- 2024-11-19
Excellent writing and narration.
Michael Crummey is a superb storyteller, and David Ferry's narration is perfect. It's been a while since I've finished a book and immediately looked for more titles by that author (and with that narrator). The characters were all so well defined that even those mostly background characters felt real and quickly identifiable. Wow.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2022-11-21
Riveting
A remarkable story. Lyrical, Haunting and Compelling. This book will stay with me for a long time.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ev
- 2020-02-16
Listened to it twice..it's that good!
The musicality of the characters conversations and one liners kept me amused; the rough tenderness the characters showed towards their fellow Islanders kept me reading.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Katherine Walsh
- 2023-10-16
A Modern “ Old Man and the Sea”
The saddest of tales painted with imagery so real it is as if you are there. It was a very nostalgic read with characters so life-like you could close your eyes and see them. While I was born and raised on the island of Newfoundland, I only visited outport communities which were an entity all their own. I learned about resettlement in school and I honestly feel this book gives a true account of the impact of it on the people and their culture in much the same way as Gordon Pinsent did with “John and the Missus” This is the first Michael Crummey book I’ve read but it won’t be the last.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jill
- 2019-11-14
heart sang and broke at the same time
I grew up in outport Newfoundland, and this book brought back so many memories and emotions, all the while grieving for a culture lost.
I feel it was deadly accurate.
Read it for a book club with all members except me being "Come From Aways" - they didn't get it. I, however, felt I was on a magic carpet ride back in time. Thank you M. Crummy for transporting me back home, out of my Toronto life, even if it was for only 9 hours of listening.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- gradylady
- 2020-08-26
hooked
from the very beginning I was hooked. I loved the rugged exterior of the main character covering up a very sensitive guy. This book gave me a glimpse into modern day Newfoundland which is still in so many ways living decades past,this is not a bad thing!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Wade
- 2023-05-24
Riveting Story, powerful ending.
riveting story, powerful ending. Gripping accounts of the loss of Jessie and of Mr Fox.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Doreen V.
- 2022-06-04
Sweetland is a treasure
What a gem of a book. This is literary storytelling of the highest order. Readers don't read about Sweetland, they are there - seemingly in body and soul - smelling, tasting, hearing and seeing Newfoundland and its folk.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2021-07-20
Astounding
A haunting and emotional work of art that touches on life, loss, home, belonging, and change.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2020-11-11
Wonderful
I love the writing and the performance. Excellent story.Thank you Michael Crummey very very much
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