We're Not Rich by Sue Murtagh (Nimbus Publishing) I loved this debut collection and wrote about it for The Seaboard Review earlier this year. Below is a short excerpt of my review. You can read the rest of it here. As many of my favourite story collections do, We’re Not Rich examines the lives of ordinary people … Continue reading Nova Scotia Short Story Collections: Sue Murtagh, Carol Bruneau, Amanda Peters, Chris Benjamin, and M.V. Feehan
A wide-ranging trio of books; a fascinating Atlantic Canadian memoir, a heartbreakingly good novel about residential school trauma, and a joy-of-a linked story collection. The Dome Chronicles by Garry Leeson (2019) The Dome Chronicles doesn't look like the type of book I normally gravitate towards - physically, it's tall and wide and floppy, kind of … Continue reading From the Library: Michelle Good, Garry Leeson, and Carol Bruneau
Much has been made of Maud Lewis and her art over the years: baby books, art, biographies, even a movie. She is well-known here in Nova Scotia - I remember learning about her in school over 30 years ago. Since then, more has come to light about her life, or, more likely, more has been … Continue reading Brighten the Corner Where You Are by Carol Bruneau
As with Genevieve Graham's novel, Come From Away, A Circle on the Surface is inspired by the rumours of German U-Boat sailors coming ashore along Canada's east coast during the Second World War. The heart of the novel, of course, is not about German soldiers, but of a marriage and how it is impacted by … Continue reading A Circle on the Surface by Carol Bruneau
Carol Bruneau has been getting some standout reviews recently for her new story collection, A Bird on Every Tree. James at The Miramichi Reader says that Ms. Bruneau "writes with a graceful precision and has a deftness with words and their cadences". A reviewer at The Coast calls Ms. Bruneau "a master of imagery". A … Continue reading A Bird on Every Tree: A Collection of Short Stories by Carol Bruneau
Glass Voices by Carol Bruneau (2007) I read this book as part of my little unofficial Halifax Explosion fiction project, which includes other books, such as Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan, Black Snow by Jon Tattrie, and The Blue Tattoo by Steven Laffoley. This book made a nice compliment to the others in that it's … Continue reading ‘Glass Voices’ by Carol Bruneau and ‘The Memento’ by Christy Ann Conlin
When These Good Hands came out, I noticed it because I loved both the cover and the title, but I didn't know yet what the book was about. When I saw Carin's review and an interview with the author on her blog, Matilda Magtree, it decided me. These Good Hands tells the story of Camille Claudel. … Continue reading These Good Hands by Carol Bruneau
Consumed by Ink 