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Sweetland: A Novel
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
75 posts | 68 read | 85 to read
The epic tale of an endangered Newfoundland community and the struggles of one man determined to resist its extinction. The scarcely populated town of Sweetland clings to the shore of a remote Canadian island. 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. Fierce and enigmatic Moses Sweetland, whose ancestors founded the island, is determined to refuse. As one by one his neighbors relent, he recalls the towns rugged history and its eccentric cast of characters. For fans of The Shipping News, Michael Crummeys prose conjures up the mythical, sublime world of Sweetlands past amid a storm-battered landscape haunted by local lore. In a spare style that belies huge emotional depth and heart (Celeste Ng, author of Everything I Never Told You), Crummey masterfully weaves together the past and present, creating in Sweetland a spectacular portrait of one mans battle to survive as his world vanishes around him.
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review
Jari-chan
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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Bailedbailed

I think this might be a cause of It's-Me-Not-The-Book, because I loved the first book I read by Crummey. But I think I might have to stick to the German translation to fully enjoy his calm writings. Here I didn't get into the atmosphere, nor the story, starting to skim through and still didn't really care. So I'd rather try another time with a translated version than forcing myself to read the English version and not enjoying it.

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KatieB
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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Panpan

My #bookspin book for July. At the he halfway point I was ready to DNF this but a plot twist had me reconsider. The second half was certainly better than the first but still such a disappointing read overall. I had read The Innocents by this author and still think about that book all the time so maybe my expectations were just too high. ⭐️⭐️

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KatieB
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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My #bookspin book for July! It‘s 7am on the first day of my vacation so I am going to get in the hot tub with my kindle. Luxury! My workout can wait!

8 likes1 comment
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Anna40
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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Mehso-so

This book sounded like it would be right up my alley, but it wasn't. I couldn't connect to the story and characters. I finished it because I had read so many positive reviews and was hoping for a change, but didn't enjoy it.

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BeckyWithTheGoodBooks
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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Pickpick

Heartbreaking and lovely, this novel is one that will stay with me for awhile. Moses Sweetland had me at turns laughing, crying, and on the edge of my seat. He reminded me of my best friend‘s beloved Papa, whose favorite phrase was “Gawd Dammit!” I loved how his history was interspersed with current events on the island, and Crummey‘s beautiful prose kept the mundaneness of Sweetland‘s daily tasks bright and interesting. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

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Jess
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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I cannot wait for this one to come out. I LOVE Sweetland.

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ReadingEnvy
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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Pickpick

A novel set on an island off the coast of Newfoundland that the government wants to resettle, but first Moses has to agree, and he's not going anywhere....

LazyDays Oooo. I like it. 5y
Lindy I was guessing that you would enjoy this. I did too. 😊 5y
ReadingEnvy @Lindy hard to beat anything from Newfoundland honestly 5y
59 likes5 stack adds3 comments
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monalyisha
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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My current audiobook is nearing the end, so I requested a slew of new titles to choose from. I‘ve somehow made it this far without listening to “Bossypants” or “The Glass Castle,” so those are on the list.

What should I listen to next? Anything that‘s not on my list that should be? (Note: Don‘t worry, I‘ve already listened to “Born a Crime”, “Shrill”, & “Yes, Please” - & I‘m almost done with “Ready Player One” 😉).

parttimedomestic Some of my favorites have been anything I have listened to by Jason Reynolds, and also 6y
2BR02B Have you listened to either of Jenny Lawson's books? Of those pictured above, I'd probably go with 6y
BethwithBooks I second the Jenny Lawson - and if you‘ve done Yes Please and will soon do Bossypants, I would recommend rounding it out with Rachael Dratch, Girl Walks into a Bar 6y
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monalyisha @BethwithBooks I‘ll add the Rachel Dratch! @2BR02B I tried “Furiously Happy” in print but couldn‘t get into it. Maybe I‘ll try her first one on audio? 6y
2BR02B @monalyisha Let's Pretend This Never Happened is definitely my fave of the two. 6y
monalyisha Oh, right! @Lisaw13 I forgot I wanted to listen to that one! Thank you! (edited) 6y
Lisaw13 I don't like a lot of books on audio except maybe memoirs, but I thought they did a great job with the audio for the Themis Files series 6y
Copwithabook Great choices. I really enjoyed Born with Teeth 6y
66 likes9 comments
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emilyhaldi
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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After living through generations together, residents of a small fishing island in Newfoundland are offered compensation by the government to leave. Everyone slowly accepts except for stubborn old Moses Sweetland... He is determined to be the #lasttoleave the island and hatches a plan to be able to stay behind. This book is a dark comedy and also a bit of a tragedy... So beautifully written.
#aprella
Pictured: me in my old apt reading this book 💙

TrishB Great pic 👍🏻 6y
Suet624 💕💕💕 6y
GatheringBooks lovely photo of you! 6y
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Book_in_hands Great book, read for bookclub one year 6y
batsy Love the picture and the book sounds perfect for this. I've already stacked it, a definite #blameitonlitsy ☺️ 6y
Cinfhen Great choice & photo #bookmemories 💕 6y
RealLifeReading Great photo! 6y
rockpools Apparently I've already stacked this one too. Thanks for reminding me it exists 😆 6y
Mdargusch Love this! Stacking! (edited) 6y
Reviewsbylola Do you just have random old pictures of you reading books? 6y
tammysue Great photo! 🌸👌🏻 6y
emilyhaldi @Reviewsbylola if you must know, I believe this is the only one 💁🏻‍♀️ 6y
Cathythoughts Love the picture ❤️❤️❤️ 6y
JennyM Great photo @emilyhaldi! It‘s always good to see reading in action😉 6y
Becker I will second this pick. It is a great story.🙂 6y
TheLibrarian I still need to buy this and read it. Thinking your reading list will continue through May! 6y
DivineDiana For some mysterious reason, books about Newfoundland are surrounding me! Currently reading different books for two Book Clubs! But not this one! 😉 6y
142 likes12 stack adds17 comments
review
Bibliogeekery
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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Pickpick

This book was so lovely! I read a review of it which referred to the story as a 'contemplation of extinction'. Such a perfect description. I've read a number of books about the relocation of remote fishing villages in Newfoundland (it's a genre, Crummey comedically references in the book) but this one was different. It was haunting, funny, sad, and a bit scary at times. This one will stay with me for awhile.

emilyhaldi Great review, I agree! Beautiful book ❤️ 6y
Vblancsbooks I just started this yesterday and love it! 6y
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Bibliogeekery
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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I love how this book - a novel about a remote fishing community in Newfoundland - has the characters complaining about how the genre of novels set in rural NFLD are so unrealistic!

LeahBergen Isn‘t it great? 😆 6y
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Bibliogeekery
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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ephemeralwaltz 😍😍😍😍😍 6y
batsy @BookHoarder32 Very! 🐦🐦🐦 6y
57 likes4 comments
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Bibliogeekery
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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Next audiobook!

vlwelser I read his other book (tagged). It was good but weird. Let us all know how this one is. ☺ 6y
callielafleur @vlwelser This one is way less weird than Galore, which I also loved. 😁 6y
vlwelser @callielafleur good to know. Adding it to my wish list. 6y
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KarenUK
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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#youreameanonemrgrinch I seem to be drawn to ‘grumpy old man fiction‘recently!
Moses Sweetland is laugh-out-loud funny, with his cussing and sarcasm, yet the story is unbearably sad at times. With compulsory re-location in place, and Moses the only hold out, its a story of unusual friendships, what family means, the importance of home and of one man's loneliness. Gorgeous prose capture the quirky islanders and their lives in this beautiful place.

Cinfhen Stacked!!!! 6y
Cinfhen Sending holiday love😘😘😘 6y
KarenUK @Cinfhen And to you Cindy 💕💕💕💕 6y
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Cinfhen I'm hoping to be back in Florida in March, hope we can meet up again 🤗 6y
Ddzmini I have a grumpy old man... he‘s not very old (48) but he‘s grumpy 😝 6y
KarenUK I‘d love that! @cinfhen 💕👍 6y
KarenUK @Ddzmini 😂💕👍 6y
emilyhaldi Great blurb!! Right on the mark- I loved this one ❤️ 6y
callielafleur I ❤️❤️❤️ this book. Michael Crummey is a beautiful writer. 6y
56 likes2 stack adds9 comments
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Ange44
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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It‘s coffee and reading time, before heading out for my first day of Christmas shopping.

Zelma Excellent way the start the day. I am doing the same, before heading out to the bookstore. (edited) 6y
11 likes1 comment
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ErikasMindfulShelf
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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Bookmail is the best mail!! 😍😍

emilyhaldi I loved The Leavers and Sweetland!!! Enjoy ❤️ 6y
ErikasMindfulShelf Great @emilyhaldi Can‘t wait to read them! 6y
Matilda Silver Sparrow is one of my all time favorite novels. 6y
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Bookish_B
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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I'm struggling to get through his one. Its been on my TBR for ages and I was really excited about finally getting to it but I might have to put it aside and move on to the next book. I so seldom do that though. I feel such guilt about it! 😳😞

charl08 I found this took a while to warm up for me. 7y
BookishBlonde12 I felt the same way. 7y
Bookish_B @charl08 how many pages in would you say? 7y
Bookish_B @BookishBlonde12 did you finish it? 7y
BookishBlonde12 Lol nope. Not yet 😐 7y
39 likes5 comments
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BookishShelly
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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What a nice thing to see right away this morning! I knew I was close to 10,000 but I didn't think I'd catch it there exactly. 💃🏻

Suelizbeth Congrats! 🎉🎊🙌🏻📚❤️ 7y
BkClubCare Wow! I still don't quite get how points are accumulated. I seem stuck at 6700. 😜 Congrats on you Litsy Abundance! 7y
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rubyslippersreads 🎉📚🎉📚🎉🎉🎉 7y
KarenUK 🙌🙌🙌💕 7y
BekahB Congrats!🎉🎉 7y
DuckOfDoom Congrats!!🎉🎉 7y
DGRachel Woohoo! 🎉🎉🍾🎉🎉 7y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 📚🎈🎈🎉💕🎊 7y
Redwritinghood 🎉🎉🎉🎉 7y
Wife Wow!🌹 7y
moranadatter Congrats!🎉🎂 7y
Gissy 👏👏👏👏📚📚📚❤️👍 7y
55 likes14 comments
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BookishShelly
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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1. Never 2. Tea 3. Fantasy 4. Evening since my reading time currently is after my son goes to bed. 5. Own a bookstore #bookishwouldyourather

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emilyhaldi
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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I finished this book just in time for today's #resistance prompt.
This is a resonating book about an island off the coast of Newfoundland and the man who refuses to abandon it when the government offers relocation money to all residents. Moses Sweetland has a little bit of Ove in him ❤ and he broke my heart multiple times throughout the story.

#junetunz

LeahBergen Such a good read! 7y
Dogearedcopy I love the Ove comment! 7y
Cinfhen Sounds really good 😊 I love memoirs! Thanks for sharing & posting!!!! 7y
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emilyhaldi My bad @Cinfhen I think my wording made it sound like it's a memoir but it is fiction! Still good though 😊 7y
KarenUK I love this book... 💕 7y
Cinfhen No, it was probably me...it still sounds great & I see some of my favorite readers loved it as well 💕 7y
Reviewsbylola Never heard of it but sounds good. 7y
emilyhaldi @Reviewsbylola I bought it from Book Outlet and then saw that it was one of Liberty's favorite book of 2015 so I moved it up on my tbr!! 7y
83 likes1 stack add8 comments
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Suzze
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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One of the faraway places I've always wanted to go. When I was 14, my parents took me to the Maritime provinces. They let me pick whether I wanted to go to Prince Edward Island (Green Gables! Short ferry ride) or Newfoundland (long boat ride). Of course, I chose PEI but I've always wanted to see what I missed in Newfoundland. This is my favorite book set there. Although I do so love The Shipping News. #rockinmay #longlingwayfromhome

Bklover This sounds good! Stacked 😀 7y
Cinfhen Sort of like the vacation not taken...when my oldest son was turning 13 my hubby offered him a family trip to SA for safari or one of those ridiculous bar mitzvah parties, which of course he choose and I always remind him how he blew that decision.... 7y
Eggs I'm a sucker for cover art/colors. This looks good. 7y
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Suzze @Cinfhen oh, I can imagine at 13, that party sounds like the best! But a safari! How cool would that have been? 7y
Suzze @Eggs I've seen different covers for this, but I like this one best. Fits the story. 7y
Cinfhen I know @Suzze ☹️☹️☹️with son number 2, we gave no choices and he had a very scaled back, low key party. He's been complaining of being "gipped" ever since. 7y
Hooked_on_books You may also want to try a historical look at Newfoundland: 7y
Suzze @Hooked_on_books Sounds good! Added to my TBR. 7y
84 likes2 stack adds8 comments
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Shawna
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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LeahBergen 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🇨🇦 7y
42 likes2 comments
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WhatDeeReads
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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I completely forgot I owned this one. I bought it so long ago as an ebook. It was on sale.

I believe I heard somewhere, maybe from Liberty, that there's a lovable curmudgeon in it. Maybe I'll pull it to the top of my TBR. Anyone read it?

#Lighthouses #MarchIntoReading

Lindy Yes Sweetland is the name of the loveable curmudgeon. Also the name of the island he lives on. It's a delightful novel. 7y
WhatDeeReads @Lindy I'm going to try to get to it soon. I love curmudgeons. 7y
Lindy @Lucky_LaDee Another great thing about this book is the Newfoundland lingo. 👍 7y
29 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Shawna
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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A one word title I've been saving #riotgrams

Suzze I LOVED Sweetland!!!! 7y
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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Pickpick

I almost loved this novel – the ending was a little too dark for me – but what an impressive piece of literary fiction out of Newfoundland! Extremely memorable characters and very fine writing.

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I loved this one. One of my most favorites. 7y
Marchpane It's just wonderful. 7y
Gleefulreader I was so happy today - I had wanted to read this and today as I was re-stocking my Little Free Library, there it was! Serendipity! 7y
LeahBergen I loved it. 😍 7y
HollyQ Loved this book. 7y
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa Beautiful wording. 7y
shawnmooney @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Isn't it just? 💓💓💓 7y
KarenUK 💕💕💕💕.. love this book 7y
Redjewel_7734 I can just see that image 💜💜💜 7y
29 likes1 stack add4 comments
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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Suzze This book was so good! And memorable. 💕 7y
dixi_e This has been on my TBR for too long! Glad to be reminded of it with an enthusiastic review! 7y
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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WanderingBookaneer Where do you make these quotes? 7y
shawnmooney @WanderingBookaneer This app is called Typorama 7y
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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Crappy timing, what with Christmas and all, but I do think this is one of the best sentences I've read in all of 2016. :-)

LeahBergen 😂😂 7y
35 likes1 stack add1 comment
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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At around the 40% mark, Sweetland's "stage" becomes an important part of the story. I had no idea what they were talking about. This is what they were talking about. :-)

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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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KarenUK 😂😂😂 7y
Bookboss Great book! 7y
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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Megabooks Roosters are actually pretty vicious! I've been chased by a few. And those spurs!!!! 7y
Lindy I was attacked while feeding chickens in France. After the farmer had treated my wound, he said he knew exactly how to fix that rooster: coq au vin. 7y
shawnmooney @Lindy I'm sure the cock coming home to roast would've fixed what ailed the victim as well! ❤ 7y
Lindy Ha ha, yes! M. Le Coq was spared, thanks to the farmer's wife, even though she always carried a big stick to protect herself from rooster attacks. I started doing that too. 7y
20 likes1 stack add4 comments
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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I love this expression, especially when I imagine it being uttered in a thick Newfoundland accent!

ReadingEnvy I have this book on my Kindle and need to read it. But where will I find a Newfoundland accent? 7y
shawnmooney @ReadingEnvy I'd suggest trying Newfoundland. 😂 7y
ReadingEnvy @shawnmooney this would not be the first time I needed one! 😁 7y
shawnmooney @ReadingEnvy Now I know what to get ya for Christmas next year! 😋 7y
30 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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In Saskatchewan, this was known as 'an afterthought.'

Suzze I loved this book! I was an afterthought. My parents were 38 and 40. My brothers and sisters were 7, 21, 22 and 23 when I was born. Actually I was a surprise. My next oldest sister was an afterthought. 😁😁 7y
LindaGrace812 My best friend (14 years younger than her next-oldest sibling) prefers the word "blessing". ? 7y
Cinfhen @Suzze ???I have 9 years between my oldest and youngest and 7 1/2 between boys 1 &2 ! we call our youngest "A gift from God" and he is actually an easygoing delightful child ??? 7y
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LeahBergen Or a "meno-baby". ?? 7y
LeahBergen Hey, Janet Jackson is having an "afterthought" ... at 50! ? 7y
Suzze @Cinfhen Wow! Wonderful family. 7y
46 likes3 stack adds6 comments
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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TheCanuckReader Great book. Audio annoyed me though as the narrator mispronounced many words...including Newfoundland! 7y
LeahBergen @TheCanuckReader Nooo! Really?? 😱 7y
shawnmooney @TheCanuckReader That WOULD be annoying. Reminds me of the Murakami audio I listened to recently where the narrator mispronounced the main character Sumire's name for the first half of the book, as Soo-mee-DAY, before finally changing it to the correct Soo-mee-LAY. 7y
TheCanuckReader He also sounded like Sean Connery had a baby with Clint Eastwood. I kid you not 7y
Lindy @canuckreader I'm curious how the narrator pronounced it. My friend who is from Newfoundland says it differently than we do in western Canada. She puts the emphasis on the final syllable, rather than the first. 7y
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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MrBook You make great images 😎👌🏻! 7y
shawnmooney @MrBook Thanks! 😍 7y
36 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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charl08 Such a great read. 7y
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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LeahBergen The character of Queenie is so great! 7y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled One of my favorite books ever 7y
35 likes2 comments
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slhbooks
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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My Book Outlet order arrived the other day. I had no knowledge of them prior to Litsy! So here's a huge thank you to all of you who mentioned #bookoutlet. At one point, I had about 20 books in my cart but I whittled it down to these 9 so I could stay under my self-imposed spending limit. This is my best #bookhaul 📚📚📚 of the year! I read Sweetland when I had it checked out from the library but I loved it so much I needed my own copy😉

Jenshootsweddings At the edge of the orchard was a lovely book!! 7y
Zelma I did the same thing with my book outlet cart. I decided I wanted to spend less than $20 to feel responsible so I kept removing books after my initial buying spree. 😆 7y
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Louise So many good ones! 👍👏🏼🌟 7y
ErikasMindfulShelf Great haul!! 7y
KarenUK Nice stack 😍 7y
BekahB Nice haul! I think I'm going to get Shelter and Lab Girl in a future Book Outlet order. 😀 7y
Laura317 I found Book Outlet through Litsy, too! My budget may never recover. 7y
Gulfsidemusing So many great books in that stack!📚👍🏻 7y
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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Lindy Sweetland is such a curmudgeon. 7y
33 likes1 comment
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Marchpane
Sweetland | Michael Crummey
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Pickpick

Set on a remote, windswept island in Newfoundland, Sweetland was one of my favourite books of 2015.

Crummey takes his time sketching the stoic inhabitants of the island, their hard scrabble life and the sense of futility that dogs them. When the government offers compensation to the islanders if they relocate to the mainland, tensions rise between neighbours.

The characters and setting are still vivid in my mind, nearly two years later. 👍👍

slhbooks This was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me. Simply loved it😊 7y
KarenUK Loved it too 💕 7y
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cathysaid Sold! 7y
shawnmooney Currently about 10 to 15% in – I'm a little late to the Sweetland party – and totally engrossed! 7y
BooksForYears This is such a great choice - I would definitely pick this if I were in your climate! 😀 7y
Canadian.Reads Loved Sweetland... Hope you can visit Newfoundland sometime it's beautiful 😁 7y
LeahBergen I loved this one ❤️ 7y
Marchpane @slhbooks @KarenUK @LeahBergen Yay, lots of love for Sweetland here! I also count this as one of my all time faves: 7y
Marchpane @cathysaid if you do get to it, I hope you love it! @shawnmooney I was engrossed from the beginning but it takes a turn in the latter part of the book that really makes it into something special. Hope you enjoy 😊 7y
Marchpane @BooksForYears @Canadian.Reads would absolutely love to visit Newfoundland one day!! 7y
105 likes15 stack adds11 comments
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shawnmooney
Sweetland: A Novel | Michael Crummey
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