Get transported to untamed Newfoundland, peopled with a strange collection of characters. Not a book where you develop empathy for the characters but one where the narrative was a passing parade of their harsh lives and the times they endured. There were definite interesting elements- Judah who is "born" from a whale's belly, forevermore bleached and stinking, or the priest who sleeps with the widow with the “ghost” of her husband sitting by the fire, or the webbed fingers passed down after an encounter with a mermaid. As a generational novel, it crosses through history. There are wonderful insights into such things as the unionization of the fishing fleet, the ebb and flow of religious tolerance, long-held superstitions, and the intermingling of families. All elements of what make Newfoundland the oddity it is today. Read-a-likes: The Shipping News- E. Annie Proulx, Graffer- Kevin Major, The Birth House- Ami McKay

A whimisical view of the inhabitants of Paradise Bay, Newfoundland, dating from the late 1700's to the early 20th century. Well drawn characters and family relationships kept me turning the pages. An interesting read by an author I'd never read before.

A family saga occuring over two centuries. It is almost medieval in its description of outport life. Disappointing.

Crummey is a wonderful story-teller - his command of the language. wit and characterization draws you in from the very first page. Worth the read.

Hated it. Couldn’t finish it. I found it improbable and rambling.

Loved it! I'm withholding that .5 because I found the entrance and exit of characters a bit abrupt sometimes. Just like the dust jacket says; "Sprawling and intimate, fantastical and true...set in a realm somewhere between the stark coastal landscape and a world of superstition and myth..." I LOVED IT. I will admit that I enjoy reading stories set in Newfoundland. To me, having never been there myself or experienced it - yet, Newfoundland has a supernatural quality where anything can and does happen and I just eat that stuff up! The story of a small outport and the town's inhabitants over four (I think) generations. It was a family saga that was completely enjoyable and illustrates how history repeats itself - you just have to wait long enough. The interesting characters who kick off the story include Judah, the man who arrives in town via the belly of a beached whale; Devine's Widow, the local witch; King-me Sellers, local cut-throat merchant. The story starts with these main characters, but then continues to follow their heirs down through the genealogical chart. Support and peripheral characters are very important to this saga and help weave the details of everyone's ties together. Family and family history affects the rest of your life; for better or for worse.

Pure magic! A real page turner!

This was my first read of anything by Crummey and I found it extremely enjoyable. The folklore was wonderfully told. It was another that sat with me after I had finished it, wishing there was more.

Newfee tales at their finest. A chronicle of 3 or 4 generations in a Newfoundland outpost. Lots of colour and detail about life in a fishing community.

Shortlisted for 2011 Impac prize. "A whale of a Newfoundland tale....His two previous novels, River Thieves and The Wreckage, were critical successes and national bestsellers, and deservedly so. They were very good books and I enjoyed them immensely. Galore blows them out of the water." Steven Galloway Globe & Mail August 14 2009