"The ‘lamp of the poor’ is hardly visible in urban southwestern Ontario, although there are many poor who move disjointedly beneath it. And the stars are seldom clearly seen above the pollution of prosperity." This, in short, is what I liked about the book. Yes, I do mean that particular quote. ...
While I appreciate MacLeod's often beautiful writing, I can't say I enjoy reading his bleak, depressing stories. It's a good winter book though, when you're in the mood for something downbeat.
Beautifully written short stories set in Nova Scotia.
Set in Cape Breton in the nineteen seventies, No Great Mischief revolves around the visit of a successful orthodontist to his alcoholic brother eking out a miserable existence in a sqalid room above a shop in Toronto. The visit is the starting point for a narrative that follows the fortunes of a gro...
Another outstanding piece of storytelling from this great Scotch Canadian. He uses repetition of images and phrases throughout the book as a very effective tool. It gives the story both a rhythm and an anchor, continually bringing you back to reminders of what binds the clan and their shared histo...
YOWZA, this guy can write! Holy prose, Batman! 4.5 stars for this beauty of a book.This is a collection of sixteen stories, published between 1968 and 1999. All of the stories take place on or near the author's native Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. He writes with such a quiet beauty about the local pe...
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