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From the award-winning, bestselling 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 twelve 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.
For twelve 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.
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About the Author:
An Amazon Best Book of the Month, January 2015: There’s a quietness to Michael Crummey’s novel that adds to its power. Sweetland is about a man, Moses Sweetland, who lives on an island off of Newfoundland. The island itself is called Sweetland, named by Moses Sweetland’s ancestors, and it’s a dying place. In fact, the entire population has been offered a lump payment by the government to remove themselves from the island. There are only two holdouts to the deal: the village idiot and the sixty-nine year old Moses Sweetland. What’s most appealing about this subtle, entertaining, and quietly moving novel is the humanity of its characters and the genuine feel of Sweetland itself. Each character is real and truly imagined; it’s the kind of book and the kind of place where many readers will just want to linger. Communities like Sweetland, with their specific ways of talking and being, are growing less common. Crummey’s book is a testament to those places and the people who live there. --Chris Schluep
MICHAEL CRUMMEY is the author of a memoir, Newfoundland: Journey into a Lost Nation, three books of poetry including Arguments with Gravity, winner of the Writers' Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador Book Award for Poetry, and a book of short stories Flesh & Blood. His first novel, River Thieves, was a finalist for the 2001 Scotiabank Giller Prize; and his second novel The Wreckage was a national bestseller and a finalist for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. His third novel, Galore, won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize (Canada and the Caribbean) and was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award. He lives in St. John's, Newfoundland.
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- PublisherDoubleday Canada
- Publication date2014
- ISBN 10 0385663161
- ISBN 13 9780385663168
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages320
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good+. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good+. First Edition. Tan / blue Hardcovers in Very Good+ condition with clean & unmarked pages and a sound binding. Light spine end bumping. First Edition. The DJ is unclipped and also in Very Good+ condition with light edgewear. "For twelve generations, the inhabitants of this remote island in Newfoundland have lived and died together. Now 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 on alone. That coot is Moses Sweetland, who refuses to leave." ; 9.3 X 6.3 X 1.3 inches; 320 pages. Seller Inventory # 24131
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Book Description Condition: Good. Book is in Used-Good condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain limited notes and highlighting. 1.23. Seller Inventory # 0385663161-2-4
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Book Description Condition: Very Good. Book is in Used-VeryGood condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain very limited notes and highlighting. 1.23. Seller Inventory # 0385663161-2-3
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. SIGNED BY MICHAEL CRUMMEY on title page; Clean, tight, unmarked; very light wear to dust jacket; otherwise very minimal wear; For 12 generations, the inhabitants of a remote island off Newfoundland's south coast have lived and died together. Now, crippled by the loss of the commercial fishery that sustained them, they are offered a government compensation package to leave the island for good. Already abondoned by the young in search of work, facing the loss of their school, their church, and their single store, the remaining residents slowly surrender to the inevitable. All but Moses Sweetland. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 004866
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. First Canadian edition, first printing. This copy is signed on the title page by the author. Short listed for the 2014 Governor General's Literary Award for fiction. The book is new, unread; in mint condition. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 002811
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First Edition. We're happy to combine shipping to save you some money. We're also always buying collectible book collections. Contact us for details. We're happy to provide pictures of any and all books for you, please just ask! Signed & Inscribed Canadian first edition, first printing. Signed & Inscribed on the title page by author. Contains number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. Minor wear to corners of jacket. Jacket is NOT price clipped. Covers are clean and bright. Edges are sharp. No tears or creases. The book itself is in Near Fine condition. The binding is straight and tight. NO remainder mark. Previous owners name and some writing on half title page. Signed. Seller Inventory # 21050076
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