Nova Scotia Books

This is a thread for listing and discussing books with a Nova Scotia setting.

Fall on Your Knees is a dark family saga set on Cape Breton island. It's fantastic, but not cheerful.

Alastair MacLeod is a famous Nova Scotian writer, No Great Mischief is one of his finest.

Oh, and The Museum Guard by Howard Norman, set in a small Halifax art museum, is good in a quirky, low-key way.

Did anyone manage to make it through Fall on Your Knees? I did but it was very difficult with the subject matter. I actually had times where I had to stop and read another book something light and fluffy just to deal with what I was reading. Very well written but also frightning.
~ Missy

I had the same reaction--at times it was too intense. But I'm glad I read it and a lot certainly happened, it just wasn't a light, easy read that made you feel happy afterwards.

I just got a copy of The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, which is partially set in Nova Scotia.

I read Fall on your Knees end to end, but it was emotionally exhausting. I've resolved to avoid similar books in the future because I find they affect my mood in negative ways.

As RWG knows, I just finished The Book of Negroes. It's a good summer read and just short of an epic in some ways. I recommend it.

Giller Prize long list: Linden MacIntyre, The Bishop's Man

I've mentioned these in another thread, excuse the duplication:

My Nova Scotia choice was Birds of a feather: tales of a wild bird haven by Linda Johns, a lovely account but it didn't have a strong sense of location so I added Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan the fictionalized account of the explosion of a munitions ship in Halifax harbour on Dec 6, 1917 (this one was a worthwhile re-read). Then I heard of The Bishop's Man by Linden MacIntryre - looking forward to that one. Now that I've started this challenge I keep finding more and more . . .

I discovered Howard Norman's My Famous Evening through searching on LibraryThing, and I would recommend it highly for a non-fiction selection, especially if you've already read some of his novels. He provides a few nuggets of information about the inspiration for some of his characters and settings.

A wonderful Nova Scotia novel is The Birth House by Ami McKay.

I had to pull my original message here because I wrote about a book that should have been listed under New Brunswick. I must have been half asleep or something!

I'm anxious to read The Birth House for my Nova Scotia pick. Based on your rec, though, starfishian, I've added The Sea Captain's Wife to my wishlist. I'm still looking for a good sea-faring historical fiction, after being so horridly disappointed with Ahab's Wife.

Just finished The Birth House and I really enjoyed it. I hope countrylife and Ridgeway Girl (who will be receiving my copy in the mail shortly), enjoy it too :)

You pushed me over the edge, michelle! I just had to buy a copy off eBay. Looking forward to it!

lol - I think you'll find it worth your while, countrylife :)

I just received a list of top books of July 2010 by one of the online bookstores. It appears that one of those top books, What Is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman, is set in Nova Scotia.

Thanks for the heads up Thornton!

Barometer Rising is on mount TBR right now.

Looking at the books I have labelled as Nova Scotia I also see:

The Stepsure Letters
The mountain and the valley
and
Berth

You can pick me up at Peggy's Cove is a Childrens/YA book set in NS:
Ryan’s dad is going through C.O.L., also known as "change of life syndrome," as the adults like to call it. He went away for the summer to try to work through his problems, leaving his family behind. Ryan’s mother decides to send Ryan to Peggy’s Cove, the most beautiful cove in the world, for the summer to stay with his Aunt Fay, who owns and operates a store there. Peggy’s Cove is all right, Ryan thinks, if it weren’t so small and crowded with tourists.

Still, he manages to make friends. First, he befriends Drummer, a misfit. But hanging out with Drummer proves disastrous because it makes him behave in ways he never has before and gets him into trouble. Next, he finds friendship with fishermen Eddie and Wing Ding, who teach him how to fish. The time he spends with the two fishermen is the best moments of his visit. Even so, he still thinks of his father a lot and writes him a letter in hopes of getting his attention. After spending a summer apart, will their relationship ever be the same?

Three hills home is another NS book labelled YA.

I received this as an Early Reviewers book, Her Mother's Daughter by Lesley Crewe. My review is at http://www.librarything.com/profile_reviews.php?view=pmarshall It is a nice light read set in Louisbourg, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

Wanted to add this book in to the list of Nova Scotia books. Last Days in Africville is a young adult novel about a young girl 'Struggling with what it means to be the only black student in her calss in the mid 1960's Halifax'. What she does enjoy is the close-knit community in Africville just outside the city. The neighbours are all friendly and know each other, the church is important to them, etc. Suddenly the city wants the land to build a second bridge. Some are being offered money to move. Some want to move, while others do not. Many own the land and do not want to move somewhere where they will now be paying rent, and do not want to see their community torn apart. Others want to move to where city services are (water etc) and figure they had better move before they are forced out. Suddenly the church is bulldozed by movers in the middle of the night. Will Selina's family move?

Been reading some of these interesting titles of books set in NS. Just wanted to mention that I have two romance novels set in Nova Scotia. Angel's Blessing set in the Annapolis Valley and Heart of Winter set on the Northumberland Strait. My third novel to be published soon is Who Wants to Murder a Millionaire? This is a mystery suspense that is set on the south shore of Nova Scotia.
You can view my novels and short stories at

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/carolmarlenesmith

Thank you! :)

I just finished Cape Breton Road by MacDonald and enjoyed it. It's about a young man who is deported back to Canada and goes to live with his uncle in Nova Scotia for a bit until he can get back on his feet. It's interesting to see things from the perspective of someone who is both an outsider and a native.

Just finished Our Daily Bread by Lauren B. Davis. An excellent but dark read set in Nova Scotia. Really a page turner, 5 stars. It is long listed for this years 2012 Giller. Well worth the read!

Good to hear your opinion of Our Daily Bread Deborah. I was just making a note of this title on my wishlist when I read your post. Thanks.

Might as well bring this out of dormancy to mention an LTER book that is set in Halifax. Quid Pro Quo is aimed at 11 to 14 year olds but is quite interesting enough for adults too.

Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917 / Sally M. Walker
4 stars

On Dec 6, 1917, there was an explosion in the Halifax Harbour. Around 2000 people were killed and many more injured.

This book is aimed toward younger readers, but I found it a good introduction. There are also plenty of archival photos included. The author decided to tell the stories of a few specific families – to follow what happened to the people in those families, what they were doing at the time, etc. I do think this makes the book more “relatable”.

I did know of the explosion, but this is the first I’ve read about it, to really get more info/details on it. I already have other books on my tbr about the topic, as well. I thought this book was very well done. (Hate to say I “really liked” a book about a disaster, though I’m sure I have before!)

>28 LibraryCin: a really good fictional account of the Halifax explosion is Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan. A Canadian classic!

>29 raidergirl3: I've heard of the book; I didn't know that's what it was about! Thank you!

I also just finished a book set in Nova Scotia that has a tie to the Halifax Explosion. Come from Away by Genevieve Graham is set during the Second World War and involves a U-boat seaman that comes ashore in Nova Scotia and meets a young woman whose parents were in Halifax during the explosion. Her three brothers were orphaned in the explosion and the parents adopted them and then had her. It is based on a true incident in which some of the crew of a German U-boat showed up at a country dance in Nova Scotia.

Missing / Frances Itani
4 stars

In France, Luc was 12-years old in 1917 when he saw an air battle between one British and two German planes. The British plane came crashing down and Luc ran towards where the pilot landed. He was only able to notice/discover a few things before Germans shoo-ed him away, but enough to find out the pilot’s name, nationality (Canadian), and to collect a few souvenirs before heading home. Back in Nova Scotia, Jack Greenway’s parents are worried for their only son who went off to be a pilot in this war.

This is a very good short story. I would have loved for it to be longer, still, to be able to put more detail into the story. This was based on true events. Itani is a very good writer of war stories.

The Great Halifax Explosion / John U. Bacon
4 stars

On Dec. 5, 1917, two ships collided in the Halifax Harbour. One of them was loaded down with explosives, meant to head to Europe for the war effort. Instead, with the collision, a good chunk of Halifax and neighbouring Richmond were wiped out in an instant, along with a couple thousand (likely a low estimate) people, and more thousands injured.

This was very well researched. It does include some discussion of the war, and a soldier from Nova Scotia who ended up helping out after the disaster, as he was back home after being severely injured. Also includes a detailed account of the ships and crew involved in the collision, as well as tidbits of time of some of the civilians on shore who were affected (lost family members, lost homes, injuries...).

Barometer Rising / Hugh MacLennan
3.25 stars

It’s 1917 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Penny (a woman working at the shipyard – very unusual for the time)’s love (and cousin) has been at war and he’s missing. They all think he’s dead. So, when Angus (much older than Penny) asks her to marry him, she accepts. Only days later, the Halifax Harbour goes up in an explosion.

The book only follows just over one week. It took longer than I liked to get to the explosion. Leading up to it wasn’t nearly as interesting as the explosion itself and the aftermath, but not long after, it concluded mostly with their regular lives again. If there had been more focus on the disaster, I would have enjoyed it more, I’m sure. There was an afterword by another “classic” Canadian author, Alistair Macleod – one of those that analyzes the book; one of the ones that should never be an introduction but often is (because it gives away the story)! Luckily, it was an afterword.

The Most Precious Substance on Earth / Shashi Bhat
3.5 stars

Nina is an East Indian girl, growing up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is mostly vignettes of her life, starting in grade 9 in the 1990s and continuing through high school and beyond, as she becomes a teacher and navigates online dating.

I thought this was good. I liked Nina’s parents, and I liked many of the pop culture references. I was a bit confused that there was something at the beginning that never seemed to be tied up, though. I kept wondering if it would resurface later in the book, but it didn’t – unless I missed it.

The Clay Girl / Heather Tucker
2.5 stars

Ari (Hariet) is only 8-years old when her abusive father shoots himself. Ari heads to Nova Scotia to live with her aunts. Her four older sisters… I’m not quite sure where they went. Even the summary so far is partly from the summaries online. Ari goes back and forth between her abusive mother in Ontario and her aunts. Luckily for Ari, her new stepfather (Len) is kind and caring. Even so, Ari has her imaginary friend, Jasper the seahorse, to help her along.

Ok, so it was really hard to follow, especially at the start. I don’t like having to use an online summary to get me up to speed with what is happening as I read a book, but I didn’t like the way it was written, as there was too much reading between the lines to figure out what was going on much of the time (though not all the time).

When I could figure out what was going on, it was good. But too hard to figure that out in too many places. Especially at the start, it didn’t help that all of Ari’s older sisters had names that started with J, in addition to Jasper. It also took a while to figure out who/what the heck Jasper was (and maybe I never would have without the online summary?). There were some things I liked – Ari’s relationship with Mikey, especially. Mikey was a stepbrother later on (not Len’s son, but the son of a different (abusive) stepfather later). I also liked Ari’s relationship with Len. I did think the story was good, but I did not like the way it was written, as it was just too hard to follow through much of the book.