| Lancette Arts Journal Founded in 2000 |
Book Reviews From our Archives |
July 2003 |
Butterflies Dance in
the Dark by Beatrice MacNeil, 352 pages, $24.95;
Down the Coaltown Road by Sheldon Currie, 224 pages, $24.95 Publisher: Key Porter
Books
By Alidė Kohlhaas
The religious
upbringing, and the general social conditions of the Atlantic provinces seem to give
writers a peculiarly fertile setting for their novels. Not only do they have a rich
historical heritage in the hardship of coal miners, fishermen, or farmers, who have to eke
out a living from unproductive soil, but also in the parochial schools – Catholic
schools – they attended, and the nuns and priests they encountered in various roles.
All offer them plenty of material for colorful and good stories.
Two books by different authors, who share this background, albeit in very dissimilar ways, are
testament to this richness of Atlantic Canada’s inspiration. One book is Butterflies
Dance in the Dark by first-time novelist, though not novice writer, Beatrice MacNeil, the
other is Down the Coaltown Road by Sheldon Currie, a well-established novelist and short
story writer. MacNeil reveals her story, Butterflies Dance in the Dark,
through the eyes of Mari-Jen. We first meet her at age five, and follow her to early
adulthood to a poignant, though not wholly satisfactory, ending. Set in the fictional
Acadian Cape Breton town of . . . To Read the full article, go to our ABOUT US page and click on Contact to request the item.
Copyright © 2003-9 CamKohl Arts Productions