Kurze Inhaltsangabe
Der elfjährige Evered und seine zwei Jahre jüngere Schwester Ada wachsen unter kargen Bedingungen auf. Sie sind die Kinder von Fischern, die allein inmitten der kanadischen Wildnis leben.
Als ihre Eltern sterben, sind die Geschwister auf sich allein gestellt; sie wissen nur das von der Welt, was sie von Mutter und Vater gelernt haben. Also führen sie deren hartes Leben nach Kräften weiter. Bis die Loyalität der Geschwister auf die Probe gestellt wird und sie für ihre Zukunft kämpfen müssen.

Back to Newfoundland with Michael Crummey, this time with two orphans stranded in a remote area where they have to scrabble together an existence and stay alive. A bit of unsavory subject matter, but the writing is superb as always. ( )

A very good read by a Canadian author. Survival, isolation and growing up quick are the themes in this book. Set in Newfoundland many (~150ish?) years ago, when each day was a struggle for survival. A story of siblings making due with what they were taught at a young age. Only knowing what happens on the cove, and the rest of the world a fairy tale they hear from the infrequent strangers arriving by a boat with their provisions for the year as well as to pay off their debts with the fish they collected over the summer. Very graphic at times, and occasionally inappropriate for some readers, but would definitely recommend, and will keep Michael Crummey as a go to author in the future. ( )

When Ada and Evered’s parent both die, they are still young. It’s the 19th century and they live in an isolated area in Newfoundland. They do what they can to survive.

I listened to the audio. It was slow-moving and I couldn’t get interested, though the Newfoundland accents and phrases are fun. I missed much of what happened in the book, but I didn’t really care, either. I’m not sure how old the kids were when their parents died and not sure how old they were at the end of the book, either. It was a bit ugly as they became teenagers with no one else around, though. When I saw this book was nominated for a few awards, that explained it for me (my not liking it). ( )

What an incredible story! Michael Crummey puts you right inside the minds of two young children trying to survive on an isolated bay in early Newfoundland, after the death of their parents and baby sister. They are true innocents, with no knowledge of the world beyond the hard life they have experienced in their own family, and no way to get help. This book is very hard to read in places because of the suffering depicted, but impossible to put down, as you hope things will get better for them. The book is full of colourful old Newfoundland expressions and slang, making the story so real. It really comes to life when a ship arrives looking for some mature forest to replace its broken mast, and the children are able to help them. Highly recommended. ( )