Title: Galore
Author: Michael Crummey
First published August 11, 2009
336 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9780385663144 (ISBN10: 0385663145)
Rating: 3.75
Overview
The manager of the Nymburk brewery has a stunning, yet boisterous wife. Besides her, he also has to worry about the quality and sales of the beer as well as his rowdy brother who came to visit.
Join him on his journey as he navigates through the ups and downs of managing a brewery and dealing with the challenges of family life. Bohumil Hrabal’s Postřižiny is a humorous and heartwarming tale that will leave you entertained and satisfied.
About the Author
Michael Crummey was born in Buchans, Newfoundland, and grew up there and in Wabush, Labrador. In his first year of university, Crummey started writing poems, which earned him the Gregory Power Poetry Award just before graduating with a BA in English.
This gave him the impression that there was money to be made in poetry.
Crummey published two collections of poems, Arguments with Gravity (1996) and Hard Light (1998), and a collection of short stories, Flesh and Blood (1998), which was nominated for the Journey Prize. His debut novel, River Thieves (2001), became a Canadian bestseller.
It won the Thomas Head Raddall Award and the Winterset Award for Excellence in Newfoundland Writing, and was shortlisted for the Giller Prize, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, the Books in Canada First Novel Award, and the IMPAC Award. His second novel, The Wreckage (2005), was nominated for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and longlisted for the 2007 IMPAC Award.
In 2009, Crummey published Galore, which became a national bestseller. It won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book (Canada & Caribbean) and the Canadian Authors’ Association Fiction Prize, and was shortlisted for the Governor-General’s Award for fiction.
Crummey currently resides in St. John’s, Newfoundland with his wife and three step-kids.
Editoral Review
Michael Crummey’s Galore is a stunning work of historical fiction that combines magical realism with a deep understanding of Newfoundland’s cultural and natural landscape. First published in 2009, Galore has since gained significant critical acclaim, receiving the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and being shortlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
Set in a remote Newfoundland fishing village in the late 19th century, Galore tells the story of a family feud that spans generations, sparked by the mysterious arrival of a whale on the shore. The novel follows the lives of several characters, including the overweight and endlessly hungry Judah, the indomitable Mary Tryphena, and the mercurial Devines, as they try to navigate the complex power dynamics of their insular community.
Crummey’s writing is vivid and lyrical, capturing the harsh beauty of the Newfoundland landscape and the characters’ colorful dialects. His deep knowledge of the region’s history and folklore adds an extra layer of depth to the novel, making it feel like a timeless saga rather than a mere historical novel.
At the same time, Crummey is able to explore complex themes, such as the tension between tradition and modernity, colonialism, and the effects of greed on individuals and communities. One of the strengths of the novel is the way that Crummey inhabits each character’s psyche, bringing their personal histories and motivations to life.
The characters are multifaceted, and their relationships with one another evolve and change throughout the novel, making for a powerful and emotionally resonant reading experience. However, there are times when the novel meanders and loses focus, particularly in its second half.
Some readers may also find the magical realism elements of the novel, which include supernatural beings and unexplained events, to be excessive or distracting. Overall, Galore is a remarkable achievement and a must-read for fans of literary fiction and historical novels.
It is a haunting and complex portrait of a world long gone, yet still deeply connected to our own. Crummey’s skill as a writer and his deep empathy for his characters make Galore a book that will stay with readers long after the final page.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars.
