As Birds Bring Forth the Sun and Other Stories

Lesenotizen zu den einzelnen StoriesTHE CLOSING DOWN OF SUMMERWie ein Schwarm Zugvögel sitzen sie da, am Strand von Nova Scotia, und warten auf das Zeichen zum Abflug in Richtung Afrika: eine Gruppe von Minenarbeitern, aus der Zeit gefallen wie antike Schauspieler oder Mastodons, von der Ausrottung bedroht.Sie führen ein archaisches Leben, die Gesundheit fortwährend bedroht von Stolleneinstürzen, Steinschlägen oder Flutungen, den Großteil des Jahres weit entfernt von den Familien, vor alle [...]

German review belowThis was an absolutely fantastic read, the writing is superb, at times breath-taking. The stories center around traditional life on Cape Breton Island, the force of nature and mortality.A huge thank-you to Amanda Center, on whose Booktube channel I discovered this little gem.Auf Cape Breton Island in der kanadischen Provinz Novia Scotia leben vorwiegend Nachfahren schottischer Auswanderer, die während der Highland Clearances aus dem schottischen Hochland vertrieben wurden. Di [...]

The first story was amazing, absolutely wonderful in its quietness and brutality and mortality. The next two were grand winter tales I will love rereading. The rest of the stories didn't leave as good of impressions, but they all captured the hardworking, pastoral, Canadian life. I will definitely be reading more by this author!

Alistair Macleod was a complete and undeniable genius. His two books of short stories are among the best things I have ever read. I cannot single out any one story because they are all masterpieces in miniature. I highly recommend this collection.

2.5 stars. The writing was often poetic, and I appreciated the 'oral storytelling' style and the desire to record a culture and disappearing way of life. And yet somehow the stories didn't quite connect with me; I'm not sure why. Maybe I just didn't feel I really entered into the experience and inner life of the characters. But that's a purely personal evaluation, and I would still recommend the stories to others who might feel differently.

In my mind, Alistair MacLeod is one of today's best writers. He doesn't try to grab you with flashy techniques or weird storyline twists or profound social comment. Rather, he's a storyteller, pure and simple. This is a collection of some of his rare short stories that chronicle the lives of people in his native Nova Scotia. They are beautifully crafted and moving in their simplicity. If you enjoy a quiet, yet moving story, well told, I recommend anything written by Alistair MacLeod.

Collection of short stories many of which are about mining and Cape Breton and have the same powerful creation of character and place as No Great Mischief. The imminence of death seems to prevail everywhere and family connections are paramount. I prefer MacLeod as a short story writer as things are tight and controlled whereas his novel seems to be wandering on occasions.

Standard macabre maritime working-class groans reinvigorated through upmarket prose

This was a fantastic collection of short stories, that pulled me in from the start, and had me wanting to read it through in a sitting. The first short story in this collection, The Closing Down of Summer, completely gripped me and pulled me in. In fact, most of the stories in this story had me engrossed into the collection of stories. There were many times, where I was completely lost in the stories. The writing alone was good enough to make this collection be a great one, combined with some ex [...]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. I've always wished this author wrote more. MacLeod tells stories about a people, their heritage, way of life and the land that is a part of them with love and always a tinge of melancholy. And somehow it makes me long to know these people more, to visit Cape Breton and to feel a kinship with them. The language is simple and eloquent at the same time, with no wasted words and the descriptions – which I can find onerous in novels – drop you right into the heart of th [...]

A delightful collection of crisp charged stories about Canadian Scots living in the beautiful, rough farming/fishing/logging/mining (heck, just about any type of work that demanded hard labor and danger) of the Cape Breton area of Nova Scotia. Well written, almost memoirish, with a fondness that infuses the stories, seemingly holding up the mostly male characters as admirable, honest, hard working, hard suffering, proud people. Description of life and land are wonderful. The stories sometime mea [...]

Loved this book of short stories, although I'm not usually a big short story person. The characters came immediately to life and the pictures of life on the east coast were vivid. The stories are very real life, often leading from one story and ending in another, and often involving very difficult lives, both for the people and for the animals that appear frequently. But even though their lives were tough and sometimes filled with tragedy, I didn't find the book to be depressing. Definitely wort [...]

I generally much prefer novels to short stories but these were beautifully written, and somewhat haunting. Set against the landscape of Cape Breton the characters’ memories of life, change, loss, and the passing of generations are deeply poignant. My book rating: 9 stars

What Jane Urquhart said.

Stunningly beautiful writing. Do yourself a favor and read this book. Slowly, while no one is bothering you. Savor every word. It's not very long, but it's very, very good.