Baltimore's Mansion: A Memoir
by Wayne Johnston
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In this loving memoir Wayne Johnston returns to Newfoundland-the people, the place, the politics-and illuminates his family's story with all the power and drama he brought to his magnificent novel, The Colony of Unrequited Dreams. Descendents of the Irish who settled in Ferryland, Lord Baltimore's Catholic colony in Newfoundland, the Johnstons went from being sea-fearing farmers to sea-faring fishermen. Each generation resolves to escape the hardships of life at sea, but their connection to show more this fantastically beautiful but harsh land is as eternal as the rugged shoreline, and the separations that result between generations may be as inevitable as the winters they endure. Unfulfilled dreams haunt this family history and make Baltimore's Mansion a thrilling and captivating book. show lessTags
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Author Information

14+ Works 3,105 Members
Wayne Johnston was born in Goulds, Newfoundland in 1958. He graduated with a B.A. in English from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1978. He worked from 1978-1981 as a newspaper reporter with the St. John's Daily News. In 1981, he decided to write fiction full-time. In 1983, he graduated with an M.A. in creative writing from the University of show more New Brunswick. His first book, The Story of Bobby O'Malley, won the W.H. Smith/Books in Canada First Novel Award in 1985. His other works include The Divine Ryans, which won the 1991 Thomas Head Raddall Award and was adapted into a movie, Baltimore's Mansion, which won the Charles Taylor Prize, The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, The Navigator of New York, and The Custodian of Paradise. (Bowker Author Biography) Wayne Johnston was born and raised in Newfoundland and now lives in Toronto. show less
Awards and Honors
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- Baltimore's mansion
- Original publication date
- 1999
- Important places
- Newfoundland, Canada
- Dedication
- For the Johnstons of Ferryland
For the Callanans - Laus, Cindy, Tim and Joey - of St. John's - First words
- My father grew up in a house that was blessed with water from an iceberg.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)All are fixed in a moment that for him will never pass.
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- Languages
- Dutch, English, German
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 11
- ASINs
- 2




























































