The Smiling Land: All Around the Circle in My Newfoundland and Labrador

This is a love letter and travel guide to Newfoundland and Labrador, written by a lifelong resident, tour and museum guide, and frontman of Great Big Sea. Each chapter brings together people, history, and personal memory as he travels the island. I loved discovering corners of Newfoundland I’d never thought about before (I saved so many spots to check out), and realizing just how big and culturally rich the province is. This book is warm and affectionate without being overly romanticized. Some rough edges are there, especially the realities of shifting from a cod-based economy to tourism. It’s hard, and it’s working. I want to see the whales and puffins, drink in the pubs, and snuggle under a quilt. My main takeaway is to start show more planning a visit, just not in February.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Canada for the advance copy. show less

I first came across Great Big Sea shortly after moving to Montreal in 1996, saw the band three times over the following 8 months or so, and loved their music (still do). The front man, Alan Doyle, came across as friendly, amiable, interested in everything and, oh yeah, a talented singer and songwriter. “The Smiling Land” is Alan’s third (I think) book about his travels, here focusing on his home province of Newfoundland and Labrador. I’m pleased to report that he comes across in exactly the same way in writing as he did in music - he’s a very genial guide, full of little (and not so little) stories about the places he highlights and clearly exulting in the beauty and quirkiness of his homeland. Certainly this makes the reader show more want to travel to the province to see all the sights; I have only been to St. John’s, which is a shame but unavoidable if one is a non-driving visitor like me (I remember St. John’s as indeed being very friendly and welcoming, too). If *you* are a driver, read this book and plan a road trip, you clearly won’t be sorry! And if you’re lucky, you may run into Alan Doyle himself; if you do, tell him “hi” for me, will you? Highly recommended! show less