Reviews

Broken Man on a Halifax Pier by Lesley Choyce

bookish_emily's review against another edition

4.0

Broken Man on a Halifax Pier is primarily a story of relationships - with family, friends, and everyone in between. Charles escaped the small town of his childhood to become a newspaper writer in the city, but has since lost his job and all of his savings. Then one day a woman comes out of the fog as he's standing on a pier, and the instant connection they feel to one another takes them both by surprise. Will their budding relationship be able to withstand all the baggage they carry?

I primarily picked up this book because I like the song from which it gets its name, and I was curious to see if the story actually had anything to do with that song. It's not my favorite genre, but it is a well written story with the heartwarming message that it is never to late to form new relationships or repair damaged ones. It is a good read for fans of books about families.

mckayla_haesch's review against another edition

I lost all interest. just wasn’t captivating! 

fidan_aliyeva's review against another edition

4.0

Enjoyable story. I loved Ramona’s character. I felt transported on the shores of Nova Scotia’s east coastline and the book made me want to visit that area. Read as a slice of life genre to me.

amn028's review against another edition

4.0

I picked this book solely on the title (and cursed myself for the ear worm). It is a hard book to put into a category. I would say a drama with a touch of comedy and a heap of absurdity. A nice, light, easy read for a day at the beach or something to refresh your brain after a heavier book.

anslow's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

4.0

sharla_nicole's review against another edition

funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

siobhanward's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

4.0

 I honestly struggled with the first part of this book. The beginning just really didn't work for me, to the point that I found myself wondering if I'd maybe added this to my TBR by mistake meaning to add another book. But as the book continued and we learned more about Charles and his life, it really took a turn for the better.

This book really reminded me a lot of Alistair MacCleod's No Great Mischief - the plots are not at all similar but the Canadian voice and feel really were similar. This story was well-written and heartbreaking in all the right places. Maybe the beginning just moved too slowly, I don't know, but it was worth pushing through to get to the rest of the book. 

jamicuns01's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 stars. This is a sweet story of a man and a woman finding each other in the most unexpected way and time. They work together (and at times look like they’ll fail each other) to overcome childhood trauma, commitment issues, familial disputes, fears of what the future holds, and finding inner strength when everything around them seems to falls apart. It’s a beautiful romance story that doesn’t have a hint of cheesiness, which is refreshing. I felt there were parts of the story that were drawn out longer than they needed to be but overall it’s a lovely story two people finding love when they thought those days were over for them. Thank you #NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the ARC of #brokenmanonahalifaxpier.

sprainedbrain's review

emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

miramichireader's review against another edition

4.0

This is yet another great story from the prolific Lesley Choyce with enough turns, ups and downs and existential food-for-thought to keep the reader turning pages until the end (which I found a little too tidy). Highly recommended reading!