Reviews

Broken Man on a Halifax Pier by Lesley Choyce

karenika's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 stars

"I realized there was no such thing as a life without consequences. Every little thing—or big thing—you do in life sends out ripples in the pond that keep getting wider and wider."

Reading this novel was an interesting journey. The two main characters meet on a Pier on a random night and end up having a meal together. The dialogue is unusual in that it's almost immediately witty and they are quoting literature/poetry at each other which was amusing and also annoying at the same time. The interesting part is that this doesn't really continue throughout the novel all that much.

The characters, Ramona and Charles, meet and immediately hit it off and then decide to do an impromptu drive to Charles' hometown which he hasn't been to in a long, long time. This starts off a chain of events that add complications to both of the characters' lives. The issues get serious very quickly and the two characters get enmeshed in each others' lives.

While the story was engaging and I kept wanting to read it, I did feel like the emotional intensity required to so heavily and fully invest into another person whom you just met (especially when in the context of some of these very serious issues) was not really clear in the story. It always felt a bit distant. We didn't get to see the depth in any of the characters and understand their motivation for continuing to get/stay engaged in each others complex lives.

Having said that, I really did enjoy the story and enjoyed some of the secondary characters like Jack and BethAnn and the story continued to be engaging and worthwhile. The writing was engaging and it was a great story about second chances, small towns, people looking out for each other.

With gratitude to netgalley and Dundurn for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

slbeckmann's review against another edition

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5.0

Thank you to Durdurn Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a lovely, emotional and evocative read. Without any evidence of heavy lifting, the author set a very Canadian scene and told a wonderful story about unexpected love, friendship and new beginnings.

joannes's review against another edition

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4.0

Completed as #45 of the Booklist Queen's 2020 Reading Challenge

4.5☆'s Although Lesley Choyce has written close to 100 books, this is the first one I've read. It definitely won't be my last.

This story is hard to describe-part redemption story, part love story and part clearing up of the past.

Having property on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia, I loved the setting for this novel.
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