An Innocent in Newfoundland: Even More Curious Rambles and Singular Encounters

By David W. McFadden

David McFadden travels around Newfoundland. Who knows which was most charmed In An Innocent in Ireland (1995) and An Innocent in Scotland (1999), poet and traveller David McFadden let the spirit of the country - and his own interests - guide his rambles. He has now done the same in Newfoundland. Zigzagging across the province in his rented car, he charts an erratic course, admiring lawn sculpture (in his opinion a new local art), visiting fellow poets and publishers, wandering at dusk among the Viking mounds at L'Anse aux Meadows, rooming with a Salvation Army family in a distant outport (and discovering a family tragedy), hanging on in a stiff wind to watch birds nesting on a cliff face, and enjoying the social life in countless bars and restaurants. It soon becomes clear that McFadden's love of a good chat is shared widely by the people he meets in Newfoundland and he is wise enough to let them tell their own stories. For, as ever, his interest is in the heart of a place - and not just its scenery. Alert, somewhat eccentric, always ready to amuse and be amused, David McFadden is an ideal travelling companion.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0771055358
• ISBN13: 9780771055355
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

A wonderful introduction to a wondrous island

David McFadden's book introduces the reader to Newfoundland in a warm, humorous and personal way. This was one of the first books I read to research a trip to Newfoundland. It was by far and away the best. Eschewing the typical "must go there, must see this" style of travel books, it focuses on the people and the land in a unique fashion. And that makes it all the more fun. His accounting of the people he meets make you want to meet them too. His advice on driving, "watch out for moose" is accurate; you can't find coffee at convenient stores on the roads is true; and the decorations on houses is wonderfully on target. This book more than any other I read was the best preparation for the trip. The only thing better than this book about Newfoundland is actually being there.