The Cruise of the Shining Light

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Pages: 199

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About this book

Dannie remembers his childhood at Twist Tickle through the care of Nicholas Top, the weathered guardian he calls his uncle. In Norman Duncan's Newfoundland novel, Nicholas draws stares on the streets of St. John's, teaches the boy the value of a penny, and urges him to hold fast to the twenty-third psalm. His tenderness sits uneasily beside his shame and hints of a troubled past.

Their bond extends to the Shining Light, a vessel both regard with fierce affection. As Nicholas repairs her worn hull and fits new sails, he asks Dannie to watch arriving passengers for signs of constables. The boy's loyalty is tested by questions his guardian answers only in fragments. Regional speech, stormy coastal scenery, and the practical work of keeping a boat afloat give the story its texture. Readers interested in childhood recollections and uncertain family histories will find both in Dannie's account.

About the author

Norman Duncan

Norman Duncan combined fiction, journalism, and teaching in a career remembered for stories shaped by Newfoundland and other demanding northern settings. The Measure of a Man, first published in 1911 by Fleming H. Revell, moves to the lumber camps of the American woods.