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10th out of 29 books
—
19 voters
Nights Below Station Street
David Adams Richards’ Governor General’s Award-winning novel is a powerful tale of resignation and struggle, fierce loyalties and compassion. This book is the first in Richards’ acclaimed Miramichi trilogy. Set in a small mill town in northern New Brunswick, it draws us into the lives of a community of people who live there, including: Joe Walsh, isolated and strong in the...more
Mass Market Paperback, 240 pages
Published
September 23rd 2003
by New Canadian Library
(first published 1988)
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If you're looking for an introduction to David Adams Richards, Nights Below Station Street ought to do. It's a compelling, prettily written little tale that clocks in at 226 pages. Set in the Miramachi in New Brunswick, Canada, it deals with the lives of Joe and Rita Walsh, their daughters Adele and Milly, and their friends, acquaintances, neighbours, and enemies. Richards shows us the universal through the particular, rural New Brunswick supplying a stage that is just as authentic as Stratford...more
This is classic David Adams Richards with a cast of characters struggling to survive in a harsh, uncaring world with little money, work, and zero joy. DAR books always tear at my guts. I swing between anger, compassion, and despair. I cringe at his characters' helplessness and their easy acceptance that this is the way life has to be. I wanted to give Joe just one encouraging word. I wanted to say, "Hey, big guy! Hang in there. You're doing great!" I wanted to give Rita a pair of pants with a z...more
Well written in omniscient third person; the characters are hemmed in by poverty and difficulty (and their own moment-to-moment mental and emotional issues). Not an easy or comfortable read. It also doesn't have a plot, per se, but consists of a series of moments that highlight the characters as their move on through their lives. I liked it, and it won a GG award, but it wasn't always easy to read -- sometimes it devolved, for me, into a mere list of depressing incidents tumbling one over anothe...more
I think this was the first of David Adams Richards' books I read in the late 80's. I re-read it and will next re-read Evening Snow Will Bring Such Peace simply because I had never read the final book of the trilogy, For Those Who Hunt the Wounded Down, but finally stumbled across a copy. This one won the 1988 Governor General's Award and as far as I'm concerned was a deserving winner.
Very good novel that gives a subtle yet impressionable perspective on what it means to come of age, as well as to get second chances. Although I was not overy attached to the characters in the story, the driving force behing this novel is the way in which it speaks to the over-arching themes of life, (i.e. how do we become the people we are, and how do we grow or fade away from there. These questions are central in creating an aspect of relatability that is essential in unpacking the true essenc...more
I didn't like this one as much as some of his later work, tho' this novel launched his career and was made into a film.
The lives of the characters are just so bleak, without any redeeming spiritual values, it was hard to watch what they were going through in the small town Canadian setting, replete with alcoholism, teenage pregnancies and unremitting loss and rage.
The ending ties up a bit too neatly, but i won't say anymore to spoil it for future readers.
The lives of the characters are just so bleak, without any redeeming spiritual values, it was hard to watch what they were going through in the small town Canadian setting, replete with alcoholism, teenage pregnancies and unremitting loss and rage.
The ending ties up a bit too neatly, but i won't say anymore to spoil it for future readers.
Somewhat bleak tale of reclamation as Joe Walsh struggles to beat the bottle and find respectability. Richards does a wonderful job showing how we sometimes allow ourselves to be cast in roles in order to belong.
An ebook from the library. It was easy to get caught up in the struggles of these working class people. Set in a small town in New Brunswick.
Love this author's writing. Always a grim look at life in Maritime small town. Characters are lonely, depressed individuals as a rule.
Richards' novel perfectly captures the struggles of working class New Brunswickers.
The best of Richards' early work. Sparse, lyrical, and precise.
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This takes forever to get started. In fact, i about 1/2 way through, and Im still waiting for something to happen.
Not much to say... I just really liked this novel
Aug 02, 2010
Ibis3
marked it as to-read
NCL.2006-10-01
May 18, 2013
Hjw
added it
May 03, 2013
Orvie Dingwall
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David Adams Richards (born 17 October 1950) is a Canadian novelist, essayist, screenwriter and poet.
Born in Newcastle, New Brunswick, Richards left St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick, one course shy of completing a B.A. Richards has been a writer-in-residence at various universities and colleges across Canada, including the University of New Brunswick.
Richards has received numerou...more
More about David Adams Richards...
Born in Newcastle, New Brunswick, Richards left St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick, one course shy of completing a B.A. Richards has been a writer-in-residence at various universities and colleges across Canada, including the University of New Brunswick.
Richards has received numerou...more
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