The Wings of Night

by Thomas H. Raddall

Genres: Canada

319 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

1903-1992

Reviews

[Mark Lisac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raddall gets little mention these days and curiosity drove me to read this, one of his less noted novels. He may be considered old fashioned. The plot line gets far-fetched. The women and the two Micmac characters are well drawn yet somewhat shallow. But the story has a solid structure and pace. More than that, the writing outshines a lot of modern work; the many descriptive passages are marvellous evocations of Nova Scotia, which is the real subject of the book. Anyone who says that the novel has a dated feel has to contend with the fact that the writing was built to last. Raddall also does a good job handling the first-person perspective. Narrator/protagonist Neil Jamieson ends up confronting the old question: can you go home again? In his case the answer is yes and no. Readers will have to see for themselves what that means.

[Alexi Payzant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am ashamed that this is the first Thomas H Raddall I have read considering he is from just down the road from me (my dentist is his grandson). This novel sets a very interesting local historical context regarding the forestry, pulp and paper and, by extension, power generating industries that have been altering the local landscape for decades now. I guess it's time for me to dig into the back of my father's bookshelves for some more TH Raddall (or go ask my dentist) as I really loved his writing style. Seriously, especially if you are from NS, go with haste and read some Raddall.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know how I never heard of this author. I would consider his work classics if this book is the standard. I’m not much familiar with Canadian literature other than L.M. Montgomery, and this was a much darker yet still very rich exploration of Nova Scotia, which is a character all its own in the novel. At the end we were left with a big question, will Tally reject Neil as Louise did? I’m not sure of the answer, which is perhaps both the genius and greatest frustration I have with the ending. Nevertheless, the novel poses an important question - can you go home again?

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely skipped tedious descriptive sections. Ironic twist after the trial. Not as spellbinding as I expected. Obvious which girl he would get