The Tides of Time: A Nova Scotia Book of Seasons

by Suzanne Stewart

Set in northeastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, The Tides of Time: A Nova Scotia Book of Seasons paints vivid portraits of contemporary labourers whose harvests mark the rhythms of the seasonal year. Each of the twelve monthly chapters tells the story of a labour unique to that month, including jobs like tuna fishing, cranberry farming, maple syrup production, sheep farming, beekeeping, lobster fishing, and foraging for wild mushrooms. Stewart revitalizes an older, contemplative view of the sacredness of time. In keeping with the genre of nature writing, her book offers a meticulous way of looking at the world as she blends first-hand observations of seasonal change with stories of the labourers. The Tides of Time offers a refuge from the rush of urban life. It turns to the seasons, rural life and literature for an alternative mode of time, which is fluid, rhythmic, and gentle. The symplicity is there—close at hand.

Paperback

First published October 31, 2018

About the author

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Reviews

[Andrew Mathis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very excited when I came across this book but was disappointed after a couple chapters. The monthly "labours" are almost all activities that I enjoy or am passionate about, but the author's slight condescending tone towards these "seasonal labourers" really put me off. The ties to the works of Thoreau and the Wordsworth siblings seemed like her way of processing her monthly excursions, but by the end of the book the parallels she was drawing seemed strained.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first started this book, I really liked it. The structure of the book was interesting, with each chapter devoted to a month of the year and a particular “labour”. It was interesting to hear about the farms that are local to us (the author) lives about 60 km away, and most of the places she went to learn about “the harvest” are close to us.
As a “come from away”, as I am, Stewart made some astute observations, and summed up a particular challenge to this area, with its “ancestral Scottish community too tightly knit to readily admit a quiet stranger” quite perfectly, something I have been struggling to put into words for years. I found the first couple of chapters beautifully written and thoroughly enjoyed them.
But, as the book went on, the quotes from classic poetry and literature that she was weaving into the narrative became more numerous and, it seemed to me, more forced, to the point that they became distracting. She also treated some of the people she went to see to learn about farming their various harvests with a hint of disdain, as if they were peculiarities, or “country bumpkins” to her more refined self. This was not overt, but very subtle, and became too much for me over the course of the book. Her constant frustration that she wasn’t getting what she expected from her visits came across as a bit petulant at times. All of this made what could have been a really nourishing work of art a bit less than. I was disappointed that it didn’t live up to its potential.
Having said all of that, I did like the book, and the windows it opened up to the farms in our area. I learned some things I didn’t know, and I appreciated what she was trying to do.
And the cover art was beautiful! One of my favourite book covers ever.

[Shelley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a difficult read for me.
The tone used when speaking about the people the author visited, was cringe worthy. Hard working people trying to make a living were described as uneducated second class citizens.
The author needs to leave her world of academia and work within one of these blue collar industries to get a true education.