What do you think?
Rate this book
Random Passage #1
Random Passage
Forced to flee England, the Andrews family books passage to a fresh start in a distant country, only to discover a barren, inhospitable land at the end of their crossing. To seventeen-year-old Lavinia, uprooted from everything familiar, it seems a fate worse than the one they left behind. Driven by loneliness she begins a journal. Random Passage satisfies the craving for those details that headstones and history books can never the real story of our Newfoundland ancestors, of how time and chance brought them to the forbidding shores of a new found land. It is a saga of families and of individuals; of acquisitive Mary Bundle; of charming Ned Andrews, whose thievery has turned his family into exiles; of mad Ida; of Thomas Hutchings, who might be an aristocrat, a holy man, or a murderer; and of Lavinia - who wrote down the truth and lies about them all. Random Passage has been adapted into a CBC miniseries and is now a national bestseller.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
58 people are currently reading
1453 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
August 7, 2022
Readers of this novel are enveloped into a vivid description of the harsh conditions endured by early 19th century settlers of Newfoundland. The book describes the life of a typical outport community whose primary means of income was cod fishing and laying the catch out on the rocks to dry. Ships from St. John carried the dried fish to market. Their most important task was to stock away sufficient stores to survive the long and brutal winters which imposed severe isolation on the community.
The description of life follows both the mundane and tragic events. The story follows the births, deaths, conflicts and suffering among the small community varying in size from twenty to thirty individuals including children. Enough of the background of these individuals is told to learn that the exile and isolation from the rest of the world suits them fine since many of them have pasts from which they needed to escape. The book’s narrative describes a surprisingly wide variety of personalities for such a small number of individuals. This is historical fiction that provides a descriptive history from which today’s distinctive Newfoundlander spirit originates.
The book is frustratingly vague on dates and time. The only exact date I recall from the book was in the first person narrative by Thomas Hutchings located in the final portion of the book. He indicates that he was born in 1796. My best guess from his story is that he may have been about twenty-five when he first arrived in Newfoundland, and it’s my guess that the time span covered by the book’s story on the island is about twenty years. If my assumptions are correct the book covers life in Newfoundland from about 1821 to 1841. I'm pretty sure about the final date because the early construction of the Catholic Cathedral located in St. John’s is described toward the end of the book. I have determined from Wikipedia that construction on it occurred from 1839 to 1841. (Other readers are welcome to share their opinion regarding dates.)
After spending over three hundred pages of life with the book’s characters the reader will care about their welfare and want to know how the story ends. As it turns out the book’s ending cries out for a sequel, and indeed there is a sequel titled Waiting for Time. I'm not sure when I'll get around to that book.
In 2002, a television miniseries, based on this book and its sequel, aired in Canada on CBC.
The description of life follows both the mundane and tragic events. The story follows the births, deaths, conflicts and suffering among the small community varying in size from twenty to thirty individuals including children. Enough of the background of these individuals is told to learn that the exile and isolation from the rest of the world suits them fine since many of them have pasts from which they needed to escape. The book’s narrative describes a surprisingly wide variety of personalities for such a small number of individuals. This is historical fiction that provides a descriptive history from which today’s distinctive Newfoundlander spirit originates.
The book is frustratingly vague on dates and time. The only exact date I recall from the book was in the first person narrative by Thomas Hutchings located in the final portion of the book. He indicates that he was born in 1796. My best guess from his story is that he may have been about twenty-five when he first arrived in Newfoundland, and it’s my guess that the time span covered by the book’s story on the island is about twenty years. If my assumptions are correct the book covers life in Newfoundland from about 1821 to 1841. I'm pretty sure about the final date because the early construction of the Catholic Cathedral located in St. John’s is described toward the end of the book. I have determined from Wikipedia that construction on it occurred from 1839 to 1841. (Other readers are welcome to share their opinion regarding dates.)
After spending over three hundred pages of life with the book’s characters the reader will care about their welfare and want to know how the story ends. As it turns out the book’s ending cries out for a sequel, and indeed there is a sequel titled Waiting for Time. I'm not sure when I'll get around to that book.
In 2002, a television miniseries, based on this book and its sequel, aired in Canada on CBC.
August 2, 2017
Newfound land. Lavinia Andrews, her mother, two brothers, their wives, and their children find themselves departing their Weymouth home for the harsh land that lies across the Atlantic Ocean. Similar to other Canadian novelists, Bernice Morgan doesn't sugarcoat the frigid temperatures of a Canadian winter or how close to starvation the early Europeans were in trying to wedge out a life for themselves. I am not going to mince words this was a bleak book. But it was a story that lured me in and helped me get a great tan on the beach today. If realistic fiction is your jive, this book will fit the bill.
January 31, 2012
This book tells the story of early settlers to the island of Newfoundland, a place where life was so difficult that the slightest miscalculation in supplies laid in for winter could mean the difference between life and death. It was heart-wrenching to read how fine that line was, how close these families came to death every single winter. I found it especially difficult to read how hard these folks worked, day in and day out, to the point of exhaustion and even beyond, just to make enough fish before the ships came back in to port, as I sat in my comfortable home reading a novel for most of a day.
However, the novel itself, I believe, could have been written better. There were too many characters to keep track of, and few were fleshed out entirely. My copy also had quite a few typographical errors, which surprised me as this isn't a first edition. While I understood why Morgan chose to switch narrative voices, to mirror the diary being passed along, it was disconcerting to focus mostly on Lavinia in the third person for most of the novel, but then switch so drastically to another character writing in the first person. Also I felt that the story dragged so slowly for the first two hundred pages or so, though it really picked up after that. That said, this is a sobering look at the harsh difficulties faced by settlers to Newfoundland in the early days.
However, the novel itself, I believe, could have been written better. There were too many characters to keep track of, and few were fleshed out entirely. My copy also had quite a few typographical errors, which surprised me as this isn't a first edition. While I understood why Morgan chose to switch narrative voices, to mirror the diary being passed along, it was disconcerting to focus mostly on Lavinia in the third person for most of the novel, but then switch so drastically to another character writing in the first person. Also I felt that the story dragged so slowly for the first two hundred pages or so, though it really picked up after that. That said, this is a sobering look at the harsh difficulties faced by settlers to Newfoundland in the early days.
April 6, 2009
Random Passage gives us an honest and humbling look at how life was lived in early Newfoundland. The will of the people within this small community to survive and provide for their families is incredible. How these people came to create a community and learned, through trial and error, to survive the harsh realities of life by living off the land and the harsh Atlantic ocean. Building their extremely bare bones basic homes for shelter to protect themselves from the elements, learning to live in harmony among a group of uneducated people, teaching themselves to not waste even a tiny piece of cloth, for it could be sewed into a growing child's dress.
Learning to be tolerant of each other's personalities, thoughts, loves and opinions. To realize and appreciate the personal hopes and dreams of these poor people trying to eek out a life for themselves in a desolate and sparse land. To watch a small community band together in face of a death imposing illness in the face of impending starvation of the entire community. These people were true survivors!!
Absolutely FANTASTIC novel!!!
Learning to be tolerant of each other's personalities, thoughts, loves and opinions. To realize and appreciate the personal hopes and dreams of these poor people trying to eek out a life for themselves in a desolate and sparse land. To watch a small community band together in face of a death imposing illness in the face of impending starvation of the entire community. These people were true survivors!!
Absolutely FANTASTIC novel!!!
June 2, 2009
I liked the book from an historical point of view. How these settlers survived is beyond me. There were too many characters to keep track of and not all were very well developed. I lost track of who married whom. The narrative was a bit flat.
November 3, 2020
A fantastic early-Canadiana story with great character development and interesting tales about the types of folks who made Newfoundland into the place we know it to be now. I ended this story aching for more - so I’ll be starting the sequel right away!
Read
October 10, 2024Rereading after a long time. I love all of the characters, though they are sometimes hard to keep track of.
June 19, 2024
So thankful to my bookclub for this one! I don’t think I ever would’ve gotten around to reading it, but I absolutely loved it!
May 31, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. I found at times to be a bit muddled with the huge cast of characters and the abrupt change of narrator took a bit to get used to. Overall though I enjoyed going along the journey of the families in Random Passage.
August 3, 2019
Great book
March 8, 2012
When I first moved to the island of Newfoundland I wanted to read local authors who wrote about it. this was the first book that was suggested. Note: it was recommended to me by the most charming owner of one of the most charming bookstores: Granny Bates located on Bates Hill.
I walked around reading this book. I became each of it's characters in my mind.
If only I had known then how much impact this book, about this far off place, and what a significant role it would come to play in my life!
- Random Passage became a television mini-series on television.
- It was a co-production between my would-be "mother-in-law" and an Irish Production Company
- I worked in the film industry, at that time, and became a set-dec. These are the people who work with the designer physically creating his/her ideas of what the set, in this case Random Passage , would look like.
- I met the last love of my life while working there.
- I lived, during the production, in a village where the construction and filming took place.
- At first, I lived with the Set Decorator's Assistant.
- Later, I lived with what would become my future "sister-in-law".
- It turned out the love of my life had a summer home in another community, close to the set. I spent many happy times there and have many fond memories of that time.
- On another local production I met a friend, Lori, who actually was born and raised on Random Island, another community on the bay as the set of Random Passage.
I walked around reading this book. I became each of it's characters in my mind.
If only I had known then how much impact this book, about this far off place, and what a significant role it would come to play in my life!
- Random Passage became a television mini-series on television.
- It was a co-production between my would-be "mother-in-law" and an Irish Production Company
- I worked in the film industry, at that time, and became a set-dec. These are the people who work with the designer physically creating his/her ideas of what the set, in this case Random Passage , would look like.
- I met the last love of my life while working there.
- I lived, during the production, in a village where the construction and filming took place.
- At first, I lived with the Set Decorator's Assistant.
- Later, I lived with what would become my future "sister-in-law".
- It turned out the love of my life had a summer home in another community, close to the set. I spent many happy times there and have many fond memories of that time.
- On another local production I met a friend, Lori, who actually was born and raised on Random Island, another community on the bay as the set of Random Passage.
June 2, 2023
I enjoyed reading this historical fiction while traveling in Newfoundland. Have a good sense of how difficult it was for the first European settlers there.
I would have appreciated a chart showing who was married to who and whose kids were whose. That part was confusing to me.
A map would have been interesting too.
I would have appreciated a chart showing who was married to who and whose kids were whose. That part was confusing to me.
A map would have been interesting too.
July 24, 2017
I loved this book just as much the second time around. Bernice Morgan has created a fantastic web of characters and wonderful insight into early Newfoundland life.
December 31, 2022
A fascinating read about life the in the outport communities of Newfoundland.
Told from the perspective of Lavinia, a seventeen year old girl at the start of the novel, whose family has been forced to flee England because of the actions of her older brother Ned. The family, having hastily secured passage on a ship and weathered the trans-Atlantic crossing, find themselves depoisted in a tiny outport community on a rocky outcropping of Newfoundland on a cold November morning. The novel follows the family and other inhabitants of the tiny community over the years as they scrabble to eke a life out of the rock and the sea.
Beautifully written. A testament to the hardy people who made a home there.
Told from the perspective of Lavinia, a seventeen year old girl at the start of the novel, whose family has been forced to flee England because of the actions of her older brother Ned. The family, having hastily secured passage on a ship and weathered the trans-Atlantic crossing, find themselves depoisted in a tiny outport community on a rocky outcropping of Newfoundland on a cold November morning. The novel follows the family and other inhabitants of the tiny community over the years as they scrabble to eke a life out of the rock and the sea.
Beautifully written. A testament to the hardy people who made a home there.
October 23, 2024
I was mesmerized by this story of social outcasts at a remote cape in Newfoundland in the early 1800s. The problems this isolated community faced and personalities that conflicted and came together felt real and profound. I give a shining 5 stars to chapters 15, 16, 17 and 18 in Thomas’s voice that poetically tied together the story I had just read. I wish actually that the book had ended there. The remaining chapters felt disjointed from the rest of the story.
September 21, 2019
An early 19th century family escapes trouble in England and ends up in a tiny coastal settlement in Newfoundland. Just the kind of novel I love: Beautiful writing, a unique setting, and a long mysterious story.
I’d never heard of this book and I’m so glad it was our book club read this month.
I’d never heard of this book and I’m so glad it was our book club read this month.
October 3, 2022
This story takes place in the early 19th century as members of the Andrews family prepare to leave their home in Weymouth England. It is 1824 and seventeen-year-old Lavinia is working as a servant for the wealthy Ellsworth family. Her brother Ned is in trouble with his employer and because of it, their widowed mother and the family are forced to leave the country. They head out on a ship crossing the Atlantic, hoping for a new start but know little about the life they will be facing in the vast new country called Canada.
After a long and difficult journey crossing the ocean, they arrive at Cape Random in Newfoundland, an isolated spit of land with a huge black rock that juts out of the sand and points to the sky. There, the Vincent family introduces them to a way of life they have never known and Lavinia anxious about their future, begins to record their lives in her journal as her family struggle with life in this remote setting.
The Andrews family had worked selling second hand goods back in England and knew nothing about fishing, the only work available on the Cape and the business that supports this tiny outport and the few that live here. The Vincents had moved to the Cape from a community further south and are better equipped for their move here, while the Andrews struggle with the back breaking work, the uncertainty about their future and the confounding business practices of Thomas Hutchings.
Hutchings was the fish merchant’s representative on the Cape. He owned the only store and controlled the supplies they needed both to live and to fish. They barter the fish they catch for his goods, but he determines the prices and controls the accounting, giving him considerable power in this tiny community. No one knows much about this man who they suspect has a suspicious past; he is a man of intrigue and mystery.
Life is hard and only the strong survive this harsh environment, the loneliness and the isolation, the dangers of fishing far out at sea and the long cold winters when families often go hungry. Families must get along; without friendships, survival is impossible. Families depended on each other and their interactions fuel this fascinating narrative.
The seasons and the weather play an important role in the cycle of their lives on the Cape. Morgan describes how everyone greets the short, warm days of summer which contrast so starkly with the harsh, long, dreary days of winter when the cold seeps through their bones, no matter how many layers of clothing they wear.
As Morgan details their lives over the next fifteen years, she creates strong colorful characters including Mary Bundle, an Irish servant who walked off a schooner one day and arrived on the beach with a baby in her arms. She comes to play a critical role in the events that follow over the following years.
Morgan’s original novel was over seven hundred pages and when she submitted her manuscript, her publisher advised her to create two volumes instead of one. The continuing story appears in a second volume titled “Waiting for Time” which takes the story of these characters and their descendants to the year 2024.
This was an excellent book with an engaging plot, strong writing, and vivid characters, easily keeping readers engaged and interested. It ends at a perfect point, pulling readers to the next volume with a cliffhanger as the saga continues with the next generations.
This is not the usual chronicle of a family that spans several years; it is so much more. Readers who like historical fiction and a great story will enjoy it.
After a long and difficult journey crossing the ocean, they arrive at Cape Random in Newfoundland, an isolated spit of land with a huge black rock that juts out of the sand and points to the sky. There, the Vincent family introduces them to a way of life they have never known and Lavinia anxious about their future, begins to record their lives in her journal as her family struggle with life in this remote setting.
The Andrews family had worked selling second hand goods back in England and knew nothing about fishing, the only work available on the Cape and the business that supports this tiny outport and the few that live here. The Vincents had moved to the Cape from a community further south and are better equipped for their move here, while the Andrews struggle with the back breaking work, the uncertainty about their future and the confounding business practices of Thomas Hutchings.
Hutchings was the fish merchant’s representative on the Cape. He owned the only store and controlled the supplies they needed both to live and to fish. They barter the fish they catch for his goods, but he determines the prices and controls the accounting, giving him considerable power in this tiny community. No one knows much about this man who they suspect has a suspicious past; he is a man of intrigue and mystery.
Life is hard and only the strong survive this harsh environment, the loneliness and the isolation, the dangers of fishing far out at sea and the long cold winters when families often go hungry. Families must get along; without friendships, survival is impossible. Families depended on each other and their interactions fuel this fascinating narrative.
The seasons and the weather play an important role in the cycle of their lives on the Cape. Morgan describes how everyone greets the short, warm days of summer which contrast so starkly with the harsh, long, dreary days of winter when the cold seeps through their bones, no matter how many layers of clothing they wear.
As Morgan details their lives over the next fifteen years, she creates strong colorful characters including Mary Bundle, an Irish servant who walked off a schooner one day and arrived on the beach with a baby in her arms. She comes to play a critical role in the events that follow over the following years.
Morgan’s original novel was over seven hundred pages and when she submitted her manuscript, her publisher advised her to create two volumes instead of one. The continuing story appears in a second volume titled “Waiting for Time” which takes the story of these characters and their descendants to the year 2024.
This was an excellent book with an engaging plot, strong writing, and vivid characters, easily keeping readers engaged and interested. It ends at a perfect point, pulling readers to the next volume with a cliffhanger as the saga continues with the next generations.
This is not the usual chronicle of a family that spans several years; it is so much more. Readers who like historical fiction and a great story will enjoy it.
November 21, 2015
Early 19th century Newfoundland is at the heart of Bernice Morgan's novel which tells the stories of the Andrews and Vincent families in the small and isolated outport community of Cape Random. For me, in terms of plot Morgan's novel does not have the usual elements of storytelling such as rising action and climax per se which I think is the point. Rather the book reads like the daily life of the families living in the cape. It should be noted that the title of the book itself, Random Passage, implies the random nature of life with birth, death, victories, failures, and suffering all signifying the unplanned and haphazard way our lives carry on. The characters themselves are on a sort of life voyage with a random passage and are vulnerable to the often violent and unpredictable nature of the ocean. The novel also reads as well-rounded historical fiction as it gives you a clear sense of how Newfoundland attained its eclectic and diverse character. Through Cape Random and its surrounding communities, we see a tiny glimpse of how various exiles, rogues, misfits, and refugees came upon Newfoundland and settled upon random parts of the island's shoreline in hopes to find freedom in their new home. They experience hardship as they find that freedom has its limits with either the elites in St. John's exploiting their socio-economic status or falling prey to the harsh environment. As such, there are themes of survival, hardship, and tragedy as the families struggle just to survive another winter. Finally, while I found keeping track of the non-linear storytelling a bit daunting at times, I would recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about Newfoundland literature, history, and the people.
April 22, 2011
I read this a few years ago for my Canadian Lit course. Bernice Morgan's Random Passage is the brutal and depressing depiction of the lives of the early settlers of colonial Newfoundland, when families lived in isolation and whose survival depended on a bleak and sometimes unforgiving climate.
Reading this is a journey. Many times I felt like I was dragging myself along the very barren land the characters themselves tried to make livable. And truth be told, I don't think I enjoyed reading it, I don't know if you're supposed to. It is a sharp and jolting display of the harsh realities of the past. It allows us nothing but admiration for what these characters had to go through, laying the foundation on which we now live. It is not a fun read but it is definitely the kind of experience you'll be thankful for having gone through.
Arm yourself with patience and an open mind.
This story is most rewarding.
Reading this is a journey. Many times I felt like I was dragging myself along the very barren land the characters themselves tried to make livable. And truth be told, I don't think I enjoyed reading it, I don't know if you're supposed to. It is a sharp and jolting display of the harsh realities of the past. It allows us nothing but admiration for what these characters had to go through, laying the foundation on which we now live. It is not a fun read but it is definitely the kind of experience you'll be thankful for having gone through.
Arm yourself with patience and an open mind.
This story is most rewarding.
March 7, 2012
Spanning 15 years in the early 1800s, this is the tale of two families living in a remote Newfoundland outport. It's primarily a story about the struggle to survive, but also about relationships, personalities, and secrets.
Two-thirds of the book is narrated from the point of view of Lavinia Andrews; the last one-third gives the viewpoint of Thomas Hutchings, a secretive man who is employed to be at Cape Random for the fishery. This second view adds depth to the novel.
The novel includes vivid description of the harsh conditions; one cannot but be struck by the severe isolation and the dependence on each other for survival.
The discussion of the seal hunt povides perspective on its importance for survival of the early settlers of Newfoundland.
This is a must-read for anyone interested in Newfoundland history.
Two-thirds of the book is narrated from the point of view of Lavinia Andrews; the last one-third gives the viewpoint of Thomas Hutchings, a secretive man who is employed to be at Cape Random for the fishery. This second view adds depth to the novel.
The novel includes vivid description of the harsh conditions; one cannot but be struck by the severe isolation and the dependence on each other for survival.
The discussion of the seal hunt povides perspective on its importance for survival of the early settlers of Newfoundland.
This is a must-read for anyone interested in Newfoundland history.
February 17, 2009
This is the first of several books by Morgan set in the very early days of Newfoundland. The story is rooted deeply in the experience of the folks who settled this very harsh area and built families and lives on land that was barely hospitable.
Reading Random Passage enhanced my experience of visitng the eastern portion of Newfoundland, even though I read the book after I returned home. This landscape is amazing - both beautiful and daunting. And the people have to be so very strong to survive.
Random Passage provides a similar look at the class and societal structure in England that left some folks very few choices.
Reading Random Passage enhanced my experience of visitng the eastern portion of Newfoundland, even though I read the book after I returned home. This landscape is amazing - both beautiful and daunting. And the people have to be so very strong to survive.
Random Passage provides a similar look at the class and societal structure in England that left some folks very few choices.
February 10, 2021
I actually shelved this book at about 35% into it. I thought I would like the storyline and it started out to be what I expected but then the author introduced too many characters. I couldn’t keep track of who was married to who or who were the kids and who were the adults. Not one character was developed well enough to really know or understand. I definitely would have to reread and keep an ongoing chart in order to follow. Not for me.
September 21, 2019
Random Passage is a 1992 novel by Newfoundland author Bernice Morgan. It was published by Breakwater Books Ltd. of St. John's, NL. It was followed by a sequel, Waiting for Time.
It is a historical novel about the inhabitants of Cape Random, a small outport where survival was dependent on catching and selling fish in exchange for supplies. It is set in colonial Newfoundland, over the span of many years.
The main characters include Mary "Bundle" Sprig, Lavinia "Vinnie" Andrews and family, Thomas Hutchings, the Vincents, and the Norris family.
Random Passage is a 1992 novel by Newfoundland author Bernice Morgan. It was published by Breakwater Books Ltd. of St. John's, NL. It was followed by a sequel, Waiting for Time.
It is a historical novel about the inhabitants of Cape Random, a small outport where survival was dependent on catching and selling fish in exchange for supplies. It is set in colonial Newfoundland, over the span of many years.
The main characters include Mary "Bundle" Sprig, Lavinia "Vinnie" Andrews and family, Thomas Hutchings, the Vincents, and the Norris family.
Random Passage is a 1992 novel by Newfoundland author Bernice Morgan. It was published by Breakwater Books Ltd. of St. John's, NL. It was followed by a sequel, Waiting for Time.
It is a historical novel about the inhabitants of Cape Random, a small outport where survival was dependent on catching and selling fish in exchange for supplies. It is set in colonial Newfoundland, over the span of many years.
The main characters include Mary "Bundle" Sprig, Lavinia "Vinnie" Andrews and family, Thomas Hutchings, the Vincents, and the Norris family.
Random Passage is a 1992 novel by Newfoundland author Bernice Morgan. It was published by Breakwater Books Ltd. of St. John's, NL. It was followed by a sequel, Waiting for Time.
It is a historical novel about the inhabitants of Cape Random, a small outport where survival was dependent on catching and selling fish in exchange for supplies. It is set in colonial Newfoundland, over the span of many years.
The main characters include Mary "Bundle" Sprig, Lavinia "Vinnie" Andrews and family, Thomas Hutchings, the Vincents, and the Norris family.
Random Passage is a 1992 novel by Newfoundland author Bernice Morgan. It was published by Breakwater Books Ltd. of St. John's, NL. It was followed by a sequel, Waiting for Time.
It is a historical novel about the inhabitants of Cape Random, a small outport where survival was dependent on catching and selling fish in exchange for supplies. It is set in colonial Newfoundland, over the span of many years.
The main characters include Mary "Bundle" Sprig, Lavinia "Vinnie" Andrews and family, Thomas Hutchings, the Vincents, and the Norris family.
Random Passage is a 1992 novel by Newfoundland author Bernice Morgan. It was published by Breakwater Books Ltd. of St. John's, NL. It was followed by a sequel, Waiting for Time.
It is a historical novel about the inhabitants of Cape Random, a small outport where survival was dependent on catching and selling fish in exchange for supplies. It is set in colonial Newfoundland, over the span of many years.
The main characters include Mary "Bundle" Sprig, Lavinia "Vinnie" Andrews and family, Thomas Hutchings, the Vincents, and the Norris family.
Random Passage is a 1992 novel by Newfoundland author Bernice Morgan. It was published by Breakwater Books Ltd. of St. John's, NL. It was followed by a sequel, Waiting for Time.
It is a historical novel about the inhabitants of Cape Random, a small outport where survival was dependent on catching and selling fish in exchange for supplies. It is set in colonial Newfoundland, over the span of many years.
The main characters include Mary "Bundle" Sprig, Lavinia "Vinnie" Andrews and family, Thomas Hutchings, the Vincents, and the Norris family.
Random Passage is a 1992 novel by Newfoundland author Bernice Morgan. It was published by Breakwater Books Ltd. of St. John's, NL. It was followed by a sequel, Waiting for Time.
It is a historical novel about the inhabitants of Cape Random, a small outport where survival was dependent on catching and selling fish in exchange for supplies. It is set in colonial Newfoundland, over the span of many years.
The main characters include Mary "Bundle" Sprig, Lavinia "Vinnie" Andrews and family, Thomas Hutchings, the Vincents, and the Norris family.
It is a historical novel about the inhabitants of Cape Random, a small outport where survival was dependent on catching and selling fish in exchange for supplies. It is set in colonial Newfoundland, over the span of many years.
The main characters include Mary "Bundle" Sprig, Lavinia "Vinnie" Andrews and family, Thomas Hutchings, the Vincents, and the Norris family.
Random Passage is a 1992 novel by Newfoundland author Bernice Morgan. It was published by Breakwater Books Ltd. of St. John's, NL. It was followed by a sequel, Waiting for Time.
It is a historical novel about the inhabitants of Cape Random, a small outport where survival was dependent on catching and selling fish in exchange for supplies. It is set in colonial Newfoundland, over the span of many years.
The main characters include Mary "Bundle" Sprig, Lavinia "Vinnie" Andrews and family, Thomas Hutchings, the Vincents, and the Norris family.
Random Passage is a 1992 novel by Newfoundland author Bernice Morgan. It was published by Breakwater Books Ltd. of St. John's, NL. It was followed by a sequel, Waiting for Time.
It is a historical novel about the inhabitants of Cape Random, a small outport where survival was dependent on catching and selling fish in exchange for supplies. It is set in colonial Newfoundland, over the span of many years.
The main characters include Mary "Bundle" Sprig, Lavinia "Vinnie" Andrews and family, Thomas Hutchings, the Vincents, and the Norris family.
Random Passage is a 1992 novel by Newfoundland author Bernice Morgan. It was published by Breakwater Books Ltd. of St. John's, NL. It was followed by a sequel, Waiting for Time.
It is a historical novel about the inhabitants of Cape Random, a small outport where survival was dependent on catching and selling fish in exchange for supplies. It is set in colonial Newfoundland, over the span of many years.
The main characters include Mary "Bundle" Sprig, Lavinia "Vinnie" Andrews and family, Thomas Hutchings, the Vincents, and the Norris family.
Random Passage is a 1992 novel by Newfoundland author Bernice Morgan. It was published by Breakwater Books Ltd. of St. John's, NL. It was followed by a sequel, Waiting for Time.
It is a historical novel about the inhabitants of Cape Random, a small outport where survival was dependent on catching and selling fish in exchange for supplies. It is set in colonial Newfoundland, over the span of many years.
The main characters include Mary "Bundle" Sprig, Lavinia "Vinnie" Andrews and family, Thomas Hutchings, the Vincents, and the Norris family.
Random Passage is a 1992 novel by Newfoundland author Bernice Morgan. It was published by Breakwater Books Ltd. of St. John's, NL. It was followed by a sequel, Waiting for Time.
It is a historical novel about the inhabitants of Cape Random, a small outport where survival was dependent on catching and selling fish in exchange for supplies. It is set in colonial Newfoundland, over the span of many years.
The main characters include Mary "Bundle" Sprig, Lavinia "Vinnie" Andrews and family, Thomas Hutchings, the Vincents, and the Norris family.
Random Passage is a 1992 novel by Newfoundland author Bernice Morgan. It was published by Breakwater Books Ltd. of St. John's, NL. It was followed by a sequel, Waiting for Time.
It is a historical novel about the inhabitants of Cape Random, a small outport where survival was dependent on catching and selling fish in exchange for supplies. It is set in colonial Newfoundland, over the span of many years.
The main characters include Mary "Bundle" Sprig, Lavinia "Vinnie" Andrews and family, Thomas Hutchings, the Vincents, and the Norris family.
Random Passage is a 1992 novel by Newfoundland author Bernice Morgan. It was published by Breakwater Books Ltd. of St. John's, NL. It was followed by a sequel, Waiting for Time.
It is a historical novel about the inhabitants of Cape Random, a small outport where survival was dependent on catching and selling fish in exchange for supplies. It is set in colonial Newfoundland, over the span of many years.
The main characters include Mary "Bundle" Sprig, Lavinia "Vinnie" Andrews and family, Thomas Hutchings, the Vincents, and the Norris family.
October 2, 2021
A mostly interesting look at how two families and a couple of outsiders eek out an existence on an inhospitable hunk of the eastern shore of Newfoundland in the first half of the 19th century. It took awhile for me to get interested in the story and for most of the book I remained so, at least until Part Two which by the end left me wondering what it was about the story that had previously engaged me. What I did find interesting was the author’s narrative style. The first ¾ of the book is told in a third person narrative but in the present tense, which is unusual. Occasionally the narrative slips into the past tense but only as a sort of voice over retrospect, the same type of omniscient voice that also occasionally delivers a sort of prophetic line or two that gave me a sense that the characters would endure and the community would go on. For example ‘”lovesick as Angus Hounsell” becomes a saying that will endure on the Cape long after both Lavinia and Angus are dead’. Part Two, the last ¼ of the book is told in the first person narrative and at first is great for filling in details about earlier events in both the previous section as well as the character of Thomas. However for me it sort of went off the rails in the latter chapters and, as I said, made me wonder what it was about the story that had appealed to me. Ultimately I felt left with a lot of questions about a number of the characters. This is a pretty iconic book here in Atlantic Canada but for me it is only worthy of a 3½ star rating.
July 4, 2018
An excellent account of Newfoundland outport life(Cape Random) in the 1800's, as seen by new settlers & followed over many years, with its expected overwhelming difficulties(just surviving, fighting wild animals like polar bears, & marginal interactions with the few surviving Indians who come to the shore occasionally, which the uneducated & superstitious but astoundingly courageous & resourceful people face & sometimes overcome, or are crushed by. All aspects of outport life are presented-establishing themselves in crude shelters, building houses & boats from scratch, as well as the equipment necessary for fishing & sealing, the growing of potatoes & turnips, the collection of wild berries-their only fruit- the "making"of fish(gutting, spreading, salting, drying) which is exchanged once a year when the boat from St.John's comes in for supplies(flour, salt, tea..). There's great deal of support & friction in the tiny community of less than 20, but also jealousy, illicit love affairs & unattributed pregnancies. Part of the story is seen through the eyes of an RC priest who was the original settler(coming to get away from the world) & later we are presented with the life of St.John's-crude,bawdy, loud but full of life, where a few of the younger Cape Randomers flee, but fail to find the paradise they had anticipated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2024
After the first couple of chapters, I couldn’t put this book down. The story is an accurate look into the daily struggles of living in a remote area of Newfoundland in the early 19th century. I was invested in the struggles of these families and remained hopeful for some happy endings for these characters.
I was interested to read this, as my family first came to Canada via Newfoundland. Apparently, one described making it to Ontario as “escaping” Newfoundland, rather than leaving. This book illustrated how difficult it was just to survive in this remote area, and why one’s sentiment might lean more towards “escaping”…
I liked the story but thought there was a huge jump in the shift from Lavinia’s 3rd person view for almost the entire book, to very suddenly reading Thomas’s first person view at the very end. I think additional maps, timelines, or family trees to reference would have been very helpful, as there are many different people and locations discussed throughout the story.
I was interested to read this, as my family first came to Canada via Newfoundland. Apparently, one described making it to Ontario as “escaping” Newfoundland, rather than leaving. This book illustrated how difficult it was just to survive in this remote area, and why one’s sentiment might lean more towards “escaping”…
I liked the story but thought there was a huge jump in the shift from Lavinia’s 3rd person view for almost the entire book, to very suddenly reading Thomas’s first person view at the very end. I think additional maps, timelines, or family trees to reference would have been very helpful, as there are many different people and locations discussed throughout the story.
August 12, 2017
I was looking through my shelves of "to be read" books, trying to decide what to read next and came across this book. I had purchased it many years ago and had started it twice only to abandon it both times. I just couldn't get into it. Since then, I have become part of the Goodreads community so I looked it up and was surprised by the high rating. After reading some of the reviews I decided to give it one last try. I quickly remembered why I had given up before. 100 pages in I was struggling to continue. Too many characters are introduced all at once, none of which I liked or really felt like I understood. I was at least 200 pages in before it started to be even slightly entertaining. It wasn't until Part 2 when the point of view changed to Thomas Hutchings that the story really came together for me.
October 11, 2019
This is a book that had long been recommended to me by my avid-reading Newfoundland Godmother but I didn't get around to it until after seeing the fabulous movie filmed in Newfoundland. This is a wonderful story of an English family who are forced to flee their home so set sail to Newfoundland looking for a better life. However, they land in a remote, barren outport and are forced to live a life they are ill equipted for. The main character, Lavinia is a 17 y/o girl who journals her life and the lives and interactions of the colourful characters of the community. It describes the great hardship that many Newfoundlanders faced in the early years of settlement. However, the story also tells of community and survival. I really enjoyed the book and couldn't wait to read the sequel, Waiting for Time.
September 9, 2025
A good, slow story on the struggles of a remote fishing community on a coast in Newfoundland. Was a bit too slow for me, would have been better if it was shorter since the whole book was very anticlimactic but I still enjoyed reading about the daily struggles of this fishing community and how the main families and children evolved over the years. As many people said, it was very hard to keep up with the families on the cape, who married who, which kid belonged to each family, who died and how, etc. Would have been much easier with a family tree! Made a good slow burning book for one of my summer reads but still pretty confusing overall.
August 7, 2020
Loved this saga, even though it is a fictional account of life in very early Newfoundland, many of the towns along the coast started just like Cape Random. I was so eager to read this book after following my family tree back to the beginnings of some similar sites along this coast. This is just what my family went through to survive the harsh conditions and build a life for the generations to come. Fascinating and heartwarming, sometimes heartbreaking, loved this, will be moving on to the next book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews