Customer Reviews

Nova Scotia Shaped by the Sea

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While the history covers the full length of Nova Scotia's history, it is very anecdotal in nature. As a result I found it very disjointed. The lack of a map was also keenly felt. Even though Choyce often supports his theme of the great influence of the sea on Nova Scotia, the gaps in the narrative greatly weaken the impact. If you want a series of short excerpts of Nova Scotia's history, I can recommend this book. However, it is not up to giving much insight into the why of the province's history.

Lesley Choyce is a novelist, not a historian -- something that shows through in Nova Scotia: Shaped by the Sea. The book is well written and gives a compelling portrait of this corner of Atlantic Canada, but at times the history seems to barely dent the surface.

Arranged in 45 short (usually four- to five-page) chapters, Choyce covers Nova Scotia from the geologic prehistory of the land through European colonization and into the fish wars of the 1990s. Throughout it all he manages to strike a nice balance between veneration of important historical figures and lamentation of the wrongs imposed upon the environment, Native Americans and others.

Although Choyce obviously doesn't love everything that has been done by the people of Nova Scotia over time, he does love the province -- something that shines through in the brief historical vignettes of this book.

I am planning a trip to Nova Scotia this summer and was surprised at the dearth of informative books about the province. This work was all I came across that appeared to be likely to give me some background that would enhance my trip. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. In addition to providing an insightful history the book is quite entertaining. The only addition I would wish for would be a good map.