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| Plot Summary of The Colony of Unrequited Dreams |
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"Joey Smallwood, known as the "last father of Confederation" for bringing Newfoundland into the Canadian fold in 1949, grew up poor and was bullied mercilessly early in the last century. This book takes known elements of Smallwood's life and combines them with fictional characters and events to describe Smallwood's coming-of-age and political awakening. Incidents from Smallwood's life are interspersed with excerpts from a fictional "Fielding's Condensed History of Newfoundland", written by Smallwood's foil, the newspaper columnist Sheilagh Fielding.
Smallwood moves from Catholic school to discover the union movement and left-wing politics. Inspired by John Reed (of "Ten Days that Shook the World" fame), he makes his way to New York city, observing the life of working-class and the poor, honing his political instincts and worldliness. Returning a few months later to his homeland, travelling across Newfoundland to its most remote fishing outposts, as a union organizer. During his travels, he comes into closer contact with the generosity of his fellow Newfoundlanders, despite their dire poverty.
Smallwood returns to the capital of Newfoundland, determined to make change in the colony that he would bring into the Canadian Confederation. He embarks on a political career, scrutinized and criticized by Fielding, for whom he nonetheless harbours strong feelings. Only after becoming Premier of the new province does he discover the secret that kept Fielding at such an emotional distance from him for so many decades. "
Jan Arata, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Colony of Unrequited Dreams |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- depressed
Time/era of story
- 1930's-1950's
Political/social activism
Yes
Plotlet:
- union leaders fighting for labor rights
Life of a profession:
- politician
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Job/Profession/Status story
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- politician/elected ruler
Age:
- long lived adults
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Canadian (Aboot!)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- healthy but a geeky weakling
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- long-lived adults
Profession/status:
- journalist
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an above average amount
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
The Americas (not US):
Yes
The Americas:
- Canada
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
Unusual Style:
- a lot of flashback and forwards
- written like a journal/diary/letters
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Click here for more information about this book
Wayne Johnston Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Jan Arata
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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