2.5 stars. I wasn't crazy about it but husband really liked it. ( )

I really enjoyed this story of a couple (Charles and Ramona) who meet in middle age and forge a relationship. Not an easy thing to do because each comes encumbered with people and issues from their past. But they are determined to make it work. I found the premise of how Charles and Ramona met a bit unrealistic...and they seemed to fall in love awfully fast....but that didn't bother me too much because the characters are so well drawn and the story is well told. Great settings, real people. This is my second book by Mr. Choyce and it won't be my last. ( )

I knew I’d like this novel from its title. I just had to play my Stan Rogers CDs as I read.

Charles Howard, 55, has lost virtually everything, including his job and savings, and is basically destitute with no prospects. One foggy morning in Halifax, he meets Ramona Danforth, a retired actress with a generous trust fund. They end up taking a drive to Stewart Harbour on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore, a fishing village to which Charles has not returned since his high school graduation. During this visit, Charles makes discoveries which complicate his life.

In many ways this is a love story between two middle-aged people. Such a romance is inevitably more complex than a relationship between young people because each partner comes with baggage. What is not always clear is why Charles and Ramona continue to stay together when very serious complications arise. From the beginning they choose to stay and support each other. Charles, for instance, has always had commitment issues: “It fit the story of my life. Get involved. Make a commitment. Then walk away.” Ramona has also had difficulty committing to another: “’Like I said, over and over, I would get close to someone and then suddenly just walk away. It would always be that easy for me.’” We are to believe that these people fall in love immediately and, despite their previous unwillingness to commit to another, they are now commit to the other even when very serious complications arise?

There are some sections of the novel that are humourous. Rolf, who lives in a fishing shack next to the one Charles has inherited from his father, is the source of much of the humour. The snappy banter between Charles and Ramona when they first meet also adds a light-hearted tone.

I like books where the protagonist is dynamic. That is definitely the case with Charles. He sees himself as a “work in progress, a project undergoing repair.” He learns about himself: “I had cultivated a powerful ability to shut off my emotions. A handy trick, I suppose, but I wondered now at what cost.” He also realizes that “there was no such thing as a life without consequences. Every little thing – or big thing – you do in life sends out ripples in the pond that keep getting wider and wider.” Ramona is also dynamic; she learns to forgive.

For me, the setting of the novel is part of its charm. I’ve visited Nova Scotia several times and it remains one of my favourite places in Canada. It is obvious that the author is very familiar with the province. His descriptions left me tasting the salt of the Atlantic.

The novel is very easy to read because of the writing style. Though the book touches on some serious topics, it never bogs down. Some events just seem inevitable; Brody’s story, for example, ends in the only way it could.

I’ve learned that Lesley Choyce has written over 90 books. Why have I not read him before? I will certainly be checking out some of his other fiction.

Note: I received a digital galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

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