Saltwater Joys


Fiction - Literary
324 Pages
Reviewed on 11/05/2018
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Amanda Rofe for Readers' Favorite

Saltwater Joys by Dianna Brown begins in the 1960s in Ireland's Eye, a town situated on the edge of Newfoundland and Labrador. During the controversial Confederation with Canada which centralized people into growth areas, the inhabitants of this fishing outpost were offered relocation to the mainland with the promise of jobs and a better life. All but one of the inhabitants eventually make the move. One remaining resident refuses to go and barely survives the harsh climate and lonely existence. Events from the past come back to haunt him and he suffers physically as well as mentally during his enforced isolation. This is a novel about the intense love of one couple and a family torn apart from a once close-knit coastal community.

Dianna Brown writes a deeply haunting saga of the lasting repercussions of a community's relocation to the mainland. This is a dark tale of grief and torment suffered by one of the remaining inhabitants. I loved the ethereal quality surrounding the main character's solitary existence in this rugged outpost. His dark thoughts and ghostly encounters were often enigmatic, giving me the feeling of otherworldliness and things beyond my understanding. There was a fierceness surrounding this man's loss which was superbly depicted. The novel was wrapped up in a well thought out and satisfying ending. Saltwater Joys is a rich narrative providing a glimpse into the lives of remote communities and local characters which are all but lost to imperious government policies. Books like this allow us to glimpse the past and wonder.

Reta Smallman

I truly enjoyed this book, held my interest and did not want to put it down till finished. Great story... would recommend it to everyone..