Alistair MacLeod entered my life one day in 2007 via a read recommended by a young colleague, who I thought was but a child.

The book proved almost to change my life. I don't know why MacLeod moves me, but he does.

I grew up simple, in a small New England town, not quite as remote or parochial as the times and places that MacLeod scribes.

But it was as if suddenly reading a book by an elder, a distant sibling, or a mystic, someone who got how I experienced the world and how I viewed it.

If I could write a story half as good as 'IN THE FALL,' I would consider my life complete.

My current efforts are nowhere near that beautiful short, but I strive. ( )

These beautiful, but sad stories, mostly set in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia seem almost Gaelic ballads in prose. A lot of the stories are written in the first person singular, which makes the reader feel immediately connected to the action. Add to that the detailed lyrical description of nature, people, their homes and animals and you can see it all happening before you. The text is interspersed by Gaelic expressions and and lyrics of songs. Despite the gloominess of the stories I very much enjoyed reading this book. ( )

I loved these stories because they tell of a particular place and time in beautiful language. MacLeod is know more for books like "Guns of Navarone" but this volume includes his heart. Highly recommended, but read (please) one story at a time to get the most complete satisfaction. ( )

I have mixed feelings about this collection. It is a remarkably coherent body of work: even though these stories were written years apart and published in a variety of books and magazines, they all retain the classic MacLeod "flavour" and share a strong sense of place. The themes are similar as well: the struggle between retaining tradition and moving forward into the future, going away for work and worrying about the family you've left behind, reconciling your desires with the realities of your family's situation, and so on.

However, there were some elements of these stories I found difficult to grapple with. A couple feature animals being killed -- it is for farming purposes, rather than hunting or sport, but the description is graphic and may be a turn-off for some. Another turn-off is the preoccupation several stories in the collection have with sex, whether it be human sex or animal copulation. There were WAY too many members of the male anatomy, and their associated fluids and characteristics and activities, for my liking in these stories. I was especially put off by this preponderance of penises because I was reading the whole collection in just a few days, rather than reading one story at a time over a longer period.

If you like short stories or Canlit, you may find this interesting. It has vivid writing going for it, and the Gaelic songs lend beauty and grace to the stories in which they are quoted. It is a collection that is best read one story at a time over a longer period of time, during which you can think about the recurring themes. I would maybe also suggest reading No Great Mischief, MacLeod's novel, first, especially if you prefer long fiction over short stories. ( )

absolutely wonderful. he loves cape breton, the land, the people, the language, and misses the old ways. ( )