Kevin Major's Far From Shore is a commendable example of writing pared to the essentials in character development, dialogue, plot and interpretation. The narrative technique and the skilful description of Newfoundlanders are equally praiseworthy.

As he did in his award-winning Hold Fast …, Major depicts not only a Newfoundland adolescent, but also the universal adolescent, the strength and fragility of youth caught up in the immediacy of life.

The emotional side of 15-year-old Chris Slade is perceptively and finely drawn. His scenes with the lonely Morrison, capturing the turmoil and love within, are moving and haunt the reader throughout the book. While the characters toil amidst broken hearts and broken homes, they also show a spirited and often humorous display of optimism, a joie de vivre that Major has engagingly captured on paper.

Linda Granfield, in her review of "Far from Shore," in Quill and Quire (reprinted by permission...