The Promised Land: a novel of Cape Breton
On April 24, 2014, The Promised Land – a novel of Cape Breton, was announced as the winner of the 2014 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. Out of a field of 80 entries, the other four finalists were:
Fifty Shades of Black – Arthur Black
And Then There Were Nuns – Jane Christmas
Son of a Certain Woman – Wayne Johnston
Red Green’s Beginners Guide to Women – Steve Smith
The award consists of a silver medal and a cash prize of $15,000 provided by the TD Bank Financial Group.
Synopsis: In 1970 a group of hippies make their way to the island of Cape Breton and that’s when the magic begins in Bill Conall’s novel, The Promised Land. The stories revealed throughout the novel show people at their very best: generous and kind, fallible and forgiving and full of mischief. Conall writes with an open heart and a gentle wit and takes us into the belly of a community teeming with goodwill and with characters you’ll want as your friends and neighbours. I promise you’ll laugh, and you’ll definitely wish you had been invited to the famous Hippies’ Ceilidh.” – Susan Zettell, author of “The Checkout Girl”
…told with Conall’s gift for sensitive humour and cultural insight. Bill Conall’s first book, The Rock in the Water, was short-listed for the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour. The Promised Land shows a similar if not more successful promise. – Inverness Oran
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“The Promised Land – a novel of Cape Breton”
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Having enjoyed The Rock in the Water by Bill Conall, I look forward to reading The Promised Land.
Great set of stories! As a Transplanted Cape Bretoner, I’m old enough / young enough remember similar stories in my own family. I laughed and I cried. Congratulations, Bill!
The Promised Land is an absolutely delightful read, brimming with the humour and keen insight into the mind and circumstances of which Bill Conall is master. It is filled with unforgettable characters, complete with flaws and foibles, but treated with much care
This is my most favorite recent reads … laugh out loud funny in parts! Love finding a new author to read.