The White Canoe and Other Verse


Read by Bruce Kachuk

(2.8 stars; 2 reviews)

This early collection of Alan Sullivan's work is from the pen of a young Canadian author who portrays Canada's short Summer season as the voyage through a Summer of life in an allegorical "white canoe". During that voyage Sullivan shares with the reader his expressions of joy, loss, doubt, uncertainty and hope for a blissful conclusion. Sullivan's later career would embrace classic and unique depictions of the early development of his country, winning a Governor General's Award for his 1941 novel "Three Came to Ville Marie" (Sullivan's 1891 poem "Fifty Years Hence" included in "The White Canoe and Other Verse" seems curiously prescient in this regard). This selection of a nascent Alan Sullivan's poems makes an important contribution to the work of Canadian poets of this era. - Summary by Bruce Kachuk (0 hr 32 min)

Chapters

The White Canoe 1:49 Read by Bruce Kachuk
A Vision 2:27 Read by Bruce Kachuk
A Question 1:36 Read by Bruce Kachuk
Confession, Creed, and Prayer 3:41 Read by Bruce Kachuk
To My Pipe 1:09 Read by Bruce Kachuk
Supposing 2:14 Read by Bruce Kachuk
The Widower's Lullaby 3:09 Read by Bruce Kachuk
The Bird in the Night 1:44 Read by Bruce Kachuk
Nescio at Felix 1:21 Read by Bruce Kachuk
To My Indian Pipe 1:13 Read by Bruce Kachuk
Advenit Amor 1:19 Read by Bruce Kachuk
A Song of Life 3:56 Read by Bruce Kachuk
Voices 1:33 Read by Bruce Kachuk
Fifty Years Hence 2:40 Read by Bruce Kachuk
Farewell to the White Canoe 2:26 Read by Bruce Kachuk

Reviews

over the top reading


(0.5 stars)

The poems and verses may have been good, but I was distracted by the over-the-top recitation style of the reader . It was as if he was wanting to break into song - but without notes. I have listened to many LibriVox recordings and have never given such a review as this. Was he trying to be dramatic?? Was he trying too hard to emphasize each line? I don’t know. I listened to the whole thing just hoping it would get better. I think if he just toned down the DRAMATIC and read it as a poem, then it would have been better. I suggest a do over.