Concertina and harmonica, John Joy
Originally published by Killick Press in 2002.
“Eighty-four years is time enough for one life,” Keziah Donovan muses as she waits for death to re-unite her with her “own sweet man”. Stricken down by a paralytic stroke, Keziah’s body is immobile but her mind is on a journey through a life that spans two centuries. Carried along by her rich inner narrative, the reader travels through the disease, labour, and progress of tumultuous times and the equally turbulent events of personal history – births, marriages, deaths, and mysteries. Set in rural and urban Newfoundland, this novel is alive with its landscape and language. In Keziah Donovan, award-winning writer Robin McGrath has created an unforgettable story-teller with a voice so authentic and distinctive that it compels the reader to sit and listen, and rings in the ear long after the book is put down.
Read by the following (in order of duration): Janis Spence as Keziah Donovan Janet Russell as Kate Andy Jones as Father Roche Elizabeth Pickard as Elizabeth (Lizzie) Merrill Francis as Dermot
Concertina and harmonica, John Joy Recorded and produced by Janet Russell
Shortlisted for the Caribbean & Canada Region of the Commonwealth Writers Prize 2003. Book Reviews: Mesmerizing...Keziah Donovan should take her rightful place beside [Hagar Shipley and Mary Bundle]. Jodi DeLong, Halifax Herald Audio Book Reviews: From AudioFile Magazine: Janis Spence, the main narrator, gives both a wistful quality as Keziah Donovan looks back on her life from her deathbed. Other readers portray supporting characters as they write letters or diary entries. These narrators sound as if they’re talking to themselves while they write, with pen scratches in the background. The whole cast gives a quietly human performance. Bits of accordion and harmonica music add to the book’s simplicity.