In this diverse collection of stories, Hubert Furey transports the reader back in time to an outport culture in which he lived and which has long since disappeared. It was a time when the “slapper” was deemed to be an indispensable aid to success in the classroom, when homemade moonshine was part of any festive celebration, when fairies abounded in the woods waiting to lead the unwary astray, and when friends sat around the table and didn’t mind having a good argument, even if the subject was as mundane as chuckley pears. Hubert writes about the inspirational lives of the local folks he met through his early teaching career in communities around the province, as well as the traditional ways of celebrating, grieving, and gathering in this unique culture. While the people in these stories are fictional, the lives are not. From hunting to courting, cooking to preaching, As the Old Folks Would Say captures Newfoundland’s exceptional heritage and the spirit of life on the island.

From the Bestselling Author of As the Old Folks Would Say.In Newfoundland and Labrador, Christmas is a special time of year. It is a time to gather around a festive table with family, to visit and enjoy the company of old friends who haven't been seen in a long time, to enjoy the aura of peace and goodwill which emanates from brightly coloured lights and decorations which are everywhere to be seen, to laugh and sing as if yesterday never happened. Above all, it is a time to exchange gifts which are symbolic of the love they represent and the deep emotions they evoke. For many, such tokens are practical and concrete, tangible proof of the feelings held in the heart, of the passion that still remains. For the main characters in these richly woven stories, the gifts they give are neither mundane nor hastily chosen, but are the product of soul-searching and profound inner change. For old Levi Cohen, the gift becomes the perfect act of gratitude to someone who did him a kind deed many...