Linda Little Explained

Linda Little (born 1959) is an author from Nova Scotia, Canada. Her third work of fiction has been praised as a "darkly beautiful novel".

Writings

Her first novel, Strong Hollow published in 2001,[1] is a coming-of-age story set in the Maritimes that features a same-sex romance.[2] Quill & Quire praised the rich characters and Little's ability to make them "transcend stereotypes", but criticized Little for "mistrust[ing] the reader to understand the symbolism at the heart of her story".[2]

In 2006 she followed up with Scotch River, which won three Atlantic Book Awards for that year, including the Thomas Head Raddall Award for best adult fiction.[3] Like in her first novel, Little tells a story set in her familiar home of Nova Scotia. The novel tells the story of an Alberta ranch hand who moves to the fictional town of Scotch River.[4] Quill & Quire praised her sympathetic characters and sensuous writing.[4]

Her third novel, Grist, again takes place in the Maritimes but is set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[5] Published in 2014, it tells the story of Penelope and her slowly disintegrating marriage to a miller.[5] Quill & Quire compared the work to Thomas Hardy and Lucy Maud Montgomery, and praised it as a "darkly beautiful novel".[5]

Little has also published a number of short stories and a children's book, Work and More Work. Kirkus criticized the narration of Work and More Work as "bare" and the story as overly idealized.[6]

Personal life

Little lives on a farm in River John, Nova Scotia, where she raises turkeys.[7] She helps organize the annual Read by the Sea literary festival in the town,[8] and, since 2005, has taught at the Dalhousie University Agricultural Campus in Truro, Nova Scotia.[9] In 2007 she was the writer-in-residence for the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Writer-in-Residence "Linda Little" . Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library . 2007 . 9 January 2022.
  2. Reviews: Strong Hollow . Stephanie . Domet . 2001 . 4 . Quill & Quire.
  3. News: Scotch River by Linda Little wins Atlantic book of the year . 12 May 2007 . CBC Arts . 9 January 2022.
  4. Reviews: Scotch River . Stephen . Knight . Quill & Quire . 2006 . 4.
  5. Reviews: Grist . Patricia . Maunder . Quill & Quire . June 2014.
  6. Web site: Work and More Work . Kirkus Reviews . 10 January 2015 . 10 January 2022.
  7. News: N.S. farmers report consumers are gobbling up free range turkey . Brett . Bundale . 16 December 2019 . Saltwire . 10 January 2022.
  8. Water Feature: A festival on the Northumberland Shore turns twenty . Literary Review Journal of Canada . Cheryl . Bell . 7 September 2019.
  9. Web site: Dal Authors Highlights at Halifax Word on the Street Fest . Marlo . MacKay . 14 September 2018 . Dal News . Dalhousie University.