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The Adversary by Michael Crummey

The Adversary

A Novel

by Michael Crummey

  • Critics' Consensus (9):
  • Readers' Rating (19):
  • Published:
  • Feb 2024, 336 pages
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There are currently 19 reader reviews for The Adversary
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Janice A. (Colfax, WI)

The Adversary - Dark yet Intriguing
There were times while reading this book I debated whether to continue. The Adversary is full of quirky characters, debauchery, and violence yet also includes acts of kindness and a sense of community. Michael Crummy sets the book on the coast of Newfoundland, Canada during the early to mid-1800s. The main characters, Abe Stabb and a women known as The Widow, own the two major fish warehouses. Each provide for the salting, storage, and exporting of locally caught fish along with the importation of people and goods. Not only are they business adversaries, each has much different views of supporting and growingmore
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Vivian H. (Winchester, VA)

Dark, Violent, Beautifully Written
The Adversary by Michael Crummy is not an easy read. The grim, dark, brutal story takes place in perhaps early 19th Century Mockbeggar, with the primary business being salted cod fisheries, on the coast of Newfoundland. The book follows the hatred and competition for control of the fisheries and related mercantile businesses between two siblings: Abe Strapp and the Widow. The author employs the unique language of the settlers and populates Mockbeggar and nearby Nonsuch with the Beadle, Matterface, Old Soot, the Duke of Limbs, Heater, and the Jerseyman. Despite the presence of the Church of England and a societymore
Maryanne H. (Delmar, NY)

Not for the Faint-Hearted
The Adversary, Canadian novelist Michael Crummey's latest, is historical fiction in the same vein as the work of Hawthorne and Melville. Set in a remote fishing village on the north coast of Newfoundland in the late 1700s, the novel is impressively atmospheric, as its characters inexorably catapult toward a seemingly predetermined collision. Big philosophical questions abound. A brother-sister rivalry opens and closes the novel, an aborted wedding, funerals galore and the entire local community as collateral damage. The specter of death hovers over every character. If personal animosity is not enough, themore
Celeste W. (Washington, DC)

Powerfully Dark, Surprisingly Good
For as dark as this book is, I found that I couldn't put it down. Set in an outpost in Newfoundland in the 1700s or 1800s (I never figured out the time period), it is primarily a story of sibling rivalry between two very powerful inhabitants. Because these two control most of the fishing industry/commerce in the area, the other inhabitants of the outpost are necessarily drawn into the feud; some willingly, but most unwillingly. There are vignettes about these characters as well and some are heartbreaking, but the focus is on the siblings. And they are both despicable, so you find yourself not really knowing whomore
Sarah B

Writing
Crummy writes with beautiful ability. I think anyone would love to read his description of the phone book. This was a bit sad no one is particularly likeable but good literature doesn’t require that.
Dianne Y. (Stuart, FL)

Well written, but a brutal and dark story
The Writing:
The Adversary is a very well written book with clear, concise, clever, and sometimes even whimsical style. The author uses very vivid descriptions. While skillfully written, some of the more violent and brutal passages may be unsuitable for more sensitive readers.

I like the way the author uses the chapter titles to foreshadow what is to come in each chapter. And I found it engaging the way the author would present a scene or event only to leave the reader hanging, but then circle back to explain it later.

The Story:
The Storyline is well constructed, although it is a dark story showing the extrememore
Laura P. (Atlanta, GA)

NOT my favorite
I have such mixed feelings about this book. The writing, particularly the descriptive language, is powerful, and the character development is superb. The characters, however, are despicable. There are three "Avengers" in the story, which is set in the early 18th century in the fictional town of Mockbeggar Newfoundland: Abe Strapp, a sort of "town boss, who is lazy, evil, and power hungry; his older sister the Widow Caines, a jealous old lady who would do anything to take her brother's place at the top of the pile; and the Beadle, a religious leader who sides with Abe but works also to enhance his own interests,more
Anne G. (Austin, TX)

The Adversary by Michael Crummey
"There was an exuberant air of relief about the outports and plantations on the shore and the Christmas festivities in Mockbeggar resumed the tradition of dismal anarchy they were known for."

When reading the words put down by a poet one can be pretty sure each one is chosen with care. On this remote Newfoundland island voice and setting are melded. Whether it is a pledge, a commitment, or a threat, the words of these characters to and about one another are the backbone of this story as the harsh setting with its volatile weather creates the place. The Widow Caines and her deplorable brother Abe Strapp are themore
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