
Book Description
Learning by Heart is a poignant account of "the teaching life"
in isolated communities in pre- and post-Confederation Newfoundland, a fine blend of personal and social history in which
the Newfoundland setting is a strong presence throughout, a
detailed backdrop for the book's convincing realism. The
thematic range of the stories is impressive; they are always
engaging and sometimes very moving, never lapsing into
sentimentality, melodrama, or easy nostalgia. There is a fine
balance of intimacy and objectivity, compassion and judgment, which makes you trust the narrator's perceptions
and insights into the complexities of human emotion and
behaviour.
About The Author
Angela Collins was born in Trinity,
Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, and
received her early education at Presentation Convent in Carbonear. She
completed her education at St.
Bride's College, in Littledale, and at
Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's.
Apart from one year teaching in
Upminster, England, her thirty-two
year teaching career was spent in a variety of Newfoundland
outports: Carbonear; St. Alban's, Bay d'Espoir; Avondale; Allan's Island and Lamaline. Her poignant stories of rural school
life came from real life experiences in these communities.
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