Emily and the Captain: A Woody Point Story

Alison Mews is co-ordinator of the Centre for Instructional Services at
Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Loosely based on the author’s childhood memories of summers in Woody
Point, this story appears to be a Newfoundland beauty-and-the-beast
tale. Emily is five when her grandfather relates the legend of a sea
captain being imprisoned in the lighthouse by a vengeful ocean imp.
Believing the tale, she converses with the lighthouse, continuing her
conversations as she grows older. When, at college, she learns the
lighthouse will be dismantled, she rushes back to Woody Point, declaring
her love and thus freeing the captain. They marry and, of course, live
happily ever after.

This story has many of the elements found in modern fairy-tale
variants, but it is ponderously told, using verbose descriptions and
unexpressive language. “Emily was mad and very sad” does not convey
real emotion and will not evoke empathy from the reader. Also, in an
attempt to add local color, the author defines vernacular terms in
brackets, which unnecessarily interrupts the flow of the narrative.
While the cartoon illustrations add some visual appeal, they are
awkwardly executed and do little to enhance the story.

It is curious that the picture-book format was chosen for a chapter
book, as independent readers are unlikely to be attracted to the size
and cover. Also curious is that the summary on the back cover is wrong,
perhaps written before major changes were made to the text? With
judicious editing this could have been a much better story. Not a
first-choice purchase.