Below the bridge: Memories of the South Side of St. John's

by Helen Porter

A colourful memoir of growing up on the Southside Road in St. Johns, Newfoundland, during the 1930s and 1940s. Porter brings to life the lost community of her childhood, and introduces us to the vibrant characters who lived there - longshoremen, housewives, sailors, coopers, midwives, and even a few prostitutes.

Genres: Audiobook

126 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Lara Maynard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found myself wishing that Helen Fogwill Porter herself was the narrator of the audiobook version of Below the Bridge. She has such as distinctive voice, recognizable to anyone who listens to call-in radio shows in St. John's, NL. In fact, I could hear her in my head as I listened. That said, Mary Barry does a fine job of narrating.

This book is so personal, with its memories of childhood, family and neighbourhood from 1930s and 1940s, and I always find it hard to give that type of book a rating. I very much enjoyed her descriptions of the community of her youth within the city, her own coming of age, local characters and landmarks, and the WWII years in St. John's, with lots of anecdotes and musing.

I found this after I googled the book: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoun... It seems Porter has a footbridge in her old neighbourhood area named after her. Lovely.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic read, I didn’t want it to end!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle memoir. Very enjoyable.