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Don't Be Talkin': Recitations and Other Foolishness from Newfoundland and Labrador
Within this book you’ll find stories and recitations told by the incomparable performer Harry Ingram. There are whimsical yarns of friendly moose and grouchy uncles, mixed with heartwarming tales about family and friends. You’ll also find yourself laughing out loud at some outlandish dialogue! How about a group of elderly ladies who create a bartering system that almost takes down the economy? Or perhaps Christmas nearly being ruined due to a labour dispute at the North Pole? Then comes a heartfelt account of a father and teenaged son, armed with a bucksaw and axe, embarking on a woodcutting expedition. From tear-jerking dramas to those that will tickle your funny bone, you’ll find them all in here.
181 pages, Paperback
Published May 12, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 28, 2021
“Don’t Be Talkin’” is such a fun read! And if you’re anything like me, you finished the whole thing in one sitting and then went back to read all your favorite bits over and over!
Some of my favorites were the Christmas ones simply because it is my favorite time of year. These brought back a lot of pleasant childhood memories for me, having experienced similar holiday activities as the author did growing up.
I laughed so much reading this book, especially at “The Fair” which I had to go back and read several times because it really made me giggle at the ending; of course, “Jerome” - imagine, a talking moose! And also, “The one about the Pig.” Selections like “Good Night Little One” and “Some Assembly Required” are a little too relatable to me as a mother of still-small children. These got a vigorous nod of agreement, and commiseration, from me!
There are also some recitations that bring on an emotional response. These include “The Unfinished Story” and The Long Road” which tug on the heartstrings and really make you think about life and how sometimes, it can be way too short.
“Don’t Be Talkin’” is a fantastic book for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to read, though it may evoke a terrible homesickness if you’re away from the province. Don’t let that stop you though! It’s a little reminder of home, and the way things used to be, even if you’ve never spent a day away.
Some of my favorites were the Christmas ones simply because it is my favorite time of year. These brought back a lot of pleasant childhood memories for me, having experienced similar holiday activities as the author did growing up.
I laughed so much reading this book, especially at “The Fair” which I had to go back and read several times because it really made me giggle at the ending; of course, “Jerome” - imagine, a talking moose! And also, “The one about the Pig.” Selections like “Good Night Little One” and “Some Assembly Required” are a little too relatable to me as a mother of still-small children. These got a vigorous nod of agreement, and commiseration, from me!
There are also some recitations that bring on an emotional response. These include “The Unfinished Story” and The Long Road” which tug on the heartstrings and really make you think about life and how sometimes, it can be way too short.
“Don’t Be Talkin’” is a fantastic book for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to read, though it may evoke a terrible homesickness if you’re away from the province. Don’t let that stop you though! It’s a little reminder of home, and the way things used to be, even if you’ve never spent a day away.
March 30, 2022
This book was fun to read. Though the author intended the sections to be read aloud, I think they can be enjoyed by being read quietly to oneself (especially if you're like me and aren't all that fond of reading aloud or being in front of people). Definitely, something you can easily re-read over and over again and read aloud if you are inclined to do so.
July 5, 2021
Harry Ingram’s Don’t Be Talkin’ [Flanker Press] is loaded to the gunnels with narrative poems designed for reciting. Ingram’s intention is that these poems become recitations, that they be performed aloud in front of an audience, on stage or in a kitchen.
I tried out one on Missus, but I confess I failed to do it justice. In truth, before I stood on the coffee table as we used to have the youngsters do, I balked.
I stammered. I stuttered.
I travelled into the past, or else the past sprung from the crypt of my cranium like a jack-in-the-box. Whichever, I was a wee bay-boy trembling on the stage of one of Joey Smallwood’s brand-new schools that he gave Newfoundlanders — built with cash from his own pockets, he swore — for joining Confederation with Canada.
I was on stage, tongue-tied because the teacher coerced me to “give” a recitation for our Christmas concert.
Since then, I’ve not been a fan of recitations.
Pay me no mind though. Everybody knows the grumpy old troll I’ve become.
I’ve read Ingram’s poems, but since my pitiful attempt to recite one for Missus, I’ve abandoned all hope of presenting a recitation.
I’m told, however, that Harry Ingram is a cracker-jack at entertaining an audience — in a jam-packed hall or a crowded kitchen.
If someday I witness Ingram’s skill in the flesh, I’ll squirm when he recites Don’t Be Talkin’. The poem is about grumpy Uncle John, and my trollness is mirrored in him: “And the piles is right bad,/Not to mention arthritis,/I’m sure I got TB,/Or chronic bronchitis.”
Like the rest of the crowd though, I’ll surely smile during the story of rum-running Jack who outwits the Mountie by hiding his contraband underneath Aunt Soph’s — supposedly — sick bed. Aware of his crime — sin? — Jack admits that if he ever gets into Heaven, it’ll be by the skin of his teeth: “For a seat on the throne, I don’t really care,/As long as I’m inside the gate.”
I’ll chuckle when Jack’s burial site is revealed. I bet a loonie you will also.
From his spot on the stage, or right here in the book, Ingram will tickle funny bones when he tells of a labor dispute at the North Pole. The elves and the reindeer are agitating for an increase in wages and fringe benefits.
Santa is tormented: “Calm down now, b’ys … we’ll call in a mediator … You might know her./It’s Olive, the other reindeer.”
There will be guffaws during the tale — a tall one, for certain — of Sir Francis Bacon, the three-legged pig: “You ask me why he has three legs,/And why he’s a favorite of mine,/Well, he said, a pig like that,/You can’t eat all the one time.”
B’ys, Igram goes on and on, for hours.
His poems — and a smattering of stories — are homespun yarns meant to be delivered in a gem-dandy old style once commonplace here on The Rock. In the quotidian world, however, recitations are not as popular as they were once upon a time …
… but Harry Ingram is reheating the embers, so to speak. blowing on the coals. Stoking the flame. Rootin’ up the fire.
And, rightly or wrongly, this scribbling old troll even hears echoes of Dr. Seuss: “So, you can work all day,/To buy all your toys,/Like quads and skidoos,/And other things that make noise.”
Give it to ‘er, Harry, me ol’ son.
Thank you for reading.
I tried out one on Missus, but I confess I failed to do it justice. In truth, before I stood on the coffee table as we used to have the youngsters do, I balked.
I stammered. I stuttered.
I travelled into the past, or else the past sprung from the crypt of my cranium like a jack-in-the-box. Whichever, I was a wee bay-boy trembling on the stage of one of Joey Smallwood’s brand-new schools that he gave Newfoundlanders — built with cash from his own pockets, he swore — for joining Confederation with Canada.
I was on stage, tongue-tied because the teacher coerced me to “give” a recitation for our Christmas concert.
Since then, I’ve not been a fan of recitations.
Pay me no mind though. Everybody knows the grumpy old troll I’ve become.
I’ve read Ingram’s poems, but since my pitiful attempt to recite one for Missus, I’ve abandoned all hope of presenting a recitation.
I’m told, however, that Harry Ingram is a cracker-jack at entertaining an audience — in a jam-packed hall or a crowded kitchen.
If someday I witness Ingram’s skill in the flesh, I’ll squirm when he recites Don’t Be Talkin’. The poem is about grumpy Uncle John, and my trollness is mirrored in him: “And the piles is right bad,/Not to mention arthritis,/I’m sure I got TB,/Or chronic bronchitis.”
Like the rest of the crowd though, I’ll surely smile during the story of rum-running Jack who outwits the Mountie by hiding his contraband underneath Aunt Soph’s — supposedly — sick bed. Aware of his crime — sin? — Jack admits that if he ever gets into Heaven, it’ll be by the skin of his teeth: “For a seat on the throne, I don’t really care,/As long as I’m inside the gate.”
I’ll chuckle when Jack’s burial site is revealed. I bet a loonie you will also.
From his spot on the stage, or right here in the book, Ingram will tickle funny bones when he tells of a labor dispute at the North Pole. The elves and the reindeer are agitating for an increase in wages and fringe benefits.
Santa is tormented: “Calm down now, b’ys … we’ll call in a mediator … You might know her./It’s Olive, the other reindeer.”
There will be guffaws during the tale — a tall one, for certain — of Sir Francis Bacon, the three-legged pig: “You ask me why he has three legs,/And why he’s a favorite of mine,/Well, he said, a pig like that,/You can’t eat all the one time.”
B’ys, Igram goes on and on, for hours.
His poems — and a smattering of stories — are homespun yarns meant to be delivered in a gem-dandy old style once commonplace here on The Rock. In the quotidian world, however, recitations are not as popular as they were once upon a time …
… but Harry Ingram is reheating the embers, so to speak. blowing on the coals. Stoking the flame. Rootin’ up the fire.
And, rightly or wrongly, this scribbling old troll even hears echoes of Dr. Seuss: “So, you can work all day,/To buy all your toys,/Like quads and skidoos,/And other things that make noise.”
Give it to ‘er, Harry, me ol’ son.
Thank you for reading.
August 6, 2022
Bought this book at Goobies Station, Newfoundland on our annual mother daughter road trip in June 2022 on recommendation from the employee.
What I liked about the book was the conversational style of writing, it is easy to read out loud once you get the rhythm. It brings you back to Newfoundland. Bonus - mom and I had travelled to all the places in the book so it made the images vivid. I did have to look up Trinity cake and it sounds delicious.
What I liked about the book was the conversational style of writing, it is easy to read out loud once you get the rhythm. It brings you back to Newfoundland. Bonus - mom and I had travelled to all the places in the book so it made the images vivid. I did have to look up Trinity cake and it sounds delicious.
October 22, 2022
I used to live in St.John’s and I bought this book on a trip back. I’ve laughed and cried while reading this book. It reminds me so much of my time there. I loves it!
January 3, 2023
Great read. Enjoyed all the stories.
July 21, 2023
I loved this!!
November 19, 2023
A fun, light hearted read about everyday events and some not so everyday occurrences! Check out my review at https://firesidecollections.blogspot.... .
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews