Reviews

“Laura M. Mac Donald, who grew up across Halifax Harbor in Dartmouth, gives a detailed, often wrenching account of this calamity in Curse of the Narrows, a book full of ordinary people overwhelmed by a disaster…. Reading Curse of the Narrows is not unlike following coverage of Hurricane Katrina: the account of the initial disaster holds us riveted…there is a present-day resonance to all parts of this tale.”
New York Times Book Review

“Laura M. Mac Donald’s powerful account … cannot be read this fall without thinking of the Gulf Coast hurricanes. And the immediacy of those current disasters does not diminish that of nearly a century past…. Mac Donald, a Halifax native, has crafted a fine account of the disaster, solidly balanced between the onrushing sweep of events and their growing impact on survivors and witnesses.”— Boston Globe

“A powerful moving book … Mac Donald writes with a quiet humanity.”
Globe and Mail

“Mac Donald’s attempt to overlay a narrative structure to portray messy human events succeeds handsomely…The quick action by authorities and volunteers saved hundreds of lives.” — San Diego Union-Tribune

“Curse of the Narrows is a story of a forgotten tragedy, meticulously researched, and a reminder, if one were still needed, of the necessity to prepare for the unforeseeable as well as the foreseen.” — Philadelphia Inquirer

“Compelling… brings to light a shocking and fascinating disaster-one that many people will be surprised they’ve never heard of.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Well-constructed tale of a horrific unnatural disaster….A scarifying portrait.” — Kirkus

“A minute-by-minute account of the disaster. She describes how many of the people miraculously survived, the extraordinary relief efforts, and the medical procedures in eye surgery and pediatrics…Her book captures in vivid detail the history of this catastrophe.” — Booklist