It breaks my heart to give a 1 star rating as I really anticipated a story central to living/working on a tobacco farm. Tobacco farming was a high risk expensive and intense crop. From seeding the muck beds to putting the last stick safely in the kiln, it is a ever changing fast moving process. Timely procedures were demanded as any misstep could potentially be very financially devastating to the farmer. Tobacco production in the 70's was a very physically, financially, mentally and emotionally demanding crop requiring a great amount of manual labourers. It is very hard, very hot and very intense work and it paid well because it was very hard, very hot and very intense work. None of that was accurately portrayed in the book.
The book delved mostly in the small nuances in some of the aspects to the production of a crop. If you grew up on a tobacco farm, you understood the information presented. I just can't see non farm people understanding what the book was trying to explain. There was no story per se, it was partial retelling of the daily grind in the greenhouse, field and kiln yard with a few back stories.

I guess I was hoping for a story. There is no story and that's where the book falls flat. 1 Kelly1 review

Johnny Sandleaves

A great read for those with interest in the multicultural heritage of Ontario’s Tobacco Belt.

Was expecting more of a story and antics from the harvest gang both in the tobacco fields and kiln yard over the long 6 weeks of hard work; hard work that was often relieved by fun conversations and comical activities.

Johnny Sandleaves and his fellow workers in the field play a smaller part in this book than expected.

Thoroughly enjoyed the reference to favourite edible and drinkable treats and popular music of the day. It brought smiles to my family when reading these.

The ease of reading this book slowed significantly with the very detailed historical description of how these young men ended up in southwestern Ontario - all sharing the same familial history, fleeing from tragic events in WW1 and WW2 and being able to start a life better for themselves and their children.

Overall, Johnny Sandleaves captures very well how a small, rural county in Ontario proudly became so globally diversified.
Ken DoranAuthor 2 books

Having worked as a primer on a tobacco farm near Delhi when I was seventeen back in 1979 (the year of the infamous “Blue Mold”), I had high expectations for “Johnny Sandleaves.” Unfortunately, I was disappointed overall.

Although author Lucien Firman Cattrysse provided a thorough depiction of a tobacco farm operation—from production to priming to the end-of-season Harvest Party—which brought back a lot of memories for me, I felt his book lacked the story line and character development I was hoping for. Instead, I felt the characters became lost in all the wordage given to the workers’ genealogy and their migration stories. Robert1 review

Reading this book was a welcomed trip down memory lane! The author manages to capture the essence of hard work associated with tobacco farming in the 70’s, while also weaving interesting character back stories, touching on the hardships various ethnic groups faced starting new lives in Canada. While its appeal might best be appreciated by those who have first hand knowledge of the gruelling process of tobacco farming, it is sure to be enjoyed by those who take pleasure in a good read. 1 Cassandra Halfpenny1 review

Absolutely loved Johnny! It really resonated with me. I could know every one of these people, the era may change, but the spirit of Norfolk is right there.

Loved the historical sections as well! Obviously familiar with then main sources of WWII/post-war migration, but it was neat to learn about the inner workings of countries who's histories I am less familiar with.

All and all, a great first book of 2024!

- Cass and Dave D McConnell2

The author tells a story about the trials and tribulations experienced by a diverse group of people on a typical southern Ontario tobacco farm in the 70’s -80’s. Using historical backdrops, pop cultural references,and humour, Cattrysse, manages to recapture the issues faced by a gang of young tobacco workers during the daily grind of a tobacco harvest. Daniel Kukwa4,305 103

Rather than tell a story, this feels a compendium of an immigrant generation and what happened to them...when I would have much preferred a dramatic or amusing tale involving these characters, rather than genealogy. The immigrant experience of the 20th century is a vital component of much CanLit...but the "vital" part seems to be missing.canadian-lit Barbara Spivak-mann6

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