I Have a Love Story by Natalie MacMaster

Shortly after I received I Have a Love Story by Natalie MacMaster, I was in the car on a late evening drive and happened to catch her on Q with Tom Power, talking about this book, among other things (like commenting on older recordings of her playing). And as I sat down to read I Have a Love Story, I realized this is one of those books I think would be a really good audiobook, and probably better as an audiobook. (This is my plea for one!)

Written by Natalie MacMaster herself, this is a look back on her life, from being a child picking up fiddle in Cape Breton because there was one available that would fit her, to juggling a career and going to teacher’s college, to meeting her husband, the fiddler Donnell Leahy, and the ups and downs of being touring musicians who went their separate ways for several years before finding their way back to one another. MacMaster writes frequently in this memoir of how grateful she is for all of the opportunities and joy life has brought, as well as the way her Catholic faith has bolstered her through many events.

This is not a terribly long memoir, at 160 pages, which includes a number of photos, but it is a nice quick supplement to your Natalie MacMaster albums if you’re a fan of her work. This is not a hard-hitting memoir – MacMaster is a musician, not an author – but it is a pleasant reflection on the success she’s had, the joy she gets from her family and music, and a few stories about her life in the fiddling spotlight, including having a musician husband, and kids who have joined their band. I Have a Love Story is a nice summation of MacMaster’s incredible career, and the work she’s put in, as well as her own thoughts on how it’s gone and some of the impressive opportunities she’s had.

A young musical prodigy, Natalie MacMaster began fiddling at the age of nine and released her debut album at the age of 16. Three decades, 16 albums, two Junos, and a Grammy nomination later, she has succeeded in bringing the music of her beloved homeland, Cape Breton Island, into the mainstream. She has toured with the Chieftains, Faith Hill, Carlos Santana and Alison Krauss, and has recorded with Yo-Yo Ma. She has appeared at the Celtic Colours festival in Cape Breton, Celtic Connections in Scotland and MerleFest in the United States. Performing almost 100 shows a year—often with her fiddler husband, Donnell Leahy and seven children—MacMaster continuously wows crowds with her exuberant stage presence.

Publisher: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc. (August 6th, 2025)
Paperback: 9″x 8″ | 160 pp
ISBN: 9781772761917

Alison Manley

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Alison Manley has ricocheted between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia for most of her life. Now in Halifax, Nova Scotia, she is the Cataloguing and Metadata Librarian at Saint Mary's University. Her past life includes a long stint as a hospital librarian on the banks of the mighty Miramichi River. She has an honours BA in political science and English from St. Francis Xavier University, and a Master of Library and Information Studies from Dalhousie University. While she's adamant that her love of reading has nothing to do with her work, her ability to consume large amounts of information very quickly sure is helpful. She is often identified by her very red lipstick, and lives with her partner Brett and cat, Toasted Marshmallow.