Through Black Spruce

I visited Moosonee and Moose Factory in the 70s, so Through Black Spruce brought back a lot of memories. Apart from an interesting story line the book gives a brilliant description of the beautiful but harsh landscape as well as life in this remote part of Canada.

'The Orenda' was my first foray into Joseph Boyden and I was so impressed that I bought a couple of his other, earlier, books to try. There is a thread running through all of these books in that one of the main characters is a 'Bird' and can trace back to their early, Cree Indian character of that name (as in 'The Orenda'). A further similarity is the style of alternating characters in each chapter. In 'Through Black Spruce', the two main characters are Will Bird and Annie, an uncle and niece and their interlocking stories are told in alternating chapters; it's a very effective story telling tactic.This is a very slow paced and gentle book and, really, little actually seems to happen. The story emerges gradually rather than being set out at an early stage and this narrative is all the better for that. If you are looking for a fast paced and/or action packed romp, then look elsewhere 'cos it certainly isn't here. However, I was amazed at how gripping this slowly unravelling story becomes and I was almost immediately immersed in the characters and racing to read the next portion of their stories. This created a quirk for me: as each chapter ended and I began to read the following chapter, it now switched to the other character (either Will or Annie) and I resented being torn away from the story of just the previous page. But a couple of paragraphs in and I was again hooked into that story until, at the end of that chapter.... you get the idea.What made this book special for me was the insight into the world of the native American Indians living on the borders between Canada and the USA, a genre of work I know very little about. For me, this book was just a little bit too slowly paced and I was disappointed that it doesn't, really, have a proper ending (actually, the ending is true to real life rather than fiction). I preferred 'The Orenda' but, then again, Mr Boyden wrote 'Through Black Spruce' in an earlier part of his career. I have still awarded four stars here as, criticism aside, the word that best describes this book is 'beautiful' and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I feel like a better person for having read it. I will move onto my next Joseph Boyden now because I do think that he's quite a special author.

This man can do no wrong when it comes to storytelling ,another book in the saga of the Bird clan

Great deal on good condition book

Canadian reading this in the UK, and though I'm not First Nations it makes me homesick. Another great one from Boyden.

I bought this book because I am interested in Native American culture, and I am also fascinated by (sub)Arctic regions like Greenland and Canada. I really liked the way the author used two narratives to flesh out a gripping story about... well, LIFE. The characters are interesting and very human. Although the story was a bit slow at some point, I didn't mind, because it sort of reflects the way life is sometimes slow for the people in this book. I am definitely gonna read more books by this author, I loved his writing style. Well done!

I read Three Day Road first and enjoyed that, but I have struggled with this book. For some reason I have found the way the story goes backwards and forwarding between the narrative of the Uncle and niece heavy going. It seems to be taking ages for the story to REALLY get anywhere...Having said that, the tantalising carrot of "what has happened to the sister" has kept me reading it....Except that for the moment I've not finished it as I have started another more entertaining novel....

This is a complex novel in many ways; sometimes easy to read and sometimes more difficult, partially for its content. Drugs and alcoholism are a part of the contemporary Indian culture protrayed here, and it is a depressing reality. However, this book shows not only the starkness but the strengths of what are really, just ordinary people. The structure, of stories being told to and by the comatose main character, takes a bit of getting used to, but it soon becomes easier to follow. This seems a very real book and the voices of the main characters ring true. The juxtaposition of different worlds (city, small Canadian Indian town, wilderness)works well, highlighting the similarities and differences. I found the portrayal of life on the edge of the town and in the deep woods the most interesting, but all of it fits and works together. It's ultimately a book about choices, responsibility and chosing your own place. As an aside, it is rather difficult to believe the photo on the jacket is really the author. The voice in this book seems to speak of more lifetimes than the photo portrays. Excellent story.

bien

We’d canoed the Moose River to Moosanee last year and our local guide told us about the book. He said the story rang true with the experience of so many in this remote location. Got home and read the book and it was like being there once again. An excellent read, outstanding author and compelling story. I read it on a long flight to Asia and couldn’t put it down.

Estória incrível e emocionante. Mas é bom poder ler os três livros dessa trilogia. "The Orenda" e "Three Day Road".

"...We may think the past as something we don't need. But that's not true - not to my mind." *)History is front and centre of Joseph Boyden's second novel, "Through Black Spruce". Loosely a follow-up to his first,  Three Day Road  - the story of two young Cree trackers fighting in World War I - this story looks at history in a very personal, intimate way. Will and Annie Bird, the two narrative voices, are the son and granddaughter of Xavier Bird, one of the three central characters in the earlier book. Distinct in their approaches to their individual story, told in alternating chapters, they are also intricately connected. As the two "confessions" to each other unfold, they increasingly interweave into one multi-layered tapestry.Will, an experienced trapper and bush pilot, lies in a coma in the hospital of Moosonee, a James Bay community in northern Ontario. Very soon we realize that only one of two possible events can have landed him in this state: another crash with his small bush plane or another big fight with Marius, the bully and controlling local drug lord and prominent member of the Netmaker family. The Birds and the Netmaker families have more than one reasons to be enemies and, recently, much had to do with Will's other niece, the stunningly beautiful Suzanne, who took off with Marius' brother; both have disappeared without a trace since. Annie, recently returned from several months down south, sits by her uncle's side and, speaking softly to his ear, hopes to somehow connect with him and to bring him back to the waking world.While in his deep sleep, Will's mind is in a state of active dreaming, looking back on his life. Following the twisting and winding ways of memory lane, he digs deep into his past, reviewing and reassessing his hopes and failures, his loves and losses and, eventually the moments of happiness and peace. A sense of urgency compels him to share his life's story and all its secrets with his two beloved nieces. Unbeknownst to Annie, of course, who has her own reasons to reflect on recent experiences. After some reluctance to talk to a comatose, Annie in turn describes to her uncle the events of the last months that took her to Toronto, Montreal and to New York City and, eventually, brought her back to Moosonee.Whereas Will is intimately connected to the 'old ways' and the constant struggle between traditional and modern worlds in this remote part of the Canadian landscape, Annie lives with between the two realities. Tempted by an invitation, she gave in to the powerful lure of the southern world of the big cities, the excitements and opportunities that they hold for the enterprising young. Annie has another important reason to head south. She is following the trail of her missing sister, who, according to rumours, had made it big in the world of fashion modeling. In Toronto, Annie comes across a group of urban 'Indians' who provide her with the first clues as to Suzanne's whereabouts. Following Annie, Gordon, AKA Painted Tongue, is sent by the group's elder on a mission of his own. Through Annie's eyes and experiences we are introduced into both the desolate life of urban 'Indians' living at the margins of society as well as the glamour of fashion models and their handlers, especially in New York City. Still, Annie is increasingly torn between her old and new life. Boyden very skilfully evokes and contrasts the two worlds while not shying away from exposing the shallowness of glamour, the brutality of drug trafficking, the dependency on alcohol or drugs and the human frailties that are found in both societies, in each with different parameters and consequences.The novel's present is set in the northern Ontario countryside and most of the characters are, fundamentally, grounded in this stunningly beautiful, untouched land, amongst its rivers and lakes, its flora and fauna. Will uses the black spruce as a recurrent theme for the power of the forest that demands respect and admiration - an almost mystical, living element in the mind of the lonely hunter. The strong restorative power of this landscape for those who are open to its natural splendour is empathetically portrayed. Both Will and Annie are deeply drawn to it. One of the most emotionally engaging passages describes Will's survival on Akimiski Island, the largest island in James Bay. Richly drawn scenes of him coming upon a whale skeleton on the beach or watching a polar bear fall through the ceiling of his little hut, bring out the physical challenges and the even deeper emotional ones. These and other scenes, equally beautifully conveyed in Boyden's expressive prose, turn into a realization of pivotal importance in Will's existence and they may bring him hope to reconnect with the present reality.Boyden's love for the natural beauty of this landscape, his intimate knowledge of the traditional ways of the Cree speak out of every sentence.While showing much empathy and compassion for his charactes, his portrayals are realistic and reflect their complexities. In addition to Will and Annie, who stand out as the most richly developed and engaging personalities, there are others, friends and family, loves of past and present, and while less developed they are nevertheless intriguing and their interactions with the two narrators compelling. There is much dramatic flow and tension in the story, most sections are real page-turners. Overall, this is a well-paced novel that is hard to put down. Some commentators have expressed disappointment with the novel's ending. While I agree to some degree, the conclusion is one of only a few possible and consistent ones.For me, it is without doubt one of the most engaging and beautifully written novels I have read in quite a long time. [Friederike Knabe]*) Boyden in an interview with Canadian tv station CTV. Three Day Road

Great book, well written, and researched. As someone who has read avidly about WWI and WWII I was amazed how "right" everything sounded. I enjoy shooting and felt that the rifles sounded correct but not having shot some of them I'm no expert. I would recommend this to WWI buffs and people who love a good adventure.