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Through Black Spruce (2008)

by Joseph Boyden(Favorite Author)

4.09 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0670020575 (ISBN13: 9780670020577)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Viking Books

review 1: This is one of those books I would probably never have picked up were it not this month's selection of my bookclub, despite the fact that I have another of Boyden's books on my shelf, (Three Day Road), which I have not read yet. It is apparently a prequel, taking place in WWI with the father of Will, a main character in this one. Through Black Spruce takes place in present day in James Bay, Ottowa. The story is told in 2 voices: Will, who lies in a coma in the hospital, and his niece, Annie, who visits him daily. I won't go into specifics, but there's a very good story in the telling. I was taken aback in a few places where homeless street people are internet savvy (but why not, certainly they weren't always street people?). And after a day of trapping and hunting in... more old tribal ways, coming home to watch nature shows on the Discovery Channel. Times and cultures intersecting with each other.The beginning of this book had me excited, the conclusion was just about perfect, but the 4 stars are because I got bogged down in the middle. I would actually have rated it 3.5, but rounded up because overall, I really liked it.
review 2: I loved this book. I listened to the audio and the readers were excellent. Boyden's first book Three Day Road was about two Cree families whose boys (best friends) were snipers in WWI. Highly recommend it. This story is about the son of one of those boys. Uncle Will has been injured and is in a coma. His niece Annie talks to him and tells him her story and he talks to her (in his mind) but the book works with the alternating chapters and we finally see the entire family story. Adventure, violence, traditions mixed with the city. Again, Boyden has created unforgettable characters. less

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