Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
This is the story of the Bird family of Moosonee, Ontario as told in the form of alternating chapters from the point of view of Annie and her uncle, who is laying in a coma in the local hospital. Moosonee's way up there near James Bay and is inaccessible by road. Will is a former bush pilot with a drinking problem, and he cares deeply for his friends and family and tries to teach his nieces about tribal traditions and how to survive in the wild and unpopulated lands around James Bay. Annie was always less popular than her sister, but when Suzanne disappears in Toronto, she is determined to find her and bring her home. Suzanne had run away with a man with connections with the drug trade and the gang members are out for revenge.
I began this book with great excitement. Who doesn't want to read a story of life on wild edges of Canada? But a large portion of this book isn't set in northern Ontario, but rather in New York, where Annie becomes a model and party girl. These sections feel more like a series on the CW and fit uneasily with descriptions of setting up a winter camp on James Bay or on the daily life of the inhabitants of Moosonee. I felt like I was reading two different books, one of which I had very little interest in. Likewise, the vengeful drug lord plot, which was too much of a thriller and took away a lot of the strength of the book as a whole. I think that half of this book was fantastic and the other half sheer drudgery. I'm sure many people would love to read a book about a partying model, but they aren't necessarily the same ones who would enjoy a book about ordinary people living in a cold and wild place.
I began this book with great excitement. Who doesn't want to read a story of life on wild edges of Canada? But a large portion of this book isn't set in northern Ontario, but rather in New York, where Annie becomes a model and party girl. These sections feel more like a series on the CW and fit uneasily with descriptions of setting up a winter camp on James Bay or on the daily life of the inhabitants of Moosonee. I felt like I was reading two different books, one of which I had very little interest in. Likewise, the vengeful drug lord plot, which was too much of a thriller and took away a lot of the strength of the book as a whole. I think that half of this book was fantastic and the other half sheer drudgery. I'm sure many people would love to read a book about a partying model, but they aren't necessarily the same ones who would enjoy a book about ordinary people living in a cold and wild place.
Absolutely loved this book. So evocative. Two of the three Bird Family trilogy are 5 stars.
I guess I'm doing the Bird Trilogy in reverse, since I read The Orenda last year. As problematic as The Orenda was, I still think it was a bit more interesting than this one. Perhaps it was because I listened to this on Audible, but I had a really hard time following the time line. Sometimes it's good to see the punctuation in that regard! And did I miss it, or did we find out what happened to Suzanne?
Probably more of a 3.5. Found it much slower going than the others, not that's that's a bad thing. Just a very different reading experience.
Although not as gripping as its predecessor, Through Black Spruce follows the Bird clan post-WWI into modern day. It is structured parallel to Three Day Road, with chapters alternating between two characters separated by an event, slowly unravelling stories and secrets from each narrative. Through Black Spruce was an enjoyable read, but it did leave some lose plot ends - the story arc involving Suzanne's disappearance seemed to be turning into a near-noir detective story, yet it did not deliver, rather fizzled out and half-handedly wrapped up.
The one thing this novel was particularly adept at was the skewering of white girls who exoticize First Nations women, exemplified by the thin, white models Annie meets while she searches for her sister. They are all one-dimensional and vile characters who see Annie for nothing more than her "Indian-ness", lending a hand to a very real cultural issue, and yet dismantling it fiercely since we are seeing the petty blonde clones from Annie's point of view.
Boyden beautifully continues themes that emerge throughout his first novel into this - another addition in the story of the generations of one family, and the threads that tie them together throughout time.
Read Three Day Road, and then read Through Black Spruce. They are worth it as a duo.
The one thing this novel was particularly adept at was the skewering of white girls who exoticize First Nations women, exemplified by the thin, white models Annie meets while she searches for her sister. They are all one-dimensional and vile characters who see Annie for nothing more than her "Indian-ness", lending a hand to a very real cultural issue, and yet dismantling it fiercely since we are seeing the petty blonde clones from Annie's point of view.
Boyden beautifully continues themes that emerge throughout his first novel into this - another addition in the story of the generations of one family, and the threads that tie them together throughout time.
Read Three Day Road, and then read Through Black Spruce. They are worth it as a duo.
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
[9/10]
What an enthralling way to finish off the series. It was so well-paced and well-told, I found myself wanting to dive in again and again despite knowing that the subject material would be unrelenting and difficult.
This book had more hope than the others in the series. It was also more frightening, hit a little closer to home, in other ways. I was addicted to the hits of hope that came periodically, and the contrast made the tough parts pack a bigger punch. I cried. Twice. Full-blown tears down my face.
The through-lines from Three Day Road were beautifully resolved in this installment. The modernization of traditional ideas really added to its depth. The similarities in storytelling devices to its predecessor notwithstanding, this book stands on its own as a journey of emotional discovery riddled with violence and grief, but punctuated with hope and comfort.
Even with the intensity and hurt of so much of the story, the hate and fear that I had lived alongside the characters, I nevertheless read the ending of this book with a huge smile on my face. I feel that I've been deeply affected by these books, for the better.
What an enthralling way to finish off the series. It was so well-paced and well-told, I found myself wanting to dive in again and again despite knowing that the subject material would be unrelenting and difficult.
This book had more hope than the others in the series. It was also more frightening, hit a little closer to home, in other ways. I was addicted to the hits of hope that came periodically, and the contrast made the tough parts pack a bigger punch. I cried. Twice. Full-blown tears down my face.
The through-lines from Three Day Road were beautifully resolved in this installment. The modernization of traditional ideas really added to its depth. The similarities in storytelling devices to its predecessor notwithstanding, this book stands on its own as a journey of emotional discovery riddled with violence and grief, but punctuated with hope and comfort.
Even with the intensity and hurt of so much of the story, the hate and fear that I had lived alongside the characters, I nevertheless read the ending of this book with a huge smile on my face. I feel that I've been deeply affected by these books, for the better.
adventurous
emotional
Very readable and much less dense than Three Day Road. Makes you think about Northern life. Wraps up a bit too nicely, though.