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ann40's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jaclynday's review against another edition
4.0
I’m having a hard time describing this book. It’s beautiful (language-wise) but can be sluggish (plot-wise). Sluggishness aside, the plot is interesting and Hall’s descriptions of the wolves, the countryside, the changing of the seasons–well, those alone are worth the price of admission. It’s always hard for me to move from faster books to slower ones, but I don’t think that slower quality makes this book less readable. It’s just a more intentional story. I enjoyed Rachel: I found her interesting, and further, I liked that she remained a bit mysterious to the reader. Hall’s themes of family, love, and home are thought-provoking without being overwrought. I appreciated the quiet beauty of this book so much.
ciska's review against another edition
3.0
*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review*
I live in a country where the most scary creature existing was an angry Eurasian eagle owl terrorizing a neighbourhood for months. Last spring we had a wolf in the country for 4 days and whole news bulletins where sacrificed to show the movements of this young animal looking for his own area. The reactions of people confronted with the animal are the same as the ones described in the book. People have this idea when it comes to predatory animals but often they are a bit over emotional.
The wolf story in this book was great. I loved all the information though it could have been more and the whole social discussion about reintroducing animals to the wild.
A big part of the book is about Rachel's personal life and though it was well done having a lot of parallel with the wolf stories I found myself less interested. The secret she kept until the end of the book even made me a bit angry. I am not sure if I liked Rachel. She made some interesting decisions. I would have liked to know more about her childhood situation. There is some information but it is coloured and in loose snippets making it difficult to really get a feeling for it.
Other characters are mostly likeable but though named often I did not really feel any of them played a really important part. They all seem to be there to put Rachel in a certain situation and I do not feel it really mattered much who or what they where.
The story does have a great atmosphere. Seeing the countryside. The wolfs roaming. Seasons pass by.
I live in a country where the most scary creature existing was an angry Eurasian eagle owl terrorizing a neighbourhood for months. Last spring we had a wolf in the country for 4 days and whole news bulletins where sacrificed to show the movements of this young animal looking for his own area. The reactions of people confronted with the animal are the same as the ones described in the book. People have this idea when it comes to predatory animals but often they are a bit over emotional.
The wolf story in this book was great. I loved all the information though it could have been more and the whole social discussion about reintroducing animals to the wild.
A big part of the book is about Rachel's personal life and though it was well done having a lot of parallel with the wolf stories I found myself less interested. The secret she kept until the end of the book even made me a bit angry. I am not sure if I liked Rachel. She made some interesting decisions. I would have liked to know more about her childhood situation. There is some information but it is coloured and in loose snippets making it difficult to really get a feeling for it.
Other characters are mostly likeable but though named often I did not really feel any of them played a really important part. They all seem to be there to put Rachel in a certain situation and I do not feel it really mattered much who or what they where.
The story does have a great atmosphere. Seeing the countryside. The wolfs roaming. Seasons pass by.
lauralindahl's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
shukriabdullah's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
4.0
nobodyatall's review against another edition
5.0
A really enjoyable read, pretty much a perfect novel for me. Beautifully observed and languidly emotive.
Fills me with longing for the north.
Fills me with longing for the north.
mattstebbins's review against another edition
I both understand completely why Sarah Hall's been up for so many awards and recognize that I'm rarely in the place where I want to read lit fic anymore. On a sentence level, this was frequently gorgeous; I actually think it would have worked really well as an audiobook for precisely that reason. At her best, some of her descriptions reminded me of a less sardonic Flannery O'Connor.
I just had a hard time getting invested, I think. When all of the character development comes as a result of your protagonist's observations, it can be difficult to build much depth, especially if the reader doesn't fully connect with that protagonist. As a result, all of Hall's sentence-level work often fell a bit flat for me—though I can certainly understand that if you, as a reader, connected with Rachel Caine, then this story could be tremendously powerful and effective.
I just had a hard time getting invested, I think. When all of the character development comes as a result of your protagonist's observations, it can be difficult to build much depth, especially if the reader doesn't fully connect with that protagonist. As a result, all of Hall's sentence-level work often fell a bit flat for me—though I can certainly understand that if you, as a reader, connected with Rachel Caine, then this story could be tremendously powerful and effective.
laurawilde's review against another edition
3.0
Really, ironically, on the fence with this book as to whether I liked it or not. Some parts/aspects I loved and was really engaged, and others I was bored and almost disappointed with (the title really does give the storyline away with the wolves!).
There were multiple themes to the book. It was not just about the lives of the wolves, how they are ethically treated, and their impact on nature and wildlife, but also about women juggling relationships, professional, personal and family, raising children and having a passion and pursuing career.
It was an interesting concept and storyline but it just lost me at times and I was somewhat bored. It also took me about 40% to start getting into the book and find it interesting and wanting to pick it up, if it wasn’t for reading for book club it would probably have taken me much longer at the beginning. Nevertheless, getting through the second half was quite easy and I enjoyed the twists and turns of the characters lives and events that followed.
Though rated 3 stars for myself, I would recommend a read.
There were multiple themes to the book. It was not just about the lives of the wolves, how they are ethically treated, and their impact on nature and wildlife, but also about women juggling relationships, professional, personal and family, raising children and having a passion and pursuing career.
It was an interesting concept and storyline but it just lost me at times and I was somewhat bored. It also took me about 40% to start getting into the book and find it interesting and wanting to pick it up, if it wasn’t for reading for book club it would probably have taken me much longer at the beginning. Nevertheless, getting through the second half was quite easy and I enjoyed the twists and turns of the characters lives and events that followed.
Though rated 3 stars for myself, I would recommend a read.
lafee's review against another edition
5.0
I've long had an interest in the ongoing conversation regarding the reintroduction of wolves into the wild in Britain, particularly in Scotland, and to see these often frustratingly circular discussions come to fruition in The Wolf Border was magical.
Hall's writing is effortlessly evocative; reminiscent of Matt Bell's in its demands that you read slowly and carefully. There is so much packed into this book, far beyond the confines of wildlife conservation. Hall's examination of the human condition in parallel with the lives of the new wolf pack is deftly presented in her wonderful prose, and her vision of a world in which the campaign for Scottish independence was successful cut very close to the bone.
My first Sarah Hall but definitely not my last.
Hall's writing is effortlessly evocative; reminiscent of Matt Bell's in its demands that you read slowly and carefully. There is so much packed into this book, far beyond the confines of wildlife conservation. Hall's examination of the human condition in parallel with the lives of the new wolf pack is deftly presented in her wonderful prose, and her vision of a world in which the campaign for Scottish independence was successful cut very close to the bone.
My first Sarah Hall but definitely not my last.
careinthelibrary's review against another edition
3.0
I've seen reviews for this book go one of two ways: five stars and a worshiping of Sarah Hall's writing, or one or two stars and the complaint that there wasn't enough wolves and Rachel never stopped being passive and boring. I'd have to disagree with all of those points.
I don't think Sarah Hall's writing is godly; I think it's good, and at times, great. Many descriptions stood out to me; describing white wolf fur as the white of a just-lit match. Beautiful prose landscapes of the English countryside.
I thought that there was enough of the wolves, showing all their important life stages and developments. I loved the parts with Rachel and Huib, or just Rachel daydreaming about Ra and Merle. The 'climax' was handled well and I thought it was clever of the author to offer a wolf climax and a relationship climax for the plot, both in her professional life and her personal life.
On the last note, I would say that Rachel was quite assertive, perhaps only under the facade of passivity to protect herself. She acts as the apex predator herself, hiding her vulnerabilities and acting aggressively to threats. She decides to visit the estranged mother than she has avoided for six years, to leave her comfortable and enjoyable job at Nez Perce Wolf Centre, to keep the baby she makes on a drunken night with a co-worker and best friend, to take a job offered by a ludicrous Earl in Cumbria, England, to reinstate her presence in her distant and troubled brother's life. Those are monumental decisions in one's life and she does not waffle or quail. She makes choices that benefit not herself, her family members. This is huge growth for a protagonist that acts as a lone wolf every day. Rachel does not have romantic relationships, only one night stands. She does not want children. She doesn't even want contact with her sibling or mother. And here she is at the close of the novel, with a boyfriend, child, and brother in her life (and the hint of a returning best friend in America). The Wolf Border by Sarah Hall is a novel of the transformation of a lone wolf into a wolf pack.
I don't think Sarah Hall's writing is godly; I think it's good, and at times, great. Many descriptions stood out to me; describing white wolf fur as the white of a just-lit match. Beautiful prose landscapes of the English countryside.
I thought that there was enough of the wolves, showing all their important life stages and developments. I loved the parts with Rachel and Huib, or just Rachel daydreaming about Ra and Merle. The 'climax' was handled well and I thought it was clever of the author to offer a wolf climax and a relationship climax for the plot, both in her professional life and her personal life.
On the last note, I would say that Rachel was quite assertive, perhaps only under the facade of passivity to protect herself. She acts as the apex predator herself, hiding her vulnerabilities and acting aggressively to threats. She decides to visit the estranged mother than she has avoided for six years, to leave her comfortable and enjoyable job at Nez Perce Wolf Centre, to keep the baby she makes on a drunken night with a co-worker and best friend, to take a job offered by a ludicrous Earl in Cumbria, England, to reinstate her presence in her distant and troubled brother's life. Those are monumental decisions in one's life and she does not waffle or quail. She makes choices that benefit not herself, her family members. This is huge growth for a protagonist that acts as a lone wolf every day. Rachel does not have romantic relationships, only one night stands. She does not want children. She doesn't even want contact with her sibling or mother. And here she is at the close of the novel, with a boyfriend, child, and brother in her life (and the hint of a returning best friend in America). The Wolf Border by Sarah Hall is a novel of the transformation of a lone wolf into a wolf pack.