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The quality of writing carried me through this book, though my love of forests didn't hurt. The ending sort of rambled of into the sunset - a disappointing conclusion to 700+ page novel. In the interview with Powell's Books, Proulx mentioned that not only could she have kept writing for another year, but she had to cut about 150 pages from the manuscript as it was. I felt that this was evident in the second half of the book as the characters and storyline felt a little more scattered, less polished.
I actually read this much more quickly than I expected, because I really did enjoy the writing and spending so much time in the forests. The glimpse into French Canadian history was very enjoyable, and the tribute to the Native cultures was wonderful. But reading this on the tail of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi - a book similarly showing two family lines through the generations - made it pale in comparison. There isn't a strong enough sense of direction in Barkskins, and the family trees were very confusing. After the two initial characters being painted rather vividly, many of the rest were rather shadowy structures. I don't regret reading it, but it doesn't get a robust recommendation from me either. The good thing is, you'll know pretty quickly if you'll enjoy it or not by the style of writing.
I actually read this much more quickly than I expected, because I really did enjoy the writing and spending so much time in the forests. The glimpse into French Canadian history was very enjoyable, and the tribute to the Native cultures was wonderful. But reading this on the tail of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi - a book similarly showing two family lines through the generations - made it pale in comparison. There isn't a strong enough sense of direction in Barkskins, and the family trees were very confusing. After the two initial characters being painted rather vividly, many of the rest were rather shadowy structures. I don't regret reading it, but it doesn't get a robust recommendation from me either. The good thing is, you'll know pretty quickly if you'll enjoy it or not by the style of writing.