A review by ryner
I Should Be Extremely Happy in Your Company: A Novel of Lewis and Clark by Brian Hall

adventurous inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I'm strongly drawn to adventure+survival stories, and I've now delved into a number of works, both fiction and nonfiction, on the Corps of Discovery. (I can't recommend The Lewis and Clark Journals from the University of Nebraska Press highly enough, despite how dull it might ostensibly sound to read someone's travel diaries. And Undaunted Courage comes next on my list.) I thought a historical fiction adaptation could be an interesting way to present varying perspectives, and I was curious to see what Hall might do with it. Overall, the writing style was beautiful and evocative and the narrative captivating, though there were times when the pace made me feel like I was not making a great deal of progress. Due to the affected voice, the chapters focusing on Charbonneau and Tsakakawia [sic] fell somewhere between pretentious and cringey. It also seemed like portions of the journey were missing, with the second half more or less glossed over compared with the first. Just a final aside: it is with enormous disappointment, though not the fault of the author, that after reading the description of the majestic and breathtaking "Great Falls" and thinking I'd like to see them someday, further research revealed that they have long been dammed and no longer look anything as they did.