Comment

Jan 30, 2017
It is certainly a book with a lot of detail and it follows two families through several generations. If you enjoy family sagas and historical novels, you might like this one. However, I found it tiresome to read. It may be because I had a limited time to read it, I had to finish by January 16th for Bookclub, but I cannot say that the book kept my attention. I found myself looking for reasons to put it aside. Ms. Proulx uses the book to preach about the destruction of forests not only in North America but also in New Zealand and some in South America. Ultimately, the caucasian framily, the Duke's destroy themselves as they did the forests. The logging company that amassed huge fortunes disappears and the last generations of the Duke family destroy each other. The Sel family who marry and mix with indians, mainly the mi'kmaq live on, not wealthy, they struggle but they live on. They work as loggers to live and provide for family, often die horrible deaths but often return to their ancestral homes. They complain of the destruction of forests. I struggled to finish this book and I cannot say I enjoyed it, but it is certainly thought provoking. I am looking forward to the Bookclub discussion.