Overview
An atmospheric, transporting tale of adventure, love, and survival from the bestselling author of The Snow Child, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. In the winter of 1885, decorated war hero Colonel Allen Forrester leads a small band of men on an expedition that has been deemed impossible: to venture up the Wolverine River and pierce the vast, untamed Alaska Territory. Leaving behind Sophie, his newly pregnant wife, Colonel Forrester records his extraordinary experiences in hopes that his journal will reach her if he doesn't return--once he passes beyond the edge of the known world, there's no telling what awaits him. The Wolverine River Valley is not only breathtaking and forbidding but also terrifying in ways that the colonel and his men never could have imagined. As they map the territory and gather information on the native tribes, whose understanding of the natural world is unlike anything they have ever encountered, Forrester and his men discover the blurred lines between human and wild animal, the living and the dead. And while the men knew they would face starvation and danger, they cannot escape the sense that some greater, mysterious force threatens their lives. Meanwhile, on her own at Vancouver Barracks, Sophie chafes under the social restrictions and yearns to travel alongside her husband. She does not know that the winter will require as much of her as it does her husband, that both her courage and faith will be tested to the breaking point. Can her exploration of nature through the new art of photography help her to rediscover her sense of beauty and wonder? The truths that Allen and Sophie discover over the course of that fateful year change both of their lives--and the lives of those who hear their stories long after they're gone--forever. An epic adventure story that seems heir to the tradition of Melville's own sweeping and ambitious literary approach to the age-old struggle of humans versus nature . . . An absorbing and high-stakes read. -- Kathleen Rooney, Chicago Tribune
An Amazon Best Book of the Year
A Washington Post Notable Book
A Goodreads Choice Award Nominee
A Library Journal Top 10 Book of the Year
A BookPage Best Book of the Year
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9780316242837
- ISBN-10: 0316242837
- Publisher: Back Bay Books
- Publish Date: August 2017
- Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
- Page Count: 432
Related Categories
Book clubs: Through the years
Peter Ho Davies’ acclaimed second novel, The Fortunes, is an interconnected quartet of stories exploring the lives of Chinese people in America. Ah Ling arrives in California from China in the mid-1800s. When he becomes valet to railroad magnate Charles Crocker, Ling inspires a surge in the hiring of Chinese workers. During the 1930s, Chinese actress Anna May Wong fights stereotypes in Hollywood and struggles to make a name for herself. In 1982 Detroit, Vincent Chin meets a tragic end, becoming an inspirational figure for the Asian-American community. The book’s fourth main character, John Ling Smith, a writer who is half Chinese, travels with his wife to modern-day China to adopt a baby—a journey that provides closure for the novel. Davies writes convincingly from these varied perspectives, delivering a beautifully wrought account of Chinese and Chinese-American culture. The novel is at once a compelling read and a timely chronicle of the immigrant experience.
OPEN HEART
In his compassionate nonfiction book Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, surgeon and celebrated author Atul Gawande explores aging, death and the ways in which Americans deal with both. Gawande weaves anecdotes from his work with dying patients and stories of his family members into a compelling study of the medical industry’s handling of end-of-life issues. Through interviews with healthcare professionals, he examines the weaknesses in the American healthcare system when it comes to providing for the aging and the terminally ill. He also notes improvements in the ways doctors communicate with patients who must make tough choices about treatments and care facilities. Gawande writes about sensitive topics in a manner that’s probing yet sympathetic. As usual, his delivery is lucid and his prose elegant. He has created a discerning, well-rounded survey of an all-too-relevant topic. This important book is a must-read, given today’s healthcare climate.
TOP PICK FOR BOOK CLUBS
Eowyn Ivey’s masterfully crafted second novel, To the Bright Edge of the World, is told largely through a pair of interwoven journals. The diary of Colonel Allen Forrester documents the 1885 expedition he leads to Alaska’s Wolverine River. The other journal is written by Allen’s wife, Sophie, who lives in Vancouver while he is gone. During their separation, each forms new ways of looking at the world. Sophie, who suffers a miscarriage, finds an outlet in photography. Allen, meanwhile, contends with the challenges of the expedition and finds a fresh—and magical—intensity in the experience of living. Both diaries make their way into contemporary times through Allen’s great-nephew Walt, who donates them to a museum, and the contrast between the past of the journals and the present day is decidedly poignant. Ivey’s assured novel brims with adventure, history and a little bit of surrealism, proving that she’s a writer to watch.
This article was originally published in the September 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
Book clubs: Through the years
Peter Ho Davies’ acclaimed second novel, The Fortunes, is an interconnected quartet of stories exploring the lives of Chinese people in America. Ah Ling arrives in California from China in the mid-1800s. When he becomes valet to railroad magnate Charles Crocker, Ling inspires a surge in the hiring of Chinese workers. During the 1930s, Chinese actress Anna May Wong fights stereotypes in Hollywood and struggles to make a name for herself. In 1982 Detroit, Vincent Chin meets a tragic end, becoming an inspirational figure for the Asian-American community. The book’s fourth main character, John Ling Smith, a writer who is half Chinese, travels with his wife to modern-day China to adopt a baby—a journey that provides closure for the novel. Davies writes convincingly from these varied perspectives, delivering a beautifully wrought account of Chinese and Chinese-American culture. The novel is at once a compelling read and a timely chronicle of the immigrant experience.
OPEN HEART
In his compassionate nonfiction book Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, surgeon and celebrated author Atul Gawande explores aging, death and the ways in which Americans deal with both. Gawande weaves anecdotes from his work with dying patients and stories of his family members into a compelling study of the medical industry’s handling of end-of-life issues. Through interviews with healthcare professionals, he examines the weaknesses in the American healthcare system when it comes to providing for the aging and the terminally ill. He also notes improvements in the ways doctors communicate with patients who must make tough choices about treatments and care facilities. Gawande writes about sensitive topics in a manner that’s probing yet sympathetic. As usual, his delivery is lucid and his prose elegant. He has created a discerning, well-rounded survey of an all-too-relevant topic. This important book is a must-read, given today’s healthcare climate.
TOP PICK FOR BOOK CLUBS
Eowyn Ivey’s masterfully crafted second novel, To the Bright Edge of the World, is told largely through a pair of interwoven journals. The diary of Colonel Allen Forrester documents the 1885 expedition he leads to Alaska’s Wolverine River. The other journal is written by Allen’s wife, Sophie, who lives in Vancouver while he is gone. During their separation, each forms new ways of looking at the world. Sophie, who suffers a miscarriage, finds an outlet in photography. Allen, meanwhile, contends with the challenges of the expedition and finds a fresh—and magical—intensity in the experience of living. Both diaries make their way into contemporary times through Allen’s great-nephew Walt, who donates them to a museum, and the contrast between the past of the journals and the present day is decidedly poignant. Ivey’s assured novel brims with adventure, history and a little bit of surrealism, proving that she’s a writer to watch.
This article was originally published in the September 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.