Editorial Review

This is the story of a couple's travels on a forty-foot trawler cruising 6300 miles and 145 locks around the eastern part of North America known as America's Great Loop or the Great Circle Cruise. Their nautical ineptitude is evident from the beginning, but pulling from their personal and collective strengths, the authors overcome doubt, a lack of experience, and real and imagined horrors. The odyssey is told the way life hands out its adventures -- sometimes humorously, sometimes tragically, but always memorably. The writing is light and appealing, but there is a serious strain running through the book for those who relish history and descriptions of the landscape. Astute and attentive to detail, they chronicled events and kept an account of expenses, equipment and charting. As a result, the appendix/guidebook is worth the price of the book for anyone interested in planning their cruise. Topics include necessary charts and guidebooks, information on locks, setting an itinerary, resource addresses and websites, details on equipment and the best place to be educated about boating. The book has full-color inserts with black and white photographs interspersed throughout. ... Read more

Reviews

If you enjoy boats, this book is a MUST buy!, February 21, 2001
There is not a day that goes by when I don't eat, sleep, and dream about boats. Whether you're an avid fan of boating or just enjoy a day on the water, "Honey, Let's Get A Boat" is a must read.The Stob's have the uncanney ability to describe every detail in such a way, it makes you feel as though you are on board with them. From one who reads as many boating books as I can lay my hands on, none are written better than "Honey, Let's Get a Boat!"Once you start reading this book, you won't be able to put it down. There's only one problem with it though - By the time you're finished reading this book, you'll want to cruise America's Great Loop. Buy the book and you won't stop talking about it!

GREAT BOOK, April 11, 2003
I have a nautical library of over 450 books dealing with all aspects of boating. This is one of my favorites. If you want technical, try Chapman's, If you want to capture the "why" we go boating, get this book.

I have been a sailor all my life, well, except for the Navy, which was powerboating, so to speak. Anyway, I had not heard of the "Great Loop" until I read this book. Now my wife and I will be buying a power catamaran in January of 2004 and starting our own great loop trip. Thank you Ron and Eva Stob. How many books have you read that spur you to spend a small fortune, risk becoming a boat bum, just so you can enjoy the experiences of the author? A precious few I suspect.

It's nice to see so many other people have read and enjoyed this book and I hope you'll be the next one because that way, I'll see you out on the loop along with us.

"Honey, Let's Get A Boat" is fun, it's practical, and it's humorous: what more could you want? A great read!

Honey Let's Get A Boat, January 21, 2000
A fine informative book. An easy read that is also entertaining as well as a reference book for many locations along the way. Spelling out restaurants, marinas, anchorages,costs for the trip ,etc.Any boatman or would-be boatman will enjoy this book.

Terrific Read...Even If You Don't Own a Boat, January 8, 2005
Honey, Let's Get a Boat"
by Ron and Eva Stob

Here is a must read for not only boating enthusiasts but all those who ever imagined themselves pulling up stakes and setting out on a year or more adventure of travel. Ron and Eva Stob do a wonderful job of recounting their year-long journey on a forty-foot trawler, which began in Florida and circled up along the intercoastal waterway to New York and then up the Hudson River to Lakes George and Champlain to the Saint Lawrence River in Canada and on to the Great Lakes and Chicago and then down the river systems to the Gulf of Mexico and back to Florida. This route, known as "America's Great Loop," took them through waterways, locks, scenery, history, and cultures as varied as one could find anywhere.

Even though the book is written in the first person by Ron as the narrator, I can assure you, on the basis of having had the good fortune of meeting this delightful couple, Eva had a big part in helping relate the experiences encountered throughout their year of traveling these waterways. The book is a great read from start to finish and includes an appendix, which is a guidebook to anyone contemplating a similar venture. From the interesting and humorous aspects of just how this couple took the leap of quitting their jobs and finding and purchasing the trawler to their final encounter with the tropical storm Gordon,( becoming Hurricane Gordon,) as they returned to Florida after their year of cruising, the reader will be fascinated by vivid descriptions of places and cultures, as well as the difficulties and near disasters. Ron's "tongue in cheek" satire and humor and his honest self-criticism enhance the imagery of the book and bring alive the characters and places.

The book relates as much about the history and culture of the places visited along the way as it does the process of navigating the waterways. Even though I had been to a number of places mentioned, I was not aware of all the history and cultural aspects the narrator reveals.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in travel, by whatever means, as it is just the thing for the intellectually curious.

This book is published by Raven Cove Publishing of Greenback, Tennessee, and can be ordered at Raven Cove Publishing; P.O. Box 168, Greenback, TN 37742-0168 or phone 865/856-7888. The book is also available through Amazon Books on the Internet. And the authors are available for speaking engagements.

We bought the boat to follow the Stobs, February 13, 2001
How many books could send you out the door to spend your life savings. The only one I know of is "Honey Lets get a Boat." We first found the Stobs at a boat show in Florida, we heard of their book and bought a copy, we read through it in one night and we were hooked. We bought a boat of our own, a 46 footer and we started in Florida last summer (2000), we left it in New York on the Erie Canal for the winter. I should say here that we only can travel in the summer during school break, we're on the move with 4 kids ages 9 to 13. And this is not a race, it is an adventure of a lifetime. We bought 6 more books from the Stobs, their book explains better than we could what we are doing. One of the people we sent it to took one month to read it, he would read a few pages each night, just to make it last. James Clausen, Motor Vessel "Summer School".

A delightful read, April 17, 2003
There are lots of technical boating books out there and they are easy to find. This book chronicles one couple's own adventure on the "Great Loop" in their first cruiser, a 40' (wow) trawler. I loved the writing style--great humor and sometimes romantic descriptions of the goings on (Mr.'s descriptions of Mrs., their married kids' near "marital conflagration" on deck, the story of the chocolates, cruising with the senior ladies. The descriptions of the travel are very well written. The experiences aboard will be appreciated by addicted boaters and non-boaters alike. This is an adventure story. When I finally retire and head for the Great Loop in my cruiser, I will think often and fondly of the Stob's and this delightful book.

Great Book, Fun & Informative!, June 30, 1999
Honey, Let's Get a Boat is a must read for any boater or "Armchair Sailor" who longs for that "Great Adventure". Ron and Eva have beautifully captured all the fun, laughter, trials & tribulations of leaving home and hearth for a year and following a dream. This book combines the best of cruise guide and travelogue with a little comic relief thrown in for good measure.

Delightful and Informative Reading, February 7, 2001
Live the great cruising adventure vicariously through Ron and Eva. This book is fun and funny! I lived each moment with Ron and Eva as they picked up their new treasure and attempted one of the great American dreams--going crusing. Ron is a delightful and descriptive writer. A good read for anyone but particularly for anyone thinking about a change of lifestyle. Cruising is not for everyone and as Ron points out different ages need different comforts. Read this book if you are THINKING about cruising and give it to anyone who might possibly be entertaining the thought. The spouses will thank you!!

An engaging narrative even for non-boaters like myself., May 6, 1999
Excellent little narrative!

Even for people (like myself) with no desire ever to own a boat, the picturesque descriptions of the locales and stops along the way make the book more than worthwhile (though I do wish they could have spent more coverage on each spot). Further, I found the tale of the couple on their newly-acquired boat to be both eventful and engaging.

For those thinking of getting a boat the book really shines. The information appendix in the back includes things such as alternative routes and places to stop, how to get into boating, the budgeted and actual expenses, miles, etc. of the authors. Mildly interesting to me, but probably extremely useful for anyone thinking of either starting boating or taking a long trip like the Great Loop.

A crackling good read, clever and exciting!, April 10, 1999
Even a non-boater like me can enjoy this adventure in madness. Ron Stob can really put the words and the action together. Russ Connors ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Canoeing Into the Past, January 11, 2000
This is a true adventure story written by a great American icon. It was 1930 and in their late teens, Eric Sevareid and his good friend Walter Port, embark on an amazing canoe journey through much of Minnesota and a remote region of Canada. The story takes you back to an era when life was simple but abundant; to a time when the north woods was truly a brutal frontier and men were really men. They fight mosquitoes, flies, boredom, mud, rain, cold, gigantic waves on Lake Winnepeg and being lost in areas where there is no chance of being saved. There is no modern technology. They are often times very much alone against the elements that had no mercy. As you read the book you cannot help visit the thought that these events actually happened, they really did this and they lived to tell about it. The people they encounter, towns they visit and, of course, the rivers and lakes they traverse are all generously given to people like me who toil at computers all day but shamelessly dream impossible dreams of living in a time and place that is now slipping into the oblivion of modern life.

I'm sure many critics would complain about the simplicity of Eric's writing and the lack of visual development in some segments. But take this book for what it is and just enjoy it. Makes a good gift, especially for Nintendo bound teenagers who need to see a bigger world.

The Insanity and Necessity of Adventure, September 7, 2004
Walter Port and (Arnold) Eric Sevareid took an amazing trip that they started by skipping some of their high school finals so they could get the boat they could afford. Though the project appeared to have been Port's pet, it was Sevareid who came up with the way to fund it: writing about it for the Minneapolis Star. It was clear that once the project began both of them were truly enthralled by it and could not be put off. The tale is told simply, but with a clear affection for all of the people who helped them try to reach their goal, even though few of the people who helped were confident that these young men could make it or were even very encouraging.

The book is written from the journals that were kept along the trip. It is clear that this is a book of its times written by a man who was still quite young. While I would strongly encourage any teens to read this book to realize that they too can give themselves a goal that is worthwhile if only for being difficult, I would also encourage their parents to be ready to answer some questions about the wisdom and risks of such adventures and about some of the attitudes of the past. There is a casual acceptance of the bigotry against Native Americans that was common at the time and Sevareid was not yet the mature thoughtful man that we may remember from the CBS Evening News.

Still, the fact that a reasonably literate student was able to take, and appreciate, such a grand adventure while trying his best to bring it alive for us was a remarkable feat. Twain, at his best, gave us better feel for river adventure, but he had the advantage that he could embroider the story whenever necessary, while Sevareid was already writing and thinking as a journalist. This is a quick read that almost anyone, from a child in middle school to an adult whose days of imagined adventure are long past, can enjoy.

Youthful Adventure, December 3, 2000
A great book about the power of youth and inexperience. More about adventure than canoeing itself, Sevareid preserves through this amazing experience the intangible confidence (maybe brashness)of youth. Adult leaders of youth should read it. Teenagers who want to challenge anything unknown would be inspired by it.

Canoeing Into the Past, January 11, 2000
This is a true adventure story written by a great American icon. It was 1930 and in their late teens, Eric Sevareid and his good friend Walter Port, embark on an amazing canoe journey through much of Minnesota and a remote region of Canada. The story takes you back to an era when life was simple but abundant; to a time when the north woods was truly a brutal frontier and men were really men. They fight mosquitoes, flies, boredom, mud, rain, cold, gigantic waves on Lake Winnepeg and being lost in areas where there is no chance of being saved. There is no modern technology. They are often times very much alone against the elements that had no mercy. As you read the book you cannot help visit the thought that these events actually happened, they really did this and they lived to tell about it. The people they encounter, towns they visit and, of course, the rivers and lakes they traverse are all generously given to people like me who toil at computers all day but shamelessly dream impossible dreams of living in a time and place that is now slipping into the oblivion of modern life.

I'm sure many critics would complain about the simplicity of Eric's writing and the lack of visual development in some segments. But take this book for what it is and just enjoy it. Makes a good gift, especially for Nintendo bound teenagers who need to see a bigger world.

Canoing the old Way, December 11, 1999
Canoing with the Cree is a fast moving true story of two friends that embark on the canoe trip of a lifetime. Once I picked up the book I found it difficult to put down. The historical details of cows stuck in mud, and the Hudson's Bay Company make Canoeing With the Cree much more than a story; a historical reference that is not documented elsewhere. It is doubtful if a canoe trip like Eric Sevreid took in 1930 could ever be taken again. When Sevreid, and his companion left for their canoe trip they knew little about canoeing, but when they came back they were experts. The maturity of these two young men is astonishing.

A Must for Northern Woods Canoeists, December 15, 2005
There's really only two things worth doing in Minnesota: One, canoeing the Boundary Waters/Quetico during Spring, Summer, and Fall; Two, THINKING about canoeing the Boundary Waters/Quetico during Winter. For the latter, this book is the gateway to paradise. Sevareid and Port have the true spirit of adventurers, the love-bug for the North Woods and her bevy of streams, rivers, and lakes, and Sevareid effectively tells his now-classic tale of how he and his friend drank deeply of all her treasures--complete with the axiomatic mistakes, mishaps, surfiet of discomfitures, and, alas, irresistible beauty that she provides to all who avail themselves of her wonders. Like St. Augustine, let us "Take up and read."

canoeing with the cree, January 30, 2003
I thought that this book was a great wiild life adventure. It's about two boys going aginst their odds in a canoeing trip from St. Paul Minneapolis all the way to the Hudson Bay. Nobody thinks that they will make it. The two young boys come close to death many times. They almost get lost and find their way thanks to many kind people that help them overcome the impossible and they make it. They encounter Indians and some very nice people, and this makes their trip much easier even though they really struggle through all those miles. That's why I think this book was a good book.

And, They Said It Couldn't Be Done, June 26, 2008
"Eric Sevareid made his name as a CBS news correspondent. But at a young age, Sevareid experienced an adventure most only dream of. Sevareid detailed the journey in his book "Canoeing with the Cree". Now to mark the 75th anniversary of Sevareid's journey, two Minnesota men plan to make the same trip." Tim Post

In 1930 two young men paddled their way from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay in Canada. A trip of 2200 miles. Everyone told them it could not be done. Eric Sevareid, then a 17 year old, fresh graduate of high school, and his best buddy, Walter Port, planned the entire trip. They garnered financial support, collected supplies and a canoe and paddles and off they went. Five months later after trials and tribulations, they made it to Hudson Bay. Their journey is documented by Eric Sevareid, who gathered the weekly diaries he sent to their local Minneapolis paper, and in 1935, he wrote this book.

I stepped back in time to the 1930's when life seemed to be more innocent and the world a safer place to be. Sevareid who went on to become one of the most revered journalists of our time, wrote in an unpretentious manner, and we can feel the excitement of their adventures. They traversed unknown land and water. No one, it seems, had ever accomplished this trek. Even the best canoeists in the country failed. How then, did these two young lads accomplish this journey? Intelligence and good luck, I'd say. They questioned everyone they met, took upon themselves to digest all of the information and made decisions based on their best judgement. And, most of the time they were correct. They had no radio, no maps( this was uncharted country), little preserved food except for hardtack, but they had their ingenuity and the assistance of all of the people they met.

The North Country was mostly woods. Camps, small towns and two larger towns had been established for hunting and trapping. Most of the humans they met were Indians who were kind and generous. As a matter of fact, most of the people they met were in awe of their journey and shared whatever food, equipment and conversation they were capable. The trip was amazing when we look at the obstacles they faced. Water, roaring cold water, sometimes rapids, sometimes falls, no maps, only the word of mouth of strangers, and cold brutal weather at times. Or hot humid weather with flies and gnats. They discovered all sorts of wild animals but were never in real danger. They had their tent, two paddles, food, water, ponchos and several blankets. This seems like a story of new adventurers discovering a new world, and in fact this is what they were. Two 17 year old lads set out on an adventure and one day after another they found one. Extraordinary when you think about it.

Since the time of Eric and Walter, several other duos have made the trip by canoe. However, they had maps, food that could be kept for months and the best of camping equipment. This is not to lessen these young men's courage, but to think 78 years ago, this was accomplished with such primitive arrangments and care.

This was an exciting read and one page after another flew by. The book was difficult to put down. Easy, simplistic writing. but some of the most important writing I have found. The boys parents and friends did not hear from them often and at times, I am sure the parents were worried. But the two lads persevered and the trip was taken.

Highly Recommended. prisrob 06-26-08

Not So Wild a Dream

The Eleanor Roosevelt Story

amazing recounting of a determined trip, November 2, 2006
Enough youthful daring and preparation on a wonderful journey which showed the better nature of people for the exploits of two tough and bright young men. A wonderful journey, with some historical photo's that help illustrate the accomplishment. A wonderful quick read.

A simple, inspiring adventure, April 11, 2009
My, how the world changes in 80 years! This is not a book with the profundity that Sevareid was later noted for. It is a straight off account of two boys setting out on an adventure more dangerous than they realized which could easily have cost them their lives. Fool-hardy, yes. But, how remarkable that they succeeded.

The book gives insight to how primitive Northern Canada and the world was almost within my own lifetime. Places like Norway House and York Factory still exist, but are now virtually abandoned. At the time of the story they were major outposts of civilization in what was then a primeval land. Sevareid's and Post's joy at encountering a Cree family in a canoe and learning that they were within a few hours of a Cree village where there was safety and succor almost brought me to tears.

This is a book that more people should read. Now, not many people even know who Arnold Eric Sevareid was, even less, Walter Post. But, this book launched Sevareid's career as a reporter and writer. Later books, "Not So Wild a Dream" especially, reveal much more about his inner thoughts and empathy for humanity, but there are hints of this in "Canoeing with the Cree".

It is especially remarkable, almost incredible, that he and Post did this great adventure for $100! I have one nagging question: what has become of the original 9 dispatches that he sent to the Minneapolis Star. My internet search has, so far, only turned up one of them. I'm sure the book is better written; after all it is five years after the events. But, I would love to read the original dispatches upon which it is based.

Bottom line: it's an inexpensive book and quick read about a simply amazing quest by one of the 20th Century's greatest journalists. ... Read more

Editorial Review

You've watched him battle the odds on History's Ice Road Truckers.Now read Hugh "The Polar Bear" Roland's own storm-by-storm account of surviving and conquering the infamous ice roads of the Arctic. Join Hugh in the front seat of his truck as he shares his most chilling, adrenaline-fueled tales of the world's most dangerous job.

Every year, a fleet of truckers travels beyond the northern equatorial line to the Arctic Circle, battling subzero temperatures and perilous conditions. Though treacherous, it is a region heavily endowed with natural resources. Locating this abundance of natural gas, conflict-free diamonds, and gold is relatively easy; extracting and transporting these goods is another matter entirely. The elite truckers chosen to deliver materials vital to these efforts spend two months traveling distances greater than Western Europe on naturally formed roads of ice that is only sixteen inches thick.

It is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.

For more than twenty years, Hugh Rowland has survived the ice roads like none other. Each year when the temperature plummets, Rowland leaves his family in Vancouver, Canada, to drive 1,900 miles to Yellowknife, where he will begin his odyssey. Facing the threat of perilous avalanches, hundred-foot cliffs, and the ever-present danger of cracking through the ice, Hugh must push himself to the limit. The payoff is sweet, but Rowland isn't in it just for the money; he is driven by the camaraderie, the call to adventure, and the chance to battle the odds year after year.

From the first snowstorm to the final thaw, On Thin Ice traces the history of ice road trucking, chronicles Rowland's preparation for the trek, and follows him through his perilous journey along the infamous ice roads. Take a ride with Rowland as he recounts tales of epic breakdowns and breathtaking heroism that are just a daily part of the job. In this classic battle of man and machine versus cruelest nature, only the strong will survive to see their payday, their families, and the chance to do it all over again . . . on thin ice.

WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER . . .

"You've never experienced winter until you've lived through one in the far north. It starts in October and doesn't let up until mid-April. The temperatures drop to minus 70, with winds blowing 60 miles an hour. At that temperature, you throw a pot of boiling water or coffee into the air and it will instantly vaporize and turn into snow. It's cold as hell, but it's also full of riches: silver, gold, uranium, diamonds, and oil worth tens of billions of dollars. Locating these treasures in the frozen tundra is the easy part. Getting them out of the ground and bringing them from the frozen wasteland to civilization is a lot tougher. That's my job."
--From Ice Road Truckers ... Read more

Reviews

Brings Back Memories -, June 11, 2010
Loved the book - brought back memories of my own much more limited truck-driving experiences with whiteouts, wolves, cold temperatures, Yellowknife NWT, and below-zero temperatures. On the other hand, I've never driven a truck over lake ice, and after reading Rowland's book, have no intention of doing so. I'm CHICKEN! Also haven't done on-road repairs, 18-speeds (only 13), and driving 1,900 miles in a day. (My record is only 900.) On the other hand, I've also been fortunate enough to experience incredible scenery traveling the Alaskan and Dalton highways. Was particularly interesting to learn how they build and maintain ice roads over water. Great reading! ... Read more

Reviews

Hobson gives an excellent account of the way it really is., June 3, 1999
This book debunks the cowboy myth and shows the life of a rancher the way it really is. Well written, with tragedy and humor on every page, this book also shows the relationship between man and horse the way it should be. If I hadn't already been there, I'd go looking for a cowboy job now.

This is a book that has no comparison and no equal., October 31, 1999
Outstanding! This book was an absolute, heart pounding thrill to read. An epic illustration of the unstopable drive of the human heart and the unyeilding will of man to print his own name across the pages of time. Men and women of a class that survives now, only in the memories or our lost heritage. People with unconquerable spirit and no notion of the impossible. If comparison were possible, this book would be the Bendigo Shafter of non-fiction but even the endless imagination of the great Louis L'Amour could not stand against the unforgiving truth of a land not tamed by man. The writing is clear and descriptive, showing the obvious education and experience of it's author, a man who chose ranching by choice rather than out of necessity. As the pages turn, the reader gets a look into the lives of these mountain men and without effort, we learn to understand each and every character, almost to the point of friendship. Quite an accomplishment in a fast-paced 250 page book. The pride, drive, knowledge, and respect of these men for the world they lived in is unparelleled. Though I was forced to perform certain daily activities, my mind never left the book until I could complete it's last inspiring page and sit breathlesly paralized in awe and admiration of this newly created dream world. This is the greatest book that I have ever been given the pleasure to read and I don't hesitate to say that the next two books I read will be the conclusion to it's sequence.

Great Canadian History - Simple Elegant Writing, December 3, 1997
There was a time, that can be recalled by just a few who are still alive, when northern British Columbia Canada was much like the American West. This book describes the adventures involved in surviving and prospering in cattle country. When you are done with the book you will feel that you have learned enough to lead a winter cattle drive through unknown country. As Pan says in the book, "Nothin' to it, nothin at all.

Nothing To It!, December 11, 1999
Nothing to reading it, that is. This is one of the first nonfictions books I've read that I have ever liked. I got interested in it when I saw the TV show 'Nothing Too Good For A Cowboy' and had to read the books. This book made me laugh and almost made me cry. The characters are too funny and very heart-warming.

Grass Beyond the Mountains, January 30, 2006
Pan Phillips had the "Pan Phillips International Airport" at his fishing camp beyond Anahim Lake B.C. For several years, we flew into his little airport between 2 lakes. Pan told us some of the same stories that are in this book. Louis Soukup was one of the first pilots to the area. Louis would fly in, any equipment that Pan needed, on the pontoons of his airplane. This book gives the stories as though you were sitting at the feet of the men who were the first settlers in this area of British Colombia. It is really an adventure to read.

Read It!, December 17, 2001
We own the Legacy Ranch high in the mountains of Northeastern Utah. For years we have loved the beauty of the unspoiled wilderness. Nursing newborn elk calves, watching Canadian Lynx outside their lairs, and many other adventures have cast us in the mold of lovers of the wilderness. To read the adventures of true cowboys, who started with nothing else but their "grit" and ended up with lives spent plumbing the depths of fun and hard work was one of the top literary experiences of our lives. This book, far better than the sequels, will be part o four Christmas giving this year.

Great All American Reading, December 16, 2008
Great detail and wonderful reading pleasure. Can't wait to read the other two sequels about life in the Western North American Continent. Though situated in Canada, no story could be any more American than the true tales of Mr. Hobson.

A BOOK FOR A LIFETIME, March 4, 2007
Here I am ordering another copy of this book. I keep "loaning" them. I received my first copy in the mid-1950s as a horse/cowboy-loving teenager in Indiana. My USFS Ranger uncle sent it to me because he knew....!!! Knew it would be another huge nudge in getting me out to the Great Pacific Northwest other than just for visits. I made it in 1968 and my husband and I have visited the area depicted in the book countless times. I will soon turn 70 and have enjoyed reading this book every few years throughout my life. It is most compelling. The reviews of others are definitely right on. What more can I say other than, read it? ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Gold Diggers: Striking it rich in the Klondike, November 17, 2010
This wonderfully told tale will transport you to the Yukon's Dawson City and the Klondike gold rush to see it the way it really was. Gray weaves the well-researched stories of her characters, real people, into a fascinating and historically accurate account of this legendary gold rush. There is no glossing over the raw side of this far northern boomtown with gold seekers, prostitutes, priests, and canny business people enduring physical demands beyond imagining as they confront raging rivers, bitter cold, mud, and privation in their search for riches. I heartily recommend this book. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Chong tells the story of her grandmother, brought from China as a young concubine by a sojourner to the New World, of the man's wife and children left behind, and of the author's incredible discovery of those children six decades later. "Beautiful, haunting, and wise."--New York Times Book Review. Photos. ... Read more

Reviews

Page turner..., August 3, 2001
but I did find that I had a bit of a difficult time getting myself through this book, maybe because this story with the exception of a concubine, hits close to home. My Grandfather had come to America without his wife and three children looking for a better life. This occured in the 1930's around the same time that Sam Chan sent for a concubine from China. May-Ying was a young girl sent alone on a long journey to Vancouver, B.C. to become a concubine to Sam Chan, who would father two daughters. As the girls got older it was decided that they would be schooled in China. The entire family returned home where May-Ying, although the mother to the girls, became the second wife next to Hungbo, who was to be known as the "big mother" to the girls. Hungbo had replaced Sam Chan's first wife who had passed away some years earlier.

May-Ying had started out as a young innocent girl who came to North America on falsified papers and was thrust into a life that she didn't desire. It was in Vancouver and the numerous Chinatowns that dotted the area that her wild side let loose, especially when Sam Chan returned for an extended stay in China to build a house. Now May-Ying was forced to work in a tea house to support not only herself, but also her infant daughter (the author's mother) as well as those in China. She was required to send back money to support the building of the house.

The rest of the book goes on to describe the hardships that she faced as well as the emotional and physical abuse suffered by the third daughter Hing. Sam Chan did indeed have very good intentions to try to provide well for the families on two continents, but it would all back fire during The Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution that would take place. This is when Sam Chan would return to Vancouver and start living apart from May-Ying and Hing.

The last few chapters deal with the author trying to reunite the two families and helping her mother come to terms with the demons that were inside her. Her mother felt that the happiness that she should have had was sacrificed for the other family in China. After meeting her siblings for the first time, she was able to answer a lot of questions that for a long time she had suppressed.

An interesting look into what life was like for those looking for the pot of gold in another country and the sadness that was shared among the many who made the trip.

A compelling look at the pressures on Overseas Chinese, September 1, 1998
The strength of this book is in the human drama of a family split apart. On another level, it is one of the clearest and most compelling descriptions I have ever encountered of the conflicting ties Overseas Chinese have between their adopted homelands and their ancestral homeland; the conflicting forces of family sentiment and the need to earn money to support the family; and the disparate economic opportunities at home and abroad. Like other economic sojourners who travel abroad to work, the author's grandfather faces tremendous pressures from those back home who expect him to give them the world on what are really very low wages; and he risks loss of face if he does not meet their expectations. The author paints her family members not as saints nor sinners but as real people and does an amazing, touching, fascinating job of bringing to life the story of a family pulled apart over the span of three generations.

A part of Chinese immigration uncovered, February 27, 2001
Denise Chong reveals a world of immigration that this very Anglo Texan had no idea existed. With each multicultural title I read I become more and more amazed by the sacrifices that immigrant people make by seeking their fortunes in a New World. Learning about the U. S. closure to Chinese immigration was news to me. And realizing that the only course for Chinese men was to immigrate through Canada opened up at least two new vistas. The one in Canada of Chong's grandmother, the child of the concubine, was so primitive and pain filled; I was intrigued to know that it could be survived. To learn of the custom of the Chinese man having family in China that was honored and in the New World that was less highly regarded surprised me even more. The child's struggle through rejection, poverty, parental alcoholism and addictive gambling, and sexual promiscuity seemed nearly impossible.

To enrich Chong's narrative, a biography no less, she includes family pictures. And the links back to the family in China show the culture that is stuck in another century, another time. It is a picture that reveals family that is revered though separated by distance and time. Reading this book enriched my understanding of a people about which I knew very little. I highly recommend this book. It is an extension past the very excellent fiction of Amy Tan and well worth the read.

A Captivating Read, October 25, 2001
I may be a white, teenaged, american male, but I still can appreciate the value and hard work that went into this book.

This book was absolutely wonderful in that it covered the family history so well, leaving out very few details, even though it was all put together by word of mouth, letters and photographs!

This must have been an extremely difficult book to write for all parties involved, and for that the author and her relatives have my deepest respect.

This book is absolutely beautiful and represents Chinese culture very clearly and in an interesting manner. I would recommend this book to ANYBODY

It's so good it almost made me cry, April 28, 1998
I'm surprised that this book has been given so little publicity compared to Amy Tan's, Jung Chang's Wild Swans etc. Like the other reviewers, I have found this book to be a gem. Even better that Amy Tan's books or Wild Swans for that matter because this book has been written from the heart. Denise Chong has not held back in telling the stories of 3 generations in her family, the characters - warts and all. And that she has written this book from bits of letters, photographs and talking to her mother is truly an amazing feat. Reading it, was heart wrenching at times, it had its ups and downs and what an ending to the tale.

Because I am a man, I cannot truly and fully appreciate this book more than a woman would. I strongly recommend this to any of your female readers.

The most compelling book I read in '96, January 4, 1997
The Concubine's Children is the story, of a woman from China who came to Britsh Columbia, Canada to be the concubine, (not wife) of a rather unimaginative, and very traditional man. Her story, which really isn't a happy story, gives the reader an unusual insight into the imigrant experience of Asian Americans, and is written by the granddaughter of the "Concubine" . This book was so good, I read it in one night. I then sent it to my mother who did the same

Simply one of the best books I've ever read., April 3, 1999
I couldn't put it down, and lent it to several friends who had the same experience. Brilliantly and honestly written, it will completely pull you in to a new "old" world.

A rich tale of a family's struggle at the Golden Mountian, August 17, 2000
Being a 1st generation Chinese Canadian I feel very close to this story. Although my circumstances are not as dark as that of the people in the story, I feel a certain kinship.

Denise Chong is honest and her story is remarkable. I read that book in one night and had to miss school the next day because I could not put the book down. The pictures in the book gives a dimension to the characters.

A family on two soils., August 22, 2006
In this fascinating tale, Denise Chong deftly writes the story of her migrant Chinese family on two soils - Canadian soil, and Chinese soil. Her grandmother ("concubine" May-ying) moves to Canada following Chan Sam, her assigned husband. Times prove not to be so easy for the Chinese in "Gold Mountain". Their isolation and institutionalized exclusion from mainstream Canadian society stifled any progress. May-ying moves almost constantly from Nanaimo to Vancouver (the two Chinatowns) waitressing to support her husband, Hing (the third daughter and author's mother), and also the family left in China. Following relations in this book is key to understanding how the story unfolds.

Denise Chong tells the story of May-ying's taut life in trying to fulfill the obligations of a Chinese wife in a polygamous setting. She also gives historical accounts (political and cultural) both at home and in China. When family and history are intertwined, both become inseperably tangible. I don't think that this book is an exploitation of Chinese culture as one reviewer pointed out. I think this book will be enlightening to many a reader with sparse knowledge and misconceptions about early Chinese migration to the New World.

Great Book..., March 24, 2001
This book tell a tale of the harsh life of May Ying (concubine), and her daughter. It gives it's reader a glimp into the life a young immigrant sent overseas, against her will, to be a concubine of a man she doessn't even know. It tell of May Ying's relationship with men, addiction to alcohol, and her daughter's stuggle to support financially and emotionally. Her life is a sad one, but the author wrote the story so well. It touched me.

I read this book a few years ago in my 1st year English class. I am really glad that the prof chose this book. I recommended this book to friends and they told me they love it. ... Read more

Editorial Review

National Bestseller

The definitive history of the Montreal Canadiens – now updated with the inside story of the tumultuous 2009 season.

Before there were slapshots, Foster Hewitt, or even an NHL, there were the Canadiens. Founded on December 4, 1909, the team won its first Stanley Cup in 1916. Since then, the Canadiens have won 23 more championships, making them the most successful hockey team in the world. The team has survived two wars, the Great Depression, NHL expansion, and countless other upheavals, thanks largely to the loyalty of fans and an extraordinary cast of players, coaches, owners, and managers.

The Montreal Canadiens captures the full glory of this saga. It weaves the personalities, triumphs, heartaches, and hysteria into a compelling narrative with a surprise on every page. It sheds new light on old questions – how the team colours were chosen, how the Canadiens came to be known as the Habitants – and goes behind the scenes of tumultuous recent events still awaiting thorough examination: why Scotty Bowman was passed over as general manager after Sam Pollock resigned; why Pollock’s successor, Irving Grunman, failed; why Serge Savard was dumped as GM so hastily despite his record.

Colourful and controversial, The Montreal Canadiens is the history of a team that has been making news for 100 years – and continues to do so with the return of legendary player Bob Gainey as general manager, determined to bring the Stanley Cup back to Montreal. ... Read more

Reviews

Great book for hockey lovers of the Montreal Canadiens, December 13, 2008
This well written book does an excellent job of covering the history of the Montreal Canadiens hockey organization, including it's owners, managers, coaches and players. It follows the team from it's inception through World War One, the Great Depression, World War Two, and the evolution of hockey expansion, up to today. Hockey in Montreal isn't just another sport, and the Montreal Canadiens are not just another hockey team. Hockey is ingrained in the hearts of Montrealers, and the Montreal Canadiens are their team. This book would be a good read for any hockey addict, but it is a GREAT read for any ardent longtime Montreal Canadiens fan. Thoroughly enjoyable.

To Hab and Hab Not, October 14, 2009
This joins a select group of Canadiens team histories along with volumes by Brian MacFarlane, Dick Irvin, Claude Mouton, and the editors of "Sports Illustrated." Jenish does a great job plumbing the depths of the club's early years and helps fans understand that success was not instantaneous...most forget that the Forum was built for the rival Maroons and not the Canadiens. The narrative really starts rolling from the forties onwards as we are given some new perspective on familiar characters. Donat Raymond is given his just due as is the great Dick Irvin. I especially liked this book because it is written as straight history as opposed to the hagiography that constitutes most sports histories. This is an excellent treatment of hockey's most important club and is worthy of the subject. Merci beaucoup. ... Read more

Editorial Review

This is a biography and astonishing adventure story of a woman who, left a widow in 1927, packed her five children onto a 25-foot boat and cruised the coastal waters of British Columbia, summer after summer.Muriel Wylie Blanchet acted single-handedly as skipper, navigator, engineer and, of course, mum, as she saw her crew through encounters with tides, fog, storms, rapids, cougars and bears. She sharpened in her children a special interest in Haida culture and in nature itself. In this book, she left us with a sensitive and compelling account of their journeys. ... Read more

Reviews

A book you can read and then go experience it for yourself., May 23, 1998
My boyfried and I read this book and because of it took 3 weeks to cruise the Desolation Sound area. We would read the stories from the book filled with background history as well as Ms. Blanchet's excursions in the area and then we would experience it for our selves. Recalling how Capt. Vancouver discovered the area and then how this single woman with 5 children in the mid-1920's experienced this area. It was fabulous and the area is still a lot like it was 50 or even hundreds of years ago. Breath taking scenery and a sense of peace and freedom is the only way I can describe my experience of the Inside Passage. I will never be the same and anytime I want to go back I can through reading the stories in this book. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Over the past decade, Toronto-based chef Susur Lee has built an international reputation with his groundbreaking cuisine, winning raves such as "culinary genius" from critics and chefs alike. Borrowing heavily from French and Chinese traditions, Susur defies the ubiquitous "fusion" label with his wholly original and decidedly bold style of cooking, dubbed nouvelle Chinois. SUSUR: A CULINARY LIFE offers readers an intimate look at the evolution of this master chef. Toronto food writer Jacob Richler takes us on an enthralling culinary odyssey that begins with Susur’s apprenticeship at Hong Kong’s legendary Peninsula Hotel and follows the chef ’s major Successes at his award-winning restaurants Lotus and Susur. This in-depth study also chronicles Susur’s ambitious plan to modernize the ancient repertoire of classical Chinese cooking —a 5,000-year journey that ends in the creation of his vibrant new cuisine. A remarkable subject deserves a remarkable book, and SUSUR is as innovative as the chef it celebrates. Two colorful, gorgeously illustrated volumes — one describing Susur ’s development as a chef, the other featuring his most sought-after recipes —are bound together in an intricate and innovative presentation that resembles a Chinese puzzle box. A sensuous treat for foodies and chefs alike, SUSUR is the definitive word on this cutting-edge chef. ... Read more

Reviews

Very professional book with little for the home cook., December 18, 2005
`Susur A Culinary Life' by Hong Kong / Toronto Chef Susur Lee and a number of co-authors may be the apotheosis of the attractively pretentious tabletop culinary book. It is at least as attractive as Nobuyuki Matsuhisa's latest book and even has a few things of value over `Nobu Now'. It's first pretension is the fact that it is bound as two books, joined at the spine, as if it were two Siamese twins. Since it is impossible to separate the two books without ruining the value of this $50 list volume, and yet you simply cannot use the recipes in the second half without the pantry recipes in the first, this dual binding is purely for show, contributing to little except the cost of the book and the inconvenience of using the two parts of the book together. Not only that, the index for both `volumes' is in the second half, so the first half looses much of its value with it's index detached.

Reading this book has strong similarities to watching the Food Network show, `Iron Chef America'. Unless you happened to be a chef with major pretensions to serious `haute cuisine', you would simply never want to reproduce the recipes you see being conjured up by these very seriously talented and experienced chefs. Why in the world would you ever, for example, want to obtain a compressed air pump to assist in making Peking duck within an hour or screw a piece of fatback to a cedar plank to infuse it with the cedar taste? Susur Lee even presents the same persona as `Iron Chef' star Masaharu Morimoto, although I suspect Susur Lee is one or two cuts above Morimoto in overall culinary creativity.

The first of the two volume halves is made up of five essays written about Susur Lee in the third person by Jacob Richler, with credit for `creation' given to Sara Angel and to photography by Shun Sasabuchi and Edward Pond. I sense these essays loose a lot in being written in the third person. Even though Michael Ruhlman has done a lot of the writing for Eric Rippert (`A Return to Cooking') and Thomas Keller (`Bouchon', `The French Laundry Cookbook'), but in neither of these books do we feel removed from the real source of culinary inspiration springing from the imagination and thinkings of Rippert and Keller.

The five essays are largely chronological, but they start with `Elements of Taste 2000-2005', followed by `Hong Kong: French Lessons 1974-1980', `Local Hero: Lotus 1980-1997', and `Singapore: Five Thousand Years of Eating 1997-2000', only to return to the present with `The Susur Pantry 2000-2005'. By far the most important chapter in the first volume is the last, `Basic Recipes and Glossary'. The Glossary is fair and probably worthless if you have the `Larousse Gastronomique' or any other good culinary encyclopedia. The `basic recipes' are essential to understanding Susur Lee's recipes in the second half of the book, as they are specifically cited as ingredients to almost every recipe.

The second half of the book consists exclusively of 57 recipes for entrees. There is NO table of contents for these recipes and they appear in no logical order I can fathom regarding course or ingredient. Most are somewhere between the size of an appetizer and the size of a conventional main course.

As I said above, virtually all the recipes are impractical for one or more reasons. These are:

1. The recipes use ingredients that are difficult to obtain in many parts of the country such as fresh abalone, skate wing, and periwinkles.
2. The recipes use ingredients that are expensive such as truffles, foie gras, and fresh porcini mushrooms.
3. The recipes use an inordinately large number of ingredients, such as recipe 2.11, which uses 56 individual ingredients in six sub-recipes, with four of those sub-recipes using four other recipe preparations from Book 1.
4. The recipes call for some techniques which are probably beyond the patience of anyone but a professional, such as `frying' a squab by pouring very hot oil over the skin while holding the carcass over a bowl of hot oil for six or more minutes. And that was for just one serving! I could hardly believe it when Morimoto did that on `Iron Chef America' for 10 minutes, but that was for four servings from a single bird!

It is important to say that there are things of value to be found in this book, if you are a really serious foodie or a culinary professional. First, the photography of the finished dishes is exceptionally good, and, there is a photograph for every dish, and, the photograph appears alongside the recipe in almost every case. The exceptions are few enough not to be annoying. Second, the modularity of the recipes has much to teach the serious professional chef. This technique amounts to a graduate course in the ideas put out by Ming Tsai in his book, `Simply Ming', although Ming Tsai's presentation is much more friendly to the home cook. Third are the very same techniques I cite as being impractical for the home chef. While these may not be appropriate to the routine kitchen, they are a source of ideas to the ambitious chef who wants to know what the most adventuresome professionals are doing.

I am really hard pressed to decide between three and four stars. This is even more inaccessible than Nobu's books to which I gave four stars, yet it has some things which may actually be more interesting and valuable to the professional.

So, I give it four stars with a stern warning to the casual cookbook buyer that this is really a rather expensive investment written primarily for professionals and dedicated amateurs. But, if what you want is a conversation piece cookbook, this will fit that purpose pretty well.

Recommended to professionals.

It is what it is, April 9, 2006
Pretty coffee table book...don't buy for the recipes unless you are a professional. I am a chef and have been at several for and five star establishments. I had the pleasure a few years ago to do a banquet with Susur and he is the real deal. Will his techniques translate to the amateur cook looking to learn from his book? No. These are professional recipes designed to be executed by a top class brigade with years of technique and time to prepare the needed mis en place. But as a professional, the way he approaches food as well as the culinary foundation that he has built for himself is unique and will be appreciated by those in the know. What isn't pretentious about a $50 coffee table book? This book gives exposure to a unique and talented chef who is grounded in solid technique and is able to translate that into well presented and balanced dishes that are not silly fusion. Definetly worth a look.

Susur: Some Thoughts on Perfection in Cuisine, February 20, 2006
Given the acidity of previous reviews, let me start with some background on myself: I am an American not resident in Canada; I am a non-professional chef -- I cook for myself, my family and my friends. I love food, both from the philosophy that one can learn the history of a country or region by learning about its cuisine and from the perspective that I truly believe we are what we eat ... and the miserable record of American health and longevity is directly due to the poor quality of what we consume.

I first saw Susur on Food Network's "Chef du Jour", where well-regarded chefs would do a single 30 minute program on a topic of their choice. That was at least 8 years ago. I think he may have been on one or two "Ready, Set, Cook" programs, but I'm not certain. He certainly didn't push to become a "celebrity chef", at least in the TV sense. He did become a celebrity in the culinary world: becoming one of Food & Wine's "10 Best Chefs in the World" is not a self-serving proclamation -- it is an evaluation by those who can and do taste the food of all the best and near-best.

I've had the good fortune to have an expense account and a business that required me to take clients to dinner, so I've had the privilege of eating at many of the finest restaurants in North America, Europe, Japan, and Australia. My personal opinion is that Susur belongs among the finest and if in Toronto, it would be my first choice of a dining location -- yes, even if I were paying the bill myself -- some meals are worth every penny of the cost.

I've eaten at his restaurant in Toronto many times, on business trips. The food has always been spectacular, along with the service, along with the description of the philosophy behind each dish. A meal at Susur's not only satisfies the body; it's an education in itself. Again, this is not simply my opinion -- read the reviews in Toronto's newspapers, or read the reviews and look at the scores in zagat.com. Susur isn't the only "great chef" in Toronto, but he is clearly in that category.

Finally, to the book itself: Yes, the binding is unusual), as is the organization (would I count it as 2 books -- no -- do I think that volume 1 as a biography and volume 2 as recipes are two very different works -- absolutely yes). Most chefs don't provide a personal biography and discuss the evolution of their philosophy of cuisine. If you want lots of recipes you can make with ingredients found anywhere, there are thousands of such cookbooks to choose from (start with Rachel Ray's "30 Minute Meals" and go from there). On the other hand, if you want to learn about how to layer flavors, and see how a master puts together a pantry, this is the book to read. The same advice (for flavor, you need sauces, pastes, and other preps) is given by most chefs in cooking courses and is found in lots of other cookbooks -- just to mention a few in Chinese, try Barbara Tropp's "China Moon Cookbook", Nina Simonda "Spoonful of Ginger", Eileen Yin-Fei Lo's "From the Earth" or Emily Grace's "Breath of a Wok". Susur's are more complex, and more subtle, but taste the food and you'll see how it transcends anyone else's.

Is this a book I will cook from daily? No, and Susur is the first to admit that his cuisine needs a tremendous amount of manpower to achieve. Will this book teach me to be a better chef? Absolutely. Will it have a place of honor in my kitchen? Assuredly. Study it, think about it, and learn from it ... and if you have the opportunity, go to Toronto ... and taste it.

Insight into a remarkable chef's mind., November 8, 2005
The two books bound together as one is perhaps pretentious, but it serves to separate the ideas and philosophies from the recipes. They both give a unique view into what makes one of the most inventive chefs alive, tick. The recipes are complex and may not be recreated by many readers, but the ideas within them including many novel flavor combinations will likely be a source of inspiration to any keen amateur chef who reads this book.
I'll agree with other reviewers that this book is indeed pretentious. But so is having an old copy of Larouse Gastronomique, or just about every 'top restaurant' book out there. Shame on anyone in Toronto who hasn't made the trip to Susur's restaurant, it isn't insanely expensive, and I managed to get in mid week without having booked. Very few people will ever be able/willing to make any of the recipes in this book for themseleves, but all should be able to gain some inspiration from the ideas and flavor combinations presented in these pages.

great for professionals, January 18, 2007
i bought it for my boyfriend, who is an aspiring chef and loves asian cuisine. he loves it - its a beautiful and inspiring book. i wouldn't recommend it for anyone who is just interested in cooking at home.

Awesome, August 8, 2009
One of the better culinary books I have read. Susur's recipes might be for everybody. The design of the book is beautiful. Not just your simple 'cookbook' - it is infomative, gives a great perspective on Susur's path to fame and is very user-friendly.

Susur Lee, March 19, 2006
This book its all about creativity by a man who has been over looked for too many years as one of the worlds Top Chefs. This book is in one simple word "Awesome"

Delusions of Grandeur- You're Su-Su Vain!, February 16, 2006
Delusions of Grandeur-Self Proclaimed "Toronto's Local Hero"

I am an intermediate level amateur cook, and pretty aware of cutting edge chefs, cooks and well written cookbooks, and Susur Lee and his book's grandiose recipes may wow small town folks and some home cooks, however he is delightfully delusional in his self importance, proclaiming himself THE "Local Hero" of Toronto, when my long time Toronto friends have not even heard of him!

I highly suggest you first read his very complex, hours long recipes, before spending good money for just 50 or so difficult and few recipes.

Chicago's Chef Charlie Trotter has similar recipes in terms of ingredients unobtainable to less than high end restaurant chefs, and may also have 20-40+ ingredients per dish, requiring an army of assistants to pull it off, however he does not have an entire book devoted to a sycophant praising his own wonderfulness. His combinations also "taste well" together in reading the ingredients, and he has books with "doable" ingredients and they are quite cookable by home cooks.

Susur credits his departed wife Marilou with his success, but others who gave him a "leg up" don't rate even a photo in this paen to his brilliance, as Susur takes back stabbing jabs at better known chefs who helped his career.

Instead of, having say instructive photographs at different stages of a complex dish's creation, he has instead chosen such childish photo selections as photos of his wonderful doodles of his own name, his hand written recipes, and doodling of a seating chart...

Does "You're Su-su vain" come to mind?

Hold that song in mind, as you smile and flick through the first 113 pages of his ego inflating toady's drivel, without even seeing one real recipe.

Oh, the recipes are in the "second" bound book, tighly bound, like a dead Siamese twin to this "first" book. So yes, he has thus published "two" books...um, sure, Susu, we're counting with you. Clever ploy; publish "Susur's Cooking Triptych" next time, and get credit for 5 books, total! (Toronto is certainly still cleaning up from the ticker tape parades for this self proclaimed "Local Hero's" creations!)

Why pay $50 (now down to $30) for only fifty some pretentious recipes, each with 25-45+ ingredients that you are more likely to laugh at, than cook... even one bloated recipe? Borrow this from Susu's large stack of "returns", or from a library, first, before buying!

Forget about "The Emperor's New Clothes"...this is the "Emperor's Trendy Cook Book!"

I do like the professionally styled photos of his creations. You or I could cook them if we had 2 assistant cooks,the strange collection of fresh ingredients, and gratuitous foie gras and black truffles added to many recipes.

Susu's has a dreadful hodgepodge of instructions and techniques, having the reader hopping between both "books" to cobble together a dish, and there's no Table of Contents to organize this chaotic collection.

He knows cooking techniques. I'd happily dine at his restaurant. Teaching techniques by a book is another story. For beginning and intermediate cooks, the cooking techniques that he glides over are far, far better explained in many cookbooks that the professional chefs already consult.

Some well thumbed cookbook/testbooks include "On Cooking Techniques from Expert Chefs"-Labensky, "Essentials of Cooking"-James Peterson, Jacques Pepin's "Complete Techniques", "La Varenne Pratique"- Anne Willan"The Zuni Cafe"-Rodgers, "The New Making of a Cook"-Kamman, "Glorious French Cooking"-Peterson, "Modern Art of Chinese Cooking"-Trop, "The Key to Chinese Cooking"-Kuo, etc.

Big Propblem is...home cooks, without two helpers, will be very frustrated by the hard to find ingredients and the time consuming, convoluted recipes in this cookbook.

Try making Susur's "Pan-roasted scallops, with sunchoke puree, pancetta, periwinkles in truffle sauce and preserved lemon".

Hmmm, if someone mixing up 1000 snippets of culinary nouns in a hat, then let a trained gerbil randomly pick out, then line up the first 10 to 15 words that came out... the resulting recipe titles may even be more appealing to you and I than Susur's convoluted "con-Fusion" titles that easily awe rookie foodwriters and rookie cooks...

Make his "Elk striploin with yamaimo, arame, uni, with burnt butter soy sauce", (40+ ingredients) or try "Braised veal cheek, with parsnip puree, cocoa nibs, grapes stuffed with dry-cured olives, and parmesan (also with over 40 ingredients).

Maybe the "Tuna with wasabi and parsnip mousse on cucumber jelly with crispy squid ink noodle" would whet your whistle. I'd rather go to the grocery store and make "Spiced seaweed crusted red mullet with saffron mayonnaiase and zuchini flower fritters".

A memorable dish is "Roast squab and foie gras stuffed squab legs in port sauce, with lotus root and baby corn, blueberry preserve, and taro root fritters" (>30 ingredients).

Step aside, Charlie Trotter, you've been "out Trottered" by Susu and his caramelized nuts...

For the amusement value, the professionally styled photos of plates that would leave most folks hungry from the tiny portions, and the sad need for the dramatic Napoleonic pose and prose by the self proclaimed "Local Hero of Toronto"... I still give him 3 stars...it takes guts (braised with cocoa, blueberry and truffle oil), to be so sweet and childlike in his vanity!


... Read more

Editorial Review

In the boomtowns of the Alaska-Yukon stampedes, where gold dust was common currency, the rarest commodity was an attractive woman, and her company could be costly. Author Lael Morgan takes you into the heart of the gold rush demimonde, that ""half world"" of prostitutes, dance hall girls, and entertainers who lived on the outskirts of polite society. Meet ""Dutch Kate"" Wilson, who pioneered many areas long before the ""respectable"" women who received credit for getting there first ... ruthless heartbreakers Cad Wilson and Rose Blumkin ... ""French"" Marie Larose, who auctioned herself off as a wife to the highest bidder ... Georgia Lee, who invested her earnings wisely and became one of the richest women in the North ... and Edith Neile, called ""the Oregon Mare,"" famous for both her outlandish behavior and her softhearted generosity. ... Read more

Reviews

Good Time Girls brought to life, December 30, 1999
Lael Morgan does a great job of piecing together old newspaper articles and photos to recreate the lives of these adventurous pioneers. The stories from Dawson are especially detailed (due to the resources) and give you the feeling that you know what it was like to live and work in Dawson during the gold rush. Knowing that the characters in the book were real make the stories that much more compelling.

Fun history of the world's (c)oldest profession in AK, October 10, 2001
I bought this book at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks bookstore. My dad, Class of '51 at UAF (we were there for his 50th reunion), had told me some stories about "The Line" and he had had his first job with the gold mining operations, so I was curious. There's not a lot of gory detail here. It's about people and places, but it's quite a colorful history. Though never officially legal, prostitution was tolerated and it flourished in Alaska for more than 50 years. And some very famous characters pop up, like Wyatt Earp and the "Birdman of Alcatraz". Definitely worth the time.

Best Of The West!, June 15, 2006
The Alaska-Yukon Gold Rush, a time at the turn of the century, when the gold camps were booming and the dust flowed like wine. Leaving behind law and many of the constraints of the Post-Victorian era, men and women went north to find adventure and wealth. Most found death among the cold frozen mountains and rivers but a few survived to find money, power and, sometimes, even love.
The women found it easier to mine the miners then to mine the mines. Women couldn't work claims in most cases and most of the normal jobs didn't pay well.
If a woman wanted the wealth and adventure she was searching for she ended up becoming a Good Time Girl. Men outnumbered women ten to one and were always willing to pay for the company. Dance hall girls and prostitutes were among the pioneers who opened the new regions, became rich entrepreneurs and powerful women who, in some cases, changed the towns for the better.
But their history cannot be written in a vacuum. As many of them left behind no written records we have to use police logs, old photos and stories left behind by the more respectable women and men of the cities. The book deals with the conditions and events that made the Far North so much different from the lower forty-eight states where many of the women came from. Why did the cities, in many cases, allow a red light district? Why did they give them police protection? How did the women influence the towns and change the very future of the frontier? Why did so many women turn to be Good Time Girls?
With tons of humor, happy endings and sad ones, the chapters within this book give a detailed look at the history of the independent women who faced hardships, lost fortunes and the dangers of a wild land to find a future.

Interesting side to the "gold miners", September 28, 2004
Well, the men mined the gold, and the women mined the miners. All had unhealthy jobs but it would appear that more womem made money than the men from this book. It is also interesting that many of the women ended their trade by marrying the miners. So while to some they were "soiled doves" to the miners they were princesses.

Still interesting that the town tollerated this business until very recently. An enjoyable read.

Good read, September 12, 2000
This it not the type of book I typically read. But while in Skagway on a second cruise to Alaska this summer, I skimmed this book in a bookstore but did not purchase it there. I continued to think about it, so I ordered it from Amazon.com. I am not studying anthropology nor am I an avid reader of books related to historical things, so this was a "one of a kind" read for me; and an interesting one at that. However, I agree with another reviewer that the book, while well researched, was not well organized. Except for a few chapters devoted to specific women, there was considerable lack of organization and I especially found chronology confusing. But, it in addition to stories about the women in the trade, it has enlightening segments about men everyone has heard of - Al Cody and Wyatt Earp - who spent some time in Alaska. I even learned about the "Birdman of Alcataz". Interesting comparisons are made of the various gold rush "camps", the extent to which the "good time girls" were accepted in these camps and what happened to some of these women later in life. Other than an occasional mention about the two common SIDs (sexually transmitted diseases) of that era, not much is mentioned about the other health-related issues the women faced other than tuberculosis, pneumonia or plagues. For example, I don't recall any mention of pregnancies and struggles with raising children while in the trade; perhaps there was no information available on these issues.

Well researched, September 2, 2008
I had to read this for a book club and didn't make it all the way through. I will give credit for a well researched book. It is a history of endless short accounts of the miners and the women who serviced them. While there are a few interesting characters, the information was limited and left you wanting to know more of the story.

This will be of interest of someone who studies the history or who has visited Alaska and seen the locales of the stories to make a connection.

Generally good with some inaccuracies/incompleteness, May 22, 1998
The author has written a generally interesting and informative book. However, there are some inaccuracies. For example, she says that "Klondike" is a mispronunciation of the native name for the Yukon River. Actually, it's the misprounuciation of the name of the Klondike River. In addition, some of the stories are incomplete, e.g. there's a description of a young pregnant woman. It goes on to say she died, but fails to say whether she had the child or not, or what became of it. There are several instances of this kind of omission. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

History people should know., December 3, 2000
I first read about David Thompson in a National Geographic magazine and I couldn't put it down. David Thompson has done more for the exploration of North America than anyone in the school history books. It is a shame that I have only met one person who has ever heard of David Thompson. Most people would be shocked to find that some of the maps used by Lewis and Clark were drawn up by this Hudson Bay Company explorer who was only in his teens. This man had an amazing life and for more great reading get a hold of his diary of travles.

True fortitude, January 25, 2004
David Thompson. A man of untiring capabilities for exploring, surveying, trapping and trading in western Canada. From the age of fourteen, he gave twenty seven years of his life towards these goals, of which not too many men could begin to attain.
His duties for the Hudson's Bay Company and later the North West Company were to map, trade, trap, locate future trading establishments and discover a passage to the Pacific for commerce. Herein exists tales of endurance, perseverance, stamina and survival in unexplored regions of Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest from 1784-1812.
An extremely well written book by Jack Nisbet, along with very good, easy to read maps by Jack McMaster in order to follow the whereabouts of Thompson.

Excellent account of an early pathfinder, December 6, 2001
Jack Nisbet does an excellent job by citing David Thompson's journals, including some of his original maps (lack of maps in a book can be annoying when you are talking about early explorations) and commenting on the area today. Wonderful accounts of early Indians in Northwest. The story of this early explorer is a must-read for all Lewis and Clark fans as it occurred about the same time. I found the book easy to read and it makes one want to explore that area of Canada.

Great research and writing, November 19, 2003
Based on David Thompson's own account of his explorations of the western North American continent, this is a perceptive tale of hardship and adventure. Jack Nisbet has the intuitive ability to cut to the heart of the subject, not just how this area was discovered but how the discovery influenced the native people and the natural history of the area. His own brief but discerning anecdotes about his interactions with the land and its people provide counterpoint and context for the main narrative.

The writer follows the life of David Thompson from his birth in London in 1770 and his education at a charity school to his apprenticeship with the Hudson's Bay Company and arrival in northern Canada. His major life work was to explore and map what became known as the interior of British Columbia, eastern Washington, western Montana and northern Oregon, focussed on the Columbia River and its tributaries. He crossed and re-crossed the Rocky Mountains through passes known only to native people and he established trading posts and trading relations with native people so he could supply the Hudson's Bay Company, and later the Northwest Company, with the furs they sought. Later in life he "retired" to montreal and later to Ontario where he became astronomer for the International Boundary Commission, guiding the U.S.-Canadian survey of the 49th parallel from Quebec, via the Great Lakes to Manitoba.

This is a story well told. It doesn't bog down in tedious detail yet still manages to convey the day- to-day routines as well as the excitement of discovery and the hardships faced by explorers in harsh terrain in an often bitter climate. The book has an immediacy and depth that are seldom realized together in an historical narrative.

Sources of the River, June 3, 2006
As we reach the bicentennial of David Thompson's crossing of the Rocky Mountains, it appears that "Sources of the River" is becoming the definitive popular reference. The book deserves it. Like all of Nisbet's books, this one is very well written and enjoyable to read. The book covers Thompson's entire life but focuses on the five years he spent in the Rocky Mountain region of Canada and the United States. That period includes his exploration of the entire length of the Columbia River, the first non-Indian to do so.

Because David Thompson was a contemporary of Lewis and Clark, reviewers are inclined to compare them. This is only partially valid. The latter was a military expedition sent on a mission of exploration. David Thompson was a fur trader working for a commercial company. He had the desire and talent to explore, but trading had to come first. Thompson was the point person for expanding the fur trade across the Rocky Mountains and into the Columbia River drainage. As he advanced his trading territory, his journals recorded an expanding knowledge of the territory and its inhabitants, plants, and animals. Thompson was a geographer and surveyor; his maps are much more accurate than those developed by Lewis and Clark.

Thompson was a rugged individual and this book covers the challenges and hardships of the fur trade. The Indians were an important element in both his trading and his exploration. This book chronicles those relationships. Thompson took a Cree wife who bore him thirteen children and they were together until his death at age eighty-seven.

In addition to the well-researched historical account of David Thompson, we are treated to an occasional aside from Jack Nisbet, often describing his visit to one of the sites important to the history. This book deserves its wide acceptance.

One tough and determined guy who opened the door to the West, December 17, 2002
This book takes the reader on a fascinating journey through a time when what lay west of the Alberta Rockies was merely a faint whisper of great rivers, mountains and forests that beckoned the tough and determined fur traders of the Hudson Bay and Northwest companies. Of course, the prize that each of these competitors sought to find first was a trading route to the Pacific Ocean. There was word of a great river's estuary located to the southwest across the mountains, but the rivers west of the Rockies all flowed northward! David Thompson, after whom the Thompson River in British Columbia was named and perhaps the most unsung of the great North American explorers, was faced with a mystery to solve. And he did so -- surviving bitterly cold winters in the unforgiving outdoors without today's Gore-Tex garments and GPS gadgets. He followed the stars tenaciously and spent may hours out in the elements making and checking his triangulation calculations the old-fashioned way --longhand.

I read this book several years ago and remember well how it readily took me away from today's comfortable but harried world. It's well recommended to anyone with an explorer's bent who would like to join Thompson's party as he searches for the route west of the Rockies in Canada's early back yard. He certainly has earned my respect as one of the great, devoted explorers who opened the West. Nisbet brings his personality to life in a very readable, interesting book, obviously the product of a great deal of detailed research by the author.

I've been there, December 30, 2008
Sources of the River: Tracking David Thompson Across Western North America
Wow I just loved this book. It is really well written and I just loved Nisbet's story telling skills. I have spent years as a forest engineer in rough terrain and marvelled at Thompson's strength of character to motor through uncharter territory. He was a driven man. Nisbet allowed me to be transported in back in time to experience what Thompson must have gone through. I have travelled the Kootney country myself as a surveyor and just recently drove through the Washington State from the coast through Spokane up into up reaches of the Columbia River, the area Thompson explored. This is a wonderful book for anyone wanting to know more about the history of Washington State, British Columbia and western Alberta. Thanks Jack Nisbet for making David Thompson's travels come to life.

Great research and writing, November 19, 2003
Based on David Thompson's own account of his explorations of the western North American continent, this is a perceptive tale of hardship and adventure. Jack Nisbet has the intuitive ability to cut to the heart of the subject, not just how this area was discovered but how the discovery influenced the native people and the natural history of the area. His own brief but discerning anecdotes about his interactions with the land and its people provide counterpoint and context for the main narrative.

The writer follows the life of David Thompson from his birth in London in 1770 and his education at a charity school to his apprenticeship with the Hudson's Bay Company and arrival in northern Canada. His major life work was to explore and map what became known as the interior of British Columbia, eastern Washington, western Montana and northern Oregon, focussed on the Columbia River and its tributaries. He crossed and re-crossed the Rocky Mountains through passes known only to native people and he established trading posts and trading relations with native people so he could supply the Hudson's Bay Company, and later the Northwest Company, with the furs they sought. Later in life he "retired" to montreal and later to Ontario where he became astronomer for the International Boundary Commission, guiding the U.S.-Canadian survey of the 49th parallel from Quebec, via the Great Lakes to Manitoba.

This is a story well told. It doesn't bog down in tedious detail yet still manages to convey the day- to-day routines as well as the excitement of discovery and the hardships faced by explorers in harsh terrain in an often bitter climate. The book has an immediacy and depth that are seldom realized together in an historical narrative.

Fascinating., May 23, 2001
This is truly an incredible story, an adventure that I can't believe hasn't been made into a movie by now. By comparison, the Lewis & Clark expedition seems dull and uninspiring. It makes me wish I were canadian. ... Read more

Editorial Review

"FRANK BARR is an entertaining tale of the exploits of one of Alaska's diminishing population of bush pilots. It is a refreshing look at the not-so-distant past and a pleasant read for a winter's evening." --Tundra Times ... Read more

Reviews

Best Bush Pilot Bokk Ever, October 29, 2008
I loved this book. I have given it as gifts to many of my friends and they all loved it also. If you are a pilot or just a "want-to-be" read this book! ... Read more

Editorial Review

R.M. Pattersons bestselling book The Dangerous River is back in print in its unabridged version and ready to take readers down the treacherous and challenging waters of the Nahanni River once again. Written with Pattersons characteristic sharp wit and observation, The Dangerous River chronicles the year he spent battling the temperatures and wild waters as he canoed down the Nahanni in 1927. Patterson originally travelled to Canadas Northwest Territories with hopes of finding gold in the river and clues to the mysterious murder of a prospector. Instead, he fell in love with the landscape and through his meticulously recorded journals and hauntingly beautiful photographs he introduced the world to the Nahanni River, now known as a prime destination for adventure seekers. Included in this newest printing are Pattersons own blackand- white photographs, including the first photos to be taken of the falls of the Nahanni. ... Read more

Reviews

This is a Far North adventure you'll never forget!, November 29, 1997
"Dangerous River" is one of the finest Far North adventures ever written. R. M. Patterson and his partner Gordon Matthews were the last of a breed of men who tackled the Far North with nothing but stamina, courage, and consummate skill with rifle, pack and canoe. Trapping and searching for gold in the legendary South Nahanni River country in the 1920's, Patterson describes their adventures in language that makes the reader yearn to see one the premier rivers of the world. Patterson's style is laced with wonderfully dry British humor as well as a poet's skill in describing the breathtaking landscapes. You feel as though you're right beside him throughout his adventures and hungering to go there yourself. You can't ask more a writer and his book than that!

Exceptional wilderness story of gold-rush era Canada, August 28, 1997
This tale of wilderness adventure is set in the unexplored region of the South Nahanni river valley in the Nortwest Territories, Canada. It tells of unexplained deaths (the reason it was called Dead-Man's Valley), and the survival tactics and techniques of explorers during the gold-rush days of the area. Patterson spins the tale in a way which makes you feel the icy cold winters and the lavish and wildlife filled summers. His writings are non-fictional, and he includes maps and photographs taken while he was there. It is exciting, and laden with danger about the rapids, ice-flows, and Indian legends. I highly recommend it to anyone with a love of the outdoors, adventure, or wilderness history!

The Classic Canadian wilderness canoe adventure., April 29, 1997
Paddling upstream through "Hells Gate" rapids and past 4000 feet canyons on the South Nahanni River in Canada's Northwest Territories in the 1920's before the advent of the bush plane was northern adventure at it's best. After reading the book, I took the canoe trip and the beauty of the scenery actually exceeded the best descriptive prose in the novel. Look up Black Feather outfitters in Toronto and sign up. Rob Evan

Excellent look at early 20th century wilderness expeditions., September 18, 1998
Patterson makes a 200 mile snowshoe trek in 50 below weather to pick up the mail seem like slightly unusual walk to the post office!

AWESOME BOOK!, October 20, 2005
I purchased Dangerous River: Adventure on the Nahanni to use as research for my latest release, The River, an exciting and terrifying techno-thriller that takes place on the Nahanni River.

I found Dangerous River to be invaluable to me, and after reading it, I yearn to travel to the Nahanni River to see this wonderful part of Canada.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a true Canadian adventure. The photos take you back to a simpler life, and the author's humor and attention to detail are entertaining.

~ Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Author of Divine Intervention ... Read more

Editorial Review

John Denison and his crew waited for the coldest, darkest days of winter every year to set out to build a 325-mile road made of ice and snow, from Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories to a silver mine on Great Bear Lake, above the Arctic Circle. Denison's Ice Road is their story. Edith Iglauer was the first outsider ever to accompany them as they worked. This book, her chronicle of a grueling, fascinating journey through Canada's North, has sold over 20,000 copies since its first publication in 1974. ... Read more

Reviews

Driving Freight Trucks on Water, December 28, 1999
This is a great true adventure story about the modern-day north by the New Yorker's intrepid reporter of Inuit Journey and Fishing with John Fame. In this outing she booked on for a season with a slightly manic crew of grizzled arctic hands whose specialty is ploughing roads across the frozen tundra so convoys of freight trucks can get into the isolated communities and mines of the Cnadian barren lands. No end of hair-raising adventure and gruelling ordeals, all leavened by humorous interplay between the gruff expedition leader, John Denison, and the all-thumbs city-girl repoorter.

Wonderful book about an adventure job, May 5, 2006
I first learned about Ice Road Trucking watching a special on TV called "ICE ROAD TRUCKERS". The video was so fascinating that I had to get the book. The BOOK IS MUCH BETTER than any account I have seen on TV. The book gives accounts of individual incidents that add to the book's appeal. Edith Iglauer writes in a wonderful way that holds your attention while giving you enough factual detail. You NEVER have to think "What did she (the author) mean by that". I thoroughly enjoyed the book and have loaned it to friends. Those friends have enjoyed it as well.

AMAZING story....., August 31, 2008
This is an amazing book.....I've read it, lent it out to friends, and finally had to chase it down and take it back because I wanted to read it again, in the midst of the "Ice Road Truckers" series. John Denison was one of the guys that "started it all" up there, building the ice roads. to think that he allowed a woman to come along and write about it just boggles the mind. To think she DID it just boggles the mind. We're talking the 70's here, pre-computer, pre-GPS, pre-cell phone. In this book, John Denison is ailing, but he actually lived to be 84 years old and was honored by the Canadian government for his efforts at the ice road building. A wonderful story. If you are an "Ice Road Trucker" fan, do not hesitate one bit, get this book. If you are just looking for an interesting book with historical perspective on the Far North, this is it. I highly recommend this book.

The story of some amazing men, July 28, 2005
This book tells the story of an incredible journey through conditions you won't wish on your worst enemy. It includes their triumphs and failures. Great for anyone working in a boring job that wants to read about those whose jobs are a great adventure!

THANK YOU!, October 10, 2008
I AM VERY HAPPY WITH THIS PURCHASE. I TOTALLY LOVED THIS BOOK! THANX! ... Read more

Editorial Review

"Every word of it I enjoyed, and I don't think that there is a single change to be made in it," wrote legendary editor Maxwell Perkins when he read the manuscript of Northern Nurse in 1941.The public agreed, keeping it on the New York Times bestseller list for 17 weeks. Now a new edition of this classic is available from The Countryman Press.

By turns lyrical, comic, and genuinely moving, Northern Nurse tells the story of Australian nurse Kate Austen and her adventures at Labrador's Grenfell Mission. Written by her husband, Elliott Merrick, it celebrates not only the unspoiled realm of the North, but also a woman's self-fulfillment there. ... Read more

Editorial Review

From Captain George Vancouver to Muriel "Curve of Time" Blanchet to Jim "Spilsbury's Coast" Spilsbury, visitors to Desolation Sound have left behind a trail of books endowing the area with a romantic aura that helps to make it British Columbia's most popular marine park. In this hilarious and captivating book, CBC personality Grant Lawrence adds a whole new chapter to the saga of this storied piece of BC coastline.

Young Grant's father bought a piece of land next to the park in the 1970s, just in time to encounter the gun-toting cougar lady, left-over hippies, outlaw bikers and an assortment of other characters. In those years Desolation Sound was a place where going to the neighbours' potluck meant being met with hugs from portly naked hippies and where Russell the Hermit's school of life (boating, fishing, and rock 'n' roll) was Grant's personal Enlightenment--an influence that would take him away from the coast to a life of music and journalism and eventually back again.

With rock band buddies and a few cases of beer in tow, an older, cooler Grant returns to regale us with tales of "going bush," the tempting dilemma of finding an unguarded grow-op, and his awkward struggle to convince a couple of visiting kayakers that he's a legit CBC radio host while sporting a wild beard and body wounds and gesticulating with a machete. With plenty of laugh-out-loud humour and inspired reverence, Adventures in Solitude delights us with the unique history of a place and the growth of a young man amidst the magic of Desolation Sound. ... Read more

Editorial Review

In 1957, Farley Mowat shipped out aboard one of Newfoundland’s famous coastal steamers, tramping from outport to outport along the southwest coast. The indomitable spirit of the people and the bleak beauty of the landscape would lure him back again and again over theyears. In the process of falling in love with a people and a place, Mowat also met the woman who would be the great love of his life.

A stunningly beautiful and talented young artist, Claire Wheeler insouciantly climbed aboard Farley’s beloved but jinxed schooner as it lay on the St. Pierre docks, once again in a cradle for repairs, and changed both their lives forever. This is the story of that love affair, of summers spent sailing the Newfoundland coast, and of their decision to start their life together in Burgeo, one of the province’s last remaining outports. It is also an unforgettable portrait of the last of the outport people and a way of life that had survived for centuries but was now passing forever.

Affectionate, unsentimental, this is a burnished gem from an undiminished talent.

I was inside my vessel painting the cabin when I heard the sounds of a scuffle nearby. I poked my head out the companionway in time to see a lithesome young woman swarming up the ladder which leaned against Happy Adventure’s flank. Whining expectantly, the shipyard dog was endeavouring to follow this attractive stranger. I could see why. As slim and graceful as a ballet dancer (which, I would later learn, was one of her avocations), she appeared to be wearing a gleaming golden helmet (her own smoothly bobbed head of hair) and was as radiantly lovely as any Saxon goddess. I invited her aboard, while pushing the dog down the ladder.

“That’s only Blanche,” I reassured my visitor. “He won’t bite. He’s just, uh . . . being friendly.”

“That’s nice to know,” she said sweetly. Then she smiled . . . and I was lost.
–From Bay of Spirits


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Reviews

A tale of two loves...but you'll want more of both., August 19, 2007
This is the tale of two love stories -- one covered extensively, one almost glossed over by books' end.

Farley Mowat came to Newfoundland in the early 1960s and fell in love, both with the land and its people, and with a young artist named Claire Wheeler. It's the former that Mowat dwells upon the most in this book, and as a reader I left frustrated because we learn so comparatively little about Claire and about their life together. It takes 1/3 of the book for Mowat to reveal that he was married when he met Claire, and that the the tug of his family -- including two sons -- delayed his eventual divorce. His former family is dismissed in a paragraph.

Having faced the music, Mowat settles down with Claire aboard his famously unseaworthy boat, "Happy Adventure", the star the classic "The Boat Who Wouldn't Float." Readers of "The Boat" will be startled by anecdotes, names and dates changing from one book to another. It gives creedence to the charge leveled against Mowat that he never lets the facts get in the way of a good story.

Ultimately this lovely book covers a period of but seven years, and ends just after Mowat's futile attempt to stop the people of his adopted home of Burgeo from killing a whale that has become trapped in a tidal pond. The whale died, the locals were savaged by the press, and the Mowats decided it was time to leave Burgeo and venture in Happy Adventure to Expo 67 (a voyage that nearly ended many times, if "The Boat" is to be believed.)

This is a wonderful book but I wanted more -- what happened to Happy Adventure? What happened to Mowat's sons? Where did they settle after the Expo trip? Much has happened between 1967 and now! -- I hope to hear more about the Mowat's voyages though these most interesting times.

Storm-tossed and falling in love - with a place and a woman, May 31, 2007
Farley Mowat's notion of an idyllic day's sail more often than not involves heavy seas in shallow, rocky waters, accompanied by gale force winds, pelting rain and/or pea-soup fog, in a leaky boat with engine issues.

Therefore armchair adventurers will enjoy this memoir of Mowat's 1960s love affair with "a special woman and a special world" as much as romantic sorts looking for travel among the bygone fishing villages of Newfoundland.

Readers familiar with Mowat, however, will know there must be bitter with the sweet. The Newfie fishing communities, fiercely independent and attached to their way of life like limpets to a rock, were in serious decline by the 1960s. The teeming schools of fish had disappeared under the relentless onslaught of the big fishing operations and the government wanted to resettle the fishermen in factory towns, bringing Newfoundland (which had only joined Canada in 1949) squarely into the 20th century.

The book opens with Mowat's harrowing and exhilarating trip aboard a 200-foot coastal steamer, one of six (now gone), which took freight and passengers to the outposts of Newfoundland, their main contact with the world.

"Newfoundland is of the sea. A mighty granite stopper thrust into the mouth of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, its coasts present more than five thousand miles of rocky headlands, bays, capes, and fiords to the sweep of the Atlantic. Everywhere hidden reefs, which are called, with dreadful explicitness, sunkers, wait to rip open the bellies of unwary vessels."

Though Mowat saw little of the coast, due to foul weather and impenetrable fog, he was hooked. He bought a fish-slimed schooner, renamed it Happy Adventure and arranged to have it refitted for cruising.

But, flying in to reclaim his refurbished boat, he makes a dismaying discovery. "My wishes had conflicted with centuries of tradition, which dictated that space allotted to people aboard a boat must be kept to the irreducible minimum so as to leave as much room as possible for fish."

Then, on its maiden voyage the boat sprung a leak, a serious leak. The bilge pump jammed, the fog rolled in, water engulfed the engine and they (Mowat and his friend and longtime publisher, Jack McClelland) luckily ran aground. Next trip out they realized they should have had the compass adjusted while fixing the leak.

It was while working on Happy Adventure that Mowat met Claire Wheeler, a Toronto artist. It was love at first sight, but after several mostly idyllic (including the requisite sprinkle of sudden storms, engine troubles and fog) the pair go their separate ways. Mowat was already married, with two small children, a fact he had previously failed to mention to the reader and which naturally casts a bit of a pall.

Though Mowat makes no excuses, his friends and family - and hers too - seem remarkably enthusiastic about the romance. Either his first marriage was something awful, which does not seem the case, or his memory has reshaped itself. Eventually Mowat tells his wife and goes off with Claire.

They take up residence in Burgeo, Newfoundland, and continue spending summers sailing the coast and meeting its people. While a few communities are insular and suspicious, most are immediately hospitable, inviting the couple into their homes for meals, drink, stories and, when called for, a bed.

Arriving in Francois (Fransway) during a Force 7 gale, he and Claire are taken in by a friend who fed them rabbit soup and roast caribou. Mowat then "learned that it would be necessary for Les to take us to visit every single one of the family connections to show he and Carol weren't trying to hoard us. Visitors had to be shared, just like everything else in an outpost."

The anecdotes and tall tales Mowat collects form an endlessly fascinating portrait of people's work lives, bravery, quirks, superstitions, and customs. These are seamlessly complemented by historical research and interviews, documenting the long and inexorable decline of a proud, hardscrabble way of life. There is regret and sadness, but no self-pity among the Newfies.

Mowat has written more than 40 books, mostly about the people, places, creatures and history of a rapidly disappearing natural world. While this book meanders more than some, his customary passion, humor and eloquence draw the reader into his world.

But it's a world in which he remains an outsider. He is reminded of this from time to time, but the senseless killing of a lone whale (documented in "A Whale for the Killing") stranded in a nearby lake, ends the book and the Mowats' happy sojourn in Burgeo. Though many disapproved of the louts who slaughtered the whale for sport, more disapproved of Mowats' actions in bringing the press down upon them.

A postscript lists other Mowat Newfoundland books, including "This Rock Within the Sea" "Sea of Slaughter," and "The Farfarers." "The Boat Who Wouldn't Float" describes his restoration of the Happy Adventure.

A book with interesting parts but lacking in integrity, August 21, 2009
Farley Mowat writes well and his material is usually interesting. I don't like his mix of the personal and the "antropologic" in this tale of adultery. I found it disingenuous that on page 79 (hardcover edition) he reveals:"Claire had to return to Toronto and her job. I was a married man...." Then a few pages later, he gives Claire's response to his phone call:"I never expected to hear your voice once we were back in Ontario. I ... was sure it could never be more than a summer romance ... when you were a man with two small children." Well, eventually they found a way. When Mowat's wife refused him a divorce, he and Claire decided to call themselves man and wife and live "common law." It's ironic that in the chapter entitled "Seduction," Mowat tells how he reported a large suspicious vessel that refused to identify itself to the Canadian authorities, who obligingly sent a bomber to check out the vessel-- which still refused to reply--and then got the US Navy to send a destroyer to stop the vessel. The ship was the yacht of an otherwise low-profile millionaire who had skipped the paperwork and sailed into Canadian waters to do some illegal salmon fishing. Mowat waxes over the millionaire's "arrogance" in not following the legalities; Mowat makes disparaging comments on the yacht's release and accusingly mentions the great wealth of the yacht's owner as the deciding factor. Mowat's indignation is comical and ironic here. Was the yacht owner so different from Mowat, who ignored the paperwork that would make his "marriage" to Claire legal? And Mowat doesn't condemn another ship's official who refused to let him and Claire share a cabin because they didn't have a marriage license, but reversed himself when Mowat announced he wanted their fares refunded. So it was okay when money talked for "the Mowats," but not okay when it talked for the yacht owner. As another reviewer mentioned, this double standard casts a pall on the story--not to mention Mowat's integrity. This is a book that Mowat couldn't have written at the time the events were happening--too much social disapproval then. Nor do I think he would have included the oft-repeated swear word "she-c..t," which even today is very rarely seen in print.

A "natural" love story, September 8, 2007
Farley Mowat writes a moving story about how he met his wife Claire by accident while trying to escape a vicious dog, and, in doing so, also "kills two birds with one stone" by portraying the colorful, insular people of Newfoundland in the 1950's as well as the inhabitants of the almost unheard of French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon in the North Atlantic off the coast of St. John, NF. I would highly recommend this book to those who enjoy learning about new places and people, and at the same time would want to curl up with a well-written love story. ... Read more

Editorial Review

In June of 2002, the author and his friend set out to descend by canoe a rarely traveled and extremely remote wilderness river in northern Saskatchewan--the MacFarlane River--and eventually arrive at pristine Lake Athabasca.?It is a river journey few have attempted (the first recorded descent was in 1991), passing through an uninhabited and inhospitable region of the vast Canadian north. It is an area rarely entered and even more rarely written about.? From encounters with nasty grizzlies to some of the most challenging conditions imaginable, David Curran manages to survive his first foray into true wilderness and writes about his adventure in a style reminiscent of Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods"--with self-deprecating humor and a novice's appreciation for all things wild. In addition, the book explores the natural and human history of the region, as well as describes the choosing, planning and carrying out of a wilderness canoe trip in a style that is informative and engaging.? ... Read more

Reviews

Enjoyable...right to the thrilling end, February 26, 2010
My husband's the canoe enthusiast, not me. But I grabbed this book to take on a long plane flight because 1) of its size, and 2) I love travel stories. This is a really good one about a remote region of Canada rarely traveled and about the author and his friend who lived to tell the story - really...they almost didn't. Such an interesting story - well written.

A good armchair adventure, January 6, 2010
This is a recounting of a canoe trip taken by the author and a friend on an extremely remote wilderness river, the MacFarlane, in northern Saskatchewan. Curran describes his previous canoeing experience in wilderness areas of Maine. But, he explains, even though there are not many people there, there is evidence of their presence with dirt roads, trails, etc. He was looking for something more pristine. His descriptions of the MacFarlane area, from the geology, to the black flies that made life miserable, is very detailed. I really enjoyed this book and came away with the sense that I had shared the experience which is what every arm chair adventurer wants. ( ) ... Read more

Editorial Review

A darkly comic memoir of Charlie Wilkins’s year as a twenty-year-old student-grave digger in the swinging sixties.

In the summer of 1969, Charlie Wilkins was a young man in search ofa job. Turned down by a dozen potential employers—including ShubangUsed Tire and Dick’s Nifty Car Wash—Wilkins landed an unlikely job at avast corporate cemetery as a “bone waxer,” handling “bird-houses”(urns), and earning an invaluable education about life as a caregiverin death.

From reckless disinterments, to a mid-summergravediggers’ strike, to the illegal shifting of bones from untendedgraves, In the Land of Long Fingernails is a coming-of-age story amongextraordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. It offers up aBarnum-esque cavalcade of “slay carpenters,” “dirt nappers,” mavericksand misfits, shifty plot salesmen, and drug-addled gravediggers, yet italso shows us their uncertainty and superstitions, and theirrelentless gallows humor amid the inevitable reminders of what it is,finally, to be human.

In the funny and dark spirit of Thomas Lynch’s best-selling The Undertaking, Mary Roach’s hit Stiff, and Six Feet Under, In the Land of Long Fingernails is a testament not just to unexpected friendship but also to late sixties culture, and to the art and power of storytelling.

Reviews

Them Below and Those that put Them There, August 6, 2009
Charles Wilkins's "In The Land of Long Fingernails" is a rollicking good summer read. Great fun! After you've read this book, you'll never see any cemetery the same way. The insights gained from reading this hilarious and macabre tale will have you looking at stones and graves with a much sharper eye, privy to insider knowledge about what is down there and what it took to get them there.

There is technical terminology to be mastered: cracker boxes, sinkers, stinkers, brown patrol and more.

Although Wilkins's tale tells a lot about the dead, it tells us even more about the living. The odd cast of characters from "Scotty," the long-suffering and insufferable manager of the cemetery and finally, "Alcoholic Emeritus," to the grave-digger work crew are Wilkins's companions in this summer of 1969, the year of Woodstock.

Of special note is his confidant and mentor, Luccio, more than a decade older than the then 19-year Wilkins. Luccio is a most unique role-model. Fellow grave-digger Norman, whose raison-d'etre is rock musician, plays showy riffs on air guitar is quietly unmasked as a mere equipment guy. Peter the Dutchman, "senior gravedigger" and heir-apparent to Scotty; Fred, a one-armed former juggler and WWII prison-camp survivor; the oafish Hogjaw; and finally, "non-man" Denise hired as the first female gravedigger round out the other living who made this summer job so memorable for Wilkins.

Five stars! "In the Land of Long Fingernails" is more a coming-of-age tale and a tale about the living than it is a tale about cemetery work, dying and decomposition.

one of a kind, April 20, 2010
This book combines very interesting material (working in a graveyard), David-Sedaris-level humor, and some very skilled writing. It tells the story of the author's very interesting summer job while a university student back in the 60s.

The details of the cemetery business are particularly interesting. Take "sinkers," for example. That's what it's called when a casket collapses and then forms a depression above. What the workers on "sinker patrol" do is make cuts in the sod, peel it back, fill in some dirt, then zip it back up.

The day-to-day chores are particularly interesting, but there are also some major events that happen during the summer - an exhumation, a strike (including putting the bodies "on ice" in the chapel until it's over), the introduction of a female worker, and more.

What really makes the book though are the characters. And characters they are. The two main ones are the boss, an alcoholic Scotsman who's been there forever, and an over-educated Italian with anarchist leanings. Wilkins really has a touch for this odd bunch and their fascinating interactions.

The book also combines a feel for the summer of 1969 (the smell of marijuana pervades everything) and a bit of a coming-of-age story.

Interestingly, I debated giving this book a 4. Why? In general, the irreverence the book shows is what makes this book so funny. The humor is really quite biting. Unfortunately, it's also unrelenting. When the author needs to soften up (e.g., when the boss's wife dies and he subsequently falls apart) he simply can't do it.

Nonetheless, this is a great book and a super writer. Why haven't I heard of this guy before? He really deserves to be much better known.

Excellent!, July 27, 2009
Once I started In the Land of Long Fingernails, I couldn't put it down. This memoir of a 19-year old working in a cemetery in the summer of 1969 was so captivating: the characters are hilarious, whether you love them or hate them, and the day-to-day activities are written so that you feel like you're right there in the graves with them - through the fun times and the chaos! Wilkins is a great story teller, and knows how to keep the reader enthralled with each page. I'm looking forward to his next work!

An intriguing, different kind of memoir, September 15, 2009
IN THE LAND OF LONG FINGERNAILS; A GRAVEDIGGER IN THE AGE OF AQUARIUS tells of a college student who takes a job as a gravedigger - and discovers his job involves more than just digging graves. His witnessing of a midsummer gravedigger's strike, the unearthing of a victim of unsolved murder, and more makes for an involving guide packed with surprises, twists and turns of plot. An intriguing, different kind of memoir. ... Read more

Editorial Review

With No Man's River, Farley Mowat has penned his best Arctic tale in years. This book chronicles his life among Metis trappers and native people as they struggle to eke out a living in a brutal environment.

In the spring of 1947, putting the death and devastation of WWII behind him, Mowat joined a scientific expedition. In the remote reaches of Manitoba, he witnessed an Eskimo population ravaged by starvation and disease brought about by the white man. In his efforts to provide the natives with some of the assistance that the government failed to provide, Mowat set out on an arduous journey that collided with one of nature's most arresting phenomena—the migration of the Arctic's caribou herds. Mowat was based at Windy Post with a Metis trapper and two Ihalmiut children. A young girl, known as Rita, is painted with special vividness—checking the trap lines with the men, riding atop a sled, smoking a tiny pipe. Farley returns to the North two decades later and discovers the tragic fate that befell her. Combining his exquisite portraits with awe-inspiring passages on the power of nature, No Man's River is another riveting memoir from one of North America's most beloved writers. ... Read more

Reviews

Tough Guy in a Tough Land, September 2, 2004
Readers can count this book as one more captivating true tale of Canada's far north, told by its best-read authority. The young Farley Mowat, returning disillusioned from the War in 1947 and thinking to become a biologist, joined with a taxonomist on a collecting "scientific" expedition into the Barren Lands of Northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The headstrong 26 year old was improbably paired up with a disciplined naturalist of the old school, who killed and skinned every animal he could shoot, poison or trap. After a while, Farley, having seen enough killing in the war, became disillusioned with this approach to appreciating the wonders of nature, and deserted his post in favor of exploring the largely uninhabited territory in the company of an Indian half-breed, Charles Schweder. His real desire was to contact the "People of the Deer," the Imhalmiut. These people came to be idealized in Farley's mind as a people "uncontaminated with the murderous aberrations of civilized man."

Mowat gives a clear picture of the hardships encountered by the few inhabitants of this harsh landscape. By the time of the expedition, the Imhalmiut had dwindled to only a few scattered bands, having been nearly wiped out in a succession of epidemics. Farley tells of the well-intended but sporadic and largely ineffectual aid given to them by the Canadian government and its minions, and how Schweder had been traumatized by his experience in a partially successful rescue attempt he had made the year previous. His rescue of a six year old replacement for his child bride, dead of starvation, presents the reader (and Mowat) with a thought- provoking moral dilemma. So much for the myth of the noble savage...

For me, though, the message of the book was how uncaring and ruthless "Mother Nature" really is, and how down and dirty a bare-handed struggle it is. He, Thoreau-like, at one point meticulously gives a complete list of the things they chose to carry on their epic trip down an unmapped river system: guns and ammo, flour, sugar, baking soda, canned food, gasoline and oil for their outboard motor, tarps and tents. Even with all these products of Western technology, their trip was hair-raising and nearly disastrous. And the bugs!

For such a rough subject, this turns out to be an engrossing tale and hard to put down. On the other hand, the map requires a magnifying glass to read and there are no illustrations. I really appreciated, though, the last chapter, in which he follows up on the fate of the characters he encountered, giving the reader some "closure" as it is disgustingly called these days.

I found it a little curious, though, that Mowat felt the need to apologize in a postscript for his use of some now politically incorrect words, such as Indian, half-breed, and Eskimo. This is largely a story of the encounters of people with different cultures, of different races, viewed through eyes that are quite a bit more honest than is usually tolerated by the demagogues and girly-men of our sensitive time.

Another outstanding book by Farley Mowat, January 28, 2005
Farley Mowat has been one of my favorite authors since I was in 6th grade in the early 1960s. I ordered a copy of "Two Against the North" from the Arrow Book Club and read it over and over. The story of two boys from different cultures trying to survive winter in the barrens was riveting to me, a gal firmly stuck in the suburbs. Mowat's descriptions of glacial landforms in that book remained with me and were recalled with every earth science and geology lesson I ever took. (The book can be found in some libraries under the title "Lost in the Barrens"--a great read for a middle schooler curious about the world outside familiar places.) Part of what I loved about No Man's River was that the journeys described were clearly the basis for many aspects of "Lost in the Barrens"--kind of like an echo of an old favorite. Mowat is the consummate story teller--reading his books makes you want to sit around a campfire with him for several hours hearing spin his yarns. One of my favorite quotes comes from him--"Never let the facts get in the way of a good story." No Man's River has jaw-dropping adventure as well as thought provoking commentary on the clash of vastly different cultures. Enjoy!

Amazing, as always, September 16, 2005
No matter how many books he writes, Farley Mowat continues to amaze his fans. His non-fiction is never dry or uninspiring, though he's a talented fiction writer as well, and this faithful reader of his work is certainly not disappointed. Thank you again, Mr. Mowat for your great writing. It is truly appreciated!
Chrissy K. McVay

A priceless look into a word that is probably gone forever., August 23, 2005
A book I could not put down. It is a well written insight into a world that none of us will ever experience. Mr. Mowat is a great story teller and a national treasure. Anyone who is interested in the least about people and lands of the north must read this book. ... Read more