Recently Released
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Recently Caught
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Social Links
Bookish Quotes
"A book is not harmless merely because no one is consciously offended by it."
Voyageurs
|
Voyageurs
Buy from one of these Booksellers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
3 journalers for this copy...
|
|
|
|
|
|
This wonderful book deserves to be better known. I'm releasing it as an RABCK to goatgirrl, a Canadian BXer. I wish it well, may its journey be as surprising and life-changing as Mark Greenhow's.The picture shows a couple of Herdwick sheep, the now rare native breed of the Lake District, as kept by the hill farmer in the book, Mark Greenhow. |
|
|
|
|
Voyageurs arrived in yesterday's mail -- thank you so much! I really can't wait to read this book, as I know the area in which the novel is set very well (I lived in both Toronto and Ottawa throughout the 1980s and 90s), and I've always been interested in the history of the territory formerly known as Upper Canada. Thanks again, ruthwater -- this was very kind of you. (At left: the river in my current neighbourhood -- the Fraser River, as seen from the top of my street.)
|
|
|
|
|
Ruthwater -- I'm absolutely loving this book, already. I read the first 40 pages on my way home from work this evening, furiously jotting down place names mentioned by Mark in the first chapters of the book. When I got home, I had to find out immediately which of the places he lists are fictional, and which are real (it turns out none of them are fictional). Here's one of the maps I dredged up on the internet, for the edification of future readers (the hamlet of Mungrisdale, where Mark's family home is located, is marked by the red star in the middle of the map). More to come in another day or two.
|
|
|
|
|
Oh dear, I hope this doesn't become tiresome for others, but Voyageurs has me hauling out my atlas every ten minutes, keen to follow Mark's progress as he accompanies the North West Company's voyageurs from Lachine, Quebec (circled in map at left), nothwest along the Ottawa River (known in the book by its French name -- the "Outaouais"), through the Chaudiere rapids (now situated between downtown Ottawa and the city of Gatineau, Quebec), and up the Ottawa to the mouth of the Mattawa River. Having lived in Ottawa for ten years, this is my old hiking/camping territory, and it's amazing to be transported back in time through this novel, and to think about Ottawa valley geography from Mark Greenhow's perspective. I'm still completely captivated by Voyageurs, ruthwater -- more notes to come. |
|
|
|
|
This map shows the portion of the route taken by Mark and the voyageurs described at pp. 153 - 154 of the book. Having reached confluence of the Ottawa and Mattawa rivers (site of the modern-day town of Mattawa, Ontario), they paddled up the Mattawa, laterally "pushing the canoes through rushing water" and "wading thigh-deep". From Trout Lake, the headwater of the Mattawa, they crossed what Mark describes as "Mud Portages" (which sounds like the site of the modern-day city of North Bay, Ontario), then crossed Lake Nippissing and "fairly flew down the French River", past the modern-day reserve of Dokis First Nation (which happens to be the home reserve of my close friend, Jenny, and the favourite fishing spot of another friend, John -- it's a small world!).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, here I am back at the atlas (both an old-fashioned "hand-held" atlas, as well as Mapquest). I'm at about p. 250 of the book, and Mark is staying in Mackinac as what I presume will become the War of 1812 breaks out. The map at left shows the route from the French River (see previous journal entry) to Georgian Bay, then along the north side of Lake Huron to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, then south to what is now Mackinaw City, Michigan (Mackinaw City is circled, and Mackinac Island is contained within the smaller circle-inside-the-circle). From there, it seems, he'll be heading to the Manitou Islands (also circled) in Lake Michigan, southwest of Mackinac. (These are not, as I'd previously speculated, the same place as Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I finished Voyageurs on the plane today, traveling between Vancouver and Ottawa via Toronto. It was such a strange experience to be reading about the settlement of York -- which later became Toronto -- as it was in the early 1800s, then to look down as the plane was landing to see the massive urban sprawl alongside Lake Ontario (Toronto is now a city of more than 5 million). I tried to imagine how the settlement would have looked in 1811 when Mark Greenhow arrived there, and I thought how flabbergasted he would be to see it now ...Voyageurs was a fascinating read for me on so many levels. It made me think differently about routes in Ontario and Quebec I’ve traveled frequently in my life, and about how much Canada has changed in such a short period of time. Elphinstone’s descriptions of early 19th century interaction between members of the Ottawa* Indian tribe and the French, British and American settlers around the Great Lakes were fascinating. The stories of Loic, Pakane and Waase’aaban brought to life the phenomenon of "country wives" (about which I’d read in less soulful terms in other histories of the fur trade), and made real the confusion and uncertainty both white and Ojibwe individuals and their families must have felt about such relationships. I was also fascinated by the information contained in Voyageurs about early Quaker communities in Upper Canada (there is still, by the way, a Yonge Street Friends Meeting based in Newmarket, Ontario). Like people of all nationalities, most Canadians are a little bored with our cultural and historical icons (check out the real Algonquin birch bark canoe in the Ottawa Airport in the photo at left, in front of which Voyageurs is posing for the camera --- the photo was snapped this afternoon!). So it takes a good writer, and an original plot line, to reinvest those motifs and themes with enough depth, intrigue and originality to make us return to them, prepared to look in a new way. For me, this was the real success of Voyageurs. It captured my imagination and kept me hooked for almost 500 pages. More importantly, it’s given me a deeper understanding of the history of Canadian/American/First Nations history in the Great Lakes region. (To which I would add: at this juncture in Canada/USA relations, a pause to remember the War of 1812 may be timely!) Indeed there is such a place as Bois Blanc Island. It’s located in the Strait of Mackinac, and can be reached by ferry from Cheboygan, Michigan, a few miles southeast of Mackinaw City (see previous maps). The largest settlement on the Island is Pointe aux Pins, which sounds like it’s comprised of a few cottages and one school in which two students are enrolled this year (amazing what you can learn on the internet!). Thanks, ruthwater, for the opportunity to read this book. One more journal entry to discuss release options to follow. *I was actually confused by the tribal designation "Ottawa", which I’d never heard before in Canada. Apparently the Ottawa were an Ojibwe people who lived on the northern shores of Lake Huron. I think in Canada the tribal designation "Ottawa" has been replaced over time by the broader designations of Ojibwe and Anishinabek -- meaning "original people", both of which are heard more often. |
|
|
|
|
I had a fun idea for the next release of this book, but a little prowling around BookCrossing leads me to believe it may not be viable. I thought it would be interesting to find a BookCrosser in Lachine, Quebec, or Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, or even South Manitou Island, Michigan, and send the book to him or her. Maybe that person could even be coaxed into posting a picture or two! I used the "browse members" function in the BookCrossing interface, but haven't yet found a compelling candidate (we'd need an active BookCrosser who looks like he/she would be interested in historical fiction). I've also thought -- maybe you'd like the book back, after all this chat about the contents? I'd be happy to mail it back to you, as well. Let me know your thoughts.(Photo of Ojibwe couple at left is from Mirror of Race, a beautiful internet site about representation of race in early American photography.) |
|
|
|
|
Sharing this book with you has been a wonderfully rich experience - not only getting to know someone new, but sharing the many maps, Internet links and other information that brought the story to life. If I'd kept the book, I would only have had half the picture. Now I want to re-read it in the light of all I've learned.What stays with me about the story is firstly the evocation of landscape and, secondly, the sensitivity with which Elphinstone plots Mark's inner journey. In this respect it reminded me of "The Lord of the Rings". The reader is propelled through the narrative, anxious to have her questions answered and everything resolved. Suddenly, that point is reached and you realise it doesn't matter any more. What matters is the journey and how it has changed the traveller. There's a very influential book, "The Writer's Journey" by Christopher Vogler, which heavily influenced Lucas, Spielberg and many other Hollywood greats. Based on Jung and Campbell, it analyses the heroic journey and argues convincingly that we all subconsciously want our stories to be this way, thus explaining the popularity of movies like "Star Wars" and "Titanic." They may not be the best movies you'll ever see, but they stay close to the story blueprint. And one of the main points is that the hero's "outer journey" is paralleled by an "inner journey". For example, in "Temple of Doom," the story isn't just whether Indiana Jones will find the sacred stone and free the kids, it's about whether he'll abandon short-term booty-hunting and rediscover his ideals. Luke Skywalker, and Harry Potter, want to know the truth of their parentage and, therefore, their identity. And so on. To get back to Mark Greenhow, this book isn't just about finding Rachel. It's about finding Mark, the real person smothered by culture and well-intentioned dogma. The real Mark grows his hair long, takes an Indian woman and smokes tobacco. Just as the real Frodo Baggins was capable of selling out on Mount Doom and putting on the ring. And, in both cases, we find ourselves wondering how the changed hero will handle the return to his ordinary existence, knowing what he now does about himself. It's a very tricky one to pull off, and I think both Tolkien and ME get it right by having a long, sustained and staged return to "civilization". Interestingly, both also employ elaborate framing devices. We need the footnotes from Mark in his middle age to see that he has survived the transition. And what a clever device, to keep the identity of his wife a secret! I was particularly struck by the scene where Mark, that master of Quaker probity, has to face the social fall-out from his casual bedding of Waasse'abaan. Release plans - well, I feel this book is destined to travel, so I wouldn't want it back. I shall buy another copy (BTW, its journey began at a bookstore in Aviemore, in the Scottish Highlands. I had finished a long walk and was killing time until Monday and the first train home). You could offer it to the Bois Blanc folks in one of their forums. I don't think it matters whether they are bookcrossers yet - chances are this might convert them anyway. Or we could write up this whole, remarkable exchange for the BX site and see who gets in touch. Or just wait for the book to tell you what to do (if that isn't too New Agey!) Meanwhile, what do you want to read next? PS. The illustration is of George Fox preaching in the Lake District - a panel from the remarkable Quaker Tapestry in Kendal (which is just outside the Lake District National Park in the south-east direction (junction 36 on the M6 freeway). To see the whole thing, visit http://www.quaker-tapestry.co.uk |
|
|
|
|
I'll be mailing Voyageurs to oturps in Toronto, Ontario tomorrow (November 3, 04). She has offered to share the book with her father-in-law in Sault Ste. Marie -- a Canadian history buff. Oturps -- I really hope you and your father-in-law will enjoy the book! Best wishes from New Westminster, BC (at left: a foggy sunrise over the Fraser River last week).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
