Columbia [Hardcover]

Pamela Jekel (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the opening sequence of this plodding generational saga, a Neanderthal called First Boy kills a mastodon by the banks of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest. A few pages later, in 1792, the family chronicle of the Demers clan officially begins when a Chinook Indian princess is driven by a spiritual vision to marry a white trader, Duncan McDougal. Their son, Caleb, a half-breed raised by the white Demers family, marries a woman who had been raped by a Cayuse brave. Their descendents build a logging empire and participate in the construction of Washington's Grand Coulee Dam. In the 1980s, scion Nelson Demers, a journalist, helps archeologist Lisa Sing try to uncover evidence of First Boy's ancient triumph before the upstart river floods it out of reach for all time. Jekel (Sea Star has researched the river's history well, making interesting analogies between the ebb and flow of the water and the trying tides of human affairs, but in her preoccupation with the Columbia, she neglects to bring her characters to life.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Historical fiction at its best by an author who has thoroughly researched a subject she loves, and who can write. This fascinating saga of the Columbia River begins 9000 years ago and ends with a present-day archaeological dig. The saga of the family involved with the river starts in 1792 with Ilchee, a Chinook shaman who marries a white trader. Each succeeding generation plays a vital part in the progress of the Columbia country in the Pacific Northwest, as it produces its abundant riches of salmon, fur, lumber, and water. The characters are strong, vivid, passionate, and the writing is rich in local color and humor. Sister Avila, Acad. of the Holy Angels, Minneapolis
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 428 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (June 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312150962
• ISBN-13: 978-0312150969
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.7 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,899,350 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great historical novel, December 15, 2000

By 

Sharon L. Dibble (Tigard, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Columbia (Paperback)

I am from the Pacific Northwest and this is one super book! I enjoyed reading it and was facinated with the accuracy of this historical novel. I highly recommend it! It is a "hard to put down" book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historically accurate and spelling binding, February 19, 2001

By 

Lorraine R. Friberg "So many books" (Puyallup, Washington United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Columbia (Hardcover)

This is one of the finest historical novels that I have read. I am a real fan of Pamela Jeckel. All of her novels are meticulously researched and historically accurate. Her use of both the human saga and the animal life of the area are interwoven and really two stories in one. I am a Northwest native and reading of the history of the mighty Columbia before man was in the area, to the building of the Gramd Coulee Dam was an eye opener. The lives of the characters are interwoven from the Portland Chinese immigrant woman, the Indian shaman, and the dam builder. A terrific book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, April 30, 2011

By 

Misfit (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Columbia (Hardcover)

The Columbia River begins its journey in the mountains of British Columbia and travels over 1,200 miles before it empties into the Pacific ocean. Jekel gives the reader a closer look at the river's history, from its very beginnings as the upheaval of the earth literally cut a new path through the Cascade range and sent the river west towards the ocean, to the time when it ran free and thick with salmon, and then to the present when its energy is harnessed to provide electricity and the nature of the river forever changed.

The book is broken up into several sections, with a jump of a generation between them, but all tying back to Chinook princess and shaman Ilchee, who as a young girl traveled alone into the mountains where she met "the raven" who spoke to her of the river's future,

"And Raven told her that the river would be tamed like a dog, the people would die, the land will float, and the red fish will come no more."

The ships begin arriving as well as the Hudson's Bay Company who builds forts at Astoria and Vancouver. The River people are eager to trade, but get more than they bargained for when they succumb to the diseases that also come with the white men. In the next section, the wagon trains begin arriving from the east and Suzanna and her father rest from the journey at the Whitman Mission (I think you all know what happened there). 1870 sees the arrival of the Chinese who come to work the canneries, and in 1880 the logging industry booms and Ilchee's grandson reaps its rewards, but will they listen to the old woman and heed her warnings so that the land may be saved for future generations?

"...we could set out seedlings. That'd give 'em an even better chance. And then a hundred years from now, there'd still be big timber on these hills."

The very last section begins in 1915 and is aptly titled The River Movers, as modern man sees the potential in the river for generating electricity and begins building the dams that will forever change the landscape, as well as the livelihood of its native people,

"Where once a set of rapids and falls had carved out the stones, leaping and thrashing waters around huge boulders, now a placid pool was rising."

Since this book isn't heavy on plot or pacing, it might not appeal to all readers, but should interest those with a love of the Columbia and an interest in the area and its history - but be warned if you are coming into this cold with no knowledge of the towns and the locations you'll feel a bit lost - find yourself a good reference map and use it. I liked how the author used Ilchee and the subsequent generations, finally bringing them full circle with their long-forgotten Indian heritage and ties to the river.