Customer Reviews

The Curve of Time: The Classic Memoir of a Woman and Her Children Who Explored the Coastal Waters of the Pacific Northwest (Adventura Books)

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I read M. Wylie Blanchet's book,THE CURVE OF TIME, for the first time last summer and decided to re-read it again this year, as it was so utterly delightful. Ms. Blanchet's love of nature, the ocean, her wonderful children and people--from the hermits who lived in splendid isolation on the BC Coast in the '30's and '40's to the Coast Indians, who left lonely villages behind--is one of the best books ever. This collection of essays, in no particular chronological order, left me amazed at this remarkably self-assured widow who made sure her children learned about people, literature and the beautiful world that surrounded them in British Columbia. It was easy to imagine my own children in that environment and I could almost see my children swimming with hers in those great sun-warmed coves in BC. The book ended with the "sense of place" they all felt upon returning to their "Little House" on Vancouver Island, surrounded by sea and forest. I wish I could somehow learn more about their lives. Thank you, Timothy Egan for making sure we all knew about this obscure author.

A thoroughly readable account of summers spent in a simpler time. Muriel Wylie Blanchet's accounts of many consecutive summers spent sailing north from Victoria into the wild, sparesely populated islands and coastal communities of British Columbia is a delightful read.
She prevailed as a mariner, amateur mechanic, and raconteur at an age and at a point in history when merely being a widow and mother of 5 young children would have been daunting enough.
You can feel the anticipation of her young family as they embark each year to see new places and meet new friends. As they grow, so does the reader's appreciation for the isolation, raw physical beauty, and many charms of Canada's west coast.
I have referred many friends to this book, and all have become devotees. You do not need to have ever been to the west coast, or even to have been on a boat, to appreciate this delightful tale.

This book was highly recommended to me by a friend who has cruised the Inside Passage and explored the islets of British Columbia and Alaska for the past 15 years. Many beautiful places are vividly described by Ms.'Capi' Blanchet. The lasting impression is the feeling of having spent time as a companion to the author and her children as they experience the adventure of travel and exploration as they cruise far from home in their small boat, in the 1930's. I enjoyed meeting unique people like 'Mike' - the knowledgeable recluse who expresses much of what must be the authors own philosopy of life. Altogether this little book is a bit of history, a bit of philosophy, and a bit of adventure. I didn't want it to end.

This story was expecially fun for me to read because this woman lived in a time and near a place of my own grandmother. She took hold of her life after the death of her husband and shared wonderful adventures with her children each summer in the waters and byways of the Canadian BC inland waterways. She did this in an era where her family said she should sell everything and "move home where it was safer" A real joy to read. Carol Hage Wall, Oak Harbor, WashingtonThe Curve of Time: The Classic Memoir of a Woman and Her Children Who Explored the Coastal Waters of the Pacific Northwest (Adventura Books)

I got out all the maps of the Inland Passage along the British Columbia coast to follow each adventure this articulate widow with five imaginative and curious children and one dog discovered. Her tales of their explorations in a small boat and descriptions of wonderful scenery climaxes in the longest selection near the end of the book: "A Whale...Named Henry [18 pages], the just pleads to be translated into a Newberry Award children's book!

A amazing woman. As good as any cruising book written. And a shame that this woman wrote only one book. A very good picture of cruising, the Pacific NorthWest and, a simpler time.

I originally found Ms. Blanchet's book in a bibliography for an obscure book on kayaking and read it purely on speculation. I had no idea what I stumbled into. Now, having read it two more times and giving it as a gift on several occasions, I can say this is truly one of the most special books ever written.

The stories of Ms. Blanchet and her children sailing up the Inside Passage during the 20's and 30's captured me in two ways. First was this mysterious window into a world long gone. Ancient native villages still looking as if their residents just left, lonely hermits on remote islands, a land unspoiled. Second was the story of a woman with and amazing strength and humble spirit. How she managed to use her dingy to tow the incapacitated power boat, disassemble the engine, then fix and restart a broken magneto is unbelievable, yet obviously true. I was inspired over and over again as has everyone I have given it to.

I have space for exactly four favorite books in my library, I won't add another one unless one is removed. The Curve of Time will always be one of the four.

I really enjoyed this book. I keep telling myself this woman would have been a contemporary of my great grandmother. It is amazing to me when I think of what she did with her family. There is absolutely no way anyone in my family back then would have tried this. (Even the ones who homesteaded). It is one of those books you find yourself marveling at and leaves you feeling you need to be a bit more adventurous with your own family.

Her insight and comments reveal a woman much more in tune with her world and the disappearing one of the native Pacific Northwest people. Because of this book I also read "Following the Curve of Time" (which was ok but a dissapointment--I wanted to learn more about this author). I also found books on Emily Carr just to learn more about this area and time. If you're a "women in history" fan, this book is good.

If you are from the Pacific NW, you will love this book. Even if you are not, it is an excellent adventure along the coast of Vancouver.

This book is beautifully written, full of vivid imagery of the stark and wild beauty of the northwest, and equally full of one woman's spirit and love for her family. It is a book I will turn to again and again.