I Married the Klondike [Paperback]

Laura Berton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1961

In 1907, Laura Beatrice Berton, a twenty-nine-year-old kindergarten teacher, left her comfortable life in Toronto to teach in a rough Yukon mining town. She fell in love with the North-and with a northerner-and made Dawson City her home for the next twenty-five years. I Married the Klondike is her classic and enduring memoir.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

In 1907, Laura Beatrice Berton, a 29-year-old kindergarten teacher, left her comfortable life in Toronto to teach in a rough Yukon mining town. She fell in love with the North--and with a northerner--and made Dawson City her home for the next 25 years. I Married the Klondike is her classic and enduring memoir. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: McClelland & Stewart (January 1, 1961)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0771012403
• ISBN-13: 978-0771012402
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,361,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just a Klondike book, May 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: I Married the Klondike (Paperback)

If you ever plan to come up to Dawson City, Yukon you will want to read this book. Mrs. Berton gives an insight to the Goldrush town of Dawson City. I can say that you will still find the house she lived in and some of the houses that she describes in her book. As a resident of Dawson City it is nice to have read a book that is truly about what life was and is in Dawson City.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed and Engaging, July 20, 2000

By 

C.E. Crowder - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Married the Klondike (Paperback)

Ms. Berton's account of life in Dawson from 1907 to the 1920's is too late to tell the story of the Klondike gold rush. Instead it tells of life in a small northern community that has seen its hey-day come and go, describing it's traditions and lifestyle in such detail you soon feel as though you've lived there too.

The descriptive passages are excellent and the book contains several colorful tales of individual struggles, her own and others'. I was a bit put off by the enormous number of names of people she met in the Yukon but didn't find I needed to remember them all to enjoy the book. If you have read the history of Dawson during the gold rush in other books, this is a great afterword that describes many notable figures' lives following the rush, answering several 'whatever happened to so-and-so' questions.

I remember our elementary school library encouraging children to read it, but given its richness of detail and adult perspective it's anything but a kid's book. Despite her matter-of-fact writing style, Ms. Berton's story is emotionally engaging and a great portrait of life in northern Canada.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Daily life in the Klondike Gold Rush., March 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: I Married the Klondike (Paperback)

This is the true story of a woman who moved to the Yukon in the days of the Gold Rush - she went to be a schoolteacher for a couple of years, married a prospector, and wound up raising a family in one of the most spectacular - and harshest - places and times in North America. Laura Berton writes with humor and insight, and has produced a most entertaining book which is interesting as biography, as history, and as just a fun read! Laura also produced one of the most prolific authors in Canada today - Pierre Berton, author of FLAMES ACROSS THE BORDER and THE DIONNE YEARS. This is a book that deserves to be more widely read!