Customer Reviews

Ice Palace

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Edna Ferber's book, Ice Palace, is a well told story of Alaska and its long journey to statehood. This book written in 1958, was just one year before Alaska did become a state.

Christine, is the granddaughter of two men who are very influential in Alaska; both who represent totally divergent points of view.

One loves Alaska for its beauty, its native people, its wildlife and all it represents as America's last frontier.

The other is interested only in making a profit from it, and retaining political power.

Through these fictional characters, Mrs. Ferber, reveals much history of Alaska and the people who inhabit it.

Though dated, it still provides the reader with an appreciation of Alaska. I understand that the book was influential in the vote outcome which allowed Alaska to become a state at long last.

Christine Storm, the heroine of Ice Palace, is one of Edna Ferber's most imaginative and memorable characters. Those who enjoy an unusual approach to novel-writing would do well to read and ponder this story. Readers who are interested in what earlier feminist visions looked like will also find Christine Storm to be a valuable subject for study.

Ms. Ferber also did something rather remarkable -- she designed Christine Storm to be a metaphor representing Alaska in the 1940s and 1950s. As a result, there's a romantic tinge of saga in the story that will attract those who love the old Norse legends.

In addition, there's a political message here . . . a not-so-subtle lobbying on behalf of Alaskan statehood on the eve of that change occurring.

As the book opens a group of people are coming together for a luncheon in the fictional town of Baranof, Alaska. You'll probably think it's all pretty boring as you read it until the luncheon climaxes in an unexpected conflict. From there, you'll read lots of flashbacks that fill in the background about each of the characters and their relationships with one another. Each of the characters other than Christine Storm serves as a representative of a larger type that was present in those days.

To create an engaging tension, Ms. Ferber made Christine Storm into an orphan who was raised by a spinster nurse supervised by two strong-willed grandfathers with vastly different ideas about what will happen to this little girl. One of the grandfathers, Thor Storm, is a well educated man who wants to preserve the wild beauty of Alaska in sustainable ways while providing for freedom for its people. The other grandfather, Czar Kennedy, is a money-grubber of the first order who calls the shots in Alaska and wants to retain control. Thor wants Christine to know and love Alaska and her people. Czar wants his granddaughter to marry the aimless son of a wealthy partner from "outside" and create a lasting political-commercial dynasty to dominate Alaska.

If you are like me, you'll find that Alaska in those days was much different from today . . . and the popular perceptions about that particular yesterday.

The writing isn't as tight as it could be. As a result, the novel reads in places like something aimed at idealistic teenagers rather than adults. The book is also a lot longer than it needed to be. Ms. Ferber could have used a stronger editor.

In addition, I didn't care for the reading by Flow Gibson. It wasn't nuanced enough to capture the differences among the characters. I suggest you read the book rather than listen to this recording.

After you finish the book, I suggest you think about where in your life you have choices between creating something sustainable and merely grabbing what's good for today. Which choice is the right one?

For a glorified travel brochure, the book offers some surprisingly compelling characters. Despite heavy-handed political and moral messages, it makes up for it with a unique structure and a fascinating glimpse of pre-statehood Alaska, a setting not often explored.

ICE PALACE is probably a teenage girl's novel, as the main character is a young woman "coming of age". The pedantic "facts about Alaska" would also probably be better tolerated by a young reader, accustomed to the style from school books. However, the book was apparently written in the 1950s, and many of the facts, as well as expressions are dated. As a middle aged male, I found the novel to be weak, and I could not recommend it to another adult.