Customer Reviews

Lost in the Barrens

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Two boys, one American-Indian and one of European descent, find themselves pitted together in a struggle for survival in one of the most inhospitable climates of the world. Together they battle hunger, cold, hostile enemies, and loneliness. I discovered this book as a child, and as an adult I still reread it when I need to get lost in a good story. Highly recommended.

If you love the north country and the outdoors, and haven't read this book yet, you have a great adventure coming! It doesn't really matter if you are very young or very old, you can enjoy this book because it is so well written. I first read this book as a ten-year-old girl, and loved it. I still re-read it as a middle-aged woman, and I still love it! Every time I read this, I want to escape to Canada to go hiking and canoeing (and often I do). The details of outdoor survival are all authentic. The adventure aspects are as thrilling as anything I have ever read. There are lessons to this story, and they aren't shallow. These boys make some mistakes, take their knocks, and learn lessons that make them into real, responsible men. A great aspect of this book is that the moral is not to avoid mistakes, but to do what has to be done once the mistakes are made, and grow by making them. The two Indian tribes, the Eskimos, and the white people all have their own fears of "foreign" people and their territories. The boys encounter their fear of the unknown, physical danger, and of unknown people and surmount them by being steadfast. The sequel to this book, The Curse of the Viking Grave is also really good. If you enjoyed reading this book you might also enjoy "The Old Man and the Boy" by Robert Ruark.

Again, Farley Mowat demonstrates that which makes him clearly on of Canada's greatest treasures.

A fictional book, it nevertheless portrays the beautiful tundra of the north. Anyone reading it will be carried by the story but will learn of the beauty of the Barrens, despite its unforgiving brutality.

A book I have read many times and never cease to be impressed by the true beauty of the North!

I,too, ordered this book from the Arrow Book Club in the early '60s under the name Two Against the North. I must have read it dozens of times and was thrilled to find it in the library under the title Lost in the Barrens for my children to read. Those of you who have loved it need to read Mowat's latest book, One Man's River. In it he describes a harrowing journey he took in 1947 and I kept feeling echoes from the earlier book. The tale he tells in the recent book must have been the inspiration for the novel. I'm so glad that Lost in the Barrens is back in print and I hope that the current generation will enjoy it as much as I did.

I remember buying this book at a school book sale when the library sold surplus books. Over the years that I've had it I figure that I've read it in it's entirely several dozen times. That copy still sits on my shelf, barely held together with tape! This is a wonderful story for children (and those who are children at heart) because of it's meaningful story about friendship and cultural (mis)understanding. The story portrays a vivid description of Canada's north and the people who live there. A wonderful read that you'll treasure for generations.

Just lately, I've been introducing my two kids to my favorite childhood books (we're nearing the end of "My Side of the Mountain" now); they're so enamored, I've promised to read them "Lost in the Barrens" next. That's what brought me to Amazon tonight -- and I was pleasantly surprised to find that so many others have the same great childhood memories of this book.

Like a number of other reviewers here, I first read this book under the alternate title, "Two Against the North" in a Scholastic Books edition in the mid-70s. I read it so many times I literally lost count -- certainly forty or fifty cover-to-cover readings. Mowat created a rich, engrossing world with believable characters and sweeping events, and I just loved the adventurous and edgy tale. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who likes a good survival story.

Farley Mowatt knows how to warm the young heart to the grand glory of the Canadian Arctic Wilderness. There is something wonderfully primal and romantic in this simple story of 2 boys survival adventure that no video game or modern day urban experience can compete with. It was a joy to read as a child, and it's great to see it back in print.

This is an exciting tale of two boys, Jamie and Awasin, who become lost in the wilderness after their canoe is overturned. Survival would be difficult for grown men, but the boys work together and form a bond that will never be broken. Mowat always laces his fiction with fact, which further enhances the power of his story telling. A great adventure tale for young readers and adults.
Chrissy K. McVay - Author

I probably read this book between 15-20 times as a kid and had constant daydreams about being a part of the grand adventure. When my daughter was about 9, I had to search hard to find it, but she was just as captivated as I. Since we loved it so much, it was then difficult to talk my son into reading it (maybe it was a girly book! - horrors!), but when he finally gave in, he went wild about it, too.

The sense of self-reliance that these boys had to develop does rub off on the reader and help the reader feel that they can overcome any obstacle if they perservere. My son, who is 20, recently gave our copy to an 8 year old boy who loves to read, and I just ordered a replacement. And so, the adventure continues...

This book, about two boys who's canoes broke and were lost in the barrenlands is another great book by Farley Mowat. The book is action-packed with adventure. Read it and you won't be able to stop.I read this book in two days. I was reading it till the late hours of the night until I had finished it and then I had wanted to read it again. The sequel Curse of the Viking Grave, I have not been able to read yet but I will be reading it soon. Hats off to Farley Mowat.