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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Strange but interesting,
By
This review is from: The Sea Runners (Contemporary American Fiction) (Mass Market Paperback)
Ivan Doig's story of four indentured servants attempting escape 1200 miles from Alaska to Oregon apparently has some basis in truth (for such an attempt did take place), although he adds his vivid imagination and powerful capacity for describing the natural world to the basic story.
In fact, Doig's ability to describe the fierceness of nature is the best feature of this book. Doig's literary style, though, is a bit Hemingway-esque to me (I like 'real' Hemingway but not Hemingway-esque). His characters speak in stoic monosyllabic bursts, although the narrative voice seems in contrast torrid and mannered. These stoic characters sporadically explode with highly emotional self-revelation: a guy who barely puts two words together for the whole trip suddenly burst into tears revealing his sad reason for a gambling addiction. I wish Doig had let us "in on" his characters a little earlier in the game, but perhaps that would be inconsistent with the style of the story. For my money, Doig has a superb handle on nature and adventure and a less good handle on character, but fans of adventure in general, and the Pacific coast in particular, will still enjoy reading this.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rough Hewn Poetry,
This review is from: The Sea Runners (Contemporary American Fiction) (Mass Market Paperback)
Descriptions of the Pacific Northwest are accurate and beautiful. The rhythm of the book captures the frustration of its characters and makes it part of your life. I felt I was on the sea paddling for seemingly forever. What kind of characters are required to make a superhuman effort? What kind of relationships are developed by disparate humans when pitted against great odds? Doig helps to answer these questions. This is a MUST READER for understanding the Pacific Northwest.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Unique Experience,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Sea Runners (Contemporary American Fiction) (Mass Market Paperback)
This book is an excellent story of courage and strength against the harshest forces of nature. The four characters in the story are all brought together through one goal--freedom. Even the fierce and mighty ocean will not stop them from what they wish to obtain. Although their lives as indentured servants in Alaska are not horrible, they are still willing to risk it all for just a taste of freedom. Ivan Doig has a wonderful grasp on the Pacific Northwest and the society in the mid-1800s. His characters are developed quite effectively throughout their struggles and triumphs. Yet at the end, the reader is left to decide whether the voyage was entirely successful. It is important to remember that, to these men, adventure and freedom were more important than a life of security and dissatisfaction. This book is great for those who live in the Pacific Northwest or for those who wish to learn more about it.
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