Sick Heart River [Paperback]

John Buchan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2001

‘Sick Heart River turns the adventure yarn into a spiritual quest with an authority that few have ever rivalled.’ – Evening Standard Sick Heart River is both John Buchan’s most powerful novel and his last, completed just days before his death. It was published posthumously in 1941. Buchan’s rich descriptions of the rugged Canadian Northwest Territories are influenced by his real-life voyage down the Mackenzie River in 1937. At that time, Buchan was Governor-General of Canada. The main character, the lawyer and politician Sir Edward Leithen – perhaps the most autobiographical of Buchan’s characters – has been diagnosed with advanced tuberculosis and has been given a year to live. A former colleague, American John S. Blenkiron, requests help to find his niece’s husband, who appears to have flown from his very successful financial career to the Canadian north. Leithen agrees to help.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Sick Heart River turns the adventure yarn into a spiritual quest with an authority that few have ever rivalled. It alone is well worth the price of this paperback.' EVENING STANDARD --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

One of Alfred Hitchcock's favourite writers, John Buchan was a Scottish diplomat, barrister, journalist, historian, poet and novelist. He published nearly 30 novels and seven collections of short stories. He was born in Perth, an eldest son, and studied at Glasgow and Oxford. In 1901 he became a barrister of the Middle Temple and a private secretary to the High Commissioner for South Africa. In 1907 he married Susan Charlotte Grosvenor and they subsequently had four children. After spells as a war correspondent, Lloyd George's Director of Information and Conservative MP, Buchan moved to Canada in 1935. He served as Governor General there until his death in 1940. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: House of Stratus Ltd; First Thus edition (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842327909
• ISBN-13: 978-1842327906
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,167,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Philosophy the cold way, March 9, 2000

By 

Mike Reho (Northern Va, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sick Heart River (Audio Cassette)

I recently read this book for a report in my English class. I usually never read anything outside of Sci-fi, fantasy, or well known classics. Although the first 30 or so pages I had trouble staying awake, it changed quickly into a book I couldn't put down. There are some great characters in this book, and Buchan leaves the reader (listener) on your toes a lot. This book had a great deal of philosophy in it, and though it took me some time to appreciate it, eventually I found that this book has a very deep meaning to it. Sick Heart River may only be available in tape-form now, but it is the same story that I read. Sick Heart River has more twists and turns in the plot than some sci-fi I've read. I hope that you enjoy this book as much as I did. The way of ending the book is also VERY original. Other than this book's slow start up, I enjoyed every page. Kudos to Buchan, a wonderful written book!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book, November 2, 2008

By 

Lee Kam Lai "Kam" (NY) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sick Heart River (Paperback)

The story is captivating, good description of a man's soul searching, and being in peace with God and nature.