The Tenderness of Wolves: A Novel [Hardcover]

Stef Penney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 10, 2007

1867, Canada: as winter tightens its grip on the isolated settlement of Dove River, a man is brutally murdered and a 17-year old boy disappears. Tracks leaving the dead man's cabin head north towards the forest and the tundra beyond. In the wake of such violence, people are drawn to the township - journalists, Hudson's Bay Company men, trappers, traders - but do they want to solve the crime or exploit it? One-by-one the assembled searchers set out from Dove River, pursuing the tracks across a desolate landscape home only to wild animals, madmen and fugitives, variously seeking a murderer, a son, two sisters missing for 17 years, a Native American culture, and a fortune in stolen furs before the snows settle and cover the tracks of the past for good. In an astonishingly assured debut, Stef Penney deftly weaves adventure, suspense, revelation and humour into a panoramic historical romance, an exhilarating thriller, a keen murder mystery and ultimately, with the sheer scope and quality of her storytelling, one of the books of the year.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. The frigid isolation of European immigrants living on the 19th-century Canadian frontier is the setting for British author Penney's haunting debut. Seventeen-year-old Francis Ross disappears the same day his mother discovers the scalped body of his friend, fur trader Laurent Jammet, in a neighboring cabin. The murder brings newcomers to the small settlement, from inexperienced Hudson Bay Company representative Donald Moody to elderly eccentric Thomas Sturrock, who arrives searching for a mysterious archeological fragment once in Jammet's possession. Other than Francis, no real suspects emerge until half-Indian trapper William Parker is caught searching the dead man's house. Parker escapes and joins with Francis's mother to track Francis north, a journey that produces a deep if unlikely bond between them. Only when the pair reaches a distant Scandinavian settlement do both characters and reader begin to understand Francis, who arrived there days before them. Penney's absorbing, quietly convincing narrative illuminates the characters, each a kind of outcast, through whose complex viewpoints this dense, many-layered story is told. (July)
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From Bookmarks Magazine

Long-listed for the Orange Prize and winner of the Costa Award (formerly Britain's Whitbread Award), Tenderness of Wolves, Stef Penney's first novel, has garnered acclaim in Europe and the United States. A screenwriter, Penney casts the harsh Canadian landscape in vivid, cinematic hues while portraying a small society born of isolation, corporate greed, and an unforgiving environment. Although a murder mystery with many plot twists, the novel most successfully reveals complex human desires, motivations, and relationships. Some critics faulted Penney's "noble savage" stereotypes, clichŽd dialogue, and unremarkable ending. However, as the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes, "Sometimes the journey is just more interesting than the destination."

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st Us Edition edition (July 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416540741
• ISBN-13: 978-1416540748
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (95 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Canadian Detectives

More About the Author

Stef Penney was born and grew up in Edinburgh. After earning a degree in philosophy and theology from Bristol University, she turned to filmmaking, studying film and TV at Bournemouth College of Art. On graduation she was selected for the Carlton Television New Writers Scheme. She is a screenwriter. The Tenderness of Wolves is her first novel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a Beach Book..., August 29, 2007

By 

Steven James (Washington State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tenderness of Wolves: A Novel (Hardcover)

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book once I got into it, it was a challenge to figure out what was going on. The story itself is really interesting and the setting is fabulously well-drawn, but there are so many names to remember that it is kind of tough going, at times. The first 50 pages or so are completely hard to follow, but stick with it and it will begin to gel later on. Each chapter is told from a different character's point of view, and while interesting, it makes for a lot of head scratching. The names of many of the characters are similar, and we often go through 100 pages or more before a character is mentioned again. I would recommend this to the more sophisticated reader. This is not a book to be casually leafed through while sitting on the beach at Waikiki. One other thing, I can't imagine why the publishers decided to make this book a "summer release". The setting is so dark, cold, and snowy that it's difficult to even imagine what these people are feeling as we are suffocating of heat here in the Pacific Northwest in August. Overall, after a slow start, this book got under my skin and is now one of my all-time favorites. But it's not for everyone.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining novel, July 13, 2007

By 

Nicole Maier "nicole19" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tenderness of Wolves: A Novel (Hardcover)

This novel ws very entertaining and kept me reading. I agree that after finishing I wondered why some of the many plots were relevant, because they didn't seem to come to a conclusion. It's an unsual story with many twists and likable characters. I was very engrossed in the characters' stories and would have liked to find out what happened to them. The ending just gave me hints ... instead I got the resolution of the murder mystery which wasn't that original. In any case, I don't mean to make it sound as if I didn't like it. I did, in fact I couldn't put the book down, it's a very likable story. If you're looking for a good and easy read I recommend this book. If you're primarily looking for a gripping murder mystery then better go and look for something else.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars too many irons . . ., October 19, 2007

By 

betc2 (renton) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Tenderness of Wolves: A Novel (Hardcover)

I was initially intrigued with this book, but after a while it really began to drag. Someone else used the word "slog," and I think that is quite appropriate. The author tries to juggle too many sub-plots, characters and coincidences. Perhaps this is intentional. She chooses to evoke a slower, simpler time. But with all the violence and plot twists, it should have been a more exciting read. Disappointing.