In 1959, just one step ahead of the law, Ian Ferguson's parents left the sophisticated big-city life of Edmonton for Fort Vermilion — once a fur-trapping frontier town, now a remote aboriginal settlement in northernmost Alberta. There, Ian and his six brothers and sisters grew up without indoor plumbing, electricity, central heating, or even a radio. Beginning with the dramatic events surrounding his birth (including a paddlewheel ferry heading for destruction, a legendary rowboat trip, and a life-and-death race against time), the richly recalled events of Ferguson's life and a vivid array of characters make for a taut and appealingly idiosyncratic tale.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
You’ll laugh so hard while reading this book that you will temporarily be distracted from the bleakness between the lines. -- The Edmonton Journal
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
From the Back Cover
Village of the Small Houses is Ian Ferguson’s hilariously offbeat account of growing up poor in the far north. In 1959, just one step ahead of the law, Ferguson’s con-artist dad, Hank, headed north in a beat-up Mercury Zephyr with his pregnant wife, Louise. He got as far as isolated Fort Vermilion, where he passed himself off as a teacher at the “Indian school” and settled his ever-expanding family in a house without plumbing or electricity. Ferguson’s gifts as a comic actor and writer come to the fore in this spirited reading of his best-selling memoir about a scrappy northern childhood. Interweaving truth and fiction, and introducing a cast of lovable misfits, this tenderly amusing chronicle is a cross between Angela’s Ashes and W.O. Mitchell’s Who Has Seen the Wind.
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A memorable case of growing up among lovable misfits,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Village of the Small Houses: A Memoir of Sorts (Audio CD)
Written and narrated by author Ian Ferguson, Village Of The Small Houses: A Memoir Of Sorts is an hilarious and highly recommended account of growing up poor in the far north when in 1959, just ahead of the law, Ferguson's con-artist father Hank headed up north in a delapidated Mercury Zephyr with his pregnant wife, Louise. Hank got as far as isolated Fort Vermilion where he passed himself off as a teacher at the "Indian school" and settled his ever-expanding family in a house devoid of plumbing and electricity. The lively recounting of a scrappy childhood, Ferguson interweaves truth, tall-tale exag-geration, and a memorable case of growing up among lovable misfits in this 2 CD, 2 1/2 hour autobiographical account.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant!,
By Book Smart (Edmonton, Alberta CANADA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Village of the Small Houses: A Memoir of Sorts (Paperback)
I loved every page of this book. The writing is excellent and the story flows really well. There are so many moving moments in this book that I shed a tear on a number of occassions. I also laughed my head off quite a bit. What more can one ask of a memoir? Well done Ian!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Small houses-big characters,
By Sand "Arena" (France) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Village of the Small Houses: A Memoir of Sorts (Paperback)
I read Ian Fergusons `biography of sorts` on a recent visit to Canada.The book was un-put-down-able,such well shaped characters,such wonderfully evoked scenery. Full of humour and pathos. When does the movie come out?
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First Sentence:
Here's a word that you don't know. Wayheoh. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
last ferry Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Bud Peyen, Lloyd Loonskin, Fort Vermilion, Peace River, Augustus Noskiye, Frank Jones, Tommy Francis, Gene Rogers, Joe Beck, Father Litzler, Ted Carrier, Andy Maracle, High Level, Sixtoes Mitchell, Corporal Ledinski, Frankie Flett, Tea Dance, Water Man, Medicine Man, David Boire, Hudson's Bay, Lorna Joan, Sparky Caldwell, Standing Buffalo, Aboriginal Opportunity Initiative New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Here's a word that you don't know. Wayheoh. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
last ferry Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Bud Peyen, Lloyd Loonskin, Fort Vermilion, Peace River, Augustus Noskiye, Frank Jones, Tommy Francis, Gene Rogers, Joe Beck, Father Litzler, Ted Carrier, Andy Maracle, High Level, Sixtoes Mitchell, Corporal Ledinski, Frankie Flett, Tea Dance, Water Man, Medicine Man, David Boire, Hudson's Bay, Lorna Joan, Sparky Caldwell, Standing Buffalo, Aboriginal Opportunity Initiative New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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