Shop top categories that ship internationally
Buy used:
$7.28
Delivery Thursday, January 16. Order within 22 hrs 40 mins
Or fastest delivery Thursday, January 9
Used: Like New | Details
Sold by PRIME-BOOKS
Fulfilled by Amazon
Condition: Used: Like New

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and Amazon Prime.

If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you grow your business. Learn more about the program.

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Other sellers on Amazon
Used (4) from   $7.28
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

The Spawning Grounds Hardcover – International Edition, September 6, 2016

by Gail Anderson-Dargatz (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 42 ratings
See all formats and editions
The long-awaited new novel by the two-time Giller-shortlisted author is full of the qualities Gail Anderson-Dargatz's fans love: it's an intimate family saga rooted in the Thompson-Shuswap region of British Columbia, and saturated with the history of the place. A bold new story that bridges Native and white cultures across a bend in a river where the salmon run.


On one side of the river is a ranch once owned by Eugene Robertson, who came in the gold rush around 1860, and stayed on as a homesteader. On the other side is a Shuswap community that has its own tangled history with the river--and the whites. At the heart of the novel are Hannah and Brandon Robertson, teenagers who have been raised by their grandfather after they lost their mother. As the novel opens, the river is dying, its flow reduced to a trickle, and Hannah is carrying salmon past the choke point to the spawning grounds while her childhood best friend, Alex, leads a Native protest against the development further threatening the river. When drowning nearly claims the lives of both Hannah's grandfather and her little brother, their world is thrown into chaos. Hannah, Alex, and most especially Brandon come to doubt their own reality as they are pulled deep into Brandon's numinous visions, which summon the myths of Shuswap culture and tragic family stories of the past.
    The novel hovers beautifully in the fluid boundary between past and present, between the ordinary world and the world of the spirit, all disordered by the human and environmental crises that have knit the white and Native worlds together in love, and hate, and tragedy for 150 years. Can Hannah and her brother, and Alex, find a way forward that will neither destroy the river nor themselves?
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Knopf Canada
  4. Publication date
    September 6, 2016
  5. Dimensions
    5.8 x 1 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0345810813
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0345810816
  8. See all details
Next slide of product details
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
42 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Top reviews from the United States

  • susan wells
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Great characters. Good story.
    Helpful
     Report
  • OC Pyro Queen
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as I hoped..
    Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I liked the story line about restoring the environment so the salmon could spawn again, and I felt like the Robertson family characters were reasonably well developed. However, I thought that the two native characters, Alex and Gina, were not developed at all. I thought the sex scenes were awkwardly written and didn't really fit with the rest of the book, which had an older teen vibe.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Debra Purdy Kong
    5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling and Beautifully Written
    Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2017
    When Hannah Robertson’s brother Bran nearly drowns in the river, she begins to realize that the incident has changed him. Her First Nations friend, Alex, believes that Bran’s inhaled the Mystery that lives in the river, leaving his soul stranded. But Bran’s increasingly strange behavior and desperation to return to the river make Hannah wonder if he’s descending into the same madness that caused her mother’s suicide years earlier.

    The Spawning Grounds is a compelling, beautifully told story about a broken family dealing with unwelcome changes not only in their family, but in their environment. Author Gail Anderson-Dargatz weaves First Nations folklore, myths, and stories (some fictional, others not) into modern day realities that include developers and protesters facing off over land issues.

    Needless to say, there are many layers to this story, and perhaps different interpretations, depending on readers’ perspectives and personal experiences. The thought-provoking plot and characters kept me turning the pages, as did the author’s elegant writing. I read this award-winning author’s book, The Recipe for Bees some time ago. Anderson-Dargatz produces stunning work that really resonates with me.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Wild1
    5.0 out of 5 stars Magical and evocative
    Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2016
    Magical, evocative and moving. The Spawning Grounds was well worth the wait; this is my favourite work by Anderson-Dargatz since (Giller-nominated) Cure for Death by Lightning. This story is a new must read in Canadian literature.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Rachel Proven
    3.0 out of 5 stars Ok
    Reviewed in Canada on April 16, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    There was not enough character development to maintain what could have been a very interesting story. A very fast read.
    Report
  • Wild1
    5.0 out of 5 stars Magical and evocative
    Reviewed in Canada on November 6, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Magical, evocative and moving. The Spawning Grounds was well worth the wait; this is my favourite work by Anderson-Dargatz since Cure for Death by Lightning. This story is a new must read in Canadian literature.
    Report
  • Leanne A. Beattie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and magical
    Reviewed in Canada on October 4, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Beautiful and magical! Anderson-Dargatz weaves an emotional story filled with the beauty of Native spiritualism. It introduced me to the Shuswap people and their home. Highly recommended!
    Report
  • linda rogers
    5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully constructed comparison of mythologies
    Reviewed in Canada on June 4, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    A beautifully constructed comparison of mythologies.
    Report
  • Charlene D
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on July 19, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Great book. Received in 2 days.
    Report