Hugh's Reviews > Barkskins
Barkskins
by
by
What an extraordinary book. It encompasses the history of the major North American forests from the 17th century to the present day, and combines this with two loosely connected family stories. This ought to be too complex and ambitious to work, but for me it got more compulsive the more I read.
At the start of the book we meet two poor Frenchmen, Rene Sel and Charles Duquet, who are contracted to work for a settler from a French aristocratic family in a forest in New France. Duquet runs away while Sel remains loyal, and is persuaded to marry a Mi'kmaw Indian woman who has been contracted as a cook. Duquet is an ambitious wheeler dealer who starts a business empire which concentrates on logging, while Sel's family lead a marginal existence with the vestiges of the Mi'kmaw. Both families are followed all the way to the present day, and Proulx exposes the way in which the forestry industry destroyed most of America's primeval forests and most of the Indian tribes' homelands and sources of food. The book is full of memorable characters (Lavinia, the heiress to the Duquet empire in particular), but as in Proulx's earlier novel Accordion Crimes, most of their lives come to premature ends.
For such a long book, this is surprisingly enjoyable, in fact it is among the best new American novels I have read in the last few years.
At the start of the book we meet two poor Frenchmen, Rene Sel and Charles Duquet, who are contracted to work for a settler from a French aristocratic family in a forest in New France. Duquet runs away while Sel remains loyal, and is persuaded to marry a Mi'kmaw Indian woman who has been contracted as a cook. Duquet is an ambitious wheeler dealer who starts a business empire which concentrates on logging, while Sel's family lead a marginal existence with the vestiges of the Mi'kmaw. Both families are followed all the way to the present day, and Proulx exposes the way in which the forestry industry destroyed most of America's primeval forests and most of the Indian tribes' homelands and sources of food. The book is full of memorable characters (Lavinia, the heiress to the Duquet empire in particular), but as in Proulx's earlier novel Accordion Crimes, most of their lives come to premature ends.
For such a long book, this is surprisingly enjoyable, in fact it is among the best new American novels I have read in the last few years.
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Reading Progress
June 13, 2016
– Shelved
August 26, 2017
–
Started Reading
August 29, 2017
–
28.43%
"Finding this hard work - there are elements I like but it feels like I am making very slow progress..."
page
205
August 31, 2017
–
68.93%
"Since posting the update about slow progress I have been enjoying this more and the point of the whole thing is getting clearer, but as in Accordion Crimes, Proulx's characters have a pretty low life expectancy!"
page
497
September 2, 2017
–
Finished Reading
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Fran
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rated it 5 stars
Sep 02, 2017 02:47PM
Hugh...I quite agree with your assessment of Barkskins. I enjoyed it immensely and, to me, it seemed reminiscent of James Michener's Centennial. Excellent review!
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Oh surprising with the full 5 - I thought you were going 3-4 there for a while. I agree with your review however I probably lost more traction with it as we moved into current times. I am sad it didn't go further in the Woman's Prize this year.
Trudie - I agree that the last couple of chapters lost a little momentum but were probably needed to round off the story and to give it a contemporary sense of urgency. I was heading for 4 stars until the Lavinia section.
Barbara - I am not saying it was easy, more that it rewards persistence.
Barbara - I am not saying it was easy, more that it rewards persistence.
it is among the best new American novels I have read in the last few years.
That line got me almost pressing the Buy button!
But your reference to Accordion Crimes gives me pause. If this book resembles that one in the not-quite-connected-enough nature of the whole sprawling saga, that wouldn't suit me - though I've admired everything else I've read by Proulx.
That line got me almost pressing the Buy button!
But your reference to Accordion Crimes gives me pause. If this book resembles that one in the not-quite-connected-enough nature of the whole sprawling saga, that wouldn't suit me - though I've admired everything else I've read by Proulx.
Thanks Fionnuala. For me it hangs together better than Accordion Crimes but it tries to cover a lot of issues - even things like the kauri forests of New Zealand and it is inevitable that some continuity is lost.
I like your review, Hugh, and I like that you enjoyed the book as much as I did. I didn't find it hard to read, but I did enjoy the earlier years more than the more recent ones.
As for the sticky ends met by some characters, I heard the author say something like since it covered such a long period of time, obviously people were going to die, so she might as well make it as interesting as possible. (Thinking of the fate of one poor soul in NZ - no spoilers.)
As for the sticky ends met by some characters, I heard the author say something like since it covered such a long period of time, obviously people were going to die, so she might as well make it as interesting as possible. (Thinking of the fate of one poor soul in NZ - no spoilers.)