Barkskins - BookWyrm.World

No cover — Annie Proulx: Barkskins (2016, HarperCollins Publishers Limited)

736 pages

English language

Published Jan. 15, 2016 by HarperCollins Publishers Limited.

ISBN:: 978-0-00-729014-7

(2 reviews)

"Bark Skins open in New France in the late 18th century as Rene Sel, an illiterate woodsman makes his way from Northern France to the homeland to seek a living. Bound to a "seigneur" for three years in exchange for land, he suffers extraordinary hardship and violence, always in awe of the forest he is charged with clearing. In the course of this epic novel, Proulx tells the stories of Rene's children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, as well as the descendants of his friends and foes, as they travel back to Europe, to China, to New England, always in quest of a livelihood or fleeing stunningly brutal conditions--war, pestilence, Indian attacks, the revenge of rivals. Proulx's inimitable genius is her creation of characters who are so vivid--in their greed, lust, vengefulness, or their simple compassion and hope--that we follow them with fierce attention. This is Proulx's most ambitious novel ever, …

"Bark Skins open in New France in the late 18th century as Rene Sel, an illiterate woodsman makes his way from Northern France to the homeland to seek a living. Bound to a "seigneur" for three years in exchange for land, he suffers extraordinary hardship and violence, always in awe of the forest he is charged with clearing. In the course of this epic novel, Proulx tells the stories of Rene's children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, as well as the descendants of his friends and foes, as they travel back to Europe, to China, to New England, always in quest of a livelihood or fleeing stunningly brutal conditions--war, pestilence, Indian attacks, the revenge of rivals. Proulx's inimitable genius is her creation of characters who are so vivid--in their greed, lust, vengefulness, or their simple compassion and hope--that we follow them with fierce attention. This is Proulx's most ambitious novel ever, and her master work"--

14 editions

David Scrimshaw reviewed Barkskins by Annie Proulx

Review of 'Barkskins' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

You don't need me to tell you that Annie Proulx is a terrific writer.

This is a long book. I had to check it out twice to finish it. The story spans centuries. That means that, except for a few people at the end, just about everybody dies.

So it's a long read and if you're like me, it will often make you sad.

But if you feel any connection to trees or forests, you should read Barkskins.

And who isn't connected to trees and forests?

David Scrimshaw reviewed Barkskins by Annie Proulx

Review of 'Barkskins' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

You don't need me to tell you that Annie Proulx is a terrific writer.

This is a long book. I had to check it out twice to finish it. The story spans centuries. That means that, except for a few people at the end, just about everybody dies.

So it's a long read and if you're like me, it will often make you sad.

But if you feel any connection to trees or forests, you should read Barkskins.

And who isn't connected to trees and forests?

Subjects

Fiction, historical, general
Fiction, sagas