Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Little, Brown and Company (2016), 717 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML:An atmospheric, transporting tale of adventure, love, and survival from the bestselling author of The Snow Child, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. In the winter of 1885, decorated war hero Colonel Allen Forrester leads a small band of men on an expedition that has been deemed impossible: to venture up the Wolverine River and pierce the vast, untamed Alaska Territory. Leaving behind Sophie, his newly pregnant wife, Colonel Forrester records his extraordinary experiences in hopes that his journal will reach her if he doesn't return�??once he passes beyond the edge of the known world, there's no telling what awaits him. The Wolverine River Valley is not only breathtaking and forbidding but also terrifying in ways that the colonel and his men never could have imagined. As they map the territory and gather information on the native tribes, whose understanding of the natural world is unlike anything they have ever encountered, Forrester and his men discover the blurred lines between human and wild animal, the living and the dead. And while the men knew they would face starvation and danger, they cannot escape the sense that some greater, mysterious force threatens their lives. Meanwhile, on her own at Vancouver Barracks, Sophie chafes under the social restrictions and yearns to travel alongside her husband. She does not know that the winter will require as much of her as it does her husband, that both her courage and faith will be tested to the breaking point. Can her exploration of nature through the new art of photography help her to rediscover her sense of beauty and wonder? The truths that Allen and Sophie discover over the course of that fateful year change both of their lives�??and the lives of those who hear their stories long after they're gone�??forever. "An epic adventure story that seems heir to the tradition of Melville's own sweeping and ambitious literary approach to the age-old struggle of humans versus nature . . . An absorbing and high-stakes read." �?? Kathleen Rooney, Chicago TribuneAn Amazon Best Book of the Year A Washington Post Notable Book A Goodreads Choice Award Nominee A Library Journal Top 10 Book of the Year A BookPage Best Book of t… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member japaul22
I quite liked this new book by [[Eowyn Ivey]], a young writer living in Alaska. She uses her home territory to craft a book told through journals, letters, newspaper articles, and pictures about an 1885 expedition from Vancouver through uncharted (by white men) territory in Alaska.
Allen Forrester
All of this is revealed when an older man sends the source materials to a small museum in Alaska to see if they will incorporate the items into their collection. He and the young man curating the museum begin writing letters to each other, discussing the journals and finding material that pertains to the information in the journals.
I really liked this book. The idea was interesting and I liked the format she used to tell the story. While it was very enjoyable, though, it was somehow lacking a bit in complexity. The story was fairly predictable and I thought sections were a little over-emotional. It's one of those books that I loved reading, but as I think more about it I'm not sure if it will stay with me or not. I'll be interested to see at the end of the year what has happened to my opinion of it.
Allen Forrester
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leads the expedition, bringing with him two young men and using Indian guides along the way. He and his wife, Sofie, intend for her to go along for the first leg of the journey but they discover she is pregnant and it's deemed unsafe for her to travel. She stays at the army barracks. While they are apart they both keep a detailed journal of their experiences and these make up the heart of the book. Forrester's journey contains many trials and descriptions of beauties and challenges of the Alaskan terrain. They travel up the Wolverine river, meeting the local Indian tribe. They are sometimes helpful and sometimes not. Some tribes are starving along with the men, some are thriving, and some are already suffering from the contact with white men. Along the way, Forrester and his men begin to experience the supernatural occurrences that are part of the Indian culture. They each believe and interact with the these events in different ways. One in particular, the Old Man who seems to fly and also inhabit a raven is also experienced by Sophie back home. This sounds sort of cheesy, but Ivey makes it work very well through her subtle writing and the way she ties it to what the Native Americans believe and have experienced. Back home, Sophie is dealing with the expectations of the women at the camp for her to behave as a "normal" wife. Instead, she begins a successful endeavor as a photographer.All of this is revealed when an older man sends the source materials to a small museum in Alaska to see if they will incorporate the items into their collection. He and the young man curating the museum begin writing letters to each other, discussing the journals and finding material that pertains to the information in the journals.
I really liked this book. The idea was interesting and I liked the format she used to tell the story. While it was very enjoyable, though, it was somehow lacking a bit in complexity. The story was fairly predictable and I thought sections were a little over-emotional. It's one of those books that I loved reading, but as I think more about it I'm not sure if it will stay with me or not. I'll be interested to see at the end of the year what has happened to my opinion of it.
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LibraryThing member BeyondEdenRock
I fell in love with this book; it captured both my head and my heart, completely and utterly.
My expectations were high, because this is the second novel by Alaskan author Eowyn Ivey, whose first novel, The Snow Child, had me very nearly lost for words. I remember reading it when it was shiny and
I was thrilled when a copy of this second book, a rather bigger book, arrived. When I examined it more closely I saw that it had elements in common with the first book, but it also had a great deal to make it different and distinctive. And to make it a real progression for the author.
At the centre of this story, set in Alaska at the end of the 19th century is a husband and wife.
Sophie was a young teacher, in love with the natural world, when she met Lieutenant Colonel Allen Forrester. He was intrigued by the young woman who was completely unflustered when she was caught up a tree; and she was captivated when he took the time and trouble to find and lead her to the nest of a hummingbird. I was very taken with them both as individuals, and I loved them as a couple.
I have found many things to love in this novel, but it was this marriage that I loved most of all.
Early in that marriage the Colonel was tasked with leading a small team on an expedition into territory that was unmapped and unexplored by white settlers. Sophie hoped to follow him to Alaska, but she was obliged to settle at barracks, as far from her family as she would be from her husband. The story is told through the journals that they keep while they are apart.
The two narrative voices are wonderfully vivid and real, and I was pulled right into both stories. I lived through a journey through country that was beautiful but full of danger; and though dull days at barracks that were made interesting by the company I was keeping. When I put the book down I kept thinking about the things that concerned my two protagonists, as if they were people I knew. And there where times, when I was reading the words of one, that I found myself reading from the perspective of the others.
When I stood back a little I appreciated learning about history I had thought of little before; a time when territory was sold from Russia to America, over the heads of its native population. I appreciated how well the author threaded the same images and themes through each journal, and who naturally many of those things repeated through the book.
I’m trying not to mention specifics – its much to early in this book’s life for that, and you must read them first-hand – but there are so many lovely details, so many different emotions to feel as you follow the progress of these two lives.
The story moves slowly, but there was always something that was vivid and real to hold my attention: an image, an event, an idea, a description, an emotion ….
The raven, portrayed on the cover, is very significant to the story. It’s the story of a woman ahead of her time and a man who respects the past but looks to the future. It’s a story underpinned by folklore; that feels natural and right, maybe because those old stories came from that country where the small native population accepted that nature and tradition should hold sway, where things were very different.
That 19th century story is framed with contemporary letters between Walter Forrester, the Allen Forrester’s great-nephew, who is coming towards the end of his life and wishes to gift the writings, and the various artefacts from the journey to the Alpine Historical Museum; and Joshua Sloan, the exhibits curator of that museum.
I though I might resent being drawn out of the story of Sophie and her Colonel, but I didn’t at all. I loved watching a friendship grow between two very different men, I loved that they felt the same way about the history that I did; and their story provided a wonderful context for the past human drama and for the history of their country.
There are so many things I could say; they are as many things that I can’t quite put into words; but whatever I say I know that I won’t be able to do this extraordinary novel justice.
I can see that the author loved the people, the history and the county she wrote about; that she must have taken such trouble to research so many things, to make the people in her story, and everything about them, live and breathe, and to create a novel that is complex and detailed and yet utterly accessible.
This is fiction, inspired by history, and I can’t quite believe it’s not real.
I didn’t want to let go, but I know that this book will stay with me, and that I will visit it again.
My expectations were high, because this is the second novel by Alaskan author Eowyn Ivey, whose first novel, The Snow Child, had me very nearly lost for words. I remember reading it when it was shiny and
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new, and being delighted when ‘my’ book went on to be a huge success, much loved and much lauded.I was thrilled when a copy of this second book, a rather bigger book, arrived. When I examined it more closely I saw that it had elements in common with the first book, but it also had a great deal to make it different and distinctive. And to make it a real progression for the author.
At the centre of this story, set in Alaska at the end of the 19th century is a husband and wife.
Sophie was a young teacher, in love with the natural world, when she met Lieutenant Colonel Allen Forrester. He was intrigued by the young woman who was completely unflustered when she was caught up a tree; and she was captivated when he took the time and trouble to find and lead her to the nest of a hummingbird. I was very taken with them both as individuals, and I loved them as a couple.
I have found many things to love in this novel, but it was this marriage that I loved most of all.
Early in that marriage the Colonel was tasked with leading a small team on an expedition into territory that was unmapped and unexplored by white settlers. Sophie hoped to follow him to Alaska, but she was obliged to settle at barracks, as far from her family as she would be from her husband. The story is told through the journals that they keep while they are apart.
The two narrative voices are wonderfully vivid and real, and I was pulled right into both stories. I lived through a journey through country that was beautiful but full of danger; and though dull days at barracks that were made interesting by the company I was keeping. When I put the book down I kept thinking about the things that concerned my two protagonists, as if they were people I knew. And there where times, when I was reading the words of one, that I found myself reading from the perspective of the others.
When I stood back a little I appreciated learning about history I had thought of little before; a time when territory was sold from Russia to America, over the heads of its native population. I appreciated how well the author threaded the same images and themes through each journal, and who naturally many of those things repeated through the book.
I’m trying not to mention specifics – its much to early in this book’s life for that, and you must read them first-hand – but there are so many lovely details, so many different emotions to feel as you follow the progress of these two lives.
The story moves slowly, but there was always something that was vivid and real to hold my attention: an image, an event, an idea, a description, an emotion ….
The raven, portrayed on the cover, is very significant to the story. It’s the story of a woman ahead of her time and a man who respects the past but looks to the future. It’s a story underpinned by folklore; that feels natural and right, maybe because those old stories came from that country where the small native population accepted that nature and tradition should hold sway, where things were very different.
That 19th century story is framed with contemporary letters between Walter Forrester, the Allen Forrester’s great-nephew, who is coming towards the end of his life and wishes to gift the writings, and the various artefacts from the journey to the Alpine Historical Museum; and Joshua Sloan, the exhibits curator of that museum.
I though I might resent being drawn out of the story of Sophie and her Colonel, but I didn’t at all. I loved watching a friendship grow between two very different men, I loved that they felt the same way about the history that I did; and their story provided a wonderful context for the past human drama and for the history of their country.
There are so many things I could say; they are as many things that I can’t quite put into words; but whatever I say I know that I won’t be able to do this extraordinary novel justice.
I can see that the author loved the people, the history and the county she wrote about; that she must have taken such trouble to research so many things, to make the people in her story, and everything about them, live and breathe, and to create a novel that is complex and detailed and yet utterly accessible.
This is fiction, inspired by history, and I can’t quite believe it’s not real.
I didn’t want to let go, but I know that this book will stay with me, and that I will visit it again.
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LibraryThing member passion4reading
Lieutenant Colonel Allen Forrester is a veteran US Army soldier tasked with leading a small expedition from Perkins Island in the Gulf of Alaska up the Wolverine River Valley, and to cross unexplored territory until the group reaches the coast of the Bering Sea. His young wife, Sophie, is
I didn’t know what shape Eowyn Ivey’s next project after The Snow Child was going to take, only that I wanted to read it, but even I didn’t expect an epistolary novel set at the end of the nineteenth century that is as much about married life and love as it is a declaration of love to the often harsh beauty of the far north. The author’s delicate and lyrical prose, shown off in her debut novel to great effect, is little in evidence here, though there were a few passages that almost moved me to tears. I won't deny that I've struggled somewhat with the format: a contemporary letter exchange provides the frame narrative to the main body of the novel, though I personally found the interruptions often more than a little intrusive after following the company's endeavours and Sophie's own personal hardship. Though the separation of the two main protagonists ensures there is plenty of letter writing and journal keeping, it also sets the two of them apart as the plot is almost completely seen through their eyes, and any character development remains limited. The voices of Sophie and her husband provide an excellent window into the past, to a time where there were still unexplored areas on maps, unimaginable hardship to be faced in the face of uncertain survival, and deeply ingrained social conventions. In the latter, both the colonel and his wife shake themselves free of their respective bonds: the former by shaking off the boundaries of the known world and entering unknown territory, relying on one’s wits and those of one’s company, the latter by defying society’s expectations and norms of how a woman, and in particular a wife, is supposed to behave.
Don’t expect this to be a page turner: the pace is slow, almost excruciatingly protracted in places, though you may not mind so much if you like long descriptions of scenery and observations of fellow human beings. I, however, felt impatient, though the imagery painted before my eyes was one of an often majestic, awe-inspiring but ultimately unforgiving and hostile environment. The touch of the supernatural, which worked so well in The Snow Child, was even more pronounced here, incorporating beliefs, myths and legends of the native Alaskans. These passages didn’t work for me and I felt I had to suspend disbelief a little too often and too far, though I can see that in such an environment, untouched by what one likes to call ‘civilisation’, people might experience a different kind of spirituality, one that speaks to a part of someone’s being that’s still an essential element of nature. The title of the book then refers not only to the men (and one woman) reaching and going beyond the edge of the known world, but also to the border between the rational and the paranormal.
Though I wasn't swept away by the narrative like some other reviewers, Eowyn Ivey makes some valid points about how to live one's life, to enjoy life's simple pleasures and to be grateful for things that are too often taken for granted that will resonate in a world where many are only living for the next thrill or big purchase.
(This review was written for Amazon's Vine programme.)
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determined to accompany him, until the discovery of her pregnancy forces her to abandon her plan and await the return of her husband in the Vancouver Barracks. No one is under any illusion that the months in the wilderness will require every ounce of resilience, determination, resourcefulness and bravery from the colonel and his men, but no one expects that Sophie Forrester’s courage and fortitude are tested during her husband’s absence too.I didn’t know what shape Eowyn Ivey’s next project after The Snow Child was going to take, only that I wanted to read it, but even I didn’t expect an epistolary novel set at the end of the nineteenth century that is as much about married life and love as it is a declaration of love to the often harsh beauty of the far north. The author’s delicate and lyrical prose, shown off in her debut novel to great effect, is little in evidence here, though there were a few passages that almost moved me to tears. I won't deny that I've struggled somewhat with the format: a contemporary letter exchange provides the frame narrative to the main body of the novel, though I personally found the interruptions often more than a little intrusive after following the company's endeavours and Sophie's own personal hardship. Though the separation of the two main protagonists ensures there is plenty of letter writing and journal keeping, it also sets the two of them apart as the plot is almost completely seen through their eyes, and any character development remains limited. The voices of Sophie and her husband provide an excellent window into the past, to a time where there were still unexplored areas on maps, unimaginable hardship to be faced in the face of uncertain survival, and deeply ingrained social conventions. In the latter, both the colonel and his wife shake themselves free of their respective bonds: the former by shaking off the boundaries of the known world and entering unknown territory, relying on one’s wits and those of one’s company, the latter by defying society’s expectations and norms of how a woman, and in particular a wife, is supposed to behave.
Don’t expect this to be a page turner: the pace is slow, almost excruciatingly protracted in places, though you may not mind so much if you like long descriptions of scenery and observations of fellow human beings. I, however, felt impatient, though the imagery painted before my eyes was one of an often majestic, awe-inspiring but ultimately unforgiving and hostile environment. The touch of the supernatural, which worked so well in The Snow Child, was even more pronounced here, incorporating beliefs, myths and legends of the native Alaskans. These passages didn’t work for me and I felt I had to suspend disbelief a little too often and too far, though I can see that in such an environment, untouched by what one likes to call ‘civilisation’, people might experience a different kind of spirituality, one that speaks to a part of someone’s being that’s still an essential element of nature. The title of the book then refers not only to the men (and one woman) reaching and going beyond the edge of the known world, but also to the border between the rational and the paranormal.
Though I wasn't swept away by the narrative like some other reviewers, Eowyn Ivey makes some valid points about how to live one's life, to enjoy life's simple pleasures and to be grateful for things that are too often taken for granted that will resonate in a world where many are only living for the next thrill or big purchase.
(This review was written for Amazon's Vine programme.)
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LibraryThing member kaylaraeintheway
A lovely, haunting book about the physical and psychological limits humans can endure when traversing an unforgiving landscape; whether that's the wilds of Alaska or the confines of gender roles. Eowyn Ivey, a native Alaskan, writes about the Last Frontier in a beautiful way, with her now-signature
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touch of magical realism. The fantastical elements the explorers encounter are so grounded in myth and legend that they seem real. Sophie Forrester, meanwhile, finds comfort in creating her own adventures discovering the new art of photography while her husband leads the party up north. Told through diary entries, letters, newspaper clippings, and photographs, To the Bright Edge of the World slowly pulled me in to a world of ice canyons and darkrooms and did not let go, even after the final page. Show Less
LibraryThing member msf59
“That is excitement. We catch only glimpses, a burst of movement, a flap of wings, yet it is life itself beating at shadow's edge. It is the unfolding of potential; all of what we might experience and see and learn awaits us.”
This is an epistolary novel, describing the voyage and exploration
I think this book worked best, when it stayed on the adventure part of the story, the difficult trials of navigating this cruel and unrelenting, wilderness river. I liked the character of Sophie but these interludes, slowed it down a bit for me. Regardless, I am giving it a Thumbs Up, and after really enjoying her first novel, [The Snow Child], she is definitely an author to watch.
This is an epistolary novel, describing the voyage and exploration
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of the Wolverine River, in 19th century Alaska. In charge of the mission, is Colonel Allen Forrester, a smart and scrappy soldier. The narrative consists of diary and journal entries, newspaper articles, army reports and love letters, between Forrester and his pregnant, young wife, Sophie, who is waiting for him, in a Vancouver barracks.I think this book worked best, when it stayed on the adventure part of the story, the difficult trials of navigating this cruel and unrelenting, wilderness river. I liked the character of Sophie but these interludes, slowed it down a bit for me. Regardless, I am giving it a Thumbs Up, and after really enjoying her first novel, [The Snow Child], she is definitely an author to watch.
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LibraryThing member labfs39
In an expedition loosely based on one undertaken by Lieutenant Henry T. Allen in 1885, the fictitious Lieutenant Colonel Allen Forrester and two subordinates intend to travel up the Wolverine River to find a Northwest passage in Alaska. The river route has been attempted before, but failed due to
Their stories are told through their diaries, a few letters between them, and some official correspondence regarding the expedition. This epistolary style works well, allowing both Allen and Sophie to relate their experiences in the first person. This timeline is encapsulated by correspondence between Walter, an elderly descendant of Sophie's, and Josh, a young Alaskan museum curator to whom Walter wants to entrust the diaries. Although it may sound complicated, it reads smoothly and the layers of narratives allows for interpretation and perspective. For example, Josh and Walter are able to discuss the differences between Allen's diaries and his official reports, the impact the expedition had on the native peoples, and cultural loss.
Allen's story is one of adventure interspersed with Athabaskan myths. Although I was familiar with some of the stories, such as those of Old Man Raven, others were new, and I went online to learn more about the Fog Woman and The Spruce Tree Man. Sophie's story was no less compelling, and she may have been the more developed character, with a better-developed back story and more introspective writing. She is a naturalist and photographer in an age where both are seen as male occupations, and her intelligence and desire for self-determination make her interactions with the other officers′ wives and the post doctor complicated.
I loved Eowyn Ivey′s first novel, [The Snow Child], and was not disappointed with her second, although Snow Child is still my favorite. I was immediately drawn into this story, but felt things bog down a bit, before I was swept back into it. I think Ivey′s strengths are her characters and her ability to integrate myth and fairy tales into her plots. Her deft handling of the epistolary style in this book reminds me of [Daniel Stein, Interpreter: A Novel in Documents] by Ludmila Ulitskaya. After only two novels, Ivey feels like not only an accomplished writer, but also one with a distinctive style, and I look forward to her next work.
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either impassable terrain or hostile natives. As if these challenges were not enough, Forrester is confronted with fantastical events his logical mind refuses to accept, and Lieutenant Pruitt is haunted by his role in the Elk Creek massacre. Meanwhile, back at the Vancouver Barracks in Washington Territory, Allen's wife Sophie is dealing with challenges of her own.Their stories are told through their diaries, a few letters between them, and some official correspondence regarding the expedition. This epistolary style works well, allowing both Allen and Sophie to relate their experiences in the first person. This timeline is encapsulated by correspondence between Walter, an elderly descendant of Sophie's, and Josh, a young Alaskan museum curator to whom Walter wants to entrust the diaries. Although it may sound complicated, it reads smoothly and the layers of narratives allows for interpretation and perspective. For example, Josh and Walter are able to discuss the differences between Allen's diaries and his official reports, the impact the expedition had on the native peoples, and cultural loss.
Allen's story is one of adventure interspersed with Athabaskan myths. Although I was familiar with some of the stories, such as those of Old Man Raven, others were new, and I went online to learn more about the Fog Woman and The Spruce Tree Man. Sophie's story was no less compelling, and she may have been the more developed character, with a better-developed back story and more introspective writing. She is a naturalist and photographer in an age where both are seen as male occupations, and her intelligence and desire for self-determination make her interactions with the other officers′ wives and the post doctor complicated.
I loved Eowyn Ivey′s first novel, [The Snow Child], and was not disappointed with her second, although Snow Child is still my favorite. I was immediately drawn into this story, but felt things bog down a bit, before I was swept back into it. I think Ivey′s strengths are her characters and her ability to integrate myth and fairy tales into her plots. Her deft handling of the epistolary style in this book reminds me of [Daniel Stein, Interpreter: A Novel in Documents] by Ludmila Ulitskaya. After only two novels, Ivey feels like not only an accomplished writer, but also one with a distinctive style, and I look forward to her next work.
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LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
This is a wonderful second novel about the relationship between a husband and a wife. Allen and Sophie Forrester are newly married, living in an Army-provided cabin in Washington state, when he is given the leadership of a small group of explorers tasked with traveling up the Wolverine river in
The Wolverine river is a wild place; the Russians were forced to abandon their own explorations due to the topography and the hostility of the Native Alaskans. When Sophie and Allen part, it's with the expectation that he'll return either in the fall or not until the following spring, if they are forced to overwinter along their planned route. Allen Forrester and his companions have a difficult path ahead of them, but Sophie has her own struggles as she isn't fond of the rigid and gossipy social life of a military wife.
For the most part, this is a straight-forward historical novel, told in a chronological way, but as Allen sets out from an island off the coast of Alaska, strange things occur and the inexplicable twines itself with the traditional narrative. To the Bright Edge of the World began slowly for me, but as it progressed, I became more and more enthralled.
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Alaska territory in 1885. The book takes the form of diaries, letters, photographs, newspaper articles and various artifacts and keepsakes that were inherited by a great nephew who sends them north to a small museum located along the route the explorers traveled through. The museum curator and the elderly man exchange letters as the curator pieces together the story's chronology and the old man recounts what he remembers. The Wolverine river is a wild place; the Russians were forced to abandon their own explorations due to the topography and the hostility of the Native Alaskans. When Sophie and Allen part, it's with the expectation that he'll return either in the fall or not until the following spring, if they are forced to overwinter along their planned route. Allen Forrester and his companions have a difficult path ahead of them, but Sophie has her own struggles as she isn't fond of the rigid and gossipy social life of a military wife.
For the most part, this is a straight-forward historical novel, told in a chronological way, but as Allen sets out from an island off the coast of Alaska, strange things occur and the inexplicable twines itself with the traditional narrative. To the Bright Edge of the World began slowly for me, but as it progressed, I became more and more enthralled.
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LibraryThing member Alphawoman
I am a sucker for this type of book. I think it all began with SURVIVED about the crash in the Andes. INTO THIN AIR, that book was great! the LOST CITY OF Z, LITTLE BIG MAN, THE WILD GIRL, TRACKS, WILD, in other words I loved this book and hated that it had to end.
It was hard to put the book down.
the exploration began in 1885 with a small party of adventures set out to explore the unknown areas of Alaska. the beauty and roughness of the unexplored region was written exquisitely.
mystical moments intertwine with survival to produce a tale of unparalleled breathless beauty.
a must read for anyone fond of this genre.
It was hard to put the book down.
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I could of had it finished today if it wasn't my hubs birthday so I spent time with him! the exploration began in 1885 with a small party of adventures set out to explore the unknown areas of Alaska. the beauty and roughness of the unexplored region was written exquisitely.
mystical moments intertwine with survival to produce a tale of unparalleled breathless beauty.
a must read for anyone fond of this genre.
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LibraryThing member mwatson4281
I was thiiis close to putting this down after reading the first 60 pages and barely being able to keep going but I am glad that I finished it. The story itself is not tremendously gripping but the language is unbelievably beautiful. The magic realism works in some places, and you can just imagine
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all of the tremendous and wondrous things that can happen in the most remote of places. Show Less
LibraryThing member jmoncton
This is one of those quiet stories that gradually grows on you. Told in a series of diary entries and letters, it beautifully recounts a tale about the Alaskan wilderness. The story mostly alternates between the expedition journal of Colonel Allen Forrester who is on a military exploration of the
I received a free copy of the audiobook through Libro.fm.
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previously impassable Wolverine river and Sophie's travails back at the military barracks. Ivey does such a wonderful job describing both characters and scene that you develop vivid images of the stunning Alaskan scenery as well as the horrific conditions of the expedition. As with her previous book, The Snow Child, there is a small hint of magical realism, which adds to a sense of experiencing a lost and beautiful mystical world. Wonderful writing!I received a free copy of the audiobook through Libro.fm.
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LibraryThing member janerawoof
An old man in present day, Walt Forrester, sends a box of his Great Uncle's and Great Aunt's papers to a small museum in Alaska. The documents are a treasure-trove of Alaska Territory history. The Great-Uncle, Lt. Allen Forrester, leads an expedition of exploration into Alaska in 1885. He and his
The novel felt so real that I felt as though I had the box of papers in front of me and was reading them through. The novel was based on a real-life exploration of Alaska in 1885. I liked the whole set-up of the book, along with the line drawings and photos that made it seem more true-to-life. Besides correspondence between Allen and Sophie, there were letters exchanged between Walt and the museum curator, and Sophie and the pharmacist-photographer. A fascinating glimpse into this time period. I felt the author did impeccable research. Highly recommended.
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group contend with storms, natives--both friendly and unfriendly--, white water, rapids, ice on the rivers, and other adventures. His wife, Sophie, meanwhile, is left behind in their quarters on an army base, and must contend with pregnancy, then teaches herself the primitive photography of that period, with the advice of a Portland pharmacist. She loves birding, so she becomes adept at nature and ornithological photography. The whole novel consisted of map of Forrester's route, diary entries, letters. drawings, photographs, newspaper clippings, and artifacts. It traces the expedition and the lives of the couple through that period.The novel felt so real that I felt as though I had the box of papers in front of me and was reading them through. The novel was based on a real-life exploration of Alaska in 1885. I liked the whole set-up of the book, along with the line drawings and photos that made it seem more true-to-life. Besides correspondence between Allen and Sophie, there were letters exchanged between Walt and the museum curator, and Sophie and the pharmacist-photographer. A fascinating glimpse into this time period. I felt the author did impeccable research. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member hemlokgang
This novel, comprised of letters, journal entries, and newspaper articles, felt real. Journey back to the 1880s in Vancouver and Alaska. Meet Sophie and Alan Forrester. Meet a fledgling married couple, a fledgling country, and the mystery of Native American folklore. Sophie becomes synonymous with
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the delicate yet determined hummingbird fledgling, while her adventurer husband becomes synonymous with the fledgling country. Adventure, Mystery, love, and history. Great mix. Excellent read! Show Less
LibraryThing member chrisblocker
Eowyn Ivey's second novel, To the Bright Edge of the World, in an impressive feat. This epistolary novel shows considerable research and passion for the subjects. Personally, I'm not a big fan of correspondence-based novels. Often, I find it is poorly done—authors too often rely on giving
Had I known To the Bright Edge of the World was an epistolary novel before I picked it up, I might have delayed my read. I liked Ivey's previous work, The Snow Child, immensely, but not enough to suffer through four hundred pages of fictitious documents. But Ivey does it flawlessly. She truly gets into the minds of her characters and writes as they would have. She trusts her readers to discover what was left unsaid and to piece it all together to make a plot. The different periods and perspectives all come together to create a rather engaging read.
That said, I'm still not a fan of the epistolary novel. To the Bright Edge of the World is such a fantastic example of how it can be done well, but I didn't fall in love. For me, stories with an overly present narrator force me to take a step back from the tale, and that's exactly what happened here. I enjoyed the characters and scenery (Oh, the setting of this one!) from a distance, but never felt fully committed.
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information that they wouldn't share or need to share with the recipient, all for the sake of advancing the plot. I roll my eyes every time. I guess you could say it's a pet peeve.Had I known To the Bright Edge of the World was an epistolary novel before I picked it up, I might have delayed my read. I liked Ivey's previous work, The Snow Child, immensely, but not enough to suffer through four hundred pages of fictitious documents. But Ivey does it flawlessly. She truly gets into the minds of her characters and writes as they would have. She trusts her readers to discover what was left unsaid and to piece it all together to make a plot. The different periods and perspectives all come together to create a rather engaging read.
That said, I'm still not a fan of the epistolary novel. To the Bright Edge of the World is such a fantastic example of how it can be done well, but I didn't fall in love. For me, stories with an overly present narrator force me to take a step back from the tale, and that's exactly what happened here. I enjoyed the characters and scenery (Oh, the setting of this one!) from a distance, but never felt fully committed.
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LibraryThing member Menagerie
This is a stunningly beautiful, deeply-felt book that everyone should read. I enjoyed The Snow Child and found Ivey's prose lyrical and enchanting, but The Bright Edge of the World surpasses that book in both scope and beauty. We are allowed to see two journeys; that of a husband in the wilds of
Sophie is an intelligent, independent woman who seeks adventure by her husband's side as he prepares to lead an expedition to Alaska. Her health prevents her from going, so instead we follow her many months' wait for Allen's return as she faces her own heartbreaks and trials. She dares to turn to the new art of photography for solace; something not deemed acceptable for women, and opens up a new world within herself and for those around her.
Allen, a capable, seasoned army colonel, strikes out into the wilds of Alaska and indian territory, determined to explore a treacherous route no white man has ever completed. Along with Pruitt and Tillman, his two army aides, and Nat'aaggi, a young Indian woman who is on her own personal journey that chooses to accompany them, they head into lands considered haunted by the dead. During their journey, Allen finds his own beliefs about the boundaries of life and death, the purpose of life, and his own happiness repeatedly challenged.
There are many, many things about this book to praise. Ivey has a deft hand in presenting characters as multi-faceted with both good and negative qualities. She does not paint her stories in black and white, and indeed always brings in the revealing light for which Sophie is always searching. There is one aspect of Allen's character that I found especially compelling. He is mostly a man before his time; he sees his wife as his equal and has no wish to subjugate her to his will or to society's wishes. He is largely a compassionate, honorable man. He sees the natives he meets as human beings and treats them as such even as he is bewildered by their superstitions and religious practices. Yet, he is forthright and mostly unbothered in his own mind about the fact that his expedition will bring more white men to the wilds and those men will lead to the destruction of the natives' way of life, and indeed, many of their actual lives. Reading this today, it seems uncommonly cruel, but at the same time, he is otherwise a compelling and enjoyable character. This is the sort of dichotomy that sets Ivey's work apart. She isn't afraid to make things hard for her readers.
If you want a good read about exploration, the wilds of Alaska, a strong woman, or the lives of the Inuit before they were overtaken by western civilization, I highly recommend To the Bright Edge of the World.
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Alaska, and of his wife waiting for him in the army barracks in Washington, through their respective diaries and letters. Additionally, we occasionally see the perilous journey through the eyes of two men who accompany the colonel on his trek through the northern territories of Alaska. Each point of view enriches and deepens the understanding not only of the late 1880s, but of the hearts and minds of people who strove to live beyond the confines of society and convention. Sophie is an intelligent, independent woman who seeks adventure by her husband's side as he prepares to lead an expedition to Alaska. Her health prevents her from going, so instead we follow her many months' wait for Allen's return as she faces her own heartbreaks and trials. She dares to turn to the new art of photography for solace; something not deemed acceptable for women, and opens up a new world within herself and for those around her.
Allen, a capable, seasoned army colonel, strikes out into the wilds of Alaska and indian territory, determined to explore a treacherous route no white man has ever completed. Along with Pruitt and Tillman, his two army aides, and Nat'aaggi, a young Indian woman who is on her own personal journey that chooses to accompany them, they head into lands considered haunted by the dead. During their journey, Allen finds his own beliefs about the boundaries of life and death, the purpose of life, and his own happiness repeatedly challenged.
There are many, many things about this book to praise. Ivey has a deft hand in presenting characters as multi-faceted with both good and negative qualities. She does not paint her stories in black and white, and indeed always brings in the revealing light for which Sophie is always searching. There is one aspect of Allen's character that I found especially compelling. He is mostly a man before his time; he sees his wife as his equal and has no wish to subjugate her to his will or to society's wishes. He is largely a compassionate, honorable man. He sees the natives he meets as human beings and treats them as such even as he is bewildered by their superstitions and religious practices. Yet, he is forthright and mostly unbothered in his own mind about the fact that his expedition will bring more white men to the wilds and those men will lead to the destruction of the natives' way of life, and indeed, many of their actual lives. Reading this today, it seems uncommonly cruel, but at the same time, he is otherwise a compelling and enjoyable character. This is the sort of dichotomy that sets Ivey's work apart. She isn't afraid to make things hard for her readers.
If you want a good read about exploration, the wilds of Alaska, a strong woman, or the lives of the Inuit before they were overtaken by western civilization, I highly recommend To the Bright Edge of the World.
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LibraryThing member Fergus_Cooper
Exploring Alaska. The difficulties that lie there in at the end of the 19th Century. This book was always on a loser after the wonderful 'Snowchild'. It was a fine book but I was expecting better. I always think that books written in the form of diary entries have their limitations. I wouldn't
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really recommend it unless you were a big Alaska lover. Show Less
LibraryThing member maryreinert
In 1885, a war hero, Colonel Allen Forrester is tasked with leading a small band of men on an expedition to the beginnings of the Wolverine River in untamed Alaska. Forrester is recently married to a younger, but very independent, woman Sophie who is pregnant when he leaves. The story is told from
On the expedition, Forrester and his men encounter many of the indigenous Indian tribes and are forced to come to terms with the seemingly brutality yet incomprehensible connection between the natives and nature. Can a man become a bird, can a woman be married to an otter, can a baby be born from a tree? The magical realism in this beautifully written novel is so constructed that it is completely believable.
While Forrester and his men are battling the hardships of the Alaskan wilderness, Sophie is battling her own demons. Her independence is frowned upon by the other Army wives. She is so totally unprepared and ignorant of the physical aspects of her own pregnancy and the Army doctor who is better prepared to deal with Army injuries does her no service. After the loss of the baby, Sophie becomes even more independent and eventually takes up photography, especially the photographing of birds.
Based on the lives of real people and narratives left by them, this is a beautifully written book that is sad, brutal, and loving. Many memorable characters people the book: Tillman, the rough but loving explorer; Boyd, the miner looking for his wife who vanished into the fog; Nat'aaggi, the native woman who supposedly killed her otter husband, the unnamed wife and mother living mostly alone on the frontier, the native chief, Ceeth Hwya who is young but with great status among his people.
Scattered between the letters of the 1800's are letters between a young gay museum curator and an aging relative of Forrester who has found the letters and other items and wants them preserved by an Alaskan museum.
Beautifully written and engaging.
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the entries in Forester's diary, the letters of Sophie, and short views of others. On the expedition, Forrester and his men encounter many of the indigenous Indian tribes and are forced to come to terms with the seemingly brutality yet incomprehensible connection between the natives and nature. Can a man become a bird, can a woman be married to an otter, can a baby be born from a tree? The magical realism in this beautifully written novel is so constructed that it is completely believable.
While Forrester and his men are battling the hardships of the Alaskan wilderness, Sophie is battling her own demons. Her independence is frowned upon by the other Army wives. She is so totally unprepared and ignorant of the physical aspects of her own pregnancy and the Army doctor who is better prepared to deal with Army injuries does her no service. After the loss of the baby, Sophie becomes even more independent and eventually takes up photography, especially the photographing of birds.
Based on the lives of real people and narratives left by them, this is a beautifully written book that is sad, brutal, and loving. Many memorable characters people the book: Tillman, the rough but loving explorer; Boyd, the miner looking for his wife who vanished into the fog; Nat'aaggi, the native woman who supposedly killed her otter husband, the unnamed wife and mother living mostly alone on the frontier, the native chief, Ceeth Hwya who is young but with great status among his people.
Scattered between the letters of the 1800's are letters between a young gay museum curator and an aging relative of Forrester who has found the letters and other items and wants them preserved by an Alaskan museum.
Beautifully written and engaging.
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LibraryThing member -Cee-
I enjoyed reading this historical fiction. I was lucky to get this book on Kindle for only $3. YAY! The story is quite wonderful and based on an actual expedition in Alaska around the beginning of the 20th century. There are a variety of threads running through this book that make it richly diverse
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and engaging, i.e., native Alaskan Indian lifestyle and myths, unexpected strength and intelligence of women, wilderness hardships and survival, magical realism, supernatural aspects, early medicine, traumatic stress, etc, etc. I liked the unusual format of the book consisting of diary entries, letters, and expedition reports. Characters were unique individuals. Show Less
LibraryThing member nsenger
There is a mythical element to our childhood, it seems, that stays with us always. When we are young, we consume the world in great gulps, and it consumes us, and everything is mysterious and alive and fills us with desire and wonder, fear, and guilt. With the passing of the years, however, those
To the Bright Edge of the World, page 138
I should have known that an author named after a character in The Lord of the Rings would turn out glorious fiction. There’s not much more I really need to say about To the Bright Edge of the World. It is glorious. I suppose I should tell you what it’s about and what I liked about it, but really all you need to know is that it’s glorious–now go read it.
Ok, ok. It’s set in the Alaskan and in the Washington Territories in 1885. It’s written as an alternating series of journal entries between Colonel Allen Forrester and his young wife Sophie, with occasional interludes of museum artifacts from Colonel Forrester’s historic expedition into the Alaskan wilderness. It’s a survival story in more than one sense, and a love story in every sense.
There are strange creatures, eerie settings, and weird phenomena. There’s a loyal dog, wild geese, a raven, and a hummingbird.
I normally don’t read modern literature because it’s not usually to my taste, but this I liked.
This I loved.
I loved experiencing the relationship between Allen and Sophie; I loved following the voyage deep into the Alaskan wilderness; I loved the bird watching; I loved the photography; I loved the letters between Josh the museum curator and the patron Walter Forrester; I loved that not everything was explained, and that some things were left as mysteries; I loved how Walter put it:
It takes a kind of arrogance to think everything in the world can be measured and weighed with our scientific instruments.
This is the kind of book to read when the snow is falling, the fire is blazing, and you’re sitting curled up with your favorite warm beverage. At least, that’s how I read it, while we were snowed in from work and school, and life slowed down for a while.
To the Bright Edge of the World is tender and violent, poetic and magical; it will break your heart and put it back together again–but slowly, the way hearts always heal.
In other words, it’s glorious–now go read it.
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memories become distant and malleable, and we shape them into the stories of who we are. We are brave, or we are cowardly. We are loving, or we are cruel.To the Bright Edge of the World, page 138
I should have known that an author named after a character in The Lord of the Rings would turn out glorious fiction. There’s not much more I really need to say about To the Bright Edge of the World. It is glorious. I suppose I should tell you what it’s about and what I liked about it, but really all you need to know is that it’s glorious–now go read it.
Ok, ok. It’s set in the Alaskan and in the Washington Territories in 1885. It’s written as an alternating series of journal entries between Colonel Allen Forrester and his young wife Sophie, with occasional interludes of museum artifacts from Colonel Forrester’s historic expedition into the Alaskan wilderness. It’s a survival story in more than one sense, and a love story in every sense.
There are strange creatures, eerie settings, and weird phenomena. There’s a loyal dog, wild geese, a raven, and a hummingbird.
I normally don’t read modern literature because it’s not usually to my taste, but this I liked.
This I loved.
I loved experiencing the relationship between Allen and Sophie; I loved following the voyage deep into the Alaskan wilderness; I loved the bird watching; I loved the photography; I loved the letters between Josh the museum curator and the patron Walter Forrester; I loved that not everything was explained, and that some things were left as mysteries; I loved how Walter put it:
It takes a kind of arrogance to think everything in the world can be measured and weighed with our scientific instruments.
This is the kind of book to read when the snow is falling, the fire is blazing, and you’re sitting curled up with your favorite warm beverage. At least, that’s how I read it, while we were snowed in from work and school, and life slowed down for a while.
To the Bright Edge of the World is tender and violent, poetic and magical; it will break your heart and put it back together again–but slowly, the way hearts always heal.
In other words, it’s glorious–now go read it.
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LibraryThing member debann6354
I loved this book. It took me a while to get into its rhythm but once I did I so enjoyed the journey, both Colonel Forrester's and Sophie's. Felt like I traversed Alaska's rivers and the interior of Alaska, appreciated the indigenous tribes and learned about the art of photography in the late
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1800's. Stay with this book, so worth the journey. Show Less
LibraryThing member techeditor
I have a rule, "the rule of 50." After I have read 50 pages of a book, if I am terribly bored with it, I stop. So, after 50 pages of TO THE B5RIGHT EDGE OF THE WORLD, I stopped.
LibraryThing member Aronfish
Wonderful novel built on the journals of a military commander leading an expedition to map the Wolverine River territory in Alaska, and the diary written by his beloved wife, waiting for him in Vancouver. I'd read Eowyn Ivey's beautiful book, The Snow Child, and found much of the same beauty of the
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Alaskan wilds in this book. She also has an amazing talent for painting the not quite believable as possible in a story somewhere between myth and fact. Show Less
LibraryThing member mojomomma
The exploration of the Alaskan interior by a small group of soldiers in the 1880s, as told through their journals and letters. Completely captivating read.
LibraryThing member auntmarge64
Epistolary fiction of the highest order, told entirely in reports, diaries, magazines articles, photos and letters.
In 1885, an Army colonel leads a small expedition of soldiers, prospectors and natives to explore a remote river in Alaska. They risk their lives and sanity as they face starvation,
In 1885, an Army colonel leads a small expedition of soldiers, prospectors and natives to explore a remote river in Alaska. They risk their lives and sanity as they face starvation,
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supernatural occurrences, and a hostile wilderness. At Fort Vancouver, the colonel's young wife faces her first pregnancy without him and fills her time learning the art of naturalist photography, much to the disapproval of most of the wives at the fort. In the present day, a great-nephew of the colonel's, now elderly himself, corresponds with the curator of a small museum in the area explored by the colonel's party, hoping to interest him in the journals, diaries and artifacts from the expedition. Show Less
LibraryThing member clue
I had high expectations for Eowyn Ivey's second book, To the Bright Edge of the World, and wasn't the least disappointed.
Taking place in 1885, an army captain leads a small group of soldiers in exploring the unmapped Alaskan Territory. Their amazing, harrowing, and sometimes unexplainable
Through his wife's letters and notebooks we read about her own interesting and frustrating experiences at the army base where she waits for his return. An independent and intelligent woman, her behavior rarely sits well with the more traditional army wives living around her. When she decides to learn the new art of photography while her husband is away, most of the other wives are completely baffled.
Although we follow two separate lives, it has to be said that their romance, which Ivey writes about in a touching manner, is the cornerstone of the plot. I
Taking place in 1885, an army captain leads a small group of soldiers in exploring the unmapped Alaskan Territory. Their amazing, harrowing, and sometimes unexplainable
Show More
experiences are captured in his diary and in letters to his wife. Through his wife's letters and notebooks we read about her own interesting and frustrating experiences at the army base where she waits for his return. An independent and intelligent woman, her behavior rarely sits well with the more traditional army wives living around her. When she decides to learn the new art of photography while her husband is away, most of the other wives are completely baffled.
Although we follow two separate lives, it has to be said that their romance, which Ivey writes about in a touching manner, is the cornerstone of the plot. I
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LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
This author's first book, The Snow Child, was one of my favorites and that's probably why I was so reluctant to read her second book. I purchased it as soon as it was published but it's been languishing on my TBR since then. I'm so glad I was finally in the right mood to tackle it. I don't
Partially set in 1885 Alaska, Lieutenant Colonel Allen Forrester has been asked by the U.S. government to travel north along the Wolverine River, surveying the land and meeting the native people. He takes along two other soldiers and a small band of native guides, and embarks on a arduous trip into an unforgiving terrain. His pregnant wife, Sophie, remains behind at Vancouver Barracks. He documents his travels and observations for the U. S. Army, but also keeps a private journal in which he describes to Sophie the many strange encounters he witnesses.
In the meantime, Sophie is writing in her journal, describing her love for Allen and the events in her own life. An unconventional woman for those times, she finds herself longing to capture the beauty of birds in her photography. Alternating with contemporary times, we also read letters sent back and forth between the elderly Walt Forrester, Allen’s great-nephew, and the curator of the Alaska museum to whom he’s sent Allen’s journals. The letters between them tie the story together cohesively.
I'm not a huge magical realism fan, but I am a huge fan of Eowyn Ivey, whose luminous prose brings the reader right into the story. Her description of the Wolverine journey, and the dangers along the way were filled with tension. Her ability to blur the differences between man and animal were beautifully imagined.
This is a exquisitely written, cleverly imagined novel that was fascinating to read from the first page to the last.
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recommend this book in audio and did switch to the hardback once I realized that there were photographs included. Partially set in 1885 Alaska, Lieutenant Colonel Allen Forrester has been asked by the U.S. government to travel north along the Wolverine River, surveying the land and meeting the native people. He takes along two other soldiers and a small band of native guides, and embarks on a arduous trip into an unforgiving terrain. His pregnant wife, Sophie, remains behind at Vancouver Barracks. He documents his travels and observations for the U. S. Army, but also keeps a private journal in which he describes to Sophie the many strange encounters he witnesses.
In the meantime, Sophie is writing in her journal, describing her love for Allen and the events in her own life. An unconventional woman for those times, she finds herself longing to capture the beauty of birds in her photography. Alternating with contemporary times, we also read letters sent back and forth between the elderly Walt Forrester, Allen’s great-nephew, and the curator of the Alaska museum to whom he’s sent Allen’s journals. The letters between them tie the story together cohesively.
I'm not a huge magical realism fan, but I am a huge fan of Eowyn Ivey, whose luminous prose brings the reader right into the story. Her description of the Wolverine journey, and the dangers along the way were filled with tension. Her ability to blur the differences between man and animal were beautifully imagined.
This is a exquisitely written, cleverly imagined novel that was fascinating to read from the first page to the last.
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Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2018)
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award (Winner — 2017)
RUSA CODES Reading List (Shortlist — Historical Fiction — 2017)
Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction (Longlist — Fiction — 2017)
Library Journal Top Ten Book (2016)
Notable Books List (Fiction — 2017)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — 2016)
Language
Original publication date
2016-08-02
Local notes
August 2nd 2016
In the winter of 1885, Lieutenant Colonel Allen Forrester sets out with his men on an expedition into the newly acquired territory of Alaska. Their objective: to travel up the ferocious Wolverine River, mapping the interior and gathering information on the region’s potentially dangerous native tribes. With a young and newly pregnant wife at home, Forrester is anxious to complete the journey with all possible speed and return to her.
In the winter of 1885, Lieutenant Colonel Allen Forrester sets out with his men on an expedition into the newly acquired territory of Alaska. Their objective: to travel up the ferocious Wolverine River, mapping the interior and gathering information on the region’s potentially dangerous native tribes. With a young and newly pregnant wife at home, Forrester is anxious to complete the journey with all possible speed and return to her.