Status
Available
Call number
Call number
FIC LIN
Collection
Local notes
Shelved in Aboriginal Collection
Description
Monkey Beach meets Green Grass, Running Water meets The Beachcombers in this wise and funny novel by a debut Cree author Birdie is a darkly comic and moving first novel about the universal experience of recovering from wounds of the past, informed by the lore and knowledge of Cree traditions. Bernice Meetoos, a Cree woman, leaves her home in Northern Alberta following tragedy and travels to Gibsons, BC. She is on something of a vision quest, seeking to understand the messages from The Frugal Gourmet (one of the only television shows available on CBC North) that come to her in her dreams. She is also driven by the leftover teenaged desire to meet Pat Johns, who played Jesse on The Beachcombers, because he is, as she says, a working, healthy Indian man. Bernice heads for Molly's Reach to find answers but they are not the ones she expected. With the arrival in Gibsons of her Auntie Val and her cousin Skinny Freda, Bernice finds the strength to face the past and draw the lessons from her dreams that she was never fully taught in life. Part road trip, dream quest and travelogue, the novel touches on the universality of women's experience, regardless of culture or race.… (more)
Genres
Publication
Toronto, Ontario, Canada : HarperCollinsPublishersLtd, 2016.
User reviews
LibraryThing member MaggieFlo
This is a very good book but it is not an easy one to read. It is a very circular story of Bernice (Birdie), a half breed Cree woman who grows up in Northern Alberta and ends up in Gibsons, British Columbia. She was a great fan of the CBC production "The Beachcombers" filmed in Gibsons and wants to
With the Canadian inquiry into Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women getting underway, this is a very good intro into someone who goes missing spiritually because of past trauma.
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meet her idol Pat John. She is a survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of a relative. She is so traumatized by her past the she enters into a semi catatonic state for several months until her body learns to live in peace with her mind. It is during this time that we learn of her past and meet three very strong women who help her survive: Valene, Freda, and Lola, her employer. Family secrets are not talked about and there is guilt that Birdie was subjected to so much pain. The story is filled with spirituality, symbolism and poetry and these are important for Birdie's recovery. There is a happy ending as the women friends help her through her illness. This was a Canada Reads 2016 selection and it fits very well into its theme of "starting over". With the Canadian inquiry into Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women getting underway, this is a very good intro into someone who goes missing spiritually because of past trauma.
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LibraryThing member charlie68
Good but not an easy book to read or digest. I enjoyed some of the personal touches that the author makes; connecting words and ideas that are unique. Tale of a wasted life, and the steps the main character tries to turn it around. Not that it will convince many people.
LibraryThing member LynnB
This is both a wonderfully crafted book and an excellent story about the effects of abuse and the power of healing.
I'll start with the crafting. The book includes stories/legends in the Cree tradition, as well as symbolic dreams. The author weaves these into the story to bring a deeper meaning or
Because, on the surface, Bernice isn't doing much. She has taken to her bed and doesn't appear to be moving, eating or interacting with anyone....her Auntie Val, cousin Freda and employer/landlord/friend Lola hover about with concern, love and, at times, exasperation.
But, through the dreams and through the main story, we learn of Bernice's life. She is a victim of incest, poverty and racial discrimination. Her story is one all too common in Canada, where generations of Aboriginal children were removed from their homes, causing a multitude problems that didn't end when the schools closed. That legacy, while not explicitly mentioned, permeates the story.
As Bernice struggles to make peace with her past, we read a story that is at times, tragic, but also heartwarming as generations of women struggle to do the best they can for themselves and, most often, for each other. There are even humourous moments, making the characters so very real. An excellent choice for Canada Reads.
I'll start with the crafting. The book includes stories/legends in the Cree tradition, as well as symbolic dreams. The author weaves these into the story to bring a deeper meaning or
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context to the thoughts and actions of the main character, Bernice/Birdie.Because, on the surface, Bernice isn't doing much. She has taken to her bed and doesn't appear to be moving, eating or interacting with anyone....her Auntie Val, cousin Freda and employer/landlord/friend Lola hover about with concern, love and, at times, exasperation.
But, through the dreams and through the main story, we learn of Bernice's life. She is a victim of incest, poverty and racial discrimination. Her story is one all too common in Canada, where generations of Aboriginal children were removed from their homes, causing a multitude problems that didn't end when the schools closed. That legacy, while not explicitly mentioned, permeates the story.
As Bernice struggles to make peace with her past, we read a story that is at times, tragic, but also heartwarming as generations of women struggle to do the best they can for themselves and, most often, for each other. There are even humourous moments, making the characters so very real. An excellent choice for Canada Reads.
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LibraryThing member LibraryCin
Bernice (aka Birdie) is a Cree woman and has recently come to Gibsons, British Columbia, where The Beachcombers was filmed. Bernice has had a crush on the only Indian character, Jesse, since she was younger. The story goes back and forth in time from Bernice in Gibsons to growing up in Alberta.
I
I
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just didn’t find this book very interesting, so my mind wandered. The most interesting parts were when she was growing up, but in general, I wasn’t interested and didn’t really care. Even less was I interested in the little bit of poetry(???) at the end of each chapter and the bit of dreaming(???) at the start of each chapter. Those parts, I barely skimmed, if I didn’t skip them altogether. Show Less
LibraryThing member Carlathelibrarian
I wanted to read the Canada Reads nominees so picked this book up. I am not sure how to describe my reading experience.
There was a lot of back and forth in time in this book that sometimes confused me. The lives of Birdie (Bernice), Maggie, Val, Skinny Freda and Lola were told from Bernice's point
There was a lot of back and forth in time in this book that sometimes confused me. The lives of Birdie (Bernice), Maggie, Val, Skinny Freda and Lola were told from Bernice's point
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of view, but did not mince words. Violence, sexual abuse, mental health issues and family difficulties were dealt with in this story. Each chapter had some sort of dream in it that gave you some idea of the native culture and Bernice's take on it. It was not an easy read, but all in all, I am glad I read it. Show Less
LibraryThing member fredamans
My daughter bought me this book for my birthday/Christmas gift. I was stoked to read an Indigenous book by a Canadian Indigenous author, being an Indigenous Canadian myself.
I connected to this amazing story in so many ways. I saw myself in Birdie. I'm sure a lot of us do. I also saw myself in Freda
Pretty incredible debut novel!
Miigwetch to my daughter for gifting it to me!
I connected to this amazing story in so many ways. I saw myself in Birdie. I'm sure a lot of us do. I also saw myself in Freda
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though, and not just in name. The story of these five women was powerful. It was told in the most interesting way, I feel like it is still resonating through me as I write this review.Pretty incredible debut novel!
Miigwetch to my daughter for gifting it to me!
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ISBN
9781443451352