Status
Checked out
Call number
Call number
FIC WAG c.3
Collection
Description
"The final novel from Richard Wagamese, the bestselling and beloved author of Indian Horse and Medicine Walk, centres on an abused woman on the run who finds refuge and then redemption on a farm run by an Indigenous man with wounds of his own. A radiant novel about the redemptive power of love, mercy, and compassion--and the land's ability to heal us. Franklin Starlight had long settled into a quiet and predictable life working his remote farm. But his contemplative existence is turned upside down by the sudden arrival of Emmy, a woman who has committed a desperate act so she and her child can escape a harrowing life of violence. After Emmy has a run-in with the law, Starlight agrees to take in her and her daughter to help them get back on their feet. Over time, he introduces them to the land and patiently teaches them the skills that have allowed him not only to survive but to find communion with the world, and, gradually, this accidental family changes Starlight and Emmy in ways they never imagined. But Emmy's abusive ex isn't content to just let her go. He wants revenge and is hunting her down. Starlight was unfinished at the time of Richard Wagamese's death, yet every page radiates with his masterful storytelling, intense humanism, and insights that are as hard-earned as they are beautiful. With astonishing scenes set in the rugged backcountry of the B.C. Interior, and characters whose scars cut deep even as their journey toward healing and forgiveness lifts us, Starlight is a last gift to readers from a writer who believed in the power of stories to save us."--… (more)
Genres
Publication
Toronto : McClelland & Stewart, 2018.
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member Romonko
I love Richard Wagamese's writing, and I love his story of Frank Starlight which began with the beautiful Medicine Walk. This book is the continuation of Starlight's story. Unfortunately, Mr. Wagamese passed away before he could finish this book. The publishers knew that his fans would love to read
"Starlight sat back on his heels and watched them run, In the flash of moonlight they appeared as bursts of shadows between the trees. The lope and bend of them. When they hit the glade the leader dropped into a low growl, the ears of him flat to the skull, his snout pressed close to the ground." - Richard Wagamese - Starlight. Wagamese is describing a wolf pack that Starlight spots in the moonlight, as he's stalking them with only his camera. Beautiful imagery! Incredibly descriptive language.
The publisher did provide an ending to the story based on Wagamese's notes and observations as to how he wanted to end Frank's story, and I prefer to think of Frank, Emmy and Winnie continuing together, discovering all the beauty and majesty of the land around Frank's farm. Sometimes it's nice to write your own ending to a beloved story. Such an overwhelming loss it is without this talented and gifted writer.
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it, even if it was unfinished, so they published it anyway. I am so glad they did. This book is as singular and as beautiful as Medicine Walk. Wagamese's skill with descriptive language is throughout the entire book, and of course we have the wonderful Frank Starlight front and centre. In this book Frank comes across a woman and her eight-year-old daughter and he sees that both are more damaged than Frank ever was. They are on the run from an abusive and deranged man, and Frank and his friend Eugene take them in. Emmy becomes his housekeeper and Winnie is sent to school. Frank knows that much more healing is required to help the pair, so he takes them both out into his beloved backcountry to help them heal. He teaches both of them everything he knows about surviving and thriving on the land. The book is beautifully written, and even though unfinished, a masterpiece."Starlight sat back on his heels and watched them run, In the flash of moonlight they appeared as bursts of shadows between the trees. The lope and bend of them. When they hit the glade the leader dropped into a low growl, the ears of him flat to the skull, his snout pressed close to the ground." - Richard Wagamese - Starlight. Wagamese is describing a wolf pack that Starlight spots in the moonlight, as he's stalking them with only his camera. Beautiful imagery! Incredibly descriptive language.
The publisher did provide an ending to the story based on Wagamese's notes and observations as to how he wanted to end Frank's story, and I prefer to think of Frank, Emmy and Winnie continuing together, discovering all the beauty and majesty of the land around Frank's farm. Sometimes it's nice to write your own ending to a beloved story. Such an overwhelming loss it is without this talented and gifted writer.
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LibraryThing member Lindsay_W
Even though Starlight was unfinished when Wagamese died, I feel a sense of closure for his journey as much as Frank’s. The afterward and closing essay were so thoughtfully chosen and handled with such reverence for the author.
Connection to the land is a consistent theme in all of Wagamese’s
Connection to the land is a consistent theme in all of Wagamese’s
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work and you feel it strongly here. You can feel his desire to share the land’s healing power with those closest to him. The characters chosen for this story make me think Wagamese wanted us to know that learning to walk softly on the land, and open ourselves up and become part of the natural world, is not the exclusive purview of Indigenous people. Perhaps Wagamese’s legacy will be spreading the word that the healing power of the land is available to all people. Even the deeply wounded can “get their prowl back.” Show Less
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
"The morning was jubilant with light." Just six words that pack a lot of feeling and reminiscences and power. If I could write a sentence like that I would die happy so I hope Richard Wagamese recognized how fabulous a writer he was before he died two years ago. He didn't get to finish this book
This book has the same central character as Wagamese's book Medicine Walk, Frank Starlight. Frank was raised by a man he just calls "the old man" on a farm in the northern interior of British Columbia. At the beginning of this book the old man has died and left Frank the farm. Frank thought he would head out into the world for at least a bit but when he got to the end of the driveway he turned around and decided to stay put. Frank is aboriginal but he had to pick up all he knows about nature from the old man and then later on his own. He becomes a renowned nature photographer but he thinks of himself as a farmer first. One day in town he witnesses a young girl and her mother get arrested for shoplifting and he decides to help them. He offers the mother, Emmy, a job as his housekeeper and a place to stay because Emmy and her daughter, Winnie, have been living in an abandoned shack. They are running away from some situation but it takes a while for Emmy to talk about it. Winnie and Emmy gradually come to trust Frank and his hired man, Eugene, who are the first men who have been decent to them. Frank passes on his knowledge of nature and survival on the land and that helps the two to heal and feel safe. Unbeknownst to them the men that they are running from have been searching BC and Alberta for them. If they ever find Emmy it is unlikely she will survive.
I felt that the dialogue in this book could have used some more work but of course Wagamese wasn't around to do that and the editors said that they lightly edited the manuscript for such things as "[g]rammatical errors, word repetitions, inconsistencies, and continuity issues". It is still a very powerful book and I am glad it was published.
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but he wrote enough that I felt satisfied with what he had written before his death. The notes at the back said that he based this book on the third of a collection of three unpublished novellas and the editors included the ending of that novella to give an idea of how Wagamese would have ended it.This book has the same central character as Wagamese's book Medicine Walk, Frank Starlight. Frank was raised by a man he just calls "the old man" on a farm in the northern interior of British Columbia. At the beginning of this book the old man has died and left Frank the farm. Frank thought he would head out into the world for at least a bit but when he got to the end of the driveway he turned around and decided to stay put. Frank is aboriginal but he had to pick up all he knows about nature from the old man and then later on his own. He becomes a renowned nature photographer but he thinks of himself as a farmer first. One day in town he witnesses a young girl and her mother get arrested for shoplifting and he decides to help them. He offers the mother, Emmy, a job as his housekeeper and a place to stay because Emmy and her daughter, Winnie, have been living in an abandoned shack. They are running away from some situation but it takes a while for Emmy to talk about it. Winnie and Emmy gradually come to trust Frank and his hired man, Eugene, who are the first men who have been decent to them. Frank passes on his knowledge of nature and survival on the land and that helps the two to heal and feel safe. Unbeknownst to them the men that they are running from have been searching BC and Alberta for them. If they ever find Emmy it is unlikely she will survive.
I felt that the dialogue in this book could have used some more work but of course Wagamese wasn't around to do that and the editors said that they lightly edited the manuscript for such things as "[g]rammatical errors, word repetitions, inconsistencies, and continuity issues". It is still a very powerful book and I am glad it was published.
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LibraryThing member MaggieFlo
Richard Wagamese died before he completed this novel so the ending is unsatisfactory but one can only imagine what might have happened to the main characters Starlight, Emmy and Winnie.
This is a very well written story about abuse and abandonment and finding comfort and trust in nature and in
Starlight is a victim of the 60s scoop which removed Canadian Indigenous children from their homes and placed them in foster care. He ended up on a ranch in western Canada at the hands of a kind white rancher who allowed him to mature in a gentle and nurturing environment. He became immersed in the natural beauty surrounding him, appreciating the quiet solitude while developing his photographic talents and ability to stealthily track animals for photographs.
Into his life comes Emmy and her young daughter Winnie escaping yet another abusive relationship. Sensing a broken woman in need of patience, kindness and support, he takes them in in exchange for housekeeping duties. He uses the techniques learned from the “old man” to restore their trust and confidence by exposing them to the healing powers of their environment.
Highly recommended
This is a very well written story about abuse and abandonment and finding comfort and trust in nature and in
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humanity.Starlight is a victim of the 60s scoop which removed Canadian Indigenous children from their homes and placed them in foster care. He ended up on a ranch in western Canada at the hands of a kind white rancher who allowed him to mature in a gentle and nurturing environment. He became immersed in the natural beauty surrounding him, appreciating the quiet solitude while developing his photographic talents and ability to stealthily track animals for photographs.
Into his life comes Emmy and her young daughter Winnie escaping yet another abusive relationship. Sensing a broken woman in need of patience, kindness and support, he takes them in in exchange for housekeeping duties. He uses the techniques learned from the “old man” to restore their trust and confidence by exposing them to the healing powers of their environment.
Highly recommended
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LibraryThing member janismack
Final novel of Richard Wagamese beloved author of Indian Horse and Medicine Walk. Author has a way of describing feelins and thoughts in such a quiet and contemplative stryle. This story was of a wildlife ojibway photographer who takes in a white woman and her daughter when they needed help.
LibraryThing member LDVoorberg
The story starts off amazing. Good action and then moved into some awesome nature scenery and back country living. Just as you near the incomplete end, however, it goes exactly where I thought a writer of Wagamese's caliber would not go: into cheesy romance. Seriously. It came across as the stuff I
There were a few other unbelievable parts: no farmer leaves his farm with his #1 hand for a trip to the city. It took Starlight a lifetime to achieve his communion with nature, but he is apparently such a great teacher that it takes him only a few indeterminate months to get Emmy and Winnie to the same place?! And how does he suddenly have so much time to teach them, after establishing in the first few chapters that he is practically a work-aholic on the farm? Why does a guy who has such trouble with words become so well the first time he speaks to a crowd? (Mind, the speech sounds spot-on to the speaking style of Indigenous elders I have heard speak.) Despite these plot holes, the writing style is great, with a strong vocabulary and witty repartee.
Dickens' Mystery of Edwin Drood it is not. That unfinished piece was a true mystery. This one just feels unpolished and incomplete.
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read in high school. I wish it had gone in an unexpected way.There were a few other unbelievable parts: no farmer leaves his farm with his #1 hand for a trip to the city. It took Starlight a lifetime to achieve his communion with nature, but he is apparently such a great teacher that it takes him only a few indeterminate months to get Emmy and Winnie to the same place?! And how does he suddenly have so much time to teach them, after establishing in the first few chapters that he is practically a work-aholic on the farm? Why does a guy who has such trouble with words become so well the first time he speaks to a crowd? (Mind, the speech sounds spot-on to the speaking style of Indigenous elders I have heard speak.) Despite these plot holes, the writing style is great, with a strong vocabulary and witty repartee.
Dickens' Mystery of Edwin Drood it is not. That unfinished piece was a true mystery. This one just feels unpolished and incomplete.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
I will start off by declaring that I am a huge fan of Richard Wagamese, and Starlight has only strengthened my admiration of this author. I hate the fact that this is his final novel but he certainly left us a wonderful legacy. Starlight is a moving story of love, compassion and mercy as a badly
When Franklin Starlight took Emmy and her daughter Winnie into his home, offering a job and security, he also taught them both survival skills for the wilderness not knowing that the people that are tracking her are coming closer every day. Emmy found herself learning how to replace a lifetime of hurt and anger with the enrichment of nature and a new awareness of her own self-worth. She and Franklin grew closer to each other but a dangerous confrontation with her abusers is on the horizon.
Richard Wagamese was a firm believer in forgiving and moving forward and learning how to leave the hurt behind so there is a strong indication that this novel would lean toward reconciliation and healing. Hopefully Frank’s gentle guidance would influence Emmy to show mercy and allow her and Frank to find peace together. I enjoyed this follow-up story about Frank Starlight who was first introduced in Medicine Walk. Even though unfinished, I am giving this soulful story five stars.
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abused young mother and her daughter find a place of safety on a rural farm in a remote corner of British Columbia. Unfortunately the author passed away before he completed the novel, although it is based on a short story that he wrote in 2007 so the publishers have a very good idea of how it is meant to end. I congratulate them for the fact that they didn’t attempt to have an ending written, they simply refer the reader to the original short story.When Franklin Starlight took Emmy and her daughter Winnie into his home, offering a job and security, he also taught them both survival skills for the wilderness not knowing that the people that are tracking her are coming closer every day. Emmy found herself learning how to replace a lifetime of hurt and anger with the enrichment of nature and a new awareness of her own self-worth. She and Franklin grew closer to each other but a dangerous confrontation with her abusers is on the horizon.
Richard Wagamese was a firm believer in forgiving and moving forward and learning how to leave the hurt behind so there is a strong indication that this novel would lean toward reconciliation and healing. Hopefully Frank’s gentle guidance would influence Emmy to show mercy and allow her and Frank to find peace together. I enjoyed this follow-up story about Frank Starlight who was first introduced in Medicine Walk. Even though unfinished, I am giving this soulful story five stars.
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LibraryThing member TobinElliott
At its heart, there's nothing new here. Wagamese takes an old, well-worn story, and puts his own voice on it.
And yet, that's where the magic lies. Wagamese's voice. I absolutely adored Medicine Walk and, when I started reading this, my first thought was, it's not going to come close.
I was utterly
It's not the same story, but it's equally as good as that preceding novel. It starts with everyone broken, but looking with desperate hope toward the future.
When you figure you've got nothing, moving back and going on can feel like the same direction.
Then, Wagamese just gives you one beautiful scene after another. He's truly a gifted author, and his passing before completion of this novel (or any other works he might have produced) is an utter tragedy.
I won't talk to the plot, because it's best discovered by each reader. But I will say, there's a lot to be found in these pages.
You take the label off a can of beans, it's still a can of beans. Seems to me a label doesn't matter much at all. What counts is what's inside.
And yet, that's where the magic lies. Wagamese's voice. I absolutely adored Medicine Walk and, when I started reading this, my first thought was, it's not going to come close.
I was utterly
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mistaken. It's not the same story, but it's equally as good as that preceding novel. It starts with everyone broken, but looking with desperate hope toward the future.
When you figure you've got nothing, moving back and going on can feel like the same direction.
Then, Wagamese just gives you one beautiful scene after another. He's truly a gifted author, and his passing before completion of this novel (or any other works he might have produced) is an utter tragedy.
I won't talk to the plot, because it's best discovered by each reader. But I will say, there's a lot to be found in these pages.
You take the label off a can of beans, it's still a can of beans. Seems to me a label doesn't matter much at all. What counts is what's inside.
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ISBN
9780771070846