Deep River: A Novel Hardcover – July 2, 2019

It is amazing how much of this book is common to me. I am 52 percent Finnish and 48 percent Swedish. I was born in Astoria, Oregon and raised in Svensen. Many of the places mentioned in the story I have been to and many of the type of people described I have met. I’ve shopped on Commercial Street, watched movies in the Liberty Theater, drank beer in the Desdemona Club, played my accordion at Suomi Hall, and took my new bride, Jane, from Alaska to the Union Steam Bath. It’s part of me.The book starts out with some people and living conditions in Finland in 1905. My Dad, --------- was 10 years old in Finland at the time. From the conditions described it’s no wonder he immigrated to Svensen, Oregon in 1913. He started working in the woods as a high rigger as described in the book.The Deep River area is also common ground. My grandfather, -------- (later changed to ---------), immigrated from Sweden to the Grey’s River area near Deep River in southwestern Washington in the late 1800’s. My Grandmother, ----------, immigrated from Finland to Grey’s River about the same time. After marriage they moved to Astoria, Oregon where he and some others got together and started the Union Fisherman’s Cannery in the Uniontown area of Astoria in 1897. He was manager when he retired to Svensen, Oregon in 1933 or 35 depending on which book you read.The description in the book of logging south of Svensen also triggered some memories. He mentioned they didn’t run a railroad to the logging site but used trucks instead. I remember some of those chain drive log trucks that came down the Svensen Market road with mostly one log loads.The description in the book of walking in among the virgin timber was right on. Also, and I don’t know what the arrangement was, my Dad would go up into the logged over area and pick out a huge broken log to buck into furnace wood. He had a couple of 8 and 10 ft crosscut saws in our garage but he preferred to use the new type motor driven “buck” saw. It was not a chain saw. It was a reciprocating saw with a flywheel and arm that pulled the buck saw blade back and forth through the cut. I think it was also called a “Drag” saw as I think the blade was made to only cut on the drag.Another commonality with the book was the description of the residual stumps left by the loggers. My parents had 4 stumps of the same description left on their 5 acres on the now called “Hunt” road in Svensen. They were about 10 to 12 feet high, 8 to 12 feet in diameter, and still had very visible “spring board” holes. I didn’t care to climb them as a kid as they were too high to jump from. My Dad worked on and off trying to cut them down to use the ground, but they were so big it was an almost futile task. He only had two knocked down by the time I left home.Anyway, this is an excellent story even without the romp through my childhood.--------------

Can I interest you in a tremendous Family Saga novel that is 700-pages long? It was just what I was wanting. Marlantes wrote the interesting Vietnam novel MATTERHORN which I liked and now has deep dived into his family tree to bring us Finnish immigrants settling in South Western Washington State in the 1890’s, There to work the logging and fishing industries. “Deep River” of the title is not the large Columbia River to the south although it plays a part in the story. The river Marlantes is using with a new name is the Naselle River which flowers west into the Willapa Bay just north of Long Beach, Washington. This is where his roots are. And if you love the Pacific Northwest or have any interest in its immigrant past, logging, fishing, or the United States labor movement or are simply drawn to a wonderful story you will be glad you were drawn to its covers.Although there are some 20+ well drawn characters in the book its main story line tells of the Finnish Koski family, two brothers and a strong-willed sister Aino who is the books major character. All of the characters are well developed and spring from the natural world that surrounds them. This is an intensely visual narrative with well-paced short chapters that move the characters and times along with an inventive and realistic plot. The descriptions of loggers and their living conditions is deeply felt. The political labor union history is most interesting and I’m sure may turn off many readers who refuse to face our history. The book is long but I enjoyed being swept up into its worldThe character of Aino Koski is very complex and in a bit of a way reminded me of Scarlet O’Hara in GONE WITH THE WIND. She is strong willed, opinionated, and late to find contentment.Marlantes book might eventually become the Gone with the Wind of the Pacific Northwest. He says he took inspiration from the century old Finnish folk tales in The Kalevala but the story reads new, romantic, historic, and toughly well written entertainment. A miniseries, please! Enjoy!!!“I have to go,” he said.“Where?”“Out”“By “out” he meant to find the Bachelor Boys.

Great American novel.Explains how USA become USA of today.Guns.Politics.Money.System.Almost everything.Good be miniseries but would require labor of love and big money(akin to "Master and Commander").Need to be translated into all big modern languages.Very rare writing.I devour books; addiction developed doing my profession-job -long hrs,stress,dealing with life and deaths; money.I read almost everything; that book is 0.01% of top.

If you want to know about old logging techniques this is the book for you. If you want a story where characters and story develop, it's not.Reading the acknowledgements at the end I noted that the author's wife was also his editor. This explains a lot. she should have taken a knife to the text instead of indulging. As other reviewers have noted events move from one thing to another but no one seems to progress. The heroine is inhuman yet every man falls in love with her: she proceeds to ruin their lives. I ended up hating her.The author mentions his debt to a Finnish epic poem but he mad his characters prototypes not people.

Lovely book. I enjoyed the author’s lyrical writing style and detailed descriptions enormously. As a resident of the Pacific Northwest i love to read books set in our beautiful region and this one didn’t disappoint. He uses some fictional names for places and i spent a couple of brain cells trying to figure out the real place names but he reveals all after the ending.

Brings unknown history of Finland and the early exploitation of ancient trees, poor immigrants and life in North West America to life. You feel for the fortunes of the central character Aino ...

Fantastic story about a time in history i knew little about. This book has everything. Puts things into perspective especially at the minute. Nice one karl this is fantastic book.

Love history so loved this. And loved that it was a good long read.