Barkskins: Longlisted for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction 2017

This is a long read (or listen on Audible as I did), but if you persevere you will be rewarded by learning so much about the history of the way the world's peoples, both indigenous (Native American and Maori) and immigrant Europeans have lived amongst trees. From the Seventeenth century to the 21st it filled in gaps in my understanding about why, how, which and where trees have played such an important part in the culture, life and death of people across Europe, America and Australasia. There's a notable thread relating to the part played by women, as wives, mothers, community leaders and industrial drivers for change. It ends by posing questions about the way we relate to them for the future of our planet's climate. I loved it and it made want to learn more.

I bought this book when the TV series stopped prematurely, apparently due to covid, and I wanted to know what happened next. However, I didn't find out anything about the fortunes of the town, with the Iroquois at the gates supplied with guns by the Hudson Bay Company. I didn't find out because the TV series pays little attention to the book apart from the two men who were shipped from France as indentured labour. The town is hardly mentioned in the book, nor are there any young women shipped over as brides mentioned, nor are the inn and the nuns, the Iroquois are only mentioned in passing along with the Hudson Bay agents. The Frenchman who would be king of his own realm (Trepagny) is a major part of the opening few chapters, but it is his common law indian wife Mari and his two indentured labourers Rene Sel and Duquet and their offspring who form the whole backbone of the following 700 and odd pages.Both the TV series and the book give an insight into what life could have been like during the early days of the colonisation of North America, but there the similarities end. The film goes for sensational action, albeit with a realistic ethos, while the book gives a much better insight into the fortunes of two families through a very long period of time. Rene Sel has a family with Mari and their fortunes differ considerably to those of Duquet's lineage.Each is dealt with in turn and shows a considerable difference between the experiences of those of native Mi'kmaq indian/european heritage and those of solely european.The early chapters are very interesting and well researched, really giving a feel for the time and the living conditions, it's hard to put down. As it progresses, though, it sometimes becomes too densely packed with detail and becomes difficult to follow the family lineages. The author has a flow chart in the form of the two family trees at the back of the book, but I only found these after reaching the end. Many of the experiences are fascinating too and, again, give a good feel for the times. But there seems to be a morbid preoccupation with various ways of dying. In one case there's nearly a full page about how one of Sel's descendants meets his accidental death. Perhaps that is really what life was like then.So, I enjoyed a lot of it and I rarely read novels, but there are some parts I didn't enjoy and I found it much too long, I also found that the ending didn't really close the circle. But I'm glad I did read it especially for the early chapters.

It's a long time since I've read a book I've enjoyed as much as this. It spans centuries, continents, well researched historical events, a vast cast of characters. As one might expect from Annie Proulx, the prose and the story-telling is wonderful. Despite the subject, it is enjoyable reading. I couldn't put it down. It vividly tells a rarely told tale of the irreparable destruction of the world's forest ecosystems driven by relentless greed, and the brutal annihilation of a human culture that had rare sympathy with its environment. This novel is a towering achievement of craftsmanlike writing, research, and insight.

Overwhelming research into the technology and economics of the forestry industry from c1700 onwards does not make for the most gripping of narratives especially when populated by what seems like a cast of thousands, many of whom appear two-dimensional, have confusing names and (a bit of a spoiler alert) are prone to dying in unpleasant and/or dramatic circumstances. This strikes me as a being a reworking of the traditional industrial family "trouble at t'mill" saga except with a forestry background rather than, say, cotton or iron and steel, which fails to lift the work and has a wide and to my mind improbable geographical spread. The first time I have been disappointed by this author.

Not sure how I overlooked this novel in her list of works, but prompted by another Amazon customer's review, added it to my reading list. She's a national treasure and deserves accolades for this heavily researched and thought provoking work.And of course, her story broke my heart.Buy it, read it.