Barkskins by Annie Proulx is massive (roughly
700 pages), but we have a little over two weeks until school starts so if you
like historical fiction, grab a copy and start reading! Proulx has crafted a story set across
generations in a number of locations, including French Canada (New France in
the 1700s), New Zealand and China. Her
characters are descendants of two barkskins (wood-cutters), Rene Sel and Charles
Duquet. Sel marries a member of a local tribe and Duquet runs away to establish
his own business. The consequences of their actions reverberate across 300
years in this epic novel.
Earlier
this year, Proulx gave several interviews about her new book and her focus on forests
and nature. Here are links to the ones
in The
New Yorker and The
Wall Street Journal. The publisher also provides a Reading
Group Guide. From a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winning author, Barkskins has starred reviews from Booklist,
Kirkus and Publishers Weekly.
