Genre: classic; romance
Plot Summary: An outlaw living on the edge of civilization falls in love with a girl who is abused by her foster parents. But how can there be a future for them with him on the run? When an unexpected killing turns the tables on them, he finds his path marked with loneliness. He is told his destiny lies with Nada in the Country Beyond, but where will he ever find them? Told through the eyes of a dog named Peter.
My Book Review: I remember trying to read “Old Yeller” when I was a kid. I must have tried starting three or four times, and never could get much beyond “Little Arliss…” I guess it just wasn’t for me. I haven’t read many dog stories in my life, but this one seemed different from the typical. For one thing, it wasn’t a children’s book. Set in the Canadian north woods, this classic contained sweeping descriptions and all the atmosphere one could desire. You could nearly smell the spruce, cedar and balsam the author talked endlessly about.
The first third of the story was full of action and I made it through quickly. Unfortunately, the middle lags as the main character named Roger McKay and his dog Peter cover mile after weary mile on foot through the Canadian wilderness, always trying to outsmart and outrun the Mounties. I don’t want to give anything away, but the last few chapters pick up again and there was no way I could have guessed how the ending would turn out.
I can see why this author is a classic and I don’t believe the dog’s point of view hurt the story any. It gave it an interesting perspective that elevated it from the ordinary. However, the plodding middle had me yawning a bit. It also contains Native American spirituality, and the Christian missionary lacks a solid doctrinal stand which made the book’s philosophy a bit wishy washy. By the time the book ended, I was just ready to return it to the library and check out something else.
Apparently this book was made into a movie twice (1926 and 1936) but both deviate from the plot drastically. After doing some research on the author James Oliver Curwood, I learned that he had at one time been the highest paid author per word in the world at his time (he died in 1927 from a bug bite). I found that he lived not too far from where I do and that he built a French chateau-inspired mansion which has been turned into a museum. So I’m thinking of planning a day trip and checking this thing out! You know… some day after COVID. 😉
You can listen to the audiobook for free here.
PS- After spending most of the book trying to figure out what these characters looked like in my head, I came up with the following pair:
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- Alicia Vikander as Nada Hawkins
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- James McAvoy as Jolly Roger McKay
…
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