Joint Book Discussion: To the Bright Edge of the World

Happy end of March! This month Carole and I read and discussed, "To  the Bright Edge of the World". Blodeuedd  in red and Carole in blue. 

Author: Eowyn Ivey

Title: To the Bright Edgae of the World

Genre: Historical Fiction and Magical Realism

Pages: ebook

First Published: August 2016

Where I Got It: My shelf (Bought on Amazon)

Colonel Allen Forrester receives the commission of a lifetime when he is charged to navigate Alaska's hitherto impassable Wolverine River, with only a small group of men. The Wolverine is the key to opening up Alaska and its huge reserves of gold to the outside world, but previous attempts have ended in tragedy.

For Forrester, the decision to accept this mission is even more difficult, as he is only recently married to Sophie, the wife he had perhaps never expected to find. Sophie is pregnant with their first child, and does not relish the prospect of a year in a military barracks while her husband embarks upon the journey of a lifetime. She has genuine cause to worry about her pregnancy, and it is with deep uncertainty about what their future holds that she and her husband part.

Yay, another Ivey book! I have wanted to read it since we read The Snow Child. It was not as good as the Snow Child, because they were really different.

Yesss! I was so excited when we decided to check this out. I think there is another book. But yes, it was very different.

At first I did not really know cos it was..different! ;) I missed the magical strangeness of the Snow Child, but it just sucked me in. I do like her writing and it had me reading, and reading, and reading. And I can not really explain why, because not a lot happened in a way.

There was a tiny, tiny couple of moments that were surreal, BUT that was because Allen and his company were starving. Hahaha. I agree. Normally I would’ve been bored with the lack of stuff happening, but the author has a way with her writing that keeps you hooked and wanting more.

Exactly, they were starving, can one really trust what they saw. Of course, I did like the surreal stuff and I want to believe it was real and not just the sickness, scurvy and lack of everything that made them think things.

And she really is an amazing writer for getting hooked liked that.

So...how did you like the format of the story? Like with the diary entries, letters, pictures, and jumping POV?

I liked it, it worked for me. I did not need the old guy with the curator, but it did bind the story together. And Sophie’s thoughts worked nice in the way it was done.

I wish she would’ve had the old dude and the curator say their peace at the end like an epilogue of sorts. That part I didn’t like much….BUT I loved Sophie’s thoughts. I really did like how you could tell who was writing/thinking. The format and style changed with each character. Allen didn’t know grammar to save his life tho LOLLL! Typical lazy man. ;D

You could really imagine who was talking, and I liked when that other guy wrote a few pages, now he could not write ;)

Sophie was the better of the writers. LOL. I felt so bad for her ;(

Me too, but I loved her she found her passion with photographs. That suited her.

Gotta do what you gotta do. I loved the added photos and drawings. It really made it feel like a collection of stuff instead of just a novel. Did you do any research after reading? I did! I didn’t realize this was based of real people.

I did not realise that! Now I feel bad for not reading up on them, I just assumed they were fake, and that she had taken her own pics or found some to use. But yes the drawings and photos were such a good bonus.

I like reading reviews after I read a book and someone shared a link to Allen’s journey on the military museum website (that is the only reason I knew). The author took some liberties for sure, but she did well capturing the real essence of the people.

I guess I have to google a bit later then :) I just assumed it was another guy who went on a journey and she used that to base this. But yup, I can guess where she took some liberties. I hope she writes something new soon. Her Alaska settings are really good.

Yes, she does good with bringing the world alive. She has another book out there. Maybe we can check it out one day.

I can only find a 29 page novella.

Maybe that is what I saw. Mhmmmm.

So let’s not. And let us hope instead she writes something more :D

Agreed, agreed. BTW - I must confess something……...I hated the ending and I hated Allen’s POV. D:

Throughout the whole book!? I liked it, it felt real for the army man he was. And no prob with the ending either.

I didn’t start kinda liking it until his return home entries and he was miserable the entire time. I think it was because I wasn’t fond of the character so I didn’t enjoy his POV. The ending just kind of ended. I wish there was more.

He sure was miserable, but I understood. I did not mind, I am glad he shaped up though cos else I would have been disappointed.

He did shape up a bit. IDK I think I was mad because he left Sophie when she really needed him, but I get it...the military-mentality of doing his duty. I just wish they would’ve let her come. THAT doctor she had needed a kick in the romp. Ugh.

He did not have much of a choice. Oh sorry, I can not leave on this important mission cos my wife is preggers, yeah, in that time he would have been without a job then.

For sure. I just wish he kept his promise on letting her come. Maybe they wouldn’t have ran out of food or been as miserable because she seemed like a planner and smart. Those three men did not seem the most prepared...their mission needed a woman’s help. LOLLLL

I Understood it like she would only have come to that place where that guy had that store, not on the entire trip.

I can’t remember. But even that would’ve been okay. At least take her with you part of the way so he could come back to her quicker. I maybe being harsh on Allen because I am biased and I didn’t like him.

I do not think she would have been happy at that village if they had left her there. Poor Allen ;)

Who knows! LOL And yes, poor Allen. Carole is a meanie xD

Done?

Yess, I’m done lol. :D Done?

The end….read the book everyone! ;)

READ BOTH OF THE BOOKS!!!! *throws books in the air*

:)

About the Authors

Carole and Blodeuedd have been blogging a long while now. The last couple of years the epic duo have been discussing books, watching movies, and even wetting the pen and sharing their stories with the worldwide web. They both love cats, chocolate, and a good story.

Book Discussion: The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey

This month Carole and I will be reading 'The Snow Child' by Eowyn Ivey! :D 

Author: Eowyn Ivey

Title: The Snow Child

Genre: Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, & fantasy

Pages: 386

First Published: Janurary 2011

Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart—he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season’s first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone—but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees.

This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place, things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.

B: Ok, how should we start today?

C: Mmmmm, first I want to ask the question: do you believe the girl was the snow maiden or just a regular girl?

B: I liked how the book felt like magical realism, and I did wonder in the beginning. But then after the dad was found, it still felt like magical realism, and I loved it. But no, I did not think she was the snow maiden. She was a regular girl.

C: Agreed. Like Mabel I wanted her to be the snow maiden. However, I like how the author leaves it up to reader. There sure is evidence that she IS and that she ISN’T.

B: Yes, she did that well. Magical realism, and still no magical realism cos there is no magic. Ohhh, I like. But then I adore books like this. Where magic can be felt and they just feel so special. I had high hopes for this book and it turned out to be awesome :D

C: It was nice! I was worried that it was going to be too fantastical, but the Magical realism was nice. I was also worried that I failed and picked a stinker, because the first 25 pages were super slow. I could barely keep going, but once I hit page 26 I was good and I read it within 24 hours! :D That is rare for me ;)

B: Really? I am glad you read on. I knew from page 1 that I loved it :) I can like slow if the words are just sweet poetry to me. Ok so not poetry. But it flowed, steady and nice. I felt the story, the sadness, yes it is pretty obvious that I liked this one. Not only for the story, but for the excellent writing.

C: I loved her writing style! It was beautiful. However, it was the story at first I was worried about and Mabel. I did not care for Mabel at first (in those 25 pages), but then I understood her more as the story went along and I liked her. What did you think of Mabel and Jack?

B: I understood how she wanted to be out there all alone, no people. No one asking about them and all that. A fresh start. But you need people, and I liked how she slowly understood that. Jack, oh he was working himself to death wasn’t he? It just made me sad for them. They need something in their life, and they received that.

C: Poor Jack. He was working himself to death and get why he didn’t want Mabel to help, but honestly….she should have just went out and started doing stuff. But yes, they certainly received that something!

B: Yes, she should have helped more, baking pies to sell is not all she could do. But then he should have asked. She did ask  him, but he was all I am a man. I can do this stuff. And yes it was a hard life, but there is always something to do.

C: Of course he he going to say that! He is a 20th century man. lol. That is why she should have just put on some pants and went out there. So….the ending….what did you think?

B: Ok, the ending, how not to spoil things. It fit. It made me sad. It made me hopeful. It made me believe. It made me question things. It was sadly a great ending. I could not have seen another ending.

C: Yes. It was the perfect ending for Fania and the whole story. It was sad and it made me mad for a hair, but then I realized that it was meant to happen. The author threw in so many foreshadows throughout the book. Especially with the one part with Fania’s dad…...I wish I could say, but yeah.

B: But there is always hope, and yes I admit, I held on to that hope you know. If you catch my meaning ;) No spoilers.

C: I get the hope and I see it! However, I am a negative person, so I am assuming the worse ;).

B: No, no negativity! Hope is alive. Nothing was found. Everyone lived happily ever after :) Sort of.

C: Poor Garrett...even though he knew what he was in for. hahaha Okay….okay….I will pretend that everything was happy and full of rainbows ;)

B: Rainbows :D And lots of potatoes, moose and strawberries to eat for them.

C: Hahaha and blueberries. Now...do you think you’ll read more by this author? I know I am curious to see what else she has up her sleeve!

B: I checked at once and saw that she only has this short story :/ That made me really sad. I loved her style, and I would love to read more by her. She must write more!!!!! I would love for her to mix in another fairytale too.

C: WHAT?! Now I AM UPSET! Maybe she is working on something while we are speaking????? SHE MUST! I would love another fairytale!

B: Reading her blog at the moment. In December she talked about her manuscript being ready so there is hope, there is always hope!!!

C: HOPE!!!!!!

Do you have anything else to add? Any questions?

B: Not really. I only want to add that everyone EVERYONE must read this book. It was fantastic, fantastical. Great writing, great story. A must read for every fiction lover

C: I totally agree! I may pick this book for my book club when it is my choice of book! :D It’s really good.

B: I found a name, Shadows on the wolverine. We should totally review it when it is out...like in 2016 *sigh*

C: Ooooooooo. I am game! I am even willing to pay for it...maybe….haha.

B: LOL. I did get this one from the library. Thank you library for being awesome!

C: Same here! Thank you library! It is beaten up and has been loved a lot it seems. :)

B: Let’s call this the end then, and your turn to pick a book right?

C: Ok! Good job buddy! I picked this one remember? LOL YOUR TURN! Mwuahahahahahahahahahaha *munches on carrot*

B: But I gave you a list of books my library has ;)

C: LOL and I happen to have waned to read this book for a wee bit. ;) FINE…..I will pick again! WAH!

B: or shall I give you a few my library has suggestions? *jumps up and down*

C: I will take your list and contemplate...haha….

So...the end?

B: The end :)