Barkskins

Reviews / Votes

'An ambitious novel of extraordinary power that deserves to win the biggest literary prizes and confirms Proulx as a more gifted writer than many of those deemed "great American Novelists" ***** Sunday Express 'Magnificent ... might be her best book yet' Anthony Doerr 'Wonderful ... A huge and brilliant novel, which takes us back to the uncompromising splendour of the natural world, and affirms Proulx's reputation as one of the greatest and toughest prose stylists writing today' TLS 'Truly compelling ... I quickly devoured it ... Barkskins stays with you' Stylist 'An enthralling story ... Forest ecology, indigenous culture, sea voyages, Dutch culture, colonial and Maori culture, the logging industry: all these subjects and many more are revealed through the adventures of her characters' New Statesman 'Proulx's commanding epic about the annihilation of our forests is nothing less than a sylvan Moby-Dick ... Proulx's commanding, perspective-altering epic will be momentous' Booklist 'Many of the fine qualities we have come to look for and expect in Proulx's writing are in evidence in Barkskins. There is comedy, grotesquery and quirkiness mixed in with startling moments of sadness and suffering ... This is a big, ambitious novel that offers a new and cleverly indirect way of thinking about American history' Financial Times 'The pacing of her narrative, with each generation reflecting the further depredations of man against nature, its impact on the indigenous population and the twists and turns of colonial power, delivers a slowly gathering power, accented with the dread of irrevocable change' Guardian, Book of The Week 'Such is the magnetism of Proulx's narrative that there's no resisting her thundering cascade of stories' Washington Post 'Deeply rewarding' Good Housekeeping