Since I'm currently reading about American history, it's only fair that I also choose a book about Canadian history. This novel, written by the author of Canada: A People's History, is written from the point of view of the main character, the country of Canada, seen through the eyes of explorer David Thomson.
At first glance, I am not sure I am going to enjoy the disjointed writing style. The author shifts back and forth through time, sometimes arbitrarily, even in the middle of chapters. This makes it difficult to determine the setting or time period. Historical events and characters, rather than being cleverly wrapped into the plot, are thrown into the mix without purpose, often in a stream of dates, names and places.
Reviews for this book suggest it is "the Great Canadian novel" and "an epic story". I hope that my first observations will be unfounded. Canada's history is indeed rich and interesting despite our being a young country. Hopefully, a great historical fiction novel will help readers to realize this.
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