To the Bright Edge of the World: A Novel
By Eowyn Ivey
Read by John Glouchevitch, Kiff VandenHeuvel, and Christine Lakin
Unabridged
Format :
Library CD (In Stock)
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1 Format: Library CD
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ISBN: 9781478965855
| Runtime: | 13.46 Hours |
| Category: | Fiction/Historical |
| Audience: | Adult |
| Language: | English |
Summary
Summary
Longlisted for the 2017 Carnegie Medal for Literature
Longlisted for the 2017 International Dublin Literary Award
A Washington Post Notable Book of 2016
An Amazon Best Book of 2016
A 2017 ALA Notable Book
A Library Journal Best Book of 2016
A BookPage Best Book of 2016
An atmospheric, transporting tale of adventure, love, and survival from the bestselling author of The Snow Child, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
The Wolverine River Valley is not only breathtaking and forbidding but also terrifying in ways that the colonel and his men never could have imagined. As they map the territory and gather information on the native tribes, whose understanding of the natural world is unlike anything they have ever encountered, Forrester and his men discover the blurred lines between human and wild animal, the living and the dead. And while the men knew they would face starvation and danger, they cannot escape the sense that some greater, mysterious force threatens their lives.
Meanwhile, on her own at Vancouver Barracks, Sophie chafes under the social restrictions and yearns to travel alongside her husband. She does not know that the winter will require as much of her as it does her husband, that both her courage and faith will be tested to the breaking point. Can her exploration of nature through the new art of photography help her to rediscover her sense of beauty and wonder?
The truths that Allen and Sophie discover over the course of that fateful year change both of their lives--and the lives of those who hear their stories long after they're gone--forever.
"An epic adventure story that seems heir to the tradition of Melville's own sweeping and ambitious literary approach to the age-old struggle of humans versus nature . . . An absorbing and high-stakes read." -- Kathleen Rooney, Chicago Tribune
An Amazon Best Book of the Year
A Washington Post Notable Book
A Goodreads Choice Award Nominee
A Library Journal Top 10 Book of the Year
A BookPage Best Book of the Year
Editorial Reviews
Editorial Reviews
“Ivey’s novel is a dazzling depiction of love, endurance, courage, and wonder.” —Ron Rash, New York Times bestselling author
“Powerful…Ivey is a gifted storyteller and a lyrical prose stylist.” —New York Times Book Review
“In this splendid adventure novel, Ivey captures Alaska’s beauty and brutality, not just preserving history but keeping it alive.” —Publishers Weekly
“An exceptionally well-turned adventure tale…Heartfelt, rip-snorting storytelling.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The story is original and compelling, well worth the listen.” —AudioFile
“A novel with all of the fine details that make historical fiction such an adventure to read.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune
“An epic adventure story that seems heir to the tradition of Melville’s own sweeping and ambitious literary approach to the age-old struggle of humans versus nature…an absorbing and high-stakes read.” —Chicago Tribune
“Beautifully told…a page-turner, a fascinating story that is broad in its scope as it is compassionate in its message.” —Miami Herald
“[Ivey] fashions characters who come to warm and vivid life against her frozen Alaskan landscapes.” —Guardian (US edition)
“Raises the personal stakes and the emotional payoff to impressive new levels…a stunning and subtle performance…This is enchanted writing.” —Christian Science Monitor
“An 1880’s Alaskan adventure that really delivers…a rip-roaring frontier adventure.” —Business Insider
“The personal nature, the immediacy of the writing puts the reader in the heart of the story, allowing one to become a participant rather than a mere observer.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“[A] captivating historical novel…Read it for the vivid portrayal of Alaska’s rugged wilderness—and for the emotional power of Ivey’s first-rate storytelling.” —BookPage
To the Bright Edge of the World moves seamlessly through different times and different voices to depict an often harrowing journey that leads the central characters to question all that they 'have known as real & true.' Ivey's novel is a dazzling depiction of love, endurance, courage, and wonder, and a worthy successor to The Snow Child. —Ron Rash, author of Serena
Beautifully told...a page-turner, a fascinating story that is broad in its scope as it is compassionate in its message...Ivey has created a world that is dangerous and beautiful, worrisome and satisfying, all in a novel that readers will not soon forget. —Jim Carmin, The Miami Herald
Powerful...Ivey is a gifted storyteller and a lyrical prose stylist...remarkable. —Amy Greene, New York Times Book Review
An epic adventure story that seems heir to the tradition of Melville's own sweeping and ambitious literary approach to the age-old struggle of humans versus nature...an absorbing and high-stakes read. —Kathleen Rooney, The Chicago Tribune
To the Bright Edge of the World is a glorious feast of American mythology. In it, Eowyn Ivey's Alaska blooms vast and untouchable, bulging with mystery and wonder, and lit by an uneasy midnight sun. On this haunted stage, the lines between man and beast are blurred, and Ivey has etched her most compelling characters: the incorruptible, determined Sophie Forrester, who wrestles with the rules of men and polite society; and her husband, the explorer Allen Forrester, who struggles mightily against the uncivilized Alaskan wilderness with its ragged teeth. Gorgeously written, utterly un-put-downable, To the Bright Edge of the World sweeps its reader to the very brink of known territory, and presents that bright edge in stark relief: gleaming, serrated, unforgiving. As with The Snow Child, Eowyn Ivey has once again written a magical, breathtaking novel that I just cannot put out of my mind. —Jason Gurley, author of Eleanor
An exceptionally well-turned adventure tale...Heartfelt, rip-snorting storytelling. —Kirkus (Starred Review)
Eowyn Ivey is a deft craftswoman, attentive to the shape and heft of her sentences...[she] fashions characters who come to warm and vivid life against her frozen Alaskan landscapes...What could be a better beach read than an arctic adventure? —Geraldine Brooks, Guardian (US Edition)
A stunning and intriguing novel combining the epic adventurous sweep of Alaska with minutely beautifully observed details--the reader finishes it wiser and richer. —Rosamund Lupton, author of Sister and The Quality of Silence
All the pleasures of a great novel are here--the well-crafted sentence, the deft pacing, the compelling plot, and characters that we care passionately about. Add to those already significant achievements a few eerie hints of the supernatural, some nail-biting mystery/thriller drama, the understanding that's gained from historically accurate details, and the endorphin rush of a love story. And then consider that the novel's construction provides yet another pleasure, the pleasure of the puzzle, as the reader gets to participate in the assemblage of journal entry, letter, drawing, and artifact, therefore co-creating this epic Alaskan adventure. How can one novel contain such richness? Eowyn Ivey is a wonder. —Tom Franklin, author of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
An entrancing, occasionally chilling, depiction of turn-of-the-century Alaska...In this splendid adventure novel, Ivey captures Alaska's beauty and brutality, not just preserving history, but keeping it alive. —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Ivey deftly draws the reader into the perils of the journey...a compelling historical saga of survival. —Booklist (Starred Review)
Ivey not only makes [this novel] work, she makes it work magnificently...The Snow Child (a lovely retelling of an old Russian folk tale), was a runaway hit, an international best seller, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her second work is even better. —Library Journal , (Starred Review)
Ivey's characters, without exception, are skillfully wrought and pull the narrative forward with little effort. She does not stoop to blanket depictions of tribal life or Victorian women, and instead has created a novel with all of the fine details that make historical fiction such an adventure to read. Fans of The Snow Child will not be disappointed. —Meganne Fabrega, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Lustrous...Ivey's writing is assured and deftly paced. She presents a pleasing chorus of voices and writing styles in an amalgam of journals, letters, newspaper clippings, greeting cards, official reports and more...The couple's moving love story binds the multilayered narrative together...Ivey's first novel, The Snow Child, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and her follow-up act is certain to garner its own accolades as readers discover its many unfolding pleasures. —David Takami, Seattle Times
An 1880's Alaskan adventure that really delivers...a rip-roaring frontier adventure. —Ellen Hoffman, Business Insider
Raises the personal stakes and the emotional payoff to impressive new levels...a stunning and subtle performance...This is enchanted writing. —Steve Donoghue, The Christian Science Monitor
An American masterpiece...beautifully written, fast-paced, wide-ranging, historically-based, and creatively imagined and structured...It delivers in all the ways a great novel should...deserves every accolade it will surely receive. —Nancy Lord, Alaska Dispatch News
Ivey's simultaneous wide scope and focus on detail are part of what makes this novel so absorbing. It's no mere testosterone-fueled tale of heroism. Her narrative encompasses, however fleetingly, the girls and women at the margins. —Laura Collins-Hughes, The Boston Globe
Read it for the adventure. Read it for the time you'll spend thinking about it long after you've turned the last page. —Erin Kodicek, Omnivoracious
Spellbinding...a cracking adventure that pulses with emotional power and a brutal kind of beauty...brings history and folklore to life in a visceral and utterly beguiling way. —Stephanie Harrison, Bookpage, Top Pick in Fiction for August
A riveting story of adventure, mystery and love...Ivey populates her novel with rich supporting characters...a spellbinding Pacific Northwest historic fiction. —Shelf Awareness
This rich blend of adventure bravado and contemplative memoir, past and present, reinvigorates the idea of a historical novel. —The National Book Review
You feel the excitement and the wonder that [the characters] are experiencing. This is another magical novel from her [Ivey]. —Book Riot
A terrific example of why we love these stories of man-against-nature. But it also aspires to be something more...it's evident from Ivey's two books that she is also interested in the inexplicable magic of the world--real or imagined--that hovers just beyond our conscious perceptions. And so, while she is certainly deft at conveying the 'gray rivers that roar down from the glaciers, mountains & spruce valleys,' she is equally at home dropping a sea monster into those waters...To the Bright Edge of the World is a moving, surprising story. The Artic Addict in me is very grateful that Ivey wrote it. —Chris Bohjalian, The Washington Post
An epic adventure intertwined with a story of genuine love. —Shawna Seed, The Dallas Morning News
Beautifully done...you'll get lost in the details and become engrossed in the love story playing out...Simply wonderful, and I cannot recommend it enough. —Amy Gwiazdowski, BookReporter
It's safe to say that Ivey fans will not be disappointed by this spine-tingling romantic odyssey. —David Fox, Anchorage Press
The real journey in Eowyn Ivey's new novel transcends the physical landscape to a netherworld of magical, mysterious and sometimes diabolical proportions. —Betty J. Cotter, Providence Journal
Author
Author Bio: Eowyn Ivey
Eowyn Ivey has written short stories and three novels, including The Snow Child, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. She worked for nearly a decade as a bookseller at independent Fireside Books in Palmer, Alaska, and prior to that as a reporter for the local newspaper, The Frontiersman. She earned her BA degree in journalism and creative writing from Western Washington University and studied creative nonfiction at the University of Alaska. She lives in Alaska with her family.
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Details
Details
| Available Formats : | Library CD |
| Category: | Fiction/Historical |
| Runtime: | 13.46 |
| Audience: | Adult |
| Language: | English |
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