David A. Robertson (1)

Creative execution fails an important story needing to be told.

Poor transitions and a lack of context for time, place and people left me confused and frustrated. Having read only the material inside the book, I finished it uncertain if what I read was fiction or nonfiction. It was only in reading the blurbs on the back that I confirmed this was a true story.

It's a sad statement that I feel I learned more about Helen Betty Osborne's life and the repercussions of her death by reading the Wikipedia page than I did this graphic novel.… (mehr)

I have to honor the author for revealing his life, his emotions, his hopes, his family. A child of mixed cultures, his mother took the children to live separately from their father for about 10 years, a critical time in his development. This is not a novel to be read for escapism.
But.
As I've said in other reviews, I am not interested in books that are introspective. This book primarily lives in the author's head. He spends many chapters describing his anxiety, his sense of loss. He spends so much time repeating his memories and lamenting how few he has. I lament it also, as he repeats the same meager scenes more than once. He talks about how his "recontextualization of my childhood has altered how I view myself as a Cree person." (p.173) and the importance of knowing your traditional language as a direct connection with your heritage.
OK, I get it.
Finally, chapter 13 had them arrive at the family trapline, just barely in time for the end of the book.
I guess I was misled by the jacket blurb which called this 'a father-son journey to the northern trapline where Robertson and his father will reclaim their connection to the land". No, they didn't move up there and start trapping.
Misled by the reviewer who stated "rich in lore and insight and compassion". Well, there was plenty of insight, and he did describe his compassion for what his mother went thru, and respected family member's privacy by not sharing everything. But the only lore shared was the same snippet.
Misled by "mesmerizing...and tremendously gorgeous" said by Cherie Dimaline, the author of 'The Marrow Thieves' (which I was mesmerized by).
Another person might connect with this book, but not me.… (mehr)

The amazing saga continues! I still recommend starting at the beginning so that you feel more of the emotional aspects of their adventures and revisiting characters from the first two books in the series. It is probably best for older children or young teens, but I still really appreciated it as an adult and was able to finish it quickly. This book is uniquely indigenous in its storytelling, and brings such a fun fantasy perspective to the children's real life experiences. Kind of reminiscient of Narnia Chronicles, where the children go on fantastic adventures while learning important lessons for life.
I received a free copy for my review, but that didn't influence this perspective.… (mehr)