emma cazabonne
An atmospheric narrative, rich personalities, and a secret that’s been festering for too long: perfect ingredients for a very enjoyable read. The plot is set in three places. Chapters alternate between those, and sometimes two settings are combined in the same chapter, as memories are mixed into the narrative: the Ballantyre’s estate in Scotland in 1898. Charles and McAllister, one of his keepers, are in constant conflict with poachers on their lands. An incident happens and old poacher Jacko got shot. James, the stable hand, suspected of the crime, flees 1893, at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Charles and his daughter Evelyn visit, in company of business associates and friends After the exposition, they go to a fishing expedition on the Nipigon River in Northern Ontario. Charles and Evelyn are surprised to meet again James, now part of a group of anglers taking groups to fish. This will be the occasion to clarify what really happened on that dreadful day on the Ballantyre’s property and to settle accounts. At first, it felt too convenient that James would be exactly where the Ballantyre are heading to, but then you get caught up in the story and it really doesn’t matter. I enjoyed a lot Evelyn’s personality. She’s 19 in 1893. For five years, she’s lived with the memory of what she saw the night Jacko’s death, without understanding clearly what really took place. She loves her father, but also feels he is hypocrite and hides her something fishy. She’s also very critical of her rich milieu and its pretense and dreams of independence, represented in the personality and life style of James, who first introduced her to the secrets of nature. Evelyn is eager for truth and justice. This shows particularly when she sees how Natives and women are treated and portrayed during the Columbian Exposition. This has actually a very interesting view of the exposition, quite different form the one I had perceived through Death at the Fair. As for Charles, he does appear at first both distant and possessive, and too self-centered. Through his business dealings and interests, we get glimpses of the banking word, as well as mining and railway projects in Ontario at the time. There are many elements in common to Maine’s both novels, even one of the main heroes having the same first name. I actually wondered all along if somehow James Cameron and James Douglas could be the same person. There are some common areas as well, as the story is partly set in Scotland. And a lot of beautiful descriptions of the landscape, especially the water. Maine has definitely a knack for painting these scenes, whether they are calm serene scenes or turbulent and life threatening waters of rapids. This is assuredly one of her main writing strengths. And when the narrative slows downs, you can just enjoy very word of these beautiful evocations. She is just as gifted to create an ambiance, tension between people, like the tension in the atmosphere before a thunderstorm. The “court room” scene around a campfire in chapter 27 is very well done in that respect. This is the type of book where at the same time you want to keep turning the pages to figure out the secret, but also want to leisurely savor every word of the beautiful descriptions.
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