Barkskins by Annie Proulx
In the late seventeenth century two penniless young Frenchmen, RenĆ© Sel and Charles Duquet, arrive in New France. Bound to a feudal lord, a āseigneur,ā for three years in exchange for land, they become wood-cutters ā barkskins. RenĆ© suffers extraordinary hardship, oppressed by the forest he is charged with clearing. He is forced to marry a Miākmaw woman and their descendants live trapped between two inimical cultures. But Duquet, crafty and ruthless, runs away from the seigneur, becomes a fur trader, then sets up a timber business.
Proulx tells the stories of the descendants of Sel and Duquet over three hundred years ā their travels across North America, to Europe, China, and New Zealand, under stunningly brutal conditions; the revenge of rivals; accidents; pestilence; Indian attacks; and cultural annihilation. Over and over again, they seize what they can of a presumed infinite resource, leaving the modern-day characters face to face with possible ecological collapse.
Proulxās inimitable genius is her creation of characters who are so vivid ā in their greed, lust, vengefulness, or their simple compassion and hope ā that we follow them with fierce attention. Annie Proulx is one of the most formidable and compelling American writers, andĀ BarkskinsĀ is her greatest novel, a magnificent marriage of history and imagination.
Ā
Ā Paperback |Ā 736 pages
Ā 129 x 198 x 46mm | 510g
Ā 01 Jun 2017
Ā HarperCollins Publishers
Ā Fourth Estate Ltd
Ā London, United Kingdom
Ā English
ISBN10:Ā 0007232012
Ā 9780007232017
Ā
Condition: Good
A book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover, including very minimal scuff marks and creasing, but no holes or tears.Ā All pages are undamaged, with very minimal creasing but no tearing.Ā No pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages.