No Man's River

Happy with book delivered. Exactly what I ordered

An incredible story, true, by Mowat, about his life in the far North, and his contact with various native tribes that were starving to death, as they tried to live the way all their relatives lived.

Very good book by Farley Mowat. So well written that you feel as if you were there !

I have always loved Farley Mowat. He spins a great yarn, he's self-effacing, he's funny, and he's compassionate. What I NEVER noticed was any sympathy to pedophiles, which is what LEAPT out at me in this book. Page 225: "I am falling for Rita. She is a miracle of vivacity and charm, imbued with a scintillating sense of humor. ALTHOUGH ONLY SIX, she has the aplomb and self-confidence of a woman of the world, and the panache of a lady of society. I CAN UNDERSTAND IF CHARLES IS IN LOVE WITH HER." Keep in mind that at this point Mowat believes Charles IS RITA'S FATHER AND IS RAISING HER AS TO BE HIS WIFE, AND HE IS A-OKAY WITH THAT.To H*** with sympathy for other cultures; this was absolutely nauseating. Thank God for Charles' brother having that poor child taken by the authorities. Although he's painted as the racist villain, he's the most sympathetic person in the end. Whatever happened to that girl, it's better than being raised as a sex slave. Holy God, I had no idea he could ever say anything like this. I couldn't finish the book after this, so hopefully somehow I just misread the whole thing. All I know is I will never be able to look at a book of his the same way again.

GOOD BOOK THANK YOU AWC

Many thanks for this fine copy.

Readers can count this book as one more captivating true tale of Canada's far north, told by its best-read authority. The young Farley Mowat, returning disillusioned from the War in 1947 and thinking to become a biologist, joined with a taxonomist on a collecting "scientific" expedition into the Barren Lands of Northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The headstrong 26 year old was improbably paired up with a disciplined naturalist of the old school, who killed and skinned every animal he could shoot, poison or trap. After a while, Farley, having seen enough killing in the war, became disillusioned with this approach to appreciating the wonders of nature, and deserted his post in favor of exploring the largely uninhabited territory in the company of an Indian half-breed, Charles Schweder. His real desire was to contact the "People of the Deer," the Imhalmiut. These people came to be idealized in Farley's mind as a people "uncontaminated with the murderous aberrations of civilized man."Mowat gives a clear picture of the hardships encountered by the few inhabitants of this harsh landscape. By the time of the expedition, the Imhalmiut had dwindled to only a few scattered bands, having been nearly wiped out in a succession of epidemics. Farley tells of the well-intended but sporadic and largely ineffectual aid given to them by the Canadian government and its minions, and how Schweder had been traumatized by his experience in a partially successful rescue attempt he had made the year previous. His rescue of a six year old replacement for his child bride, dead of starvation, presents the reader (and Mowat) with a thought- provoking moral dilemma. So much for the myth of the noble savage...For me, though, the message of the book was how uncaring and ruthless "Mother Nature" really is, and how down and dirty a bare-handed struggle it is. He, Thoreau-like, at one point meticulously gives a complete list of the things they chose to carry on their epic trip down an unmapped river system: guns and ammo, flour, sugar, baking soda, canned food, gasoline and oil for their outboard motor, tarps and tents. Even with all these products of Western technology, their trip was hair-raising and nearly disastrous. And the bugs!For such a rough subject, this turns out to be an engrossing tale and hard to put down. On the other hand, the map requires a magnifying glass to read and there are no illustrations. I really appreciated, though, the last chapter, in which he follows up on the fate of the characters he encountered, giving the reader some "closure" as it is disgustingly called these days.I found it a little curious, though, that Mowat felt the need to apologize in a postscript for his use of some now politically incorrect words, such as Indian, half-breed, and Eskimo. This is largely a story of the encounters of people with different cultures, of different races, viewed through eyes that are quite a bit more honest than is usually tolerated by the demagogues and girly-men of our sensitive time.

Like one of the other reviewers, I first read Mowat's book "Lost in the Barrens" (under the title "Two Against The North") as a 6th grader. The story made a HUGE impression on me and inspired a lifelong fascination with the Far North. This book "No Man's River" tells about the real-life adventures that formed the basis for his fictional children's story. I literally could not put it down. I cancelled appointments so I could keep reading. I left a dinner date early so I could finish it. It was spellbinding, vivid, memorable, and thought-provoking. It brings together so much: the land itself, unrelentingly gorgeous and harsh, proving again and again how puny we are, how powerless. The weather makes all human effort seem like mere good luck. The native people are heartbreaking. The animals are kindred spirits just trying to survive in a land that has no mercy. They'd eat us too, if they could. (Some can, and do.) The role played by so-called civilization, well, nothing shows up modern man's shortcomings better than a famine. Mowat's trip north took place immediately after a terrible winter where the native people had starved and were still starving, and then had been decimated by influenza. He writes about it all with brilliant clarity and doesn't mince words about what was what. I imagine he had to wait until certain people were dead before he could write about this trip. I'm glad he decided to share this story with us. It's one of the best books I've ever read.

Great reading, an insight into the far north. As always with Farley you cant put the book down.

Very Good! Arrived on time.

as expected

Great Mowat!! Fantastic! And so sad at the same time..