To the Bright Edge of the World: A Novel

Fascinating book. I especially liked the weaving of the various stories: correspondence between husband and wife; modern-day relative and history museum; Native-born Alaskans and army expedition. I highly recommend this book.

This was a remarkable book, one that so effortlessly blended history, adventure, social upheaval and the simple fact that people are good, mostly. You will be sad, scared, happy and heartbroken - but you wont be able to put it down.

Eowyn Ivey is a fantastic writer. She had such great success with her first book, The Snow Child, that I thought it might be impossible to have a second hit. This book is completely different but has the same lyrical writing style. Her images of Alaska are spot on. So many author's descriptions are filled with errors that are difficult to read if you know the country. The story is told primarily from the diaries of the two main characters. I found myself drawn into that format. It could have been choppy but I think she did a great job of keeping the flow going. I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen next. Finally, I am not an expert on indigenous peoples, but I appreciated her respect for Native legends and the foreshadowing of the effect that exploration would eventually have on destroying the indigenous peoples' culture.

So rich in history and parallel letters in time, I enjoyed the developing relationship of the modern day juxtaposed against the artifacts, letters an recollections of the main characters, born from Alaskan history.

Eowyn Ivey is a fantastic writer. She had such great success with her first book, The Snow Child, that I thought it might be impossible to have a second hit. This book is completely different but has the same lyrical writing style. Her images of Alaska are spot on. So many author's descriptions are filled with errors that are difficult to read if you know the country. The story is told primarily from the diaries of the two main characters. I found myself drawn into that format. It could have been choppy but I think she did a great job of keeping the flow going. I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen next. Finally, I am not an expert on indigenous peoples, but I appreciated her respect for Native legends and the foreshadowing of the effect that exploration would eventually have on destroying the indigenous peoples' culture.

So rich in history and parallel letters in time, I enjoyed the developing relationship of the modern day juxtaposed against the artifacts, letters an recollections of the main characters, born from Alaskan history.

Thank you again, Eowyn. I also had the privilege of being the first to review this authoress's first novel, The Snow Child. I am her father-in-law. To the Bright Edge of the World is memorable and magnificent. With The Snow Child, Eowyn was one of three finalists for a Pulitzer prize in fiction writing. Though she did not win with that book, she will with this one.

In order to write this book, Eowyn had to do a massive amount of research. She began by learning to speak in a way that was compatible with the expressions of those who lived a hundred and thirty years ago. Next, she established the setting of this book to reflect the situation of humanity at that time in history. For example, the camera was just coming into common usage, and Indian wars were going on. Having placed herself in 1885, she then had to be exquisitely careful not to commit any anachronisms. For example, she had to learn about the workings of primitive cameras and the terminology that was used to describe them. We are treated with a run down on the mechanisms of the 1885 camera, including the chemicals used for development of photographs and the conditions under which these had to be taken. Another example is that she had to be careful not to place any soldier into a scheme of army organization that did not exist. After that, she had to write convincing letters written in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, again in the proper language and without anachronisms. One slip, and the entire edifice of this spectacular book would have become suspect.

I am crazy about the spookiness of this book, particularly in conjunction with the blurring of differences between man and beast as one penetrates more and more deeptly into the wilds of 1885 Alaska. One finds oneself almost in another realm, as reality becomes difficult to discern.

Let's face it. Eowyn is a brilliant writer. She is insightful, wonderfully descriptive, and warm. This book flows like a river, peaceful now and surging with rapids then. This writing is a classic that will be read for centuries and probably millennia to come. Thank you, Eowyn!

An enchanting blend of fact and mystery Eowyn Ivey has created a memorable second novel matching the charm of the Snow Child. A delightful read and an interesting tale of Alaskan exploration and the new at that time technology of photography. I can not wait for the next novel.