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Loading... The Outlander (original 2007; edition 2007)by Gil Adamson (Author)
Work InformationThe Outlander by Gil Adamson (2007)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. (8.5) The book opens with Mary Boulton in the Canadian wilderness around 1900. She is being pursued by her two brothers-in-law after murdering her husband, their brother. The going is tough as she heads for the forested mountain slopes. She manages to stay ahead of them but collapses from exhaustion and starvation. She is found by a man who is eluding society. He nurses her back to health and a profound relationship develops between them. So, Mary is deeply shocked and distressed when one day he disappears leaving her to her own devices again. She forces on in her flight, lost and frightened again to encounter, a man, who leads her to a place of safety but for how long? I really enjoyed this tale, especially the Canadian setting and the depiction of the rugged life lead in those times. The reasons for her action are gradually revealed. There was a satisfying ending as well. This has been on my shelf for 8 years so pleased to have finally read it and it will remain in my collection.
There are plenty of improbabilities in The Outlander, and yet it’s a great read. Adamson is an impressive stylist who knows how to keep an unlikely story moving at a swift and graceful pace. If you never managed to track down a good read for your Christmas break, this may just make up for it. Striking, thoughtful, full of unexpected twists, The Outlander is that rare delight: a novel that is beautifully written yet as gripping as any airport page-turner....Say the words "feminist western" and people may groan, confronted with images of Sharon Stone in chaps for The Quick and the Dead, or a rip-roarin', yee-hawin' Calamity Jane. But this is a serious, literary book that moves far beyond genre or gender stereotypes. It's also hugely enjoyable - as the cowpokes might say, a rattling good yarn Belongs to SeriesThe Boultons (1) AwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
Fiction.
Literature.
Western.
HTML: "A remarkable first novel, full of verve, beautifully written, and with all the panache of a great adventure." In 1903 a mysterious young woman flees alone across the West, one heart-pounding step ahead of the law. At 19, Mary Boulton has just become a widowâ??and her husband's killer. As bloodhounds track her frantic race toward the mountains, she is tormented by the knowledge that her two ruthless brothers-in-law are in pursuit, determined to avenge their younger brother's death. Responding to little more than the primitive fight for life, the widow retreats ever deeper into the wildernessâ??and into the wilds of her own mindâ??encountering an unforgettable cast of eccentrics along the way.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Mary is referred to as the widow throughout the story as we learn of her family background: a widowed father consumed with grief, a grandmother with odd superstitions and quirks, a lonely home life and a naivety that persuades her that a marriage to John Boulton would be a good idea. John and Mary travel from Toronto (???) to Alberta to homestead and neither is prepared for the harsh reality of this lifestyle. Hardship, neglect, infidelity, and the death of an infant son push Mary over the edge.
We follow her and her flashbacks and thoughts as she wanders through the wilderness alone, unarmed, unskilled and helped by strangers along the way, in particular a recluse, Bill Moreland.
This is a very good story, excellent character development, plot, dialogue, scenery and some history surrounding the area of Frank Alberta. ( )