Creation

The point of departure for this biographical/historical novel is the curious omission among John James Audubon’s personal papers of any documents written during his 1833 expedition to Labrador. The novelist fills this absence in the historical record with imagined motives, desires, and actions that Audubon pursued during his 1833 expedition—an expedition on which he met British Naval Marine Surveyor, Henry Wolsey Bayfield. The novelist draws comparisons between the two men’s lives and work (charting the eastern shoreline of Canada and illustrating the birds of North America), while exploring philosophical themes characteristic of the early 19th century Western quests to describe, record, compile, and claim dominion over the vast show more world. Although not a central theme, a noteworthy element of the novel is that it depicts production of the famous Birds of America not as the efforts of a lone artist, but rather as an effort involving upwards of thirty workers—an early instance of assembly-line-art production, perhaps. Intertwined with the narrative of Audubon’s and Bayfield’s respective quests are personal revelations about Audubon’s marriage, his domineering relationship over his sons, his romantic friendship with Maria Martin (who later became mother-in-law to his sons and grandmother to his grandchildren), and the scandalous circumstances surrounding his birth and upbringing. show less

Really wanted to like this fictionalized account of Audubon's trip to Labrador, but it fell pretty flat. I did pick the right place to read it though (took it on vacation to the rocky Maine coast, where I could read it in view of eider ducks and diving gannets).

I really enjoyed this novel with the careful descriptions of the internal terrain of the artist J.J. Audubon, and can almost see him peering over his painting in the half-lit cabin of a shipful of men he has not chosen to journey with. It's also an eye-opening book into the natural world, not only birds but sea and flora.
It was a little bit slow at times, but I think it's a complementary pace to the main character, who processes much and observes even more.

An interesting look at one of the voyages of James Audubon up the coast of Labrador, while he was working on his Birds of North America. An insiteful look at the workings of his mind and his foretelling of the extinction of species.