The Blue Mountains of China
by Rudy Wiebe
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For readers of Wiebe's Of This Earth: A Mennonite Boyhood in the Boreal Forest and Sandra Birdsell's The Russländer. An epic novel on the Mennonite experience, by a Governor General's Award-winning author. From the eBook edition.Tags
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Member Reviews
I found this to be a very powerful book. The trials and tribulations the people in the book faced are far outside of my experience but they spoke to me somehow. I guess maybe the quest for meaning in life is universal. I also learned a great deal about Mennonites. Living in Manitoba one encounters people from the Mennonite background almost daily so it will be interesting to discuss this book with them.
Yes, sometimes the story is a little hard to follow but it wraps up very nicely at the end.
This is my Canadian classic read for May and I enjoyed it much more than my choice for April which was Leonard Cohen's "Beautiful Losers". Interestingly, Beautiful Losers is discussed in the last part of the book and it is obvious Wiebe did not show more like it either.
I have Peace Shall Destroy Many by Wiebe in my TBR file and after reading this I will certainly get to it soon. I'm also going to suggest to my book club that we read this book next year. It should generate lots of good discussion. show less
Yes, sometimes the story is a little hard to follow but it wraps up very nicely at the end.
This is my Canadian classic read for May and I enjoyed it much more than my choice for April which was Leonard Cohen's "Beautiful Losers". Interestingly, Beautiful Losers is discussed in the last part of the book and it is obvious Wiebe did not show more like it either.
I have Peace Shall Destroy Many by Wiebe in my TBR file and after reading this I will certainly get to it soon. I'm also going to suggest to my book club that we read this book next year. It should generate lots of good discussion. show less
Great book recommend it to anyone who likes a good read.
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New Canadian Library
191 works; 7 members
Best Books set in Manitoba
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Canadian Historical Fiction 🇨🇦
157 works; 8 members
Author Information
37+ Works 1,278 Members
A firm belief in the redemptive possibilities of history dominates Rudy Wiebe's fiction. His characters search for community, for a spiritual collective informed and strengthened by historical consciousness. This attempt to unite the present and the past stems from Wiebe's Mennonite religious background. Central to the Mennonite belief is the show more rejection of loyalty to contemporary and worldly government; personal commitment belongs, instead, to the religious community, with its hard-earned historical heritage as a nonconformist movement. Wiebe was born in a northern Saskatchewan farming community; in 1947 the family moved to Alberta, and he completed his education at the University of Alberta, where he teaches. Wiebe's first novel, Peace Shall Destroy Many (1962), addresses pacifism, a belief central to Mennonites. The novel's hero faces a moral quandary when forced to choose between religious convictions and Canadian nationalistic fervor during World War II. While The Blue Mountains of China (1970) records Mennonite history, The Temptations of Big Bear (1973) examines the destruction of Indian culture in white Canada, and The Scorched-Wood People (1977) takes up the plight of the Metis---those with mixed blood; all three novels focus on minorities who must struggle to maintain their sense of community. Ideas repugnant to the Mennonite sensibility, violence and self-destruction, figure in The Mad Trapper (1980), which recounts the hunt for a man whose isolation has driven him into madness. In 1980 Wiebe's short stories were collected in The Angel of the Tar Sands and Other Stories. Stylistically, Wiebe gives little ground to the reader, for his fiction is characterized by difficult dialects, a web of details, and a dense style. (Bowker Author Biography) Rudy Wiebe is the author of several short story collections and essays. He is also the author of eight novels, including A Discovery of Strangers and The Temptations of Big Bear, both winners of the Governor General's Award for Fiction. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta. (Publisher Provided) show less
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Belongs to Publisher Series
New Canadian Library (108)
Common Knowledge
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- Members
- 64
- Popularity
- 484,104
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.71)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 5
- ASINs
- 2
