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Barkskins
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
From Annie Proulxthe Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning author of The Shipping News and Brokeback Mountain, comes her masterwork: an epic, dazzling, violent, magnificently dramatic novel about the taking down of the worlds forests.In the late seventeenth century two penniless young Frenchmen, Ren Sel and Charles Duquet, arrive in New France. Bound to a feudal lord, a seigneur, for three years in exchange for land, they become wood-cuttersbarkskins. Ren suffers extraordinary hardship, oppressed by the forest he is charged with clearing. He is forced to marry a Mikmaw woman and their descendants live trapped between two inimical cultures. But Duquet, crafty and ruthless, runs away from the seigneur, becomes a fur trader, then sets up a timber business. Proulx tells the stories of the descendants of Sel and Duquet over three hundred yearstheir travels across North America, to Europe, China, and New Zealand, under stunningly brutal conditionsthe revenge of rivals, accidents, pestilence, Indian attacks, and cultural annihilation. Over and over again, they seize what they can of a presumed infinite resource, leaving the modern-day characters face to face with possible ecological collapse. Proulxs inimitable genius is her creation of characters who are so vividin their greed, lust, vengefulness, or their simple compassion and hopethat we follow them with fierce attention. Annie Proulx is one of the most formidable and compelling American writers, and Barkskins is her greatest novel, a magnificent marriage of history and imagination.
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ChelseaM6010
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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#HumbleHarvest
Day 20. Trees
#Trees
On my tbr!

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks So pretty 🌳 4mo
Eggs Excellent 🌲 4mo
13 likes2 comments
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ReadingEnvy
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Reading Envy Podcast Episode 232: Barkskins Readalong

I am joined by Nadine, Vinny, Laurie, and Bryn to discuss Barkskins by Annie Proulx. We bring in some of the discussion from Goodreads as well as coming with fresh eyes to the text.

Listen and subscribe:
https://tinyurl.com/ReadingEnvy232

@Billypar @Bryn1 @Booksndogs

andrew61 I'm looking forward to listening jenny. 2y
Lindy I enjoyed listening to your discussion even though I bailed early when I was actually reading the book. I now have a good sense of the book‘s scope (without having to suffer through it). In film critic Jesse Wente‘s memoir, he tells of his Anishinaabe great grandfather‘s experience: he had to quit trapping after he went to his traditional northern Ontario trapline and discovered the entire area had been clearcut. 2y
Lindy Also, Proulx is a name with mysteriously silent letters. It‘s pronounced Proo. 2y
ReadingEnvy @Lindy that book sounds good! 2y
ReadingEnvy @Lindy it was my bad for not looking it up ahead of time. French is a thorn in my side. 2y
38 likes5 comments
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ReadingEnvy
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Mehso-so

It is unlikely this will replace The Shipping News on my love list for this author because she does so much with less in that one, and Barkskins is just a lot - so many characters, so many places, difficult to keep it all straight in my head.

I am likely to give the book four stars and myself five for finishing it.

ReadingEnvy I spent the last few days reading the last four sections of this book, because I was woefully behind on my own readalong! Discussion is ongoing in the Reading Envy Readers group in Goodreads (link in my profile) but we also will have a synchronous discussion of it Saturday at 2:30 EST. Contact me if you don't know how to access the Goodreads group, where the link will be posted 2y
Graywacke I love that you gave yourself stars for reading! (And kudos 🙂) I‘m actually now thinking about how I might rate my own reading… (eek, strange typo. Somehow had “finding” instead of “reading”. How? Anyway, fixed.) (edited) 2y
ReadingEnvy @Graywacke I always give myself five stars when I tackle and finish a big book, that way I can separate that feeling from how I actually feel about the book. I think sometimes we feel pressured to give books high ratings when that's not how we feel about them. 2y
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Lindy I like that you‘ve given yourself 5 stars for finishing it! I bailed quite early on and have no regrets. 2y
ReadingEnvy @Lindy I may have without the readalong element, although I'm also pretty heavily committed to reading all the massive tree novels for some reason 2y
Reggie Hey, way to go. After what you said this is great news! 2y
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BeckyWithTheGoodBooks
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Mehso-so

This is an incredibly ambitious novel covering the history of the North American forests for 300 years, and following the descendants of two French immigrants through the generations. Proulx‘s writing is to be admired, but I found myself bored when the saga focused too much on the intricacies of the timber business. The book was also devastating in its unflinching account of the colonization of our natural resources and indigenous peoples. 3⭐️

ReadingEnvy I'm a little stuck behind, whoops.... 2y
SamAnne Great story to tell. But I grow more irritated by authors unwilling to edit down their novels. I love long novels when there is a purpose to the length. I think about what Colton Whitehead did with Nickel Boys. Short, not one wasted word. And so good. (edited) 2y
BeckyWithTheGoodBooks @ReadingEnvy I had moments when I didn‘t want to read it, so I was behind for awhile too. 😀 2y
BeckyWithTheGoodBooks @SamAnne I agree about the story being a great one, but also share your irritation. I love long novels too, but I was not sucked into this one enough. 2y
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andrew61
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Pickpick

The @ReadingEnvy readalong allowed me to delve into a 300 yr history of North America + the relationship of man with the forest/nature. The story is of 2 families, the Dukes from a French immigrant, + the Sels from the indigenous mikmak people. As the stories alternate we see how colonialism and the race for profit destroys the land + people with consequences still being faced. At times dickensian, natural + social history, this was a unique read.

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BeckyWithTheGoodBooks
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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For my #superseptember #readathon, my goal is to catch up on the Barkskins #readingenvyreadalong and finish the latest from Kate Moore (I adored “Radium Girls”). Get well soon, Andrew!!

ReadingEnvy Woot woot 3y
EadieB Enjoy your books! 3y
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Bklover
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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These are my books purchased in the last week. I am clearly all over the place. Not sure where to begin. Neither is Molly. Barkskins is calling to me, but it‘s also the looooongest. And thank goodness for ThriftBooks. The two on the right together cost about half of one of the books on the left.

#Bookmail

Ruthiella I love Thriftbooks too! 3y
Leftcoastzen Look at her hiding back there !so cute! At first, I didn‘t see her.🐶😀 3y
Bklover @Leftcoastzen Aww thank you! She‘s a sweetheart. 3y
Bklover @Ruthiella it‘s wonderful, and I don‘t even usually pick the one in best condition. Thriftbooks saves me a bundle. Or at least that‘s how I choose to look at it😁😉 3y
BookNAround Awwww. Look at sweet little Molly back there! 3y
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andrew61
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Im not sure if anyone is doing the readalong but it's not too late to start. Even tho this is a big book it is v readable, I'd say similar to Homegoing in that each section tells a story about families in the creation of Canada starting in the 17thc. As I put part 3 down today I had marvelled at the beauty of an untouched landscape but horrified at the steady destruction of the same and the indigenous people.
#readingenvyreadalong @ReadingEnvy

merelybookish I loved this book! 3y
ReadingEnvy You are trucking through! 3y
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ReadingEnvy
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Have you heard? The next Reading Envy Readalong starts next week and we will be reading Barkskins. Conversations will be in the Goodreads group or you can post your thoughts with a #readingenvyreadalong

BeckyWithTheGoodBooks Ohhhh! Which Goodreads group do we join for this? I‘m new. 🤓 3y
andrew61 I picked mine up in the library today and I am looking forward to joining as I loved shipping news and accordion crimes my previous two trips into her writing. 3y
ReadingEnvy @BeckyWithTheGoodBooks Reading Envy Readers! 3y
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ReadingEnvy @andrew61 Me too! I‘m a huge fan of her shorter work and it makes me nervous about such a long work. We shall see. 3y
andrew61 @ReadingEnvy if her skill with characters is like those two books I suspect it will be a compelling read jenny. My only problem is as well as picking up barkskins I came away with 3 other books but I will pace my readalong with your timetable. 3y
ReadingEnvy @andrew61 which other books? 3y
BeckyWithTheGoodBooks @ReadingEnvy Thank you! Just ordered from ThriftBooks, so will start late, but will catch up! 😀 (edited) 3y
andrew61 @ReadingEnvy After finishing Austerlitz last week ( I wd recommend jenny, challenging read but brilliant) I picked a few 'lighter' rds in a Stephen King the outsider after dtr bought me for father's day a bk that said it was a sequel to that one, a Scottish crime , an Argentinian crime, and 'Passing' nell larsen which my irl grp are doing in Sept with the vanishing half. we're doing kindred with TT wife Audrey N in dec as we discussed previously. 3y
ReadingEnvy I do still want to tackle Austerlitz or something Sebald. 3y
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toofondofbooks
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Pickpick

Very good historical fiction following two families from late 1600s til present day. It was hard to feel connected to the characters because their stories are brief, but still a good read. Fixin to watch the Nat.Geo adaptation.

charl08 In my head this was a very Long book, so perfect for several series! 4y
toofondofbooks @charl08 The series changed a lot from the book, but in this case I can see why. I think I actually enjoyed the series better bc the characters were more fleshed out and the plot was more in depth. I'm hoping the continue it. 4y
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Viji
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Threat of deadly virus will not stop the library book sale 😷

marleed Oh our was Thurs-Sat. I went Thurs morning (5 books for me!). By Thursday evening physical library services were shut down immediately and until further notice. There are covid-19 cases with positive tests in my county and neighboring counties. 4y
Viji There was a death from corona virus at the hospital I work at. 4y
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intothehallofbooks
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Pickpick

Oh my gosh, LOVE. I love multigenerational family sagas. The story follows two French immigrants and their descendants from the 1600‘s to 2013. The families crossed paths and grew widespread over time. So fascinating and painful to see the deforestation that comes with “progress.” The details, the treatment of Native peoples, and all of the ways people died in these harsh conditions were written perfectly. I‘ll reread it for sure. #chunkster

intothehallofbooks I checked it out from the library, but before I was halfway through I bought a hardcover for my own shelves. 4y
Ashley_Nicoletto I‘ve had this sitting on my shelf since it came out. This makes me want to read it right away. 4y
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intothehallofbooks
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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I can‘t express how much I‘m enjoying this story!! I grabbed the audiobook from the library and it is wonderful. The narrator Robert Petkoff pronounces all of the French words and names beautifully. Knowing how words are supposed to sound really adds to this reading experience.

Lcsmcat I loved this one too! 4y
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intothehallofbooks
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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I‘M LOVING THIS. I don‘t know if I can finish it before it is due back at the library, but I love it so much. Over 700 pages! #chunkster #ilikebigbooks

readordierachel I picked up an ex-library copy of this for a couple bucks, but I've been too intimidated to start it. Chunkster indeed. Glad to hear you're loving it! 4y
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SamAnne
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Latest New Yorker. LOL. I finished Barkskins but was pissed off at the end.

Theaelizabet Loved that one! The cartoon, that is. 5y
SW-T LOLd at the cartoon 😂 5y
stephothebesto What bothered you about the ending? I found it rushed and anticlimactic - was it the same for you or something else? 5y
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SamAnne @stephothebesto Exactly. I enjoy long novels that spend a lot of time describing the setting and time period or where the place—in this case the Northern woods—is a character itself. But yes, rushed ending with little point. After 700 plus pages I expect a little more! 5y
stephothebesto Gotcha! Do you have any recommendations for read-alikes (especially ones with more satisfying ending)? 5y
SamAnne @stephothebesto hands down The Living by Annie Dillard. Three hundred pages shorter and packs way more of a Wallop. A story of generations making a go of it in the early wilds of far NW Washington State. 5y
stephothebesto That sounds perfect! I saw this quote in Litsy posts: " She read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live", so double-sold! Thanks! 5y
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stephothebesto
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
Pickpick

Big fan of this one. I'd recommend it to anyone who's into intergenerational sagas. I was impressed by Proulx's scope of time and depth into the subject of logging. The ending sped up and fizzled out a little, but it didn't bother me as there weren't major plot points to wrap up. Thought provoking and atmospheric.

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stephothebesto
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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The book starts out in 1693 and the pace of life blows my mind - striking trade deals that will go into effect 2 years later (minimum), wandering around port towns or New France wilderness until you find the person you want to talk to... It's crazy to me!

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stephothebesto
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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What should I build with these bricks? Latest TBR pile inspired by Book Riots 50 Books Over 500 Pages https://bookriot.com/2019/02/25/must-read-big-books/. I've read and loved a lot of books on the list, many without even realizing they're so long.

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Lcsmcat
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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“As he cut, the wildness of the world receded, the vast invisible web of filaments that connected human life to animals, trees to flesh and bones to grass shivered as each tree fell and one by one the web strands snapped.” #tree #quotsydec18 @TK-421

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Leelee08
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Gotta love a $1.75 haul from the thrift store!❤️📚❤️

Ashley_Nicoletto 😮😮 5y
55 likes1 comment
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Crazeedi
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Next up on my kindle. Hope it's a good one.

ElishaLovesBooks I liked this a lot! But it is a saga! #ILikeBigBooks 5y
Crazeedi @ElishaLovesBooks yes I am realizing that! Showing me 11 plus hours to read. I love thick books though. Lots of French phrases I'm not familiar with so I'm learning words! 5y
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Rcoco
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Pickpick

Finally finished this one. A tour-de-force which took like 6 weeks at least to get through. I enjoyed it but definitely could have used a little editing. And the kindle version has the family tree in the back which would have been nice to have throughout the book. I didn‘t even know it was there until I was finished. Sooooo many characters in this one.

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Ncostell
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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I should not be allowed to go to the library book sale because I don‘t have shelf space for any more books. But I just can‘t resist, especially when you can fill a bag for $5 during the last hour of the sale. I picked up a few that I‘ve wanted to read for awhile and a few spontaneous picks too.

Reviewsbylola That‘s an awesome haul! 👏🏻👏🏻 6y
DivineDiana Who could resist?!? 😉 6y
Ncostell @Reviewsbylola Thanks! 🙂 6y
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Ncostell @DivineDiana Exactly! If I skipped it, I would wonder about which books I was missing out on. I had to go! 6y
Christine You got some great ones!! 6y
Ncostell @Christine Thanks! Can‘t beat a good library sale! 6y
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Shamzi
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Pickpick

A beautiful tale of 2 families that spans over 300 years, one trying to hold on to a way of life that no longer exists and one trying to move away from their history and way of life. It takes an effort to read such a book ( actually I think it could have been a little shorter) but it is one of those books that stays with you for a long time.

Rcoco Yes I‘m reading this one right now. I have had it for three weeks, had to renew it from the library and I am only 66% through! But it is engrossing. 6y
Shamzi @Rcoco yes it needs time and effort, out of the two which family do you like more, Sel or Duke? I liked Jinot Sel time line .. 6y
Rcoco Yes I agree with you about jinot sel and his family. But I am getting into the part with Lavinia duke and she‘s pretty interesting! 6y
Shamzi @Rcoco 👍👍👍 6y
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Shamzi
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Walking towards the office and reading!!! Trying to keep away the Monday blues!!!

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Shamzi
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Starting this one today, looks like an interesting premise. Anyone read it?

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SLSbooks
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
Panpan

Decided to take on this tome since I had the summer off. Mistake. I patiently waited for it to grab my attention, but the characters were flat and too numerous to follow (okay, I did have a whopper of a summer cold while reading most of it, so that may have been a part of the problem).
Wish I would have passed on this one.

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Tamra
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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I‘ve been looking forward to this tome. At the current rate of my recreational reading though, it‘s gonna be a long relationship. 🐌

Aims42 Pretty view! 6y
Lcsmcat It is long, but good. I did it on audio and had to renew it because I didn‘t finish in the allotted 14 days. 6y
Tamra @Aims42 fitting for the cover. 🌲🌳 6y
Tamra @Lcsmcat good to know! It‘s been in my stacks a long time, I tend to do that with anticipated reads. 6y
101 likes4 comments
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Kristelh
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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#4newfavesin4days Day2 how about @JenP if you haven‘t been tagged yet

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Lcsmcat
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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A book about #trees and the generations of people who both depended on them for their wealth and destroyed them. But the trees, sometimes, got revenge. 😵 #hopintospring @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @vkois88

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EliNeedsMoreShelves
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Pickpick

This was such a surreal reading experience, because I kinda didn't care about ANY of these characters, and yet I couldn't make myself stop.

2 ⭐⭐ for character development
5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for writing
4⭐⭐⭐⭐ for creative ways of killing people
1 ⭐ for names I could keep straight

So....overall probably a pick? I definitely had quibbles, but I never wanted to bail. How's that for a ringing endorsement?? 😁

Chelleo I‘m intrigued by the “creative and way of killing people” 6y
TrishB I really disliked this book! Just thought it was meh and boring. 6y
24 likes2 comments
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Jen2
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Pickpick

Wonderful!!!

Lcsmcat I loved this one! 6y
MyBookLife I want to read this one! 6y
Purple610 Loved it a ton until the last quarter. Thought the ending lacked compared to the rest of the book. 6y
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Sjhaug
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
Pickpick

I loved this book

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Lcsmcat
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Pickpick

I get the reviewers complaints about how the issue of de-forestation overshadowed the characters, but it covers so many hundreds of years that no one character could be fully developed. I thought she did a great job, and to hold the reader‘s interest for nearly 26 hours of audiobook speaks for itself. 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Samplergal She‘s such a great writer. Everything I have read of hers, I have loved immensely. I‘m adding this. 6y
Lcsmcat @Samplergal I agree! 6y
45 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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Lcsmcat
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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I spent most of the day listening to Barkskins while cleaning up my Libib - adding photos of book covers, adding books I‘d missed or correcting entries than scanned incorrectly. I‘ve still got a long way to go, but I‘m making progress. And I‘m enjoying the Proulx, although sometimes the narrator annoys.

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Kristelh
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Great book👍

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BookishMe
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Repost from Tom Hanks- https://twitter.com/tomhanks/status/963845665641189382
Could not read this fast enough. Now sorry I‘ve finished! Hanx
=============

The last time I read a celebrity's recommendation (Aamir Khan, a Bollywood actor) I discovered Amitav Ghosh and fell in love with Ghosh's writing.

This sounds highly interesting despite the length.

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shawnmooney
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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shawnmooney
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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saresmoore I‘ve witnessed a wildfire like this and that is an excellent & beautiful description. 6y
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shawnmooney
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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shawnmooney
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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shawnmooney
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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LeahBergen I‘m enjoying the artwork in these posts. 👍🏻 6y
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shawnmooney
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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This stunning artwork is by the Mi‘kmaw artist Alan Syliboy, ‘Red Ochre Man.‘

#QuoteOfTheDay

merelybookish Beautiful painting! I loved this book which surprised me. 6y
Shemac77 Syliboy! 6y
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shawnmooney
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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shawnmooney
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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shawnmooney
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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shawnmooney
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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TrishB Be interested to see what you make of this book.... 6y
Spiderfelt Me too! I read it last year. 6y
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shawnmooney
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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Hokey That makes me really want to read this book. 😜📚 6y
8leagueboot There is a whole section in In the Heart of the Sea on how archaeologists found ivory sex toys hidden in the chimneys of multiple homes in Nantucket during excavations! 6y
LeahBergen Well now... 🤔 6y
GlassAsDiamonds I keep staring at that image trying to figure the porcelain part out....🤨🤨🤨 6y
Anna40 Oh my goodness! 6y
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shawnmooney
Barkskins: A Novel | Annie Proulx
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LeahBergen 😳 6y
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