Joseph Boyden, The Orenda, Canada Reads Prize Winner 2014, and STARFest St. Albert 2014

Canada Reads Prize Winning author of The Orenda, Joseph Boyden, will appear at STARFest in St. Albert October 23, 2014 and I am going!!!

http://www.starfest.ca/index.php/authors/6-joseph-boyden-the-soul-of-an-author.html

CBC has Announced the Winner of Canada Reads 2014

From the Scotiabank Giller Prize-Winning author of Through Black Spruce comes a literary masterpiece steeped in the natural beauty and blood-soaked brutality of our country’s formative years

A visceral portrait of life at a crossroads, The Orenda opens with a brutal massacre and the kidnapping of the young Iroquois Snow Falls, a spirited girl with a special gift. Her captor, Bird, is an elder and one of the Huron Nation’s great warriors and statesmen. It has been years since the murder of his family and yet they are never far from his mind. In Snow Falls, Bird recognizes the ghost of his lost daughter and sees the girl possesses powerful magic that will be useful to him on the troubled road ahead. Bird’s people have battled the Iroquois for as long as he can remember, but both tribes now face a new, more dangerous threat from afar.

Christophe, a charismatic Jesuit missionary, has found his calling amongst the Huron and devotes himself to learning and understanding their customs and language in order to lead them to Christ. An emissary from distant lands, he brings much more than his faith to the new world.

As these three souls dance each other through intricately woven acts of duplicity, small battles erupt into bigger wars and a nation emerges from worlds in flux. (from the publisher Hamish Hamilton Canada)

****The Orenda now has the privilege of winning Canada Reads 2014 as the one book that everyone should read because it has the power to change a nation.****

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/canada-reads-crowns-joseph-boyden-s-the-orenda-2014-winner-1.2562292

Canada Reads Day One

In the above video the five finalists for the one book Canada should read are introduced along with their defenders.  One book will be eliminated.  Which will it be?

Canada Reads Begins March 3! Tune in to See Who Wins This Prestigious Literary Competition.

Canada Reads Contender "The Orenda" by Joseph Boyden Book Trailer

Releasing in paperback this week.

"From the Scotiabank Giller Prize-winning author of Through Black Spruce comes a powerful literary masterpiece.

The Orenda opens with the kidnapping of Snow Falls, a spirited Iroquois girl with a special gift. Her captor, Bird, is an elder and one of the Huron Nation's great warriors and statesmen. Although it's been years since the murder of his family members, they're never far from his mind. In Snow Falls, Bird recognizes the ghost of his lost daughter; he sees that the girl possesses powerful magic, something useful to him and his people on the troubled road ahead. The Huron Nation has battled the Iroquois for as long as Bird can remember, but both tribes now face a new, more dangerous peril from afar.

Christophe does not see himself as a threat, however. A charismatic Jesuit missionary, he has found his calling amongst the Huron, devoting himself to learning and understanding their customs and language in order to lead them to Christ. As an emissary from distant lands, he brings much more, though, than his faith to the new world.

As these three souls dance one another through intricately woven acts of duplicity, small battles erupt into bigger wars, and a nation emerges from worlds in flux. Powerful and deeply moving, The Orenda traces a story of blood and hope, suspicion and trust, hatred and love. A saga nearly four hundred years old, it is at its roots timeless and eternal." (book description from publisher)

This novel has received a lot of attention country-wide.  Have I read it?  Not yet.  But after all the media attention, an interview with George Stroumboulopoulos, and several reviews, I admit to being more than a little curious.  Has anyone out there read it?  If so, did you enjoy it?  Was it an eye-opener?  Would you recommend it?