Review of ''Three Came to Ville Marie''

Next on the list, Three Came to Ville Marie by Alan Sullivan, winner of the 1941 Governor-General's Award for fiction.

Three Came to Ville Marie is set during the reign of Louis XIV. The novel opens in France, but the three main characters all end up in New France (as the title indicates). The titular 3 spend most of the novel as a sort of love triangle. In the beginning of the book, Paul and Jacqueline are going to be married. They both supposedly love each other, but their relationship seems unromantic (but safe) at best. However, their fates change rapidly when Paul's childhood friend, the dashing captain Jules, shows up. Unsurprisingly, Jacqueline is smitten, and she quickly brushes off Paul to marry Jules.

I won't go too much further into the plot, as generally speaking, it's fairly formulaic. There are no real surprises (shock, Jacqueline comes to regret choosing Jules over Paul). Stylistically, it's a good novel. Sullivan has an engaging, yet descriptive style. And, the historical details, particularly Sullivan's depiction of various historical personnages (most notably Frontenac) is quite interesting. It's also hard to get a read on Paul's virulent racism. Eventually, he becomes an Iroquois killing machine, while refusing to kill any Europeans. It is disturbing to say the least.

I would say that overall, Three Came to Ville Marie is an enjoyable summer read, but I'm a bit surprised that it won a literary award. Perhaps good Canadian fiction was hard to come by during the war?

Slava Bohu by J.F.C. Wright

Slava Bohu: The Story of the Dukhobors by J.F.C. Wright won the Governor-General's Award for Non Fiction in 1940. As the subtitle implies, the book traces the history of a specific Russian Christian religious sect from its birth in 1665 to 1940.

Wright's narrative moves from an idealistic Christian splinter group to a twentieth-century immigrant group that fits into some of the patterns of a cult. For example, among a large number of the faithful, there is an unquestioning loyalty and belief in the leader.

Wright does a good job of describing the complex process of bringing the Dukhobor's to Canada, and most importantly, he makes it clear that despite later claims by the Dukhobors, the Canadian government made the terms of immigration (such as following Canadian law) explicit from the outset.

I could go on for a while, but I'm tired and I've been delaying this blog post long enough. If you want to learn more about the Dukhobors, this book is highly recommended, otherwise I'm not sure it adds a lot.

Trente Arpents by Ringuet

Technically, Trente Arpents didn't win the 1940 Governor General's Award for fiction, the translation of it did. However, as I understand French, it seemed silly to read the translation when I could read the real thing, though granted, it did take a lot more time. Additionally, I always have to balance between making sure I understand every work vs. interrupting the flow of the novel.

Trente Arpents tells the story of Euchariste Moisan, a Québec farmer as he matures, raises a family, and is in the end, confronted with modernity and the depression of the 1930s. The book starts slowly, depicting the life of the typical farmer in a small rural village. One interesting note, Ringuet writes his dialogue in the vernacular, so some familiarity with Canadian French is helpful. This edition also contained a helpful glossary.

The book is extremely well-written and Ringuet takes his time to describe throughly and vividly each scene. To the reader, both Ringuet's and Moisan's profound attachment to the land (la terre) comes across very strongly. For Moisan, it is the centre of his existence in every dimension. At the same time, one has the sense that Ringuet longs for a pastoral past that is being subverted and destroyed by modern technology. Ringuet also touches on this by depicting the immigration of experience of Québecois who move to the U.S. As a consequence, they lose not only their way of life (farming), but in addition, their language as their spouses and children generally only speak English.

A series of misfortunes, some of his own making, confront Euchariste. His eldes son dies. The new notary runs off with all of his savings, and he engages in a poorly thought-out lawsuit (on the advice of his lawyer) to gain back land he had previously effectively given to his neighbour. However, worst of all, he is effectively dispossessed by his 2nd eldest son, who takes control of the farm.

The novel ends depressingly, as Euchariste is condemned to work as a night watchman in an American factory, isolated from his homeland and the world of agriculture. He is totally disconnected from the familiar.

Overall, this is an excellent novel, and Ringuet's critique of modernity and industrisalism still ring true today.

Review of Under the Sun by Arthur Bourinot

Under the Sun is a nice collection of poems written by Arthur S. Bourinot. The book won the 1939 Governor-General's Award for Literary Merit in poetry and dram. More so than the previous poetry winners, Under the Sun is a very accessible and enjoyable collection. I found Bourinot's poems much easier "to get into" than the others.

Additionally, I would like to draw special attention to "Machinery," a poem about mass production and industrialisation, as a particularly worthy and interesting piece.

So far, Bourinot is by far my favourite Canadian poet.

Review of Confessions of an Immigrant's Daughter by Laura Goodman Salverson

After winning for fiction with The Dark Weaver, Salverson won in 1939 for her autobiography: Confessions of an Immigrant's Daughter.

Salverson's talented writing becomes even more remarkable after reading her autobiography. She had relatively little formal schooling, and English is not her mother tongue.

Most of the book is set during her childhood. She provides numerous vivid anecdotes and does an excellent job of putting herself into her younger mindset. The book also gives a better idea of the Icelandic immigrant experience, which is hardly well-documented.

Overall, it' s not a very exceptional or compelling book, but it's a very enjoyable read.

Review of The Champlain Road by Franklin Davey McDowell

Franklin Davey McDowell's novel The Champlain Road won the 1939 Governor-General's Award for Literary Merit. It's a historical novel set during the war of the French and Hurons against the Iroquois during the 17th century. The Jesuits hoped to create a friendly (some might say puppet) Christian Huron state to support New France.

McDowell romanticizes the war as a desperate and doomed struggle of the French and their Huron allies. It focuses primarily on a few important characters: Godfrey Bethune (commander in chief of the mission effectively), Father Rageneau (the head of the mission), and Diana Woodville (an English woman who grew up as a Mohawk, and later joins the French/Huron alliance). McDowell tells a tale of love and war set in the early 17th cenutry. This is not to imply that the novel is without merit, merely to state that it falls more in the Sir Walter Scott genre.

One of the most striking aspects, is the complexity with which McDowell treats the aborigines. Although, they are not the focus of the novel, certain characters play highly significant roles. There are no simple stereotypes either of noble savages or primitives. While the French often express condescension toward the first nations, the narrator remains ambiguous. I think it is fair to say that this is a novel more based on individuals than types.

I could continue this blog post at length, but I have already delayed long enough. The Champlain Road is a well-written adventure novel that proves to be quite a page turner. It is fine entertainment, and while the plot may offer little original or exceptional, it is a very enjoyable book through and through.

Response to Kenneth Leslie's By Stubborn Stars and Other Poems

I really don't have much to say about the Govenor General's Award for Poetry and Drama winner: By Stubborn Stars by Kenneth Leslie. It's a pleasant enough collection of poetry, but I didn't really connect with it. I often find poetry hit or miss, and while the language is quite nice, it was pretty much a miss for me. Hopefully, I'll enjoy some of the other poetry winners better.