The Sea Runners
Based on an actual incident in 1853, award-winning author Ivan Doig's The Sea Runners is a spare and awe-inspiring tale of the human quest for freedom.
"Goes beyond being 'about' survival and becomes, mile by terrible mile, the experience itself."—New York Times Book Review
In this timeless survival story, four indentured servants escape their Russian Alaska work camp in a stolen canoe, only to face a harrowing journey down the Pacific Northwest coast. Battling unrelenting high seas and fierce weather from New Archangel, Alaska, to Astoria, Oregon, the men struggle to avoid hostile Tlingit Indians, to fend off starvation and exhaustion, and to endure their own doubt and distrust.
"The sea, wind, space, are palpable in this exquisitely worked book. And not the least of its charms is the liveliness with which it explores a forgotten corner of North American history."—Thomas Keneally, Booker Prize–winning author of Schindler's List
"Goes beyond being 'about' survival and becomes, mile by terrible mile, the experience itself."—New York Times Book Review
In this timeless survival story, four indentured servants escape their Russian Alaska work camp in a stolen canoe, only to face a harrowing journey down the Pacific Northwest coast. Battling unrelenting high seas and fierce weather from New Archangel, Alaska, to Astoria, Oregon, the men struggle to avoid hostile Tlingit Indians, to fend off starvation and exhaustion, and to endure their own doubt and distrust.
"The sea, wind, space, are palpable in this exquisitely worked book. And not the least of its charms is the liveliness with which it explores a forgotten corner of North American history."—Thomas Keneally, Booker Prize–winning author of Schindler's List
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Community Reviews
This month's book from the clubI joined. That is the ONLY way I would have read this and I'm wondering where I was when it was agreed upon! I'm sure I was in the room, but somehow don't recall ANY discussion. First of all it was written in 1982, so why go back there? Second of all the language and style was very awkward--words left out, weird contractions, and incomplete sentences abounded. And third and most important was, the story was terrible. Picture this, 1852 Sitka Alaska, Russian camp filled with indentured Scandinavians being poorly treated. One guy gets it in his head to steal a native canoe and paddle 1200 miles to Astoria, Oregon and hope to catch a boat back to Sweden. He manages to convince three others to join him on this expedition and they set off on January 7th while the Russians are still sleeping off their Christmas festivities. The problem is the guys hate each other and spend all their time berating each other in between paddling through treacherous waters. You never get to know too much about any of them. Way too much description of the water, trees, rocks, beaches. And the ending reminds me of "Treasure of the Sierra Madre". Wish I could get back the hours it took to read this!! Please don't bother reading it!!
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