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the_sassy_bookworm's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book (for the most part). It was a fast-paced read and kept me entertained. Be aware it gets a little "environmentally preachy" at times. But I am guessing that was a major part for writing it in the first place!
Natalie was an engaging narrator. However, I also found her (and Ann) not the most likable of people. It annoyed me that every time someone questioned them, offered advice, or tried to help, they would get an attitude and wonder "if we were men, would they be doing/asking the same?" 99% of the time I thought to myself "Yeah, Natalie, they probably would have!" I also didn't like a few times when people would give them gifts and they acted like they were a hassle. They both just came across...ungrateful at times, I guess.
That said, I enjoyed reading about the places and people that they met along their journey. Especially the Canadian leg and their visits to the First Nations. So, a bit of a mixed bag with this one. But overall it was an interesting read and gets a thumbs up from yours truly.
**ARC Via NetGalley**
Natalie was an engaging narrator. However, I also found her (and Ann) not the most likable of people. It annoyed me that every time someone questioned them, offered advice, or tried to help, they would get an attitude and wonder "if we were men, would they be doing/asking the same?" 99% of the time I thought to myself "Yeah, Natalie, they probably would have!" I also didn't like a few times when people would give them gifts and they acted like they were a hassle. They both just came across...ungrateful at times, I guess.
That said, I enjoyed reading about the places and people that they met along their journey. Especially the Canadian leg and their visits to the First Nations. So, a bit of a mixed bag with this one. But overall it was an interesting read and gets a thumbs up from yours truly.
**ARC Via NetGalley**
rwilkinson's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
smemmott's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable enough audiobook, read by the author which worked for this personal story. The author was very young she made this trip, which explains the occasional self-centeredness and her disdain for anyone who didn't support their expedition in the way she expected. But the details of the trip and the immersion in the different natural environments along the route kept me listening.
librarysilence's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
cnorbury's review against another edition
4.0
An important book because of its historical significance in documenting the first known canoe trip from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay by two women. As an occasional wilderness canoeist, I fully understand the challenge and danger of fighting winds on open water, running unfamiliar rapid sets, dealing with storms, heat, cold, mosquitos, black flies, and potential predators (but thankfully not polar bears).
Armchair adventurers will no doubt be persuaded to confine their wilderness canoe adventures to their imaginations, but hopefully appreciate the drive, determination, and discipline that Warren and Raiho maintained for that long summer in 2011. Real-life adventurers will gain strength from reading that no wilderness challenges are too tough to overcome with planning, patience, and at least a healthy sense of respect for nature: Don't fight it. Take what it gives you.
Armchair adventurers will no doubt be persuaded to confine their wilderness canoe adventures to their imaginations, but hopefully appreciate the drive, determination, and discipline that Warren and Raiho maintained for that long summer in 2011. Real-life adventurers will gain strength from reading that no wilderness challenges are too tough to overcome with planning, patience, and at least a healthy sense of respect for nature: Don't fight it. Take what it gives you.
kairosdreaming's review against another edition
5.0
*This book was received as an Advanced Reviewer's Copy from NetGalley.
There's nothing like a good adventure story. Whether it's hiking, canoeing (I read Beyond the Trees by Adam Shoalts earlier this year, another canoeing adventure), or some other kind of trek through the wilderness. I'm in! And this one, also canoeing, was special, in that it was two women who were the first to make the journey for their gender.
I should start off by saying that I'm terrified of canoeing. Owing to some bad experiences in my youth, I can fairly say this probably isn't an adventure I would take. Which made it that much more pleasurable to live vicariously through the two women in this book. Deciding to recreate a journey that had only been done by a few (and none of those women) they traveled over 2k miles by canoe to the Hudson Bay. And along the way, they even picked up a dog!
The dog was actually less a part of the book than I thought it would be since they got it in the latter part of their journey. Still though, it's a cute dog and I greatly enjoyed hearing about her meanderings on the river with them. The narrator and her friend Anne were also engaging people to follow on the journey. From the different personalities they had (and the subsequent arguments that could cause) to their boldness to do this type of journey, they were definitely inspiring.
This book was just the right length; it kept you captivated without being long-winded. It introduced people and locations that were worth knowing about. And it shared why the adventure was important and touched on environmentalism and the effects of humans on the waterways. I have no outright complaints about any of the book. In fact, I think it serves well as an inspiration to those looking to do something different with their life before they are weighed down with the various responsibilities out there. I really wish I had taken some kind of journey before taking on that which keeps me from going and living those adventures now. And until I can, books like this will let me live vicariously!
Review by M. Reynard 2020
There's nothing like a good adventure story. Whether it's hiking, canoeing (I read Beyond the Trees by Adam Shoalts earlier this year, another canoeing adventure), or some other kind of trek through the wilderness. I'm in! And this one, also canoeing, was special, in that it was two women who were the first to make the journey for their gender.
I should start off by saying that I'm terrified of canoeing. Owing to some bad experiences in my youth, I can fairly say this probably isn't an adventure I would take. Which made it that much more pleasurable to live vicariously through the two women in this book. Deciding to recreate a journey that had only been done by a few (and none of those women) they traveled over 2k miles by canoe to the Hudson Bay. And along the way, they even picked up a dog!
The dog was actually less a part of the book than I thought it would be since they got it in the latter part of their journey. Still though, it's a cute dog and I greatly enjoyed hearing about her meanderings on the river with them. The narrator and her friend Anne were also engaging people to follow on the journey. From the different personalities they had (and the subsequent arguments that could cause) to their boldness to do this type of journey, they were definitely inspiring.
This book was just the right length; it kept you captivated without being long-winded. It introduced people and locations that were worth knowing about. And it shared why the adventure was important and touched on environmentalism and the effects of humans on the waterways. I have no outright complaints about any of the book. In fact, I think it serves well as an inspiration to those looking to do something different with their life before they are weighed down with the various responsibilities out there. I really wish I had taken some kind of journey before taking on that which keeps me from going and living those adventures now. And until I can, books like this will let me live vicariously!
Review by M. Reynard 2020