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The Last Crossing
  
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The Last Crossing (Library Binding)

by Guy Vanderhaeghe (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 24.42
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Product Details

Product Description

Amazon.ca Canadian Essential

Set on the Canadian and American frontier borderlands at the end of the 19th century, Guy Vanderhaeghe's Last Crossing is both an old-fashioned Western tale of adventure and character and a thoroughly modern, multi-voiced story of cultural conflict. Vanderhaeghe's powerful storytelling and his complete mastery of voice and place made The Last Crossing an instant classic from the moment of its publication. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Amazon.ca

Set in the late 19th century, The Last Crossing, Guy Vanderhaeghe's first novel since his acclaimed Englishman's Boy, is the story of three well-off English brothers: twins Simon and Charles Gaunt and their elder sibling, Addington, a former soldier and an arrogant scoundrel. At the behest of their dictatorial father, Charles and Addington travel the prairies of the U.S. and Canada in search of sensitive Simon, who has disappeared. Much of the novel concerns their journeys--bottles of port and claret rattling in their wagons--through Indian country with a cast of intricately drawn, fully realized characters. The small troupe is led through the whiskey-coloured light by Jerry Potts, a half-breed with one foot firmly in each world. The heart of the plot involves the love that Charles, a painter, feels for Lucy Stoveall, a simple but lovely country woman who accompanies them, secretly intent on avenging her sister's murder. However, the most intriguing character in this marvelous collection of all-too-human personalities is Custis Straw, a Bible-reading, heavy-drinking Civil War veteran who hides his tremendous dignity behind a bumbling facade, and who also loves Lucy.

Vanderhaeghe's rich language reveals a genuine feel for the prairies and their rough settlements: "a boom town draws rogues like a jam jar draws wasps," he writes, and describes "miles of wet plain patched with apple green, new penny copper, glints of silver." Though this is a Western in the traditional sense, Vanderhaeghe never sinks into parody. Rather, he uses the Western motif to reveal a number of profound universal truths about personal honour, and human failings and strengths. His humane character depictions reach emotional depths found in few novels today. --Mark Frutkin --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

29 Reviews
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3 star:
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2 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars A western about the Canadian west!, Oct 30 2006
By FRED (Ontario) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Last Crossing (Paperback)
I just wanted to throw my two cents in and say what a wonderful book this is. I wont go back over all the plot as that has been done enough here, but "The Last Crossing" does for the Canadian Frontier what "Lonesome Dove" did for the american western, that is reinvent it! This is a book all Canadians should read! I am not a big fan of westerns but this book transcends the genre.
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5.0 out of 5 stars the Last Crossing, Jan 17 2005
By A Customer
This review is from: The Last Crossing (Paperback)
The book was chosen by CBC Radio's Canada Reads programme as THE book Canadians should read (2003). Hmm. I was impressed by Vanderhaege's previous novel, the Englishman's Boy, so I decided to see for myself.

The book takes place mainly in Canada's North West territory, circa 1880. It is the story of a diverse group of individuals: British, American, Metis, Cree and Blackfoot, whose lives briefly intersect. Simon Gaunt is lost in the wilderness and his twin brother Charles and elder brother Addington set off to try to find him. They provision their expedition in Fort Benton, Montana. Jerry Potts, a Scot/Blackfoot frontiersman, Mrs. Stovall, and Curtis Straw, a horse trader, are the other main characters. The story follows the motley band as it treks through the prairie from Fort Benton to Fort Edmonton.

The main characters alternate as narrators. As a result we understand the true inner motivations of, and the misinterpretations of events by, the characters. We understand the deceptions between the characters. What is not said is often as important as what is said. In my view this is a very good technique. These characters are very well developed.

I particularly like the portrait of Potts, the frontiersman, who is caught between two cultures. His character is based on a real person. To the Europeans he is a near savage. In fact he is a hero who knows what needs to be done and does it. He is a man of integrity who does things not because of a reward but because that is what must be done. These unsung heroes slip into our past unnoticed but are in fact the real heroes. It is only through works of "fiction" that we can see their importance.

Not that this is a story without action! There is a murder, which remains a mystery throughout the novel. There are several violent confrontations which are part of the infamous whisky trade of Fort Whoop-Up. One comes across a ghost camp where an Indian band has been wiped out by small pox. There is a dramatic battle between two Indian tribes. There is also an excellent account of the civil war battle in the Wideness. I thought these actions sequences were particularly well written.

This novel is an excellent portrayal of human beings from whatever age who must confront the uncertainty and ambiguity of existence. I would highly recommend it.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Great Canadian Novel, Aug 5 2004
By jim (Victoria, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Last Crossing (Paperback)
I tried to read the Englishman's Boy but couldn't, so I was hesitant to read the Last Crossing at my wife's behest. Hesitantly I began. But soon I was right in to it.
I enjoyed it! A great summer read.
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars richly woven text with subtle character development
The Last Crossing was a book I read after it won the CBC Canada Reads contest. I love Canadian literature and had never read this author's work before so I thought I would give... Read more
Published on Jun 14 2004 by bookishgal

4.0 out of 5 stars Great storis of thw old west makes this a entertaining novel
Hard to get into but when it does it's a great novel.It's fullof suspence,adventure,romance and action everything a novel should have. Read more
Published on Jun 6 2004 by Jake

2.0 out of 5 stars The book that never ends
What a struggle to get through this book. I thot it would never end. With all due respect to the author, having read many a fiction and non fiction book about the area in... Read more
Published on May 12 2004

3.0 out of 5 stars Not very interesting
If you've read Lonesome Dove, then you've already read a similar, but much better book (and LD has it's own faults!). Read more
Published on April 26 2004 by Snappy

4.0 out of 5 stars "A boom town draws rogues like a jam jar draws wasps."
Part historical drama, romance, and character study THE LAST CROSSING has a lot to offer - and rightly so. Read more
Published on April 12 2004 by S. Calhoun

5.0 out of 5 stars The writing alone rates
a top score. The author writes a 19th century novel the way it might have been written 150 years ago. In terms of scope, I think this novel closely resembles A.B. Read more
Published on Mar 8 2004 by Michael Moore

4.0 out of 5 stars Lively melodrama of the Northwest frontier in the 1870s.
In this broad saga of the New Territories, from Montana into Canada, Guy Vanderhaeghe brings to life the search of two Englishmen for their lost brother, Simon Gaunt, who has... Read more
Published on Feb 29 2004 by Mary Whipple

4.0 out of 5 stars Two Wests, one good story
For more than 100 years, authors have sent their heroes into the twin uncharted territories of the wild West and the untamed heart, but few have risen above horse opera or dime... Read more
Published on Feb 17 2004 by Ron Franscell, Author of 'The ...

5.0 out of 5 stars An Incredible Book
It is difficult to do justice to this book in a small review. Simply put, this book is fantastic. It describes such "true" human beings. Read more
Published on Feb 7 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Top-notch
The good news is that Canadian writer Guy Vanderhaeghe has published six other books besides this one. Read more
Published on Feb 2 2004 by Candace

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