In 1897, a young girl named Anna is escorted to Dawson City by two men because her father has sold her as a bride to pay of his debt. She is sold to a wealthy man who has made his fortune off of the gold rush and is called “King of the Klondike”. Along the way, several people doubt her ability as a woman to make the journey. Anna then falls in love with another, but knows she must stay with her fiance in order to secure her families survival.
The writing style and dialogue were extremely dry for this novel, and it was completely different from his other novels. The first half which details their trip to Dawson City was really boring. I thought that would be the exciting part, but it wasn’t until Anna reached Dawson City and the drama between her and her fiance ensued that the plot started to pick up the pace; moving slow rather than dragging. There was a small twist at 65% (on a kindle) but it the plot still continued to be dull…..it isn’t until 86% that anything of great interest occurs.
Historically, there is mention and a brief memory of the Battle of Wounded Knee. Women’s inequality is discussed and seen throughout Anna’s journey. The overall atmosphere for the time period in this novel is very bleak. I was expecting to learn a lot about the gold rush in Alaska, but I didn’t learn a lot in this novel.
Technical notes–Anna begins her journey on a ship to Skagaway for the first 10% (on a Kindle). Their stay and encampment at Skagway is detailed from 10-20%. At 20%, they reach the Dyea settlement, and at 21% they begin the Chilkhoot Trail. The Chilkhoot Trail is detailed from 21-45% and on the trail they stop at Canyon City, Sheep Camp, and the Scales. Anna reaches Dawson at 45% and the remainder of the novel happens there focusing on the romance.
For the majority of the story, I was bored and disengaged. I was very disappointed since I really enjoyed his other novels. I will still be looking forward to his next novel, though this one was not my favorite.
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