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Ivey's characters, without exception, are skillfully wrought and pull the narrative forward with little effort. She does not stoop to blanket depictions of tribal life or Victorian women, and instead has created a novel with all of the fine details that make historical fiction such an adventure to read. Fans of The Snow Child will not be disappointed.
Meganne Fabrega - Minneapolis Star Tribune


Lustrous...Ivey's writing is assured and deftly paced. She presents a pleasing chorus of voices and writing styles in an amalgam of journals, letters, newspaper clippings, greeting cards, official reports and more...The couple's moving love story binds the multilayered narrative together...Ivey's first novel, The Snow Child, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and her follow-up act is certain to garner its own accolades as readers discover its many unfolding pleasures.
David Takami - Seattle Times


(Starred review.) An...entrancing, occasionally chilling, depiction of turn-of-the-century Alaska.... In this splendid adventure novel, Ivey captures Alaska’s beauty and brutality, not just preserving history, but keeping it alive.
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review.) Ivey not only makes [this novel] work, she makes it work magnificently...The Snow Child (a lovely retelling of an old Russian folk tale), was a runaway hit, an international best seller, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her second work is even better.
Library Journal


(Starred review.) Ivey deftly draws the reader into the perils of the journey...a compelling historical saga of survival.
Booklist


(Starred review.) Ivey's superb second novel is mainly composed of two braided journals. One is by Allen, an Army colonel.... The other is by his wife, Sophie.... Ivey anchors the tale in present-day correspondence between Allen's great-nephew and the curator of a museum to whom he's sent Allen's journals..... Heartfelt, rip-snorting storytelling.
Kirkus Reviews