True North

by Kimberly Kafka and Kimberly Kafka

Book Overview

For six years Bailey Lockhart has lived alone in the Alaskan bush, supporting herself from the cockpit of a floatplane. She is the only white woman in a land owned by the local Ingalik tribe; her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452282233
• ISBN13: 9780452282230
• Release Date: March 2001
• Publisher: Plume Books
• Length: 273 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Reader from Cambridge, Mass

I had the privilege of being one of Kim Kafka's students at UMich and was ecstatic to find this book. Her genius was apparent to all her students then and I am glad that the rest of the world can share in that now. Amazingly haunting story.

Well done

A pleasant surprise from an author described on the jacket as a workshop-ista and ittybittymagazine-nik. Real people, real countryside, real action. A glimpse into a little-known and faxcinating part of American. The author has a smooth prose style, the kind that is so transparent it makes you forget you are reading for a while, and only in retrospect do you realize how well this book is written -- the way it ought to be. Another pleasant surprise: Not all the natives are environmentally sensitive Alan Alda in sealskin types, there are some well-delineated nasty native villains in here as well. Minor drawback: A key bit of the plot was far too contrived (no one would dig a root cellar with a lid overhead; you can't hold a strong person down with a mere 4 nails; kicking upward would have been the obvious and effective choice). (This ciriticism doesn't give away the ending or anything critical to enjoying the book -- I don't write that kind of review). This is minor; all-in-all, a very good read.

I couldn't put it down

I found myself caught up in the lives of the people in this novel. I do think the ending was sudden and left some items unresolved, but I found myself wishing for a sequel.I borrowed this book from the library, but after reading it, I bought copies for my mother and grandmother. I think it is a truly excellent novel.

Alaskan Adventure!

True North is a great read! It is a very well-written gritty thriller.Bailey, the main character of the book is a woman who due to past pain wants to live as solitary a life as possible in the Alaskan wilderness. Events intercede forcing her to emerge from her solitude. This novel draws you in- It's pace accelerating as Bailey finds her carefully structured and safe life coming apart. Kafka's descriptions of the wilderness are vivid and lyrical. She makes me want to go to Alaska and see the landscape she described so well. Her characters are equally vivid, three-dimensional and well-drawn. While you are sitting in the comfort of your favorite chair, sans clouds of mosquitoes,- Thank goodness- this book will transport you to Alaska and into the experiences of a woman who finds out that you can't hide from life. It's a book I highly recommend. I look forward to her next. She's an author to watch.

True North by Kimberly Kafka

Great reading. This was the best novels I've read in a long time. Once I started reading it I stayed up till 3 a.m. to finish. She made the Alaska out back real and I felt the joy and pain in each of her characters. I could smell the smoke and the bear through her words. Can't wait for her next novel.