Brian's Winter
by Gary Paulsen
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Book Summary Information
Author: Gary PaulsenBrand: Books
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1998-01-12
ISBN: 0440227194
Number of pages: 144
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
Book Reviews of Brian's Winter
Book Review: A superlative read!
Summary: 5 Stars
The five novels that make up the "Hatchet" series by Gary Paulsen are among the most profoundly sad books I have ever read. Providing specific reasons why I think this would create spoilers, so I must tiptoe carefully through these woods.
Hatchet: 20th Anniversary Edition was the first, but written as a single book. Reader response was so powerful that Paulsen wrote one, then two, and finally four more books about Brian Robeson and his multiple sojourns in the Canadian wilderness. In "Hatchet" Brian has no choice--the two-passenger airplane is crash-landed and Brian begins his terribly difficult first stay during which he learns how to survive whatever the wilderness brings
"Brian's Winter" is the third book written in the series but second in chronology. Instead of being rescued (not a spoiler--surely the reader surmises a rescue if there are more books), Brian simply continues his unplanned stay with readers willingly, cheerfully going along with Paulsen's intent. After all, it was reader demand that caused Paulsen to write a continuation.
Winter brings a whole new set of problems and life view for Brian, who learns to live by his brain, along with his brawn. How to create weapons for hunting--for Brian, the hunt for food is everything, the only thing for all animals--and how to listen and be aware of everything. His teacher is the wolf, who travels its territory, periodically stopping to take assessment of its surroundings, to listen to and learn everything about those surroundings and what's in them.
Out of the events of the novel, I want to describe two, one utterly fascinating, the other utterly horrifying. The fascinating occurrence was the natural explosion of trees. The outside bark and sap freeze at a certain temperature, then as the temperature continues to drop, the interior freezing. With nowhere inside to expand, the tree must explode where it freezes. Brian learns this the hard way.
The other occurrence was the attack by a huge male moose, which becomes Brian's food supply for several weeks--think of the wilderness as a giant freezer. Oh, you think I just gave a spoiler? Not with two more books to come in the series!
"Brian's Winter" is mesmerizing, even addictive. The reader wants to go with Brian, but through the comfort of an armchair and cozy surroundings (speaking for myself). What makes this series so compelling? I've thought considerably about this topic and decided there is more to it then the adventure/thriller/true life aspect (for in truth Paulsen has done everything Brian does). The most serious component of Brian's "adventure" is its permanent draw.
After living deeply and "sucking the marrow" out of life (Henry David Thoreau in Walden (Concord Library), a book I'm considering rereading now), Brian finds city life stultifying. No, I won't say more. However, the series reminded me of two other writers: Jack London and Ernest Hemingway, London for his wilderness stories and Hemingway for his deliberate manner of writing about the things men do. An amusing footnote is that Paulsen calls London's understanding of the wilderness as "silliness."
Each of the five novels treats the themes of survival, living deliberately, staying close to nature and learning from her, but also each introduces a separately different theme. In the last, Brian's Hunt, the author examines that tight bond between man and dog.
Which book is best? I cannot choose. I enjoyed them all--immensely. So why did I call the books "profoundly sad"? Brian is forever changed because of those forced 54 days in the wilderness and finds that life lived outside the wilderness is not worth living. Paulsen's descriptions of both city life and wilderness life are compelling. Even though the reader may not (probably not) choose wilderness, he/she at least has a vague outsider's understanding of why someone would choose such a life. Paulsen himself did.
A last comment: Technically, the books are classified as books for older children, but I find they have much to offer adults, thus defying classification (as with any great book). This series is a genuinely profound reading experience for all ages.
Note: The books in published order are:
Hatchet: 20th Anniversary Edition
"The River" (not found on Amazon reasonably priced)
Brian's Winter
Brian's Return
Brian's Hunt
Summary of Brian's Winter
In Hatchet, 13-year-old Brian Robeson learned to survive alone in the Canadian wilderness, armed only with his hatchet. Finally, as millions of readers know, he was rescued at the end of the summer. But what if Brian hadn't been rescued? What if he had been left to face his deadliest enemy--winter?Gary Paulsen raises the stakes for survival in this riveting and inspiring story as one boy confronts the ultimate test and the ultimate adventure.
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