Reviews

I went into this novel with some trepidation, knowing this unfinished sequel to Medicine Walk was the last work of Richard Wagamese. Would it be as profound as his completed and polished Indian Horse, Medicine Walk and Ragged Company? I need not have worried. There he was, right on every page. He writes characters with empathy, depth and humour. He writes of nature, setting, and the landscape of central British Columbia, with reverence. “I felt right out there. Free of measuring up, free of what other people thought I might have to be. It was wild but it had order, flow, rhythm. You could learn that if you were out there enough. I was. It hooked me then. It hooks me now. All I ever have of Indian comes from that alone time there. That land and this land is all the ceremony I ever felt a need for. Watching the sun come up and set on it became all the prayer I ever felt a need to say. This here is my history. This here is my home. It’s alive in me.” Starlight is a final gift from a singular author and a special man.

stitching_ghost's review against another edition

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4.0

I read somewhere that "you cannot go wrong with Richard Wagamese" so I figured I would pick up one of his books, that's how I ended up picking up this book knowing not a single thing about it only to realize that it was a book he didn't finish which made the whole thing a bit sad even though the book itself is about healing and really quite beautiful. It's a soothing read unfinished as it is.

jolynne's review against another edition

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4.0

The author's love of the land really shines through in this novel, it feels to me like this book is his tribute to the wild. I was sad reading this, not because the story is sad but because the author died leaving the book unfinished and I’m sad that he will never write another.

saara_ilona_muu's review against another edition

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5.0

Beautiful tale.

hiroto's review against another edition

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I feel bad rating this because while I did stop it because I was bored, I also know this book is "only" a draft, Wagamese couldn't finish this story (he passed away before).
But ultimately, it felt very, very naïve, in a black-and-white, good-ppl vs bad-ppl kind of way. The dialogues were full of good feelings (and it felt contrived), and I often thought "nobody talks like that irl". I also get that we don't always need grim stories, and books with human compassion and sympathy should be more welcomed, but it all felt short to me.

I understand me chosing this book as my first Wagamese wasn't fair to the author, so maybe I'll try one of his most acclaimed work.

katesmithfilm's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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