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Robert (USA: CA) (2023/03/28):
The Klondike gold rush of 1897 draws four aristocratic Englishmen and an Irish servant from across the Atlantic to Edmonton, Canada. Their leader, Lord Luton, despises the United States and holds stubbornly to his plan to make the entire journey through Canada, meaning the group will need to travel 2,100 by river then over mountains to the gold fields.Many hardships are encountered such as overwintering in the Arctic Circle, avoiding gigantic blocks of ice when the rivers thaw, and losing health and energy to scurvy and starvation. Yet the story is told in a way that feels academic. The dialogue is wooden, the descriptions of the natural world uninspiring, and the characters stereotypes. The poem-filled epilogue seems unnecessary, as if Michener just couldn't bring himself to put out a book that was only 260 pages long. Then, Michener uses a nearly 30-page closing chapter to explain how the book evolved. Originally meant to be a portion of his bestseller, "Alaska," it was removed for length and the fact that none of the action actually takes place in Alaska. Michener claims he rescued "Journey" as a salute to Canada, but I have a feeling he didn't want to waste the research hours he had already spent.
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