ALL THIS WILD LAND

by Ann Nolan Clark ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1976

The homesickness of the women, who faced resettlement with resolution but no joy, was a theme of The New Land, that much-acclaimed film about Swedish immigrants. Here the Finnish mother, Hilma, frets so vocally--and eleven-year-old Maiju steels herself so often by muttering sisu (courage)--that one's sympathies are numbed by the time Isa (Father) dies in a snowstorm and the two women decide to carry on alone. Clark delineates Finnish customs and community feeling, and the hardships of Minnesota homesteading, with evident fondness and accuracy. Against this background, Maiju's silent friendship with a homeless half-Sioux girl seems somehow naive and her resentment of Hilma's new suitor unduly babyish; however, a less venturesome audience may find the reactions appropriate and be content to savor vicariously the blended flavors of sour-rye bread and wild venison.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1976

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1976

Categories: FICTION