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Vancouver
Vancouver is a startlingly beautiful city of dreams and desires. Its mountains, rivers, ocean, and islands are arresting to the eye and exciting to the soul. The long and varied human history of this magical place is irresistibly grand and eventful.
Vancouver -- the city, the land -- has al-ways been a place of appetites, of licenses offered and liberties taken. Since the time the humans crossed the Bering Strait and journeyed down the Pacific Coast seeking a fabled land of plenty, Vancouver, caught between soaring mountains and a vast ocean, has been a destiny for the spirit.
Beginning in the dying era of the last Ice Age, Vancouver unfolds with the story of Tooke, the last survivor of a Siberian people and ancestor to the first nations of Vancouver. Moving through history in a rich, ever-expanding tapestry, Vancouver reveals a fascinating cast of characters. Long before recorded history, a young girl faces the terrifying prospect of marriage into a faraway tribe. Hundreds of years later, a Georgian cartographer aboard a Spanish exploration fleet nearly meets his end at the hands of her descendants. In the passing of the next centuries, a Scottish trapper becomes the reluctant leader of a fur-trading outpost on Vancouver's shores, and a Chinese peasant boy seeks an elusive fortune. The burgeoning colony of Vancouver lures a turn-of-the-century British adventurer and a German noble. In modern times, a superstar singer and film actress meets her destiny in the form of a young native girl struggling to free herself from the city's impoverished downtown eastside.
The characters of Vancouver are all vastly different, yet they all share something -- a powerful attraction to a grand and giving land. Their stories intertwine, touching the extremes of human experience: riches, bravery, betrayal, crime, passion, and forbidden love.
Vancouver -- the city, the land -- has al-ways been a place of appetites, of licenses offered and liberties taken. Since the time the humans crossed the Bering Strait and journeyed down the Pacific Coast seeking a fabled land of plenty, Vancouver, caught between soaring mountains and a vast ocean, has been a destiny for the spirit.
Beginning in the dying era of the last Ice Age, Vancouver unfolds with the story of Tooke, the last survivor of a Siberian people and ancestor to the first nations of Vancouver. Moving through history in a rich, ever-expanding tapestry, Vancouver reveals a fascinating cast of characters. Long before recorded history, a young girl faces the terrifying prospect of marriage into a faraway tribe. Hundreds of years later, a Georgian cartographer aboard a Spanish exploration fleet nearly meets his end at the hands of her descendants. In the passing of the next centuries, a Scottish trapper becomes the reluctant leader of a fur-trading outpost on Vancouver's shores, and a Chinese peasant boy seeks an elusive fortune. The burgeoning colony of Vancouver lures a turn-of-the-century British adventurer and a German noble. In modern times, a superstar singer and film actress meets her destiny in the form of a young native girl struggling to free herself from the city's impoverished downtown eastside.
The characters of Vancouver are all vastly different, yet they all share something -- a powerful attraction to a grand and giving land. Their stories intertwine, touching the extremes of human experience: riches, bravery, betrayal, crime, passion, and forbidden love.
768 pages, Hardcover
First published July 29, 2003
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385 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 6, 2020
A solid read that takes us from 13 477 BC tracing the adventures of First Nations to 2003 following the life of a young woman of first Nations decent and her life in the tough streets of Vancouver's eastside slums. Throughout the narrative their are common threads running through such as the magical jade stones used by Native American/First Nations tribes in the area. Taken through the contributions made to and trials and tribulations of a Georgian navigator and immigrants from England, China, the Punjab and Germany, this holds your attention most of the way.
The chapters about he 1960s to 90s get a little bogged down in the sterile life of the stock exchange but are somewhat redeemed by the exploits of the colorful characters. Ultimately a fleshy, full bodied exciting read, if not with the epic stuff that makes classic like Michener.
Well researched and touches on interesting events and activities such as the immigration of various peoples to British Columbia and the changing fortunes of the First Nations.
The chapters about he 1960s to 90s get a little bogged down in the sterile life of the stock exchange but are somewhat redeemed by the exploits of the colorful characters. Ultimately a fleshy, full bodied exciting read, if not with the epic stuff that makes classic like Michener.
Well researched and touches on interesting events and activities such as the immigration of various peoples to British Columbia and the changing fortunes of the First Nations.
November 23, 2008
November 22 2008:
I am very impressed with this book. It consists of twelve semi-short stories of characters from BC's past who lived in and around Vancouver. The first story takes place in 13,477 BC and the last one in 2003. It's very realistic and well-written and I highly, highly recommend it if you're a fan of British Columbia.
Upon further consideration, I've now decided that it's actually one story, a meta-narrative (if you'll let me remain alive for using that word). If you read it, you realize towards the end that it's not just a bunch of short stories.
I absolutely love this book, and if I had time I'd read it again.
January 14 2013:
Excellent story.
I am very impressed with this book. It consists of twelve semi-short stories of characters from BC's past who lived in and around Vancouver. The first story takes place in 13,477 BC and the last one in 2003. It's very realistic and well-written and I highly, highly recommend it if you're a fan of British Columbia.
Upon further consideration, I've now decided that it's actually one story, a meta-narrative (if you'll let me remain alive for using that word). If you read it, you realize towards the end that it's not just a bunch of short stories.
I absolutely love this book, and if I had time I'd read it again.
January 14 2013:
Excellent story.
July 24, 2014
Part way through reading this I had the chance to visit Vancouver for a few days and included a guided tour on my trip. It was so good to see streets and places that were mentioned in the book and as I was reading it I knew where the characters were walking. Great novel and one I would recommend. I am saving my copy for my dad to read when they visit us in British Columbia next spring. Very enjoyable book which I liked more than I thought I would.
August 20, 2023
Still slogging through a little bit but very enjoyable so far. I haven’t read a ton of historical fiction so it’s interesting to see the format. It’s more a collection of novellas than anything else, so the book feels a little weird in terms of pacing.
I enjoyed the early stories much more than the later ones. Everything goldrush and before is highly entertaining, but things have been feeling a little draggy in terms of pacing post goldrush stories.
The best part is really the indigenous stories near the beginning of the novel. It’s so fascinating and I’ve never heard most of these stories before. Very fun and (I feel at least) a good depiction of indigenous people.
I enjoyed the interconnected nature of things (items and names get passed down generations) but it feels tangential and a little too Easter eggy.
I enjoyed the early stories much more than the later ones. Everything goldrush and before is highly entertaining, but things have been feeling a little draggy in terms of pacing post goldrush stories.
The best part is really the indigenous stories near the beginning of the novel. It’s so fascinating and I’ve never heard most of these stories before. Very fun and (I feel at least) a good depiction of indigenous people.
I enjoyed the interconnected nature of things (items and names get passed down generations) but it feels tangential and a little too Easter eggy.
March 30, 2018
I am in actuality not really finished with this book, but I just couldn't keep reading it! The book is HUGE and I finished about half of it, hoping it would get better. The scope follows from prehistory to modern times, and I think I was looking for something along the lines of Michener's books, but about Vancouver, BC. However, NONE of the characters were developed and many weren't even terribly interesting. The authors seemed to enjoy finding the most "base" elements of humanity to include in each section, also. The closest I came to enjoying a section about two people was Wiley and Scratch, but even that, though it had some high points, basically fell flat. I can't recommend this book.
November 5, 2023
Huge fan of historical novels and was very much looking forward to reading this one, having been born in the Lower Mainland myself. For the most part it was a compelling yarn with interesting characters that often intersected, and stayed true to important archeological evidence and factual history. The only drawback was the author’s (well, one of the authors) obsession with breasts. Totally gratuitous references to female breasts, often on pubescent female characters, that went from annoying to downright creepy. Unnecessary and did not add any useful information to the narrative. Would’ve given the story a 4 Star rating but knocked it back to a 3 based entirely on this issue. Sigh.
May 23, 2025
I was looking forward to this, as it’s a great concept based around where I’m from, but it turned out to be:
-Stories mostly from the perspective of (primarily white) men
-Rife with tokenism and the worst stereotypes of Indigenous people
-Extremely sexist (the -few- women in this book are so painfully “written by a man” coded it’s hard not to scoff)
Unfortunately missed the mark here. Racism is definitely a part of Vancouver’s heritage, as is the “roughness” of history, but portraying indigenous (and Chinese) people as *every stereotype* felt racist in itself, as there are so many beautiful elements of Indigenous/Chinese culture that were not addressed.
-Stories mostly from the perspective of (primarily white) men
-Rife with tokenism and the worst stereotypes of Indigenous people
-Extremely sexist (the -few- women in this book are so painfully “written by a man” coded it’s hard not to scoff)
Unfortunately missed the mark here. Racism is definitely a part of Vancouver’s heritage, as is the “roughness” of history, but portraying indigenous (and Chinese) people as *every stereotype* felt racist in itself, as there are so many beautiful elements of Indigenous/Chinese culture that were not addressed.
May 19, 2017
There are quite a few unnecessary sexually explicit pieces scattered through this book but I guess they added somewhat to the raw nature of the birth of Vancouver. Very creatively, the authors weave hundreds of years of 'history' through this same piece of land that I have lived on most of my life. I knew all the places and now will see them each in a slightly different light. Intriguing, creative, and edgy.
August 30, 2020
Beautifully captures the spirit of the place....starting with the early myth of First Nations and through the hopes and dreams of adventurers of all kinds and from both sides of the pacific. A nice change of pace from other books of exploration. I had the opportunity to go to Vancouver on business 25 years ago and almost moved there. This book makes me wish I had! A good read.
May 12, 2022
If you're interested in the history of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, this is definitely worth a read. Otherwise, it's fine but a big commitment. The characterization is believable but I almost never found myself really caring what happened to them, the exceptions being Nanak and Ellie. The sense of place is excellent throughout, which is lucky, really.
December 15, 2017
I read this several years ago and found it captivating.
July 23, 2019
Great story about Vancouver and its beginnings.
October 29, 2022
Modern epic.
April 3, 2025
An epic novel of the history of Vancouver, from Siberia over the Bering Strait to Chinatown.
August 15, 2010
Beginning in 13,477 BC with the stories of Manto and Inish, First Nations people, and ending in the 1990s with the story of another First Nations person, this Michener-like sweeping saga describes the hopes, dreams, and journeys traveled of people around the globe, all heading for Vancouver, BC.
Written as a series of short stories, some interweaving, its characters not only include First Nations people, but also a Georgian cartographer sailing with Juan de Fuca, a Scottish fur trader, a Chinese worker, an eccentric English adventurer, a Sikh immigrant, son of a German count, and a conniving and unlikable Canadian stock trader and his daughter. This book doesn't appear to be very widely read in the U.S. (as I've often found to be the case with Canadian fiction, a sad fact), but some of the reviewers have faulted the book for being about the journeys TO Vancouver, and not always taking place entirely in Vancouver. I do not agree with that criticism.
I chose to read this book because of our recent vacation in Vancouver in early August, and I was in the middle of the book while I was there. At 750 pages, it took me several weeks to finish.
I believe it paints an evocative picture of the unique landscape around Vancouver and also educates the reader about the crusty, adventurous sorts who built Vancouver into what it is today. It also respectfully pays tribute to the First Nations who were there before the city and have suffered in so many ways because of industrialization, disenfranchisement, and discrimination (and plain old white greed and colonization).
Many of the stories were not easy to read...especially the early First Nations stories, given the extremely low status of women and the horrible way they were treated. Most of the characters in the book were not particularly likable or sympathethic, with a few exceptions. However, I found their stories and struggles to be fascinating.
The only exceptions were the stories of Walter and Tiffany Dolby (especially Tiffany). All of the stock wrangling and backroom dealing did not hold my interest, and it did not help that Tiffany was completely unlikable and sleazy, using her sex appeal to become rich. I had a much higher opinion of the book until I reached those chapters, which I ended up scanning through.
The authors clearly did an amazing amount of research to write this book. Overall, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it for anyone traveling to Vancouver or who loves that fascinating city.
Written as a series of short stories, some interweaving, its characters not only include First Nations people, but also a Georgian cartographer sailing with Juan de Fuca, a Scottish fur trader, a Chinese worker, an eccentric English adventurer, a Sikh immigrant, son of a German count, and a conniving and unlikable Canadian stock trader and his daughter. This book doesn't appear to be very widely read in the U.S. (as I've often found to be the case with Canadian fiction, a sad fact), but some of the reviewers have faulted the book for being about the journeys TO Vancouver, and not always taking place entirely in Vancouver. I do not agree with that criticism.
I chose to read this book because of our recent vacation in Vancouver in early August, and I was in the middle of the book while I was there. At 750 pages, it took me several weeks to finish.
I believe it paints an evocative picture of the unique landscape around Vancouver and also educates the reader about the crusty, adventurous sorts who built Vancouver into what it is today. It also respectfully pays tribute to the First Nations who were there before the city and have suffered in so many ways because of industrialization, disenfranchisement, and discrimination (and plain old white greed and colonization).
Many of the stories were not easy to read...especially the early First Nations stories, given the extremely low status of women and the horrible way they were treated. Most of the characters in the book were not particularly likable or sympathethic, with a few exceptions. However, I found their stories and struggles to be fascinating.
The only exceptions were the stories of Walter and Tiffany Dolby (especially Tiffany). All of the stock wrangling and backroom dealing did not hold my interest, and it did not help that Tiffany was completely unlikable and sleazy, using her sex appeal to become rich. I had a much higher opinion of the book until I reached those chapters, which I ended up scanning through.
The authors clearly did an amazing amount of research to write this book. Overall, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it for anyone traveling to Vancouver or who loves that fascinating city.
July 21, 2015
This novel traces the history of Vancouver through a series of interconnected stories told through the eyes of people who come to the city to find or escape from something, or just by accident. It begins with stories of prehistoric native people, continues with explorers and settlers from Europe and Asia, and comes full circle in contemporary times with a story of a native girl trying to find her way out of the drug use and despair of Vancouver's mean streets. The book would have benefited from better editing; some transitions are very abrupt, and the authors are not consistent about using first vs. last names to refer to characters, which gets confusing sometimes because there are a lot of characters in this book. But the stories have plots that move briskly with interesting characters, and I'd recommend it for anyone interested in the region or just looking for a good read.
September 9, 2016
I loved this book. I rarely read books twice but I did with this one. I first read it while living in Vancouver 13 years ago, and it was so cool to have history jump out at me wherever I turned. My husband loves books like this so I suggested that he read it. Once he finished, it beckoned me again.
The story traces the history of the indigenous tribes of the area and development of the city of Vancouver and the land around it. Beginning in 13,477 B.C., it emerges from Northern Alaska with unforgettable characters with physical traits that pop up through the centuries.
As historical fiction, the book was entertaining with insights into the conquering and early days of Western Canada's largest city. However, the ending was weak the closer it became to being just fiction as the ending takes us nearly into present-day, 2003.
The story traces the history of the indigenous tribes of the area and development of the city of Vancouver and the land around it. Beginning in 13,477 B.C., it emerges from Northern Alaska with unforgettable characters with physical traits that pop up through the centuries.
As historical fiction, the book was entertaining with insights into the conquering and early days of Western Canada's largest city. However, the ending was weak the closer it became to being just fiction as the ending takes us nearly into present-day, 2003.
April 12, 2016
We were on holiday in Whistler when a friend from near Vancouver passed this book on to me. I was immediately caught up in the sweep of history and the cast of characters whose lives affected each other through the centuries.
This is one of those books for reading when you have time to savour each of the stories and contemplate the many ways in which our actions ripple down through the generations. Although I was not quite as caught up in the later stories as I was in those from the earlier centuries, I found this a thoroughly satisfying book. Recommended for anyone who loves Vancouver or Canada's West Coast or who enjoys historical fiction.
This is one of those books for reading when you have time to savour each of the stories and contemplate the many ways in which our actions ripple down through the generations. Although I was not quite as caught up in the later stories as I was in those from the earlier centuries, I found this a thoroughly satisfying book. Recommended for anyone who loves Vancouver or Canada's West Coast or who enjoys historical fiction.
March 20, 2013
A sweeping book of epic proportions. The authors did a great job of weaving together a cast of interesting characters into the history of British Columbia. Spanning from the last stages of the ice age to contemporary times, the story telling is very well done. I honestly didn't think I would enjoy the book as much as I did. I wanted to read it but the length put me off for a few years. Once I picked it up I was drawn to continue reading page by page. I couldn't put the book down and finished in 5 days reading at a leisurely pace.
July 28, 2011
This historical novel set where Vancouver now sits is well written, and the multiple stories have a common thread woven through them.
Each story has interesting characters and it is sometimes wrenching to move from one era to another and leave the characters which you have grown to care about behind. In this manner it is very like reading Michener's books.
I enjoyed this book.
Each story has interesting characters and it is sometimes wrenching to move from one era to another and leave the characters which you have grown to care about behind. In this manner it is very like reading Michener's books.
I enjoyed this book.
December 28, 2015
Oh this was so good. A James Michener style book about the history of Vancouver. Read it while traveling in Vancouver and I felt like I was living in the book ... learning about the history. I couldn't put the book down, even at over 700 pages. Each story was uniquely gripping, sad, beautiful, or funny and tied together well throughout the book and especially at the end.
March 25, 2011
I thought it was a well written book. The characters were interesting and their interconnectedness was what draws the reader forward. An interesting perspective on the Vancouver region, the city, and how it came to be the way it was.
August 7, 2011
An absorbing read in the episodic novel form. The characters are so very human but the place is the real character, rich with local colour. If I did not already live here, this book would make me want to visit.
March 2, 2009
Michener-esque expansive history of Vancouver BC. I liked it though. Maybe only because I live so close.
April 30, 2009
This book was difficult to follow at times. The historical information was interesting but the writing was very choppy.
February 5, 2010
One of very, very few books that I simply could not finish. I've been told that these authors have written several excellent non-fictions; perhaps they should stick with what they do well.
March 17, 2012
As I grew up in Vancouver I just loved this book!
August 26, 2012
This was more of a chore to read.
August 12, 2014
excellent! just like rutherfurd's books...covering an area's history and people from the beginning to current day.
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November 18, 2016Wonderful.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews