The Greatest Lake: Stories from Lake Superior’s North Shore

by Conor Mihell

Conor Mihell offers a compelling image of Lake Superior's Canadian shore through colourful personality sketches, adventure stories, and environmental accounts. Admire the kitschy decor of lighthouse cottager Maureen Robertson, a 76-year-old who spends six months of the year alone on a remote island; enter the debate over a controversial aggregate quarry in Wawa, Ontario; and learn how the author's love affair with the world's largest freshwater lake began on quests for a near-mystical, glacier-dropped monolith.

Mihell's stories build on Lake Superior's rich and varied history and support its critical place in Canadian culture. Since the beginning, Lake Superior has been revered for its God-like qualities of power, unpredictability, and a seemingly endless expanse of life-sustaining freshwater. The lake's rugged yet fragile nature and hardscrabble characters and outpost communities define rural northwestern Canada. Experience it for yourself in this first collection of stories by one of the region's most acclaimed journalists.

Genres: Nature

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2012

Reviews

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book caught my eye because it was about Lake Superior, which I love, and was about the Canadian North Shore. Lots of interesting tales about kayaking the lake, about adventure on the shore too. All in all this was a fun read.

[Kathryn Buchanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book and inspiring me to get out and take a better look at the Great Lakes, since I live reasonably close.

[Chung-yee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone interested in outdoor adventures or those interested in learning about Northern Ontario. The book is a collection of stories with the main character being the Canadian shoreline of Lake Superior. The author weaves the stories with his personal guiding experiences and his knowledge of the development of the area. My favourite stories are the ones related to paddling. Surpried? Yep, a few more challenges - Gales, Rock-to-Rock - are being add onto my busket list. It was also nice to read about the stories behind some of the local characters and establishments that I have visted (Agawa Crafts, Melissa June). Beautifully written with fluid vocabulary, a very enjoyable book to read, perhaps on a patio deck by the mouth of the Michipicoten River.

[Sally Petrella · Rating 4 out of 5]

We met the author when we were kayaking the Pukaskwa Coast in June 2014 and he and his wife and dog were canoeing. We ended up giving him a ride back to Wawa. We had a great time sharing backcountry stories all the way back to Wawa and were honored to be given the book by him as a parting gift.
Not knowing him as an author, I was surprised at how engaging a writer he is, he tells great stories, engages the local people, and has a deep love for the land he also works to protect.