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Isobel: A Romance of The Northern Trail
At Point Fullerton, one thousand miles straight north of civilization, Sergeant William MacVeigh wrote with the stub end of a pencil between his fingers the last words of his semi-annual report to the Commissioner of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police at Regina. He concluded: "I beg to say that I have made every effort to run down Scottie Deane, the murderer. I have not given up hope of finding him, but I believe that he has gone from my territory and is probably now somewhere within the limits of the Fort Churchill patrol. We have hunted the country for three hundred miles south along the shore of Hudson's Bay to Eskimo Point, and as far north as Wagner Inlet. Within three months we have made three patrols west of the Bay, unraveling sixteen hundred miles without finding our man or word of him. I respectfully advise a close watch of the patrols south of the Barren Lands."
230 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1913
35 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
James Oliver Curwood
987 books123 followersBorn in Owosso, Michigan he left high school without graduating but was able to pass the entrance exams to the University of Michigan where he studied journalism. In 1900, Curwood sold his first story while working for the Detroit News-Tribune. By 1909 he had saved enough money to travel to the Canadian northwest, a trip that provided the inspiration for his wilderness adventure stories. The success of his novels afforded him the opportunity to return to the Yukon and Alaska for several months each year that allowed him to write more than thirty such books.
By 1922, Curwood's writings had made him a very wealthy man and he fulfilled a childhood fantasy by building Curwood Castle in Owosso. Constructed in the style of an 18th century French chateau, the estate overlooked the Shiawassee River. In one of the home's two large turrets, Curwood set up his writing studio. Curwood also owned a camp in a remote area in Baraga County, Michigan, near the Huron Mountains.
An advocate of environmentalism, Curwood was appointed to the Michigan Conservation Commission in 1926. The following year, while on a Florida fishing trip, Curwood was bitten on the thigh by what was believed to have been a spider and had an immediate allergic reaction. Health problems related to the bite escalated over the next few months and infection set in that led to his death from blood poisoning.
Interred in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Owosso, his Curwood Castle is now a museum. During the first full weekend in June of each year, the city of Owosso holds the Curwood Festival to celebrate the city's heritage . Also in his honor, a mountain in L'Anse Township, Michigan was given the name Mount Curwood, and the L'Anse Township Park was renamed Curwood Park.
By 1922, Curwood's writings had made him a very wealthy man and he fulfilled a childhood fantasy by building Curwood Castle in Owosso. Constructed in the style of an 18th century French chateau, the estate overlooked the Shiawassee River. In one of the home's two large turrets, Curwood set up his writing studio. Curwood also owned a camp in a remote area in Baraga County, Michigan, near the Huron Mountains.
An advocate of environmentalism, Curwood was appointed to the Michigan Conservation Commission in 1926. The following year, while on a Florida fishing trip, Curwood was bitten on the thigh by what was believed to have been a spider and had an immediate allergic reaction. Health problems related to the bite escalated over the next few months and infection set in that led to his death from blood poisoning.
Interred in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Owosso, his Curwood Castle is now a museum. During the first full weekend in June of each year, the city of Owosso holds the Curwood Festival to celebrate the city's heritage . Also in his honor, a mountain in L'Anse Township, Michigan was given the name Mount Curwood, and the L'Anse Township Park was renamed Curwood Park.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 10, 2022
Apr 8, 8pm ~~ Review asap. Afraid this is a DNF for me, after 6 of 23 chapters.
Apr 9, 830pm ~~ Isobel is the next (and the last) title on my James Oliver Curwood challenge list. Next because I was reading in publication order, and last because I could not finish this book and have given up on friend Curwood. I will try to explain why, but anyone who has read my review of The Honor Of The Big Snow might already be guessing about my reasons.
In Isobel we start with Billy MacVeigh of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. You know, the ones who always get their man. Only a certain man has managed to stay out of the reach of all the Mounties who are after him, including our MacVeigh. So what will happen when he stumbles across this man, who happens to be travelling with his wife? But how could such a beautiful woman, such an angel, possibly love a murderer the way this paragon of womanhood seems to love Deane?! Could it be that the bad guy is not as bad as we all think?
This is definitely much more of a romance that takes place in the North Woods than a North Woods adventure with a touch of romance in it. Curwood had a very high regard for Woman, the ideal Woman and all she represents. In the last three books of his that I have read, he sings the same song over and over, and his heroines are always paragons of feminine virtue. I suppose there is nothing wrong with that, but I found it hard to believe that a dedicated Mountie would even think about giving up his career for any woman the way MacVeigh was tempted to give up his.
I was already annoyed with Curwood thanks to The Honor Of The Big Snows, and maybe that influenced my attitude here, but I thought this was more than a little overdone, trying to play the heart strings too heavily right from the beginning. I couldn't take any more after Chapter 6 so I am calling this a DNF.
I am also closing down my Curwood challenge, at least as soon as I finish a biography of the man that I found at Gutenberg. It does not read like a proper biography, rather more like something just mashed together from letters and Curwood's own memoirs. But it is certainly giving an insight into many aspects of Curwood's character and those of his female characters. Seems that when he a boy he had a girl friend who inspired in him the lofty thoughts towards Woman that he expressed in so many characters in his books: nearly all of his female leads were modeled on this friend of his youth. I am still wondering if this girl will become his wife someday. I have not gotten that far along yet, but it is a short book so I will find out soon enough.
I have read enough of Curwood's fiction for now, so I would like to end this by saying that if you do feel like reading any of Curwood's books, read Kazan. That one was awesome! Here is my review for the book that started me down Curwood's trail.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Apr 9, 830pm ~~ Isobel is the next (and the last) title on my James Oliver Curwood challenge list. Next because I was reading in publication order, and last because I could not finish this book and have given up on friend Curwood. I will try to explain why, but anyone who has read my review of The Honor Of The Big Snow might already be guessing about my reasons.
In Isobel we start with Billy MacVeigh of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. You know, the ones who always get their man. Only a certain man has managed to stay out of the reach of all the Mounties who are after him, including our MacVeigh. So what will happen when he stumbles across this man, who happens to be travelling with his wife? But how could such a beautiful woman, such an angel, possibly love a murderer the way this paragon of womanhood seems to love Deane?! Could it be that the bad guy is not as bad as we all think?
This is definitely much more of a romance that takes place in the North Woods than a North Woods adventure with a touch of romance in it. Curwood had a very high regard for Woman, the ideal Woman and all she represents. In the last three books of his that I have read, he sings the same song over and over, and his heroines are always paragons of feminine virtue. I suppose there is nothing wrong with that, but I found it hard to believe that a dedicated Mountie would even think about giving up his career for any woman the way MacVeigh was tempted to give up his.
I was already annoyed with Curwood thanks to The Honor Of The Big Snows, and maybe that influenced my attitude here, but I thought this was more than a little overdone, trying to play the heart strings too heavily right from the beginning. I couldn't take any more after Chapter 6 so I am calling this a DNF.
I am also closing down my Curwood challenge, at least as soon as I finish a biography of the man that I found at Gutenberg. It does not read like a proper biography, rather more like something just mashed together from letters and Curwood's own memoirs. But it is certainly giving an insight into many aspects of Curwood's character and those of his female characters. Seems that when he a boy he had a girl friend who inspired in him the lofty thoughts towards Woman that he expressed in so many characters in his books: nearly all of his female leads were modeled on this friend of his youth. I am still wondering if this girl will become his wife someday. I have not gotten that far along yet, but it is a short book so I will find out soon enough.
I have read enough of Curwood's fiction for now, so I would like to end this by saying that if you do feel like reading any of Curwood's books, read Kazan. That one was awesome! Here is my review for the book that started me down Curwood's trail.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
March 11, 2021
Bumped up to five stars for emotional enjoyment.
It’s a raw, blustery outdoors story with a lot of snow and Canadian tundra. There are plenty of sad moments and poignant ones as Billy pursues his man and finds himself surprised. The antagonists and friends he meets along the way keep the story moving along, with one of my favorites being the small girl they call Mystery.
There's a brief appearance by the dog Kazan, who was featured in another Curwood novel.
Content: a handful of profanity
It’s a raw, blustery outdoors story with a lot of snow and Canadian tundra. There are plenty of sad moments and poignant ones as Billy pursues his man and finds himself surprised. The antagonists and friends he meets along the way keep the story moving along, with one of my favorites being the small girl they call Mystery.
There's a brief appearance by the dog Kazan, who was featured in another Curwood novel.
Content: a handful of profanity
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December 7, 2023dobrze jest być bibliotekarką, bo czasami można wyjść poza swoją bańkę czytelniczą dzięki poleceniom książkowym przemiłych starszych pań
June 12, 2020
"Najdziksze serca" to bardziej romansidło niż książka przygodowa. Nie jest to może jakaś straszliwa zbrodnia, ale brakowało mi trochę zewu dzikiej przyrody. Romantycznych porywów serca niekoniecznie (nawet tych najdzikszych).
Fabuła nie jest specjalnie skomplikowana. Sierżant William Mac Veigh ma za zadanie odnaleźć mordercę - Dawida Deane'a. Szerokie poszukiwania nad zatoką Hudsona nie dały jednak żadnych rezultatów. Podczas podróży po leki dla swojego towarzysza Mac Veigh spotka samotną piękną kobietę, Izabelę. Prędkość z jakim zapała do niej uczuciem poraziła nawet mnie :) Tajemnicza kobieta stanie się przyczyną kłopotów, przygód i właściwie wszystkiego, co się później wydarzy.
Romantyczna bajeczka, w której mężczyźni są męscy i rycerscy, a kobiety oddane i piękne. Za stara już na to jestem, kiedyś aż tak bardzo mnie to nie raziło.
7/10
Fabuła nie jest specjalnie skomplikowana. Sierżant William Mac Veigh ma za zadanie odnaleźć mordercę - Dawida Deane'a. Szerokie poszukiwania nad zatoką Hudsona nie dały jednak żadnych rezultatów. Podczas podróży po leki dla swojego towarzysza Mac Veigh spotka samotną piękną kobietę, Izabelę. Prędkość z jakim zapała do niej uczuciem poraziła nawet mnie :) Tajemnicza kobieta stanie się przyczyną kłopotów, przygód i właściwie wszystkiego, co się później wydarzy.
Romantyczna bajeczka, w której mężczyźni są męscy i rycerscy, a kobiety oddane i piękne. Za stara już na to jestem, kiedyś aż tak bardzo mnie to nie raziło.
7/10
October 16, 2021
Sentimental and rather melodramatic, as many of these old stories are, the strenght of this book is the setting. The MC is a Mountie stationed in the most northern, remote point possible. Part of his job is tracking a murderer, and when he finds that man he also finds complications that chase him for several years. Lots of descriptions of ice, snow and evergreens will please those who, like me, can't get enough winter.
There's a little of the typical stereotyping here, but to me it seemed a small part of the story.
There's a little of the typical stereotyping here, but to me it seemed a small part of the story.
June 29, 2017
James Oliver Curwood delivers another rough and tumble adventure in the magnificent Canadian Northwest, alongside a sweet, chaste, quaint, and crazy unusual love story. First published in 1913, I listened to this as a free download from LibriVox.org, read by excellent readers.
June 10, 2020
Not a book I would normally read...but a story that I have come to love. When the word "romance" is included in the title, I tend to shy away. However, this was a wonderfully clean story about a man's love for a woman and the desperate lengths he went to in order to to show that love. Conflict abounds in this book including man vs. man, man vs. himself, and man vs. nature. With a very Jack London feel nature becomes an almost tangible enemy attempting to bar the protagonist from his goals. All in all a great read.
April 25, 2018
Ridiculously stupid book. I hated it about halfway through, but finished it because of this challenge and I can't just stop reading books.
October 22, 2021
Finished in one day. Very very good!!! I am impressed! Excellent.
October 22, 2022
Adventure and romance with duty and honor thrown in. What is not to love? Listened to it on a long hike....well read.
February 22, 2023
Delightful!
April 10, 2024
This book made me so thankful I left snow behind to live in Spain.
December 9, 2025
Classic. One of the best. I could come back to this book from time to time
September 1, 2014
A true love story
Adventure, love gained, love lost, tragedy, suspense, happy ending. Death and murder without the gruesome details. Pure love without the lust. A book for those who appreciate old style literature. It is not for those who are looking to be titillated by blood and sex scenes.
Adventure, love gained, love lost, tragedy, suspense, happy ending. Death and murder without the gruesome details. Pure love without the lust. A book for those who appreciate old style literature. It is not for those who are looking to be titillated by blood and sex scenes.
April 30, 2020
Edge of your seat reading. Learn about the old far north. Thrilling.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews