The Three Sisters Bar and Hotel

by Katherine Govier

A landmark novel of the Canadian West from one of Canada’s most accomplished writers, author of The Ghost Brush and Fables of Brunswick Avenue

Gateway, Alberta, 1911. The coming of the railroad to the Canadian Rockies has brought a parade of newcomers to the heavenly Bow Valley—climbers, coal miners, artists, scientists, runaway aristocrats and remittance men. Among the latter is the poacher Herbie Wishart, who arrived on a one-way ticket and has reinvented himself as a trail guide and teller of tall tales.

Herbie becomes outfitter for a fossil-hunting expedition headed by a prominent Washington, D.C., archaeologist. Rumours say that the findings of the secrecy-shrouded Hodgson expedition, as it comes to be known, could overturn all previous knowledge about early life forms. Brought along to help in the quarry for the summer are Hodgson’s adult children, mopey Humphrey and the captivating Isabel, with whom Herbie strikes up a campside alliance. But when an early snowstorm hits and trailside grudges come to a head, the expedition mysteriously disappears. The tragedy threatens to stain the Rocky Mountain park’s reputation just as its newly elected government overseers begin to sell the pristine Canadian wilderness to the world. Despite all efforts from that year on to solve, or bury, the mystery, the disappearance will haunt Gateway, and define the futures of Herbie Wishart and his stubbornly female descendants.

The Three Sisters Bar and Hotel is at once sweeping and intimate, and bursting with heart, wit and larger-than-life characters who rival the Rocky Mountain landscape for sheer brio. Katherine Govier proves she is one of Canada’s master storytellers with this new novel, which is a groundbreaking portrait of Western Canada’s past, with all its contradictions and complexities, an intimate story of romance and family, and a tantalizing historical—and prehistorical—mystery.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Canada, Mystery, Novels, Book Club, Unfinished

480 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2016

About the author

Katherine Govier is the author of eleven novels, three short story collections, and a collection of nursery rhymes. Her most recent novel is The Three Sisters Bar and Hotel (HarperAvenue). Here previous novel, The Ghost Brush (published in the US as The Printmaker's Daughter), is about the daughter of the famous Japanese printmaker, Hokusai, creator of The Great Wave. Her novel Creation, about John James Audubon in Labrador, was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 2003.

Katherine's fiction and non-fiction has appeared in the United Kingdom, the United States, and throughout the Commonwealth, and in translation in Holland, Italy, Turkey, Spain, Japan, Romania, Latvia and Slovenia. She is the winner of Canada's Marian Engel Award for a woman writer (1997) and the Toronto Book Award (1992). Creation was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 2003.

Katherine has been instrumental in establishing three innovative writing programs. In 1989, with teacher Trevor Owen, she helped found Writers in Electronic Residence. In 2011 she founded The Shoe Project, a writing workshop for immigrant and refugee women. She continues as the Chair of its Board of Directors. In 2019 Katherine was made a member of the Order of Canada.

She has edited two collections of travel essays, Solo: Writers on Pilgrimage and WIthout a Guide.

Reviews

[Penny (Literary Hoarders) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm, need to think on this one - 3 stars? 3.5 stars? From the start I was swept into the wonderfully imaginative storytelling going on in here. Just loved it. Govier's story and details were wonderful. But then that storytelling just never seemed to end, you know what I mean? The book is broken down into 4 parts. And now that I've finished, I'm thinking perhaps the entire Part 3 could have been removed. I don't think it would have hurt the grand interest in this book since throughout this part I spent it spinning and sputtering around, waiting for the story to propel itself forward from this stagnated point.

It is a grand tale with a hint of mystery to it and about the development of a Parks Canada and the West, but perhaps a little more thrown in there than necessary?

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am an indie bookseller. Grabbed me from the onset ...Will definitely recommend! Great rollicking read: a multi-generational story of the Canadian Rockies @ the turn of the century... at times treacherous, wild & often, dangerously funny! A truth-cutting tale of Gateway, AB. 1910, their inhabitants, irregulars & 'tourists' of the time. Herbie Wishart- part poacher, guide, 'wanna-be ne'er' do well,' lover & more, is utterly compelling. Govier's deft character portraits are masterful- rich with experiences of human frailty, bravery, foolhardiness & grace. It's a novel that pays homage to those trying to find their own place within the half-settled Canadian West. Many are trying to find a home - in whatever form it may appear. Life 'forces' Herbie to hardscrabble along, scheming, striving while attached to scores of eccentrics & oddballs. Govier offers a tough, honest examination of the ways people live, love, cope & endure (or not) in Gateway: a 'semi'citified,' tough little town, nestled amogst the mountains of the unpredictable West. Katherine Govier gives Readers are given the proverbial 'best seat in the house' in Govier's "The Three Sisters Bar & Hotel." And there is nowhere else we'd rather be: read.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the last glory days of the Canadian western frontier and the slow decline into a more modern, moneymaking national park. In 1911, there were still cowboys, and guides to take people into the mountains. The railroad had not been around a very long time. The small town of Gateway by the hot springs catered to a wide variety of people, and we open up with a family, the Hodgsons, about to go on a scientific excursion with guide Herbie Wishart to eke out fossils. The excursion ends badly when the party disappears during an early winter storm. The disappearance haunts Herbie all his life.

In the present day, Herbie's daughter and son-in-law buy the old Three Sisters Hotel in Gateway for their three grown daughters, unexpected and not altogether wanted. Mostly the book takes place in the past, telling the story of Herbie who marries the youngest Hodgson daughter (who wasn't with the expedition) and their lives in Gateway. Herbie spends much of his life hoping to find some clue to the disappearance of the Hodgsons.

Meanwhile, the mountains have been declared a National Park under the Canadian Government's new Parks department, run by a civil service worker in Ottawa and his intrepid assistant, Helen as they oversee the park and revenue making possibilities for the government. Mix in a bit of history about the internment of the Japanese Canadians during WWII, the survival of the First Nations Stony tribe, and it all gets tied in together in a very good story.

[Steven Buechler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Govier has crafted brilliant fiction here. A perfect mix of research, imagination and personal reflection are what make this book a great read. Her descriptions are vivid yet simple and her characters are endearing and believable. Govier has been referred often as being a brilliant storyteller and this book proves that fact.

http://tinyurl.com/h9ro6zo

[Lauren Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an audacious book! The research is mesmerizing and the characters fascinating. I'm quite in awe of what Govier was able to accomplish with this one.

[Jill Robbertze · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a long historical novel set in the beautiful Canadian Rockies and spanning 3 generations. I enjoyed the interesting characters and the beautiful descriptions, probably even more so, living in BC and having visited the area several times. However, I did find the story very slow and tedious in parts but the mystery surrounding the family kept drawing my attention back in and I soldiered on, expecting some sort of major twist to be revealed. Yes there was a revelation of sorts at the end but I found it a bit disappointing and rather an anti-climax, which really makes the story realistic but not exactly exciting.

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Early in the book, the central character Herbie, a tour guide and wrangler, telling tales around the campfire says "He [the old-timer Max Gallant] said those days the sun shone down on the grass like a mirror. Down in the valley they used to get mirages. I’ve seen them too. One day we all came out of the Three Sisters Hotel and we could see the whole of Cascade Mountain hanging upside down in the sky. Thirty miles away it was, but repeated overhead just like in a fine glass. Trees, valleys, rivers, all of it. Not a word of a lie.” This entire book is a wonderful tall tale, set in a mirage of Canmore and Banff. It's a through the looking glass fantasy of the history of the Rocky Mountain National Parks. Of course the geography is not true to history--it is a distorted, mythical, mirror image mirage. Great fun, full of surprises.

[Kerri Fletcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Would give this a 3.5. I liked the history and I’ve always been fascinated by how trails and roads (like through Rogers Pass) were made. Those first people were strong! But I found the history good but the story dragged. Nice to read Canadian history though :)

[Gail Barrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is hard to resist a book when you know and love the neighbourhood and The Three Sisters Bar and Hotel is no exception. I loved it because I love the Canadian Rockies, I visit Canmore often, and I enjoy a good historical mystery. Govier did a great job building atmosphere, drawing great characters, and leaving you hanging as she shifted gears. All the interesting sidebar information about the Burgess Shale, various familiar mountain peaks and trails seen through the lens of the early twentieth century, and colourful vignettes of a host of unforgettable guides, packers, miners, drunks, and rich tourists, we're all tied together nicely in the pursuit of an answer to the question, what happened to Isabel? You have to stick to it until the very end to find out!

[Antoinette · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars.

Overall, this book made very little impression on me. Left me feeling totally underwhelmed. I was definitely interested in the underlying story of a fossil hunting expedition gone wrong. It's mystery took too long to evolve and when it did, felt totally anticlimactic. The present day story seemed irrelevant,other than to maybe say, let's treasure our past and keep it alive, which is definitely something I agree with. Since the history takes place in the Rockies of Alberta and I have lived here for over 35 years, I was hoping for a more impactful read. Definitely not a book I would recommend.

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will always be grateful for having lived near the Canadian Rockies, for being drawn into their magnetic pull, and for the way they captured my imagination and curiosity. I am equally grateful for this book that has beautifully brought to life its history in the colourful characters, their gripping stories – especially women's stories, and in the majestic and awesome presence of the mountains themselves. I was smiling with nostalgia as I read it and gripped by its wonderful and compelling narrative. Thanks so much for writing this book, Katherine Govier. It really hit my sweet spot!

[Janet Berkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe it's because I'm about to embark on a road trip through the Rockies, or because I enjoy family sagas with strong women, or because I love a good bar, but this novel has everything. Based in two time periods, the present staying put and the past starting a century earlier and moving forward, it tells the story of a family coming to grips with the mystery and danger of early white settlements in western Canada.

Highly recommended.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn in by the wonderful imagery the author crafts around the story. I love that the story is full of women who don't fit into traditional roles for women. The characters are all very interesting and I love the research that went into this book. If you love indie Canadian reads this book ought to make your list and a bit of a hint: two of the characters are real people.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Canadian author. Story is set in Banff (called Gateway) in past and present. Neat storyline, lots of history, although it is a fictional story.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times I loved it, and at times, I was bored. At times, I was eager to find out what happens, at others, I couldn't care. But it is good. Really good. And so it ENDS with Herbie Wishart (and a man with secrets).
"Gateway, Summer 1970
SO THAT'S IT, SAID HERBIE. You have it on your machine. Got your man.
Thank you, Herbie. You won't be sorry, said Helen.
Won't I? And who's to know? Because, you see, Death is gaining on me. I'm the hunted one now. It's a bit of a game with us, said Herbie. I know he's there, I feel the guy and his black presence behind certain pockets of scrub tree. But when he steps out, I will laugh in his face and finish my pipe.
And then I'm going to climb up on the ridge. From there I can see full circle. A powerful rain is coming, but nothing blocks the sun yet' the sky is everywhere, that chill, wiped, clear-eyed blue."

The moon... inspires beautiful prose.
"It had been a golden day, and now it was a perfect night, completely still with a crescent moon rising in the darkening sky over Whiteman's Gap."

Here is the biggest gift Govier gave me. This MUST be remembered.
"'...If you manage like I did to miss out on all those big diseases and the godawful accidents, you get this thing called wisdom. It causes you to realize how wrong you've been so long. Helluva thing. Wouldn't wish it on anyone.'"

Aging and beauty and respect for aging. Beauty.
"Kaz stood up and approached Iona, looking as if he might hug her or kiss her. She lifted her hand toward him, an elegant hand—all knuckles, purple veins, liver spots and protruding moles, her diamond and engagement rings loose on the finger, but elegant nonetheless. ..."

Insight, insight, insight.
"'No, listen, Wishart. I tell you. Let her have hope. Hope is a mystery. We don't know what it is, but it fills our life. We hope from the moment we are born, and we die hoping.'"

Ah... reminder of how it is, how it was, how it will be.
"'Girls, I'm serious! I told you, when you get near the end it's like being in an airplane. That's how I feel. Like I'm somewhere above, watching an old woman struggle through her days.'"

Beauty prose ... gorgeous image ... lovely insight.
"... She was exhausted, out of her mind really, and had no cloak for her emotions. She was often on the verge of tears on account of the scenery. Never said, at least she had never heard it said, was that while riding these extreme and empty lands you confronted your own inner landscape."

Beautifully written.
"Of course it was odd, and word went around. Gwen was a romantic, they said. She was strange. She spoke to herself; she sometimes glittered and sometimes wept. People said she had not recovered from the tragedy, that they understood."

Great revelations of character, and an example of showing, not telling.
"'I tried,' Minnie said. 'I can say that I honestly did try, but I didn't really want to succeed! A marriage of two equals was what I wanted, and a soulmate and an intellectual companion.'
'Lucky you didn't expect too much,' he interjected."

Great description (and further on too) about the nature of butterflies. Lovely prose.
"'Go by' didn't actually describe what the butterflies did. These things were uncertain in their progress, jerking up and down and sideways, and landing for no reason that you could see and leaping vertically too. Hunting them was like playing badminton."

Beautiful but flowery and over-the-top (for a reason) prose about nature.
"Numbers were good, but Helen needed to couch them in the kind of language that tugged at the heart. Our national parks are vast treasure to which we can return over and over to fill and refill our cups to overflowing with vigour of every kind—of the body, of the mind and, yes, of the spirit. It is as if we get blood infusions from the pines and the ozone. "

Names of places reflect story and magick (and here they are getting closer to Magic Lake).
"'You remember the last pass was Beguiling? This one is Bewitching,' said Wishart."

I remember the light of the sun and clouds in and out on the mountains when I traveled out west? in Newfoundland? Gorgeous memory. Beautiful prose. It's not the same, of course, but it snapped into my thoughts.
"'...Down in the valley they used to get mirages. I've seen them too. One day we all came out of the Three Sisters Hotel and we could see the whole of Cascade Mountain hanging upside down in the sky. Thirty miles away it was, but repeated overhead just like in a fine glass. Trees, valleys, rivers, all of it. Not a word of a lie.'"

Reality check, and always on my mind. Well written—the aging body, person, mind.
"Iona waved her hand: she could not agree with that. If she was, as others said out of her hearing, 'failing'—an unfortunate word that one could only take as criticism—she was not going to admit it. 'Fading' might have been better. Yes, there was fading going on. But it had nothing to do with her. The world was fading, but she was not letting up her watch for one minute."

In 2011, Walter gives the hotel to his three daughters. The past swirls around the present. In that lies the crux of the story, with a bit of insight about aging and family thrown in.
"Walter raised his hands. Was it too late? Maybe for him. But not for them. Perhaps he wanted them to try this family one more time. Wanted them to be close when he was gone. To remember their history. Or perhaps it was simply a gift. One he wanted to make them. Wasn't that all right?"

The title, the place.
"...Before they had gone far they came to a strange-shaped building, log on the bottom and hip roof on the top, with a big veranda and a rail to which small, patient horses were hitched. The sign above read THE THREE SISTERS HOTEL. They climbed the steps and went in."

So it BEGINS, in 1911.
"ISABEL STOOD ON THE PLATFORM. The caboose disappeared around the curve; the mountains closed in. The tallyho driver had loaded their trunks and sat, reins poised. Maxwell handed her father up into the seat. Doctor Professor Charles Hodson would go directly to the Sanatorium. Tomorrow they would depart by pack train for the backcountry; tonight he would take the waters, in preparation."

[Belinda Waters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don’t read books about places you live near and frequent....parts of the story were interesting but the story needed to be set in Canmore where you can actually see The Three Sisters mountain from. I keep trying to find reference to a Gateway and cannot. There’s a Gateway Motel by the gates to Banff National Park, there’s a sub division in Airdire and Edmonton is the gateway to the north but no town in Alberta. See how frustrating this is. This review isn’t even about the book....which brings up another beef I had about the book....it was so long and at times the story was so irrelevant, kind of like my review.

[Jennifer Strukoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put this book down. A great Canadian book with haunting stories from the Rocky Mountains.
Loved it!

[❀ Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Three Sisters Bar and Hotel is an epic novel spanning three generations. It is set in the shadows of The Three Sisters part of the Rocky Mountain range of Western Canada. Alberta resident and author Katherine Govier read as part of the Grimsby Author Series and the tale of intrigue, wilderness, love and loss provides an interesting historical perspective on the beginnings of national parks and the challenging living conditions of the early 1900s.

The novel twists around a Quaker family, headed by a widowed professor, that set out on a summer adventure to collect fossils. The group, including the father, son, daughter and butler, were accompanied by Herbie Wishart and his group comprised of a cook and cowboys. The professor with his preoccupation of collecting fossils made some poor decisions with disastrous consequences when he sent the guide and his group ahead while he finished up his hunt. The family was lost and presumed dead.

Herbie married and continued his life on the trails but never forgot this loss in the mountains. He and his wife struggled as he tried to find clues to the lost expedition for years to come. This preoccupation impacted their daughter, Iona, who made her own independent choices leading to her own challenges. When Herbie was not out on the trails he, and later his wife, became fixtures of the town, working at the bar.

Years later Iona and husband, now in senior years, purchase the old bar and hotel for their three adult daughters to rehabilitate. The plan is for them to work together to spruce up the historic building, spending time together. While they renovated they learned more details about their family who had been lost in the mountains.

Like hiking the complicated trails and mountain passes, the story slowly leads the reader to understand what happened on the failed expedition. The reader learns the decisions that were made and the tragic consequences while understanding impact on the next generations. It was an interesting portrayal of life and hardship in the early 1900s but I have to admit that after reading The Shadow of the Wind, the change of pace was a bit challenging. I did pick up another of Govier’s books at a book sale and have added it to my TBR pile!

https://ayearofbooksblog.com

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a handful of authors on my “gotta have it” list. Whenever one of them come outs with a new novel, I pre-order it and impatiently await its arrival. Katherine Govier is on that list. (Confession: It did take me quite a while to getting around to writing a review.)

The Three Sisters Bar and Hotel is another historical fiction gem. As with all of Govier’s works, it is extensively and meticulously researched. It takes the reader back to 1911 in Bow Valley in the Canadian Rockies to tell the story of the ill-fated fossil hunting expedition of Professor Hodgson and their trail guide Herbie Wishart who becomes enamoured with Hodgson’s daughter Isabel.

The narrative alternates between 1911 and 2011 when an aging Walter and Iona arrive in Gateway with their three daughters in tow. The connecting thread? The Three Sisters Bar and Hotel. And, oh yes, a secondary storyline that adds another layer to the richly textured tale.

It is a sweeping saga that showcases Govier’s mastery as a storyteller and literary fiction novelist. At 50 chapters and 470 plus pages, it is a lengthy read but worth every minute!

[Susan Inman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up while I was vacationing in Canmore and Banff. It was a wonderful way to extend that trip once I returned home by revisiting the beautiful locations and learning more about the history of the place. Makes me want to plan another vacation so I can soak in even more of the local Banff lore. As other reviewers mentioned, it's a long book that may have been better with some additional editing. Of the 3 generations chronicled in the book, I liked the sections dealing with the first generation the best. The historical details came to life and made it easy to imagine the difficulty of traveling through the back country in the early days of the park. The mystery of that early expedition resurfaces often enough to keep you moving through the rest of the book, but the later sections never quite captured the romance and beauty of the beginning. And although the book does offer an explanation for what happened to each of the group members, there were some questions that never really got answered. I really wanted to know what was on that film.

[Juanita Violini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captures the mood of the time and place quite well - not an easy task. Having grown up in Banff I found the mix and mashup of Banff and Canmore into the fictional town of Gateway a little disorienting but loved recognizing much of it. The characters were fictional with mixed and mashuped ( a new word I just made up) backstories from the notorious stories of actual people too but I thought it added authenticity to the tale. In a way it was weird but most people who read the book won't know the inconsistencies but will feel the ring of truth from the facts.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The story begins in 1911 with an archaeologist and his family disappearing during a trek to find fossils in the Canadian Rockies ... and ends 100 years later. Great characters, beautiful descriptions of the West and mountains ... really a very enjoyable read that made me want to take a trip to the Rockies. Would make a good book club selection too - lots of intriguing female characters.

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although the basic story about Herbie Wishart is interesting, the story just is too long that it becomes tedious to read and you wish for the end. Some of the characters are great while the most are humdrum individuals. The plot is plodding and lacks any emotion or action. The creation of the national parks is quite informative and could probably have made a book of its own. Unfortunately this is a lack lustre Canadian story.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has lovely descriptions of early days in the Banff area. I enjoyed the historical sections more than the current day parts, but both fit seamlessly together in a good narrative. The characters were lovely and complex giving a depth to the story.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The story along with the history kept me reading. It isn't often that one finds a book that keeps the story and the readers interest going right to the end.

[Magdelanye · Rating 4 out of 5]

review pending

[Linda Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Attempted to read a couple times, never became engaged with the story.

[Debra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tried but couldn’t get into it. Very slow moving

[S Minsos · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a certain way, one can understand the objections of impatient readers, yet in the end, thoroughly disagree. If you know Canmore (Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, etc.), or if, in seeking fossils, you have trekked your (unlawful) way up Mount Stephen in Yoho, you might have sensed that there is a magic dome hovering over Alberta's Rockies, just as there is a magic dome over Santa Fe. Why? Who knows? There just is. You feel it. And with her wit and perfect writing style, Govier animates the magic. Cautionary note: Not all magic is zippity-doo-dah. In sections, Govier's book is (very) funny, empathetic, loving, dark, and/or mysterious. Mythic even. Some Canadian readers aren't hot on myths. Or feelings. Or magic. Some of us hyper-critical hardheads make it tough going for a Canadian author: one imagines one could have written a better book (fleshed out the characters more, or cut out the subplots), but let me assure you: one could not. Different, yes. But not better. The shadowy human characters are fleshed out just enough to illustrate the motif: although time alters the flighty people and even affects the wonderfully fleshed out and lovable Herbie Wishart (Wish Heart), the massive boulders, the seasons, the turquoise lakes, the blizzards, the eagles, the fossils, the goats, the ptarmigans, they live on forever in the national parks. As Helen Wagg opines: Some parks! The Mariners' hotel is a human construct, long-lived in Canadian terms, but the Rockies were formed eighty to fifty-five million years ago in the Laramide orogeny. The mountains in the wilderness parks remain fixed in place: damn solid and damn unforgiving. Quite simply, the siren call of the Rockies is a people trap: Love the mountains at your peril. Well, I loved this book.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book built on the premise of solving the riddle of a group of lost Americans on a scientific expedition in the Canadian Rockies near the turn of the twentieth century, The Three Sisters Bar and Hotel by Katherine Govier simply lacks tension and yes, resolution. It is almost 500 pages of tedium that is also sabotaged by Canadian history subplots/tropes such as the birth of the National Park system or the eternal presence of fake Indians, or a finale ending with a parade on Canada Day. There’s a grand array of characters in this family/generational saga but they are unusually banal, including Herbie Wishart who is the ultimate key to the ancient mystery. It’s even difficult to keep track of their names as they are frequently unmemorable. One reviewer called this a sprawling brawl of Canadian historical fiction - and considering that the story in no way unfolds in a linear fashion, it’s hard to argue with that assessment.