ARCHANGEL

by Paul Watkins

Lumber baron Noah Mackenzie has a bitter history with the Algonquin forest, and now he's trying to clear-cut the part he considers his own. In the remote Maine town of Abenaki Juntion, only Madeleine Cody stands up to Mackenzie. Using her small newspaper, The Forest Sentinel, she has long tried to peacefully stop the excessive logging. But when radical Adam Gabriel arrives at Abenaki Junction, he proposes a new and dangerous form of protest. Gabriel pushes both Madeleine and Mackenzie to defend what they love - no matter the cost.

Genres: Fiction, Literature

208 pages, Hardcover

First published October 12, 1995

About the author

Paul Watkins is an American author who currently lives with his wife and two children in Hightstown, New Jersey. He is a teacher and writer-in-residence at The Peddie School, and formerly taught at Lawrenceville School. He attended the Dragon School, Oxford, Eton and Yale University. He received a B.A. from Yale and was a University Fellow at Syracuse University, New York. His recollections of his time at the Dragon School and Eton form his autobiographical work Stand Before Your God: An American Schoolboy in England.

Writes crime fiction set at the birth of Stalin's Russia under Sam Eastland.

Reviews

[Olly Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was captivated from the start and couldn’t put this down. Every character is so unique and ties perfectly into the story. This is a masterpiece with running themes of the sublime, human power and destruction but also the potential for people to stand up for what they believe in. I cannot recommend this book enough.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is gritty and not for those who have weak stomachs, but the story captivated me and overall I found it to be a satisfying read.

“That bear is just being a bear, and killing it won’t give you what you need.” can be read with multiple layers - Coltrane and the bear, MacKenzie and Madeline, Gabriel and MacKenzie…

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vor Jahren hat Jonah MacKenzie beim Holzfällen sein Bein verloren. Aber er kehrt wieder in die Algonquins zurück. Mit seinem Holzfällerunternehmen betreibt er eine systematische Rodung. Bisher hat nur die Verlegerin der kleinen Lokalzeitung versucht, ihm Einhalt zu gebieten. Aber das ändert sich. Plötzlich hat er einen ernstzunehmenden Gegner, der auch vor Maßnahmen nicht zruückschreckt, die das Leben seiner Arbeiter in Gefahr bringen.

Jonah MacKenzie ist ein harter Hund. Das wir klar, als er sich sein eigenes Bein absägt, um nach dem Unfall beim Holzfällen nicht in den Wäldern zu erfrieren. Danach scheint es, als ob er sich an den Wäldern rächen will, denn er rodet sie gnadenlos. Ähnlich wie seinem Gegner sind ihm die Methoden egal, solange sie nur Profit bringen. Selbst als ein Unfall passiert, an dem veraltetes Material schuld ist, will er den Vorfall vertuschen, um seine Arbeit weiter führen zu können.

Das Buch spricht ein sehr aktuelles Thema an: wie weit kann sich der Mensch an der Natur bereichern, bevor er erkennt, dass er etwas ändern muss? Jonah MacKenzie kämpft nicht nur um den weitererhalt seiner Firma, sondern auch gegen einen unsichtbaren Gegner. Dieser Gegner bleibt nicht nur für Jonah unsichtbar. Ich fand ihn auch geheimnisvoll, aber nicht in einem positiven Sinn. Seine Motive konnte ich nur schwer verstehen. War ihm der erhalt der Wälder wichtig, oder die Zerstörung Jonahs?

So war die Geschichte für mich stellenweise nur schwer zu durchschauen, obwohl ich das zentrale Thema durchaus interessant fand. Schade, daraus hätte man mehr machen können.

[Igor Sturion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Expected a bit more than what I got, especially regarding the discussion on environmental conflicts and eco-terrorism, but it is still a nice read.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Watkins is a very good writer. This particular outing is gritty, poetic and beautifully realised.

[Zaahir Santhanam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the ecoterrorism, was meh on the characters. Pretty good but not for me

[Gregory Lamb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although Paul's exceptional writing style and creative ability to come up with a good yarn is still present in Archangel, he fell well short of the mark with his fact checking. Nothing is more annoying to a former USAF Pilot than reading a reference to a USAF pilot flying an aircraft that is only flown in the Navy or Marines. Additionally, if the type of aircraft mentioned was said to be used in a particular conflict (DESERT STORM), it ought to make sense. In this case, Paul could have asked me and I would have set him straight.

[Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! It was pure chance I ran across this author. Paul Watkins story line is seamless, it ebbs and flows from start to finish. What started out a story about lost souls and environmental concerns quickly turned into a story that is so much more than that. It is a coming of age story and how history and family always end up coming full circle. I never thought I could care as much about a silly bear, but he was the center and everything else revolved around him and if he lived or died. Well done.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but not as engaging as the first book by Paul Watkins, which I purchased at friends of library sale: The Forger, which takes place during WWII in Paris is a truly excellent and absorbing novel, which I donated back and advised the head librarian to add it to the library's shelves. Archangel was the only title in the system!

[Sharon Louise]

I was actually quite enjoying this book for a while, then I got sidetracked and didn't pick it up for ages. When I did I just couldn't get back into it so I'm afraid it now goes on the "did not finish" shelf.

[Nicole]

Don't know if I'll be able to make it through this one. I'll keep trying. By the way, the author picture on the back of the book? So cute.

[Amyem]

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/5...

I own a copy and bookcrossed a copy.

[Enid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy his books.They are good stories set in interesting locations .If you have ever travelled in Maine or even remoter parts of the USA this will resonate with you.Also it is a great tale.