Kanata

by Don Gillmor

From the author of A People's History comes a novel of Canada written in the tradition of such great epics as The Source and Sarum. was inspired by the life of David Thompson, a Welshman who came to the New World at the age of fifteen, and went on to become its greatest cartographer. He walked or paddled 80,000 miles and mapped 1.9 million square miles, cataloguing flora and fauna as well as the language and customs of the Natives. But though he has been described as the greatest land geographer who ever lived, he died impoverished and unknown. Kanata Following the lives of Thompson's illegitimate son and his descendants, Kanata takes readers on a fictionalized, multi-generational journey through millennia and across a continent to examine the stories, myths, and legends of those who formed the country and who were formed by it. Kanata is the story of the invention of a nation.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Canada, Fiction, Historical, Ebooks

509 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Author and journalist Don Gillmor was born in Fort Frances, Ontario in 1959 and presently lives in Toronto, Ontario. Don possesses a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Calgary. He has worked for publisher John Wiley & Sons, and has written for a number of magazines including Rolling Stone, GQ, Premiere, and Saturday Night.; where he was made a contributing editor in 1989.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I enjoyed reading this condensed history of Canada and the mini-biographies of its more interesting characters. However I feel the story lacked continuity and, if the reader is not familiar with some of the names and events, I think the whole thing would seem disjointed and confusing. That being said, I am a native Albertan and reading about places that I have been to and lived in made the story that much more interesting. This book reads quite differently than a typical novel. It is more like a living history lesson.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don Gillmor presents Kanata as something of an epic; scratch that, he presents it as the Canadian epic, noting in his author’s remarks that “chief among the many challenges of historical fiction is finding a way to condense a huge volume of material into a coherent narrative” (447).

It isn’t a coherent narrative; he hasn’t condensed a huge volume of material. Instead the novel picks and chooses choice moments and figures from Canadian history (all men, all either politicians or military heroes) and goes about narrating these moments - the narrator is a history teacher speaking to a boy in a coma (because of course the only way someone would listen to this kind of rambling history lesson is if they were comatose and unable to flee the room).

The patchwork “map” - the novel is overly fixated on the metaphor of the map in forming the nation. I say overly fixated because every second page references a map, even if it’s only “the lines on her face form a rough map - of historical events and characters might be tolerable if not for the heavy-handed exploitation of the protagonist as the Metis hero - the man who brings together the divided nation (at last!) and understands the complexities and compromises necessary to do so. What Gilmor fails to realizes is that the compromises he has made to “condense” the history and find some kind of politically correct indigenous inclusion is to cast all indigenous peoples as either drunk or complicit in their own subjugation. Indeed a triumph of Canadian nationalism.

[Emily-Jane Orford · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great way to read about Canadian history. Gillmor has taken his main character, Michael Mountain Horse, he personifies the country and its vibrant history. Michael leads us on a history tour, which he can trace back to his great-ancestor, David Thompson, a Welshman who mapped the western regions of this rugged country. Michael, a history teacher, teaches us as if we were his students, using his First Nations art of storytelling. Part of the story is being told at the bedside of one of his students, who lies comatose after an automobile accident. This comatose patient symbolizes the Canadian psyche: do we, as Canadians, really care how fascinating our country is? We should; but the big unanswered question is, do we care? Even if we did care, how little do we really know about the people who made this country, the people who are making this country? Gillmor captures the reader right from the beginning and, even though it seems like he is teaching a history class to a bunch of disinterested High School students, for this reader, he wove a spell of that lay somewhere between history and fiction. Fascinating read. Highly reccommended.

[Thalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book that tried too hard. 3 stars might be deceiving but four seems misleading. Don Gillmor is an excellent author. He really impressed me with the dimension he gave historical characters, I think he has a real gift there. He is very good at making supposedly "dull, Canadadian History" come alive. Alas it's the scope of this novel that holds it back. I would have read a whole novel (of this size) just about Thompson and then maybe follow it up with another generation and so forth. Anyways, I did enjoy the travels through Canadian history, appreciated the fact that it wasn't all centered on the east (in fact alot takes place here in Alberta with recognizable Alberta locations). I'll be watching for more work from this author, I hope he gives it another go.
PS Gillmor was one of the people that created CANADA: A PEOPLE'S HISTORY, which, if you are familiar with it, is absolute five star rendering of Canadian history (I own the books and the DVDs)

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is basically the history of Canada from 1777 to 1967, through the eyes of several historical figures and a few fictional ones. The author chose historical figures who left behind journals, diaries, letters, etc and drew their thoughts on people, places and events from their own words. From David Thompson who mapped vast areas before we were a country, to Laurier, MacDonald, King, and Diefenbaker as Prime Ministers, Louis Riel and even JFK - the only non-Canadian historical figure quoted- we are like a fly on the wall, witnessing big and small events in history. Interspersed is the life story of Michael Mountain Horse, our fictional narrator who reminds me so much of Forrest Gump, both managing to make an appearance at every major event in the world during their lifetimes while working at a large variety of professions.
I did enjoy the storytelling style of this book, and I feel smarter after re-reading it!

[Ronan O'Driscoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel really helped me understand Canadian history. The writing is steeped in research about the real-life characters. For example, I had no idea Mackenzie King was such an oddball. The best insights are into Western Canada and the "Native Question". Michael, the main character, is Cree with some European skeletons in the closet, including the fascinating David Thomson who mapped much of the West. At times, I found him a bit blank, too much of an enigma. Perhaps this is because he echoes the vast emptiness of the West.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting in parts.

[Richard Worden · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a novel! What a story! What insight told through a family's history and the history of Canada.

[Deborah Sowery-Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been on my to-do read for awhile, this is historical fiction with Canada being the main character as various historical figures weave in and out of the story. I quite enjoyed it.

[Andrea Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. A cool way to write history

[Thebruce1314 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of this book deserved a rating of four, but the thread that holds the narrative together was not always present in the story. Mainly told from the point of view of Michael Mountain Horse, a fictional descendant of map-maker David Thompson, the story occasionally meanders off to flashes of history as seen from the eyes of Sir John A., Mackenzie King, Diefenbaker, et al. Unfortunately, I found these side notes to be more interesting than the main character's story, which never really went anywhere. I understand that it would be difficult to wrap all of Canada's history into one fictional narrative, but I guess this book just wasn't quite what I expected. Without a little prior knowledge, I don't think that all of the events would necessarily make sense. It was good, but not great.

[Petar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of historical fiction and was very pleased with this ambitious portrayal of the evolution of Canada. Beginning at the onset of Canada's colonial period and moving through many of the major events that shaped our country, Kanata delivers an exciting portrayal of a country that is still evolving and growing. Gillmor effectively portrays how global events helped define our country. We united to defend against U.S imperialism, shed our ties to the British during World War I, and grew our own identity during World War II. The central character is Michael Mountain Horse, a native history teacher, that provides an interesting perspective on Canada's history through many his own stories and that of his ancestors.

[Luis Gurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is fair and enjoyable work by Don Gillmor. Sort of an Epic historical Novel where the author, through the life and experiences of fictional and historical characters, attempts to have a snapshot on the building of Canada as Country. It presents some context and a road map that could be used as guide to introduce oneself into Canada history. The reader must be cautious about the veracity and the chronological order of events which are a mix of historical truth and fictional adaptations in order to maintain the story consistent. The author acknowledges this, which is very honest from his part. I personally think is a must for those readers who like to read fiction in a historical context, as well as for those who just like an entertaining novel.

[Isabel Brinck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started of really well, but it lost its grip on me somewhere along the way. Maybe it was too ambitious: trying to cover too much ground all at once. It's not so much A story as a series of anecdotes that feel only loosely connected even though the protagonist is often the same person. Plus, it is sometimes in first person, sometimes in the third; sometimes speaking in the present tense (even during anecdotes that are not in the book's present setting), sometimes in the past. I have another hundred pages to go and I don't feel like it's going anywhere; just going on and on. Too bad.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kanata is a good book for engaging advanced teens and adults in learning about Canadian history. The story alternates between the musings of Michael Mountain Horse, a teacher in 1960s Alberta, and episodes of history over the previous 200 years involving his fictional ancestors. As an historian, Gillmor is best when he is dealing with actual historical figures and exploring their lives. He is weaker in his writing of Michael Mountain Horse and his insights into how history can act as a map for our lives.

[Lisa Horne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know why, but I just could not get into this book. I have no idea why, it has everything I want in a book: subject matter near and dear to me, an interesting and enigmatic main character, written in an Edward Rutherford-ian style, a great author (he was one of 5 people who did the Canada: A People's History, an AMAZING CBC program and books), and more!
And yet...
It failed to hold my interest.
I'm going to chalk this up to just not being in the mood for this type of book and put it in my "Try again later" pile.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well it's a well-written piece of historical fiction. I was just a bit sorry that the title was a bit misleading. I expected it to be about Canadian history which it is, in large part, but it also darts about to other places like Spain and China. I don't know enough about real Canadian history to know whether some of the characters are real or fictional, which reflects worse on me than on the book.
I did like the map themes in the book.

[Robert Mackay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kanata, a historical novel by Don Gillmor, is an engrossing read published by Viking Canada in 2009. Canada's story is told through the eyes of Michael Mountain Horse, a Blood Indian and great-great-grandson of David Thompson. Thompson, whose story is finally a tragedy, shares these pages along with numerous other Canadians: John A. Macdonald, Norman Bethune, Mackenzie King, and John Diefenbaker among others. Written in a very accessible style; highly recommended.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A view of Canadian history/ Canada's coming of age without the Ontario/Quebec centrism of most Canadiana. A real treat for someone who has grown up in the foothills of the Rockies west of Calgary. This is a history of the land I know and the small towns I'm familiar with tied into a national and global history.

[Vionna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Canada is the central character of this book. This book is quite a good, brief history of the nation and some of its major players. David Thompson's great-great-grand children play more of a role in the book that he did, although David was the cartographer that mapped Canada.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read, but I think it works better if you're into Canadian history and are looking for a "grand scale" history of the country. I was, and it served it's purpose. But characterization is thin, and the message is a bit muddied.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very enjoyable book covering Canadian history (after Europeans arrived), through the eyes of a descendant of David Thompson an early explorer who mapped the west. Lots of maps, both real and metaphoric.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into the story and keeping all the characters straight, as the author switched back and forth very quickly. But it was good. Really the only time I found Candian history interesting.

[Matt Garden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good. I found the historical characters in the first half were more compelling and more cohesive than in the second half, but it was all interesting.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the well written and presented snippets of Canadian history.