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The Navigator of New York
Wayne Johnston’s breakthrough epic novel The Colony of Unrequited Dreams was published in several countries and given high praise from the critics. It earned him nominations for the highest fiction prizes in Canada and was a national bestseller. His American editor said he hadn’t found such an exciting author since he discovered Don DeLillo. Johnston, who has been writing fiction for two decades, launched his next and sixth novel across the English-speaking world to great anticipation.
The Navigator of New York is set against the background of the tumultuous rivalry between Lieutenant Peary and Dr. Cook to get to the North Pole at the beginning of the 20th century. It is also the story of a young man’s quest for his origins, from St. John’s, Newfoundland, to the bustling streets of New York, and the remotest regions of the Arctic.
Devlin Stead’s father, an Arctic explorer, stops returning home at the end of his voyages and announces he is moving to New York, as “New York is to explorers what Paris is to artists”; eventually he is declared missing from an expedition. His mother meets an untimely death by drowning shortly after. Young Devlin, who barely remembers either of them, lives contently in the care of his affectionate aunt and indifferent uncle, until taunts from a bullying fellow schoolboy reveal dark truths underlying the bare facts he knows about his family. A rhyme circulated around St. John’s further isolates Devlin, always seen as an odd child who had inherited his parents’ madness and would likely meet a similar fate.
Devlin, who has always learned about his father through newspaper reports, now finds other people’s accounts of his parents are continually altering his view of his parents. Then strange secret letters start to arrive, exciting his imagination with the unanticipated notion that his life might contain the possibility of adventure. Nothing is what it once seemed. Suddenly a chance to take his own place in the world is offered, giving him courage and a newfound zest for discovery. “It was life as I would live it unless I went exploring that I dreaded.”
Caught up in the mystery of who his parents really were, and anxious to leave behind the image of ‘the Stead boy’, at the age of twenty Devlin sails, carrying only a doctor’s bag, to a New York that is bursting with frenzied energy and about to become the capital city of the globe; where every day inventors file for new patents and three thousand new strangers enter the city, a city that already looks ancient although taller buildings are constructed constantly. There he will become protégé to Dr. Cook, who is restlessly preparing for his next expedition, be introduced into the society that makes such ventures possible, and eventually accompany Cook on his epic race to reach the Pole before the arch-rival Peary. This trip will plunge Devlin into worldwide controversy -- and decide his fate.
Wayne Johnston has harnessed the scope, energy and inventiveness of the nineteenth century novel and encapsulated it in the haunting and eloquent voice of his hero. His descriptions of place, whether of the frozen Arctic wastes or the superabundant and teeming New York, have extraordinary physicality and conviction, recreating a time when the wide world seemed to be there for the taking. An extraordinary achievement that seamlessly weaves fact and fabrication, it continues the masterful reinvention of the historical novel Wayne Johnston began with The Colony of Unrequited Dreams.
From the Hardcover edition.
The Navigator of New York is set against the background of the tumultuous rivalry between Lieutenant Peary and Dr. Cook to get to the North Pole at the beginning of the 20th century. It is also the story of a young man’s quest for his origins, from St. John’s, Newfoundland, to the bustling streets of New York, and the remotest regions of the Arctic.
Devlin Stead’s father, an Arctic explorer, stops returning home at the end of his voyages and announces he is moving to New York, as “New York is to explorers what Paris is to artists”; eventually he is declared missing from an expedition. His mother meets an untimely death by drowning shortly after. Young Devlin, who barely remembers either of them, lives contently in the care of his affectionate aunt and indifferent uncle, until taunts from a bullying fellow schoolboy reveal dark truths underlying the bare facts he knows about his family. A rhyme circulated around St. John’s further isolates Devlin, always seen as an odd child who had inherited his parents’ madness and would likely meet a similar fate.
Devlin, who has always learned about his father through newspaper reports, now finds other people’s accounts of his parents are continually altering his view of his parents. Then strange secret letters start to arrive, exciting his imagination with the unanticipated notion that his life might contain the possibility of adventure. Nothing is what it once seemed. Suddenly a chance to take his own place in the world is offered, giving him courage and a newfound zest for discovery. “It was life as I would live it unless I went exploring that I dreaded.”
Caught up in the mystery of who his parents really were, and anxious to leave behind the image of ‘the Stead boy’, at the age of twenty Devlin sails, carrying only a doctor’s bag, to a New York that is bursting with frenzied energy and about to become the capital city of the globe; where every day inventors file for new patents and three thousand new strangers enter the city, a city that already looks ancient although taller buildings are constructed constantly. There he will become protégé to Dr. Cook, who is restlessly preparing for his next expedition, be introduced into the society that makes such ventures possible, and eventually accompany Cook on his epic race to reach the Pole before the arch-rival Peary. This trip will plunge Devlin into worldwide controversy -- and decide his fate.
Wayne Johnston has harnessed the scope, energy and inventiveness of the nineteenth century novel and encapsulated it in the haunting and eloquent voice of his hero. His descriptions of place, whether of the frozen Arctic wastes or the superabundant and teeming New York, have extraordinary physicality and conviction, recreating a time when the wide world seemed to be there for the taking. An extraordinary achievement that seamlessly weaves fact and fabrication, it continues the masterful reinvention of the historical novel Wayne Johnston began with The Colony of Unrequited Dreams.
From the Hardcover edition.
486 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
36 people are currently reading
1176 people want to read
About the author
Wayne Johnston
24 books310 followersWayne Johnston was born and raised in Goulds, Newfoundland. After a brief stint in pre-Med, Wayne obtained a BA in English from Memorial University. He worked as a reporter for the St. John's Daily News before deciding to devote himself full-time to writing.
En route to being published, Wayne earned an MA in Creative Writing from the University of New Brunswick. Then he got off to a quick start. His first book, The Story of Bobby O'Malley, published when he was 27 years old, won the WH Smith/Books in Canada First Novel award for the best first novel published in the English language in Canada in that year. The Divine Ryans was adapted to a film, for which Wayne wrote the screenplay. Baltimore's Mansion, a memoire dealing with his grandfather, his father and Wayne himself, won the Charles Taylor Prize. Both The Colony of Unrequited Dreams and The Navigator of New York were on bestseller lists in Canada and have been published in the US, Britain, Germany, Holland, China and Spain. Colony was identified by the Globe and Mail newspaper as one of the 100 most important Canadian books ever produced.
En route to being published, Wayne earned an MA in Creative Writing from the University of New Brunswick. Then he got off to a quick start. His first book, The Story of Bobby O'Malley, published when he was 27 years old, won the WH Smith/Books in Canada First Novel award for the best first novel published in the English language in Canada in that year. The Divine Ryans was adapted to a film, for which Wayne wrote the screenplay. Baltimore's Mansion, a memoire dealing with his grandfather, his father and Wayne himself, won the Charles Taylor Prize. Both The Colony of Unrequited Dreams and The Navigator of New York were on bestseller lists in Canada and have been published in the US, Britain, Germany, Holland, China and Spain. Colony was identified by the Globe and Mail newspaper as one of the 100 most important Canadian books ever produced.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
August 25, 2014
The number of reviewers who said this book is "very slow" makes me sad. Sad that there are people unable to sit back and enjoy writing like this, to savor -- no, savour soaks up more -- the world that Johnston creates. But as I continued to flick through the reviews, I found those that "got" Navigator (they're the ones who don't check the number of pages before starting a book -- "More than 300? Maybe another time"). If this book is "slow", it’s the kind of slow that describes sinking into a deep, comfortable sofa; the kind of slow that makes you lose track of time and place so that you miss your bus stop (but you don’t care because you can read more on the bus back).
abandoned
February 9, 2018This book has forced me to return to my pledge (temporarily abandoned, to my own disservice) that if a book doesn’t engage me in the first 50 pages, I would set it aside. I gave it my all for 79 pages — six complete chapters. Back to the library with this one!
While the jacket blurb sounded fascinating, Johnston didn’t come close to convincing me that this was late 19th century Newfoundland and turn-of-the-century New York. The story telling was dry as bone dust; the characters were weak and uninteresting; the dialogue felt laboured and unconvincing. To add to the torment, some of the sentences were so awkward in construction that they were incomprehensible on first reading. I didn’t want to waste any more time reading everything twice. Historical fiction does not appear to be one of Johnston’s strengths.
If this wasn’t going back to the library, it would be going straight to the gallery!
While the jacket blurb sounded fascinating, Johnston didn’t come close to convincing me that this was late 19th century Newfoundland and turn-of-the-century New York. The story telling was dry as bone dust; the characters were weak and uninteresting; the dialogue felt laboured and unconvincing. To add to the torment, some of the sentences were so awkward in construction that they were incomprehensible on first reading. I didn’t want to waste any more time reading everything twice. Historical fiction does not appear to be one of Johnston’s strengths.
If this wasn’t going back to the library, it would be going straight to the gallery!
November 27, 2017
Historical fiction about a young man, Devlin Stead, overcoming an ignominious start in life, being viewed as “odd,” but eventually leaving behind his difficult childhood to join polar expeditions.
I had read about the controversy of Frederick Cook having claimed to be the first to reach the North Pole, later discredited, and of his rivalry with Robert Peary. I thought this book might provide some clarity as to what had really happened; however, it did not. In the author’s notes at the end, it states: “While it draws from the historical record, its purpose is not to answer historical questions or settle historical controversies.”
The book contains beautiful language, particularly the descriptions of life in New York City at the turn of the 20th century and the stark seascapes of Newfoundland. For long stretches of time, I was not sure where the plot was headed and not much happens. At times it seemed a chore; however, the pace picks in the middle and continues to the finish.
Recommended to readers of Victorian novels or those that enjoy the history of exploration.
Favorite passages:
“What is really self-knowledge is often mistaken for self-doubt.”
“Follow your heart in all things. It is not infallible, but it is yours.”
“Nothing so reminds you like the sea that the enemy of life is not death but loneliness.”
“Sky. Wind. Light. Air. Cold. Grey. Far. Salt. Smell. Now all these words meant something they had never meant before, and the word sea contained them all.”
I had read about the controversy of Frederick Cook having claimed to be the first to reach the North Pole, later discredited, and of his rivalry with Robert Peary. I thought this book might provide some clarity as to what had really happened; however, it did not. In the author’s notes at the end, it states: “While it draws from the historical record, its purpose is not to answer historical questions or settle historical controversies.”
The book contains beautiful language, particularly the descriptions of life in New York City at the turn of the 20th century and the stark seascapes of Newfoundland. For long stretches of time, I was not sure where the plot was headed and not much happens. At times it seemed a chore; however, the pace picks in the middle and continues to the finish.
Recommended to readers of Victorian novels or those that enjoy the history of exploration.
Favorite passages:
“What is really self-knowledge is often mistaken for self-doubt.”
“Follow your heart in all things. It is not infallible, but it is yours.”
“Nothing so reminds you like the sea that the enemy of life is not death but loneliness.”
“Sky. Wind. Light. Air. Cold. Grey. Far. Salt. Smell. Now all these words meant something they had never meant before, and the word sea contained them all.”
December 2, 2008
I have not been so engrossed in a novel in quite some time. I found myself reading it the last few nights when I found myself alert in the middle of the night, between dream states where I wandered paths in faraway lands. This book of historical fiction has everything for me: the familiar setting (Newfoundland), the quality of the writing ( prizewinning Canadian author), and a depth of connection between characters that reflects the austere self-sacrifice that so often characterizes the spirit of northern Canadians.
September 28, 2011
My favourite Johnston book will probably always be "Baltimore's Mansion." It has an emotional urgency that Navigator lacks.
For me, the fatal flaw of Navigator was the narration that endlessly cycled and recycled the same thoughts and questions. It deadened the action, and without it, a more nimble book would probably emerge, fifty or a hundred pages fewer. A stronger editorial hand might have focused the plot more towards drama rather than the melodrama that emerged.
But the narration also did a lot of 'telling' instead of 'showing.' In fact, we only ever grasp a very slight portrayal of Dr. Cook, and the benign character we know contradicts the events of the last thirty pages.
In any case, I'm on to Human Amusements and the Divine Ryans eventually.
For me, the fatal flaw of Navigator was the narration that endlessly cycled and recycled the same thoughts and questions. It deadened the action, and without it, a more nimble book would probably emerge, fifty or a hundred pages fewer. A stronger editorial hand might have focused the plot more towards drama rather than the melodrama that emerged.
But the narration also did a lot of 'telling' instead of 'showing.' In fact, we only ever grasp a very slight portrayal of Dr. Cook, and the benign character we know contradicts the events of the last thirty pages.
In any case, I'm on to Human Amusements and the Divine Ryans eventually.
June 10, 2012
This book had great bits, and it definitely had its flaws. I chose it to provide background to my trip to Canada, and Johnston is one of Canada's best writers. In the book, Devlin Stead is Luke Skywalker, his mother Amelia Stead is Princess Padme, and real-life hoaxer Dr. Frederick Cook appears as Darth Vader. Devlin finds his real father halfway through the book and somehow remains oblivious to his "dark side" until the last five chapters.
I had two major problems with the book: Devlin is one of the most passive narrators you will find in literature. He's clueless in St. Johns, where everyone in the town apparenly knows more about his parents than he does. He is supposed to grow a spine under Dr. Cook's tutelage in New York, yet he fails to learn the art of navigation or other exploration skills, despite the fact that he is 20-24 years old during this time. Yeah right. I also felt that Johnston's dialogue consisted of long speeches/explanations, letters, monlologues, and things like that. I'm not fond of their use in novels.
What I loved about the book was the historic detail and the settings. Johnston vividly describes New York City in the first decade of the 20th Century, and his set pieces where we look out at the sea ice passing St. John's, Newfoundland, and the many-glaciered fjords of Greenland, are picturesque.
I read the book all the way through, but it wasn't fun. I wish it would have been better.
I had two major problems with the book: Devlin is one of the most passive narrators you will find in literature. He's clueless in St. Johns, where everyone in the town apparenly knows more about his parents than he does. He is supposed to grow a spine under Dr. Cook's tutelage in New York, yet he fails to learn the art of navigation or other exploration skills, despite the fact that he is 20-24 years old during this time. Yeah right. I also felt that Johnston's dialogue consisted of long speeches/explanations, letters, monlologues, and things like that. I'm not fond of their use in novels.
What I loved about the book was the historic detail and the settings. Johnston vividly describes New York City in the first decade of the 20th Century, and his set pieces where we look out at the sea ice passing St. John's, Newfoundland, and the many-glaciered fjords of Greenland, are picturesque.
I read the book all the way through, but it wasn't fun. I wish it would have been better.
January 26, 2015
Breathless. As soon as I started I knew I was in my beloved Wayne Johnston territory and he did not disappoint me. I was swept away with the story, fell in love once again with the writing style, this time more serious than any I had ever read of his before. I was convincingly lulled into an arctic expedition that I don't know how anyone could have survived, and having the delicious ability to imagine the turn of the century as it must have felt to residents and immigrants alike.
How do I recover after such a great story. I believe it will take me days as I take it all in.
How do I recover after such a great story. I believe it will take me days as I take it all in.
April 20, 2010
Reads too much like a less-than-believable soap opera (though it's slightly better if read as a young boy's fantasy: "My shitty parents aren't really my parents and my real daddy's an explorer!"). I also dislike how Johnston writes the same way whether he's talking about an excursion in the Arctic or about two people falling in love. Still, I'll always link this book to the trip during which I fell in love with New York City.
March 17, 2014
I found this book a bit of a slog. There's really only one character in the entire book, Devlin's aunt, that I like, and she is gone after the first quarter of the novel. Devlin himself has nothing to recommend him. He's a totally boring character and he's the narrator, for heaven sakes. The other main characters are interesting but I didn't find any of them appealing. Likewise, the narration really had nothing to recommend it. It just seemed to drag. The other books I've read by Johnston I much preferred to this. The story is preposterous although I do admit a certain amount of interest in it. Thank goodness! Otherwise I would never have been able to finish. I only finished it because a friend of mine had asked me if I had ever read it. She would like to know what I think it's about. It has long been in the back of my mind as a book I probably should read some day, mostly because it's by a well-known, usually very good, Canadian author. Well, I've done it.
So, what is it about? Other than the obvious surface story, it's about betrayal, madness, endurance , determination , manipulation, the power of blood relations, failure, regret. I need to think more about this. Loneliness. Not being able to let go
There are some things that I actually did like about the book. There is a wonderful, several pages long, description of New York City in the early 1900s. I was quite taken with that and the imagery that it brought forth about all the changes going on there at that time. I also very much enjoyed the parts that took place in the Arctic searching for the North Pole. The land, sea and ice were vivid. The primitive living conditions and the long hard treks over the ice made me feel cold, desolate, abandoned, desperate, encased in darkness. It was quite emotional and, in its very icy way, beautiful. The description of the Inuit (Eskimos in the book) was also quite interesting. I wonder how true it is. The historical aspects were also interesting. I learned a lot about Cook and Peary, their search for the Pole, and the controversy over who, if either of them, actually made it to the Pole.
To sum up, I don't regret having read the book but my feelings about it are quite mediocre.
So, what is it about? Other than the obvious surface story, it's about betrayal, madness, endurance , determination , manipulation, the power of blood relations, failure, regret. I need to think more about this. Loneliness. Not being able to let go
There are some things that I actually did like about the book. There is a wonderful, several pages long, description of New York City in the early 1900s. I was quite taken with that and the imagery that it brought forth about all the changes going on there at that time. I also very much enjoyed the parts that took place in the Arctic searching for the North Pole. The land, sea and ice were vivid. The primitive living conditions and the long hard treks over the ice made me feel cold, desolate, abandoned, desperate, encased in darkness. It was quite emotional and, in its very icy way, beautiful. The description of the Inuit (Eskimos in the book) was also quite interesting. I wonder how true it is. The historical aspects were also interesting. I learned a lot about Cook and Peary, their search for the Pole, and the controversy over who, if either of them, actually made it to the Pole.
To sum up, I don't regret having read the book but my feelings about it are quite mediocre.
June 13, 2023
I have now read 5 of Wayne Johnston's books and am seriously concerned about his mental health. I started with his "Colony of Unrequited Dreams" trilogy, then read "Son of a Certain Women", and now "The Navigator of New York". All have been extensively introspective. Lots of text devoted to deep, inner examination/rumination by the lead characters and not a lot of dialogue. This book was excessively devoted to this sort of rumination. On and on he goes examining situations from every possible perspective and interpretation to the point where you just feel like swatting the characters upside their heads and telling them to get on with living already. I can only imagine that this sort of unhealthy introspection is something Johnston indulges in himself. Hence the concern stated above. But what do I know?
The book was just ok but tells the story of the travels and ambitions of arctic explorers Frederick Cook and Robert Peary, which has been a story I've read a bit about over the years and found fascinating. It looks to me like they both faked getting to the pole (Peary for sure) all for the glory of being first and the accolades that were to come with that. Johnston sticks closely to the real life history of those events but adds characters and drama on top of it to fill in pieces that no one could actually know about. It kept me interested enough to read to the end but I have to admit to skimming where the introspection seemed like it would never end. This is my least favourite of Johnston's books but still an interesting tale. The fact that he is from Newfoundland and tells stories centered in Newfoundland was what got me interested in him early on, but I think this may be the last of his books that I take on. I am introspected out.
The book was just ok but tells the story of the travels and ambitions of arctic explorers Frederick Cook and Robert Peary, which has been a story I've read a bit about over the years and found fascinating. It looks to me like they both faked getting to the pole (Peary for sure) all for the glory of being first and the accolades that were to come with that. Johnston sticks closely to the real life history of those events but adds characters and drama on top of it to fill in pieces that no one could actually know about. It kept me interested enough to read to the end but I have to admit to skimming where the introspection seemed like it would never end. This is my least favourite of Johnston's books but still an interesting tale. The fact that he is from Newfoundland and tells stories centered in Newfoundland was what got me interested in him early on, but I think this may be the last of his books that I take on. I am introspected out.
January 4, 2015
This piece of historical fiction took me on a wild ride. Devlin Stead grows up in St John's Newfoundland, his father, by appearances a neglectful adventurer and his mother a benign but jilted housewife. His life takes a turn when after the mysterious deaths of both parents, while living in the care of his aunt and uncle, he learns the first of several secrets about his real origins. These revelations lead him to New York and ultimately to the ends of the earth. A fantastic story which takes us to turn of the century New York City and to the competition between Dr. Frederick Cook and Lt Robert Peary for the prize of first man to the North Pole. The book is dazzling in its prose, uncovering breathtaking arctic landscapes and gritty urban ones. It is also historically fascinating, covering the scope of rustic St John's to the Vanderbilt mansion and the elite society of New York City. Glorious stuff and a gripping tale of identity, loyalty and the courage to seek answers without deserting one's core values.
January 16, 2012
I'm not sure yet how I feel about this book. There was something so odd about the characters and the language - so stiff and unnatural that it almost seemed like they were joking when they weren't, or as though they were caricatures rather than real people. It didn't help that the subject matter of Arctic exploration didn't appeal to me at all, or at least this treatment didn't. Yet parts of it were quite enjoyable and even riveting.
My research (a.k.a. 3 minutes of Google) suggests that the basic facts about Cook & Peary were true, but there's no evidence of a son. My book club agreed that Cook seemed like a weirdo and a fraud.
I'll have to read another book by Johnston to see if it's his style or something specific to this story that felt off.
My research (a.k.a. 3 minutes of Google) suggests that the basic facts about Cook & Peary were true, but there's no evidence of a son. My book club agreed that Cook seemed like a weirdo and a fraud.
I'll have to read another book by Johnston to see if it's his style or something specific to this story that felt off.
January 2, 2015
It's rare that I give up half way through a book - but I didn't even get half way with this! Too much repetition and unbelievable co-incidences and I found I got annoyed with it. I know fiction is made up, but there still needs to be a skeleton of a believable plot to hang the story on.....
Read
July 30, 2011Took a while to get going, but after the first 100 pages or so it was difficult to put down. Some interesting twists, and makes you want to learn more about polar exploration.
October 6, 2024
Abandoned this book at page 103: My edition is 8*5 paper, very narrow margins, 9 point type (or maybe even smaller), I just couldn’t face another 381 pages of tedious repetitive slogging before my eyes gave in. Then I consulted other Goodreads reviewers who had similar misgivings. One mentioned the story gets resolved in the last 50 pages so I jumped to Chapter 42 and the whole story was summarized to Chapter 45. Never did that before in my reading life but I’m glad I did.
Why did I give it a 2 then? Well, Johnstone is a serious writer and he’s put lot of effort into this book. I’ve read much worse (tedious,sloppy, pretentious) so I had to leave room for them.
Why did I give it a 2 then? Well, Johnstone is a serious writer and he’s put lot of effort into this book. I’ve read much worse (tedious,sloppy, pretentious) so I had to leave room for them.
January 14, 2016
This is one of those books (like The Birth House) which is written in a familiar style and genre (modern literature coming-of-age I guess?) but set in a unique, interesting place. Frenetic New York at the turn of the twentieth century makes a refreshing and fascinating contrast with the starkness of the Arctic. Devlin is lovable and so are most of the other characters. The ending is a bit of a shock (if you hadn't researched it beforehand) but I really liked it. My only complaint is that I felt like the ending dragged on for a few chapters longer than it should have. I would have rated it 4 starts instead of three if it ended after Chapter 45 when Johnston finishes describing the fate of Dr. Cook and his relationship to Devlin, but then it continues on for two more chapters of tidying up loose ends that didn't really need to be tidied. It's like Johnston was having trouble letting his characters go.
August 26, 2020
The Navigator of New York was my first read of Wayne Johnston, who a friend had said was his favorite author. So I dove in and felt myself opening to it in St. John's the last quarter of the 19th century. I knew little of Newfoundland before and was glad for the setting. Written in the first person, the main character Delvin grew up in strange circumstances and was drawn to New York in pursuit of being among the first to reach the north pole.
The narrative drew me in with a rich description of character that kept my interest elevated as the story moved from St. John's to Manhattan and Brooklyn around the turn of the century before the explorations began.
Johnston does well in his description of surroundings and main characters while giving the reader the benefit of his main character's inner monologue.
Rich in detail, unlike some reviews I've read, I was most satisfied and highly recommend this work.
The narrative drew me in with a rich description of character that kept my interest elevated as the story moved from St. John's to Manhattan and Brooklyn around the turn of the century before the explorations began.
Johnston does well in his description of surroundings and main characters while giving the reader the benefit of his main character's inner monologue.
Rich in detail, unlike some reviews I've read, I was most satisfied and highly recommend this work.
May 23, 2018
Victorianishly verbose and frustratingly concerned with appearance, the characters in Wayne Johnston’s The Navigator of New York struggle to unlock truths about themselves and those around them. Charting a course between honour and disgrace in the eyes of the ruling mobs of the Newfoundland and New York well to to, family and friends, and even the Arctic “Eskimo,” seems to prove more daunting than negotiating the icebergs and floes of the northern ocean. Yet the descriptions of adventure on the ice to me were more worthy of the effort. I’m a great fan of Johnston’s later works. This one, by comparison, seemed occasionally tedious, but well worth the read.
July 9, 2016
I read this and kept hoping something would happen, but no, it never really did. It consisted of endless rumination of mundane day to day life, questions about Devlin's mother, father, real father, aunt and uncle and the impact of the assumptions about who he is/will be based on his parents. Ugh. The only thing that kept me going through this long drawn out affair was the hope something would actually happen. I will it I very much enjoyed the descriptions of St John's and New York in that era
September 29, 2017
It is probably me but I shall dislike this contrived piece of drivel for the remainder of my reading life. The characters are flat and uninteresting and the tale of Artic adventure seems to have been told before. I would avoid this book at all costs.
April 23, 2014
This is dull and boring. I wasn't really taken with the main characters and the story took a long while to get going. The writing style was didn't engage me at all and I didn't really care about what happened to continue reading.
February 6, 2015
A treat to re-read this book after several years. Family secrets, polar exploration, New York at the turn of the last century, exquisite writing. Sent me researching the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and Frederick Cook's controversial claim to the North Pole.
November 20, 2019
Gave up after 69 pages, disappointing as the book won about 8 awards....
January 1, 2021
Not my favourite, but I still love anything Wayne Johnston writes. Learned a lot about polar exploration!
May 10, 2018
A JON AND HIS MA BOOK CLUB SELECTION
The life of Devlin Stead's father "was measured out in expeditions." A year after Devlin's birth, Francis Stead forgoes wife, child and lucrative family medical practice to alleviate his itchy feet in the icy, unexplored climes of the Arctic. On one such expedition, he wanders into the wilderness, never to be seen again.
On his 17th birthday, Devlin gets a letter from Frederick Cook, the intrepid explorer who was part of the expedition that left Devlin's father on an iceberg somewhere in Greenland. Cook drops a shocker of a revelation on Devlin, then asks if they can be pen pals. Cook needs to unburden himself of a great cargo of guilt, thereby explaining the life and death of Francis Stead. In return, Cook's letters provide Devlin refuge from the lonely and ostracized life of an orphan. "It was the stuff of boy's adventure books."
Over the years, wealthy fathers have paid Cook to take their sons on his adventures as a rite of passage to manhood. Cook invites Devlin to be one of these apprentices when he's ready. "I am quite adept at taking young men to the Arctic and bringing them back home alive and well again. With the Arctic, as with all things, there has to be a first time. Even to those of us who know it best, it was once unknown." Cook suspects "the lure of the Old Ice runs as surely in your blood as it does in mine."
Indeed, Devlin sneaks out of his aunt and uncle's house in Newfoundland to watch the spring icebergs float down from Greenland. From his perch above the town, he listens to them groan and crack and rumble in their passage, and he tries to imagine a place where dawn doesn't break for months at a time.
Devlin determines he's ready for a life of adventure and sets out to join Cook, hopping a late-night schooner to New York, where buildings are being stacked to unheard-of heights of 40 stories! It's a city that naturally draws explorers as it's always pushing north.
Devlin serves as Cook's apprentice and sidekick, the pair tooling around the boroughs in Cook's horseless carriage, attending society parties, alienating Cook's wife and accumulating the knowledge and financial support to make a run for the North Pole.
Cook fears that his rival in polar pilgrimages, Richard Peary, will make it to the tip top of the world before he does. He confides in Devlin that this worry so preoccupies him that it disrupts his sleep with screaming, sweaty nightmares.
The quest has consumed Peary, breaking him down mentally and physically but never quelling the desire to be first, to beat Cook. The two competitors maintain a polite façade that masks a seething cauldron of ambition and enmity. All in the name of science and the advancement of America and mankind, of course.
"The Navigator of New York" started with such promise, but as the novel accrued spelling and factual errors and Dr. Cook reeled off stunning revelation after stunning revelation about Devlin's secrecy-shrouded past, the ending of the book seemed to recede further, like the North Pole eluding its conquerors. As the exhausted explorers sought a place to pin down their moving target with an American flag, I kept plodding along, wondering if I’d ever reach the final page. It seemed like Wayne Johnston and his editors got lost somewhere in the wilderness. Ma said, "I felt like I'd been on a very looooong journey. I was ready to grab a sled and whip those dogs to the finish line.....already!"
I have a theory about why Cook and Devlin and Peary had such trouble reaching their objectives. In Chapter 28, everybody attends the National Geographic Society's annual banquet, ostensibly held in Washington. Among the marvels they see, Devlin tells of a statue of Thomas Jefferson "several storeys high." They cross "the grey, slow-moving Delaware" over to Virginia to visit Arlington Cemetery where they stare out across "endless fields of wooden crosses." I'm not sure which nation's capital they were touring, but they seem to have missed the D.C. that planted a 19-foot statue of Jefferson in the middle of a monument built decades after Devlin's visit across the Potomac River from the endless fields of tombstones in Arlington National Cemetery. As a famous rabbit once said, someone should've taken that left turn at Albuhkoikee.
The life of Devlin Stead's father "was measured out in expeditions." A year after Devlin's birth, Francis Stead forgoes wife, child and lucrative family medical practice to alleviate his itchy feet in the icy, unexplored climes of the Arctic. On one such expedition, he wanders into the wilderness, never to be seen again.
On his 17th birthday, Devlin gets a letter from Frederick Cook, the intrepid explorer who was part of the expedition that left Devlin's father on an iceberg somewhere in Greenland. Cook drops a shocker of a revelation on Devlin, then asks if they can be pen pals. Cook needs to unburden himself of a great cargo of guilt, thereby explaining the life and death of Francis Stead. In return, Cook's letters provide Devlin refuge from the lonely and ostracized life of an orphan. "It was the stuff of boy's adventure books."
Over the years, wealthy fathers have paid Cook to take their sons on his adventures as a rite of passage to manhood. Cook invites Devlin to be one of these apprentices when he's ready. "I am quite adept at taking young men to the Arctic and bringing them back home alive and well again. With the Arctic, as with all things, there has to be a first time. Even to those of us who know it best, it was once unknown." Cook suspects "the lure of the Old Ice runs as surely in your blood as it does in mine."
Indeed, Devlin sneaks out of his aunt and uncle's house in Newfoundland to watch the spring icebergs float down from Greenland. From his perch above the town, he listens to them groan and crack and rumble in their passage, and he tries to imagine a place where dawn doesn't break for months at a time.
Devlin determines he's ready for a life of adventure and sets out to join Cook, hopping a late-night schooner to New York, where buildings are being stacked to unheard-of heights of 40 stories! It's a city that naturally draws explorers as it's always pushing north.
Devlin serves as Cook's apprentice and sidekick, the pair tooling around the boroughs in Cook's horseless carriage, attending society parties, alienating Cook's wife and accumulating the knowledge and financial support to make a run for the North Pole.
Cook fears that his rival in polar pilgrimages, Richard Peary, will make it to the tip top of the world before he does. He confides in Devlin that this worry so preoccupies him that it disrupts his sleep with screaming, sweaty nightmares.
The quest has consumed Peary, breaking him down mentally and physically but never quelling the desire to be first, to beat Cook. The two competitors maintain a polite façade that masks a seething cauldron of ambition and enmity. All in the name of science and the advancement of America and mankind, of course.
"The Navigator of New York" started with such promise, but as the novel accrued spelling and factual errors and Dr. Cook reeled off stunning revelation after stunning revelation about Devlin's secrecy-shrouded past, the ending of the book seemed to recede further, like the North Pole eluding its conquerors. As the exhausted explorers sought a place to pin down their moving target with an American flag, I kept plodding along, wondering if I’d ever reach the final page. It seemed like Wayne Johnston and his editors got lost somewhere in the wilderness. Ma said, "I felt like I'd been on a very looooong journey. I was ready to grab a sled and whip those dogs to the finish line.....already!"
I have a theory about why Cook and Devlin and Peary had such trouble reaching their objectives. In Chapter 28, everybody attends the National Geographic Society's annual banquet, ostensibly held in Washington. Among the marvels they see, Devlin tells of a statue of Thomas Jefferson "several storeys high." They cross "the grey, slow-moving Delaware" over to Virginia to visit Arlington Cemetery where they stare out across "endless fields of wooden crosses." I'm not sure which nation's capital they were touring, but they seem to have missed the D.C. that planted a 19-foot statue of Jefferson in the middle of a monument built decades after Devlin's visit across the Potomac River from the endless fields of tombstones in Arlington National Cemetery. As a famous rabbit once said, someone should've taken that left turn at Albuhkoikee.
May 10, 2022
I loved this book all the way through, though it does have its faults. I loved it anyway. Don’t expect an accurate account of the polar expeditions of either Peary or Cook. The author himself adds this caveat at the end of the book: “This is a work of fiction. At times, it places real people in imaginary space and time. At others, imaginary people in real space and time. While it draws from the historical record, its purpose is not to answer historical questions or settle historical controversies.”
I looked up Cook and Peary on Wikipedia. It would seem that to this day it is uncertain which explorer was first to reach the North Pole.
I did not find the book a “slog”. On the contrary, I enjoyed the quiet, even pace. I loved the descriptive passages, especially of New York City, Newfoundland, and conditions in the Arctic. The book portrays New York City during a time of profound growth and change. I found the book suspenseful and tried to hurry through it as a result, though a slower, more reflective read might have done it more justice.
I found Devlin to be frustratingly benign. He seemed to have no thoughts or ambitions of his own. When Devlin went to New York to find his real father, I thought “good for you – action at last!”. Devlin appears not to make any attempt while in New York to learn navigation or survival skills, though he is thrilled to be asked to go on expeditions with Cook. He simply drifts through the years, hanging on slavishly to Cook’s every word and action, never daring to speak up or defy him.
Cook was (in a word) strange. His initial method of contacting his (fictional) son Devlin was extremely odd. His living arrangements and manner of fellowship with Devlin in New York are simply bizarre.
I felt sorely for poor Aunt Daphne, stuck in Newfoundland in what was apparently a loveless marriage, raising Devlin as lovingly as if he were her own son, and not her nephew.
I highly recommend this book.
I looked up Cook and Peary on Wikipedia. It would seem that to this day it is uncertain which explorer was first to reach the North Pole.
I did not find the book a “slog”. On the contrary, I enjoyed the quiet, even pace. I loved the descriptive passages, especially of New York City, Newfoundland, and conditions in the Arctic. The book portrays New York City during a time of profound growth and change. I found the book suspenseful and tried to hurry through it as a result, though a slower, more reflective read might have done it more justice.
I found Devlin to be frustratingly benign. He seemed to have no thoughts or ambitions of his own. When Devlin went to New York to find his real father, I thought “good for you – action at last!”. Devlin appears not to make any attempt while in New York to learn navigation or survival skills, though he is thrilled to be asked to go on expeditions with Cook. He simply drifts through the years, hanging on slavishly to Cook’s every word and action, never daring to speak up or defy him.
Cook was (in a word) strange. His initial method of contacting his (fictional) son Devlin was extremely odd. His living arrangements and manner of fellowship with Devlin in New York are simply bizarre.
I felt sorely for poor Aunt Daphne, stuck in Newfoundland in what was apparently a loveless marriage, raising Devlin as lovingly as if he were her own son, and not her nephew.
I highly recommend this book.
January 2, 2014
Some historical novels want to be histories, and some want to be novels, but the best authors succeed however they cast the foreground and background. For instance, in Kevin Baker's "Paradise Alley," the fiery riots of 1863 take center stage, ably assisted by a stellar supporting cast of characters.
Though no less devoted to the past, Wayne Johnston takes a different approach in "The Navigator of New York." Here, the Newfoundland author keeps his attention focused on a precocious young man and uses history -- the race for the North Pole -- as a stunning backdrop to his hero's personal search. (In 1999, Johnston employed a similar method for "The Colony of Unrequited Dreams," a novel about Newfoundland's first premier.)
Devlin Stead tells the sad story of how his father abandoned them soon after the family began. At first, Dr. Stead left on the charitable pretense of bringing medical care to poor Eskimos. Then, he asked his wife to be patient while he devoted himself to the grand quest for the North Pole, which so obsessed the early 20th century. As a member of Lt. Robert Peary's legendry team, he participated in some celebrated near-successes. (History buffs will appreciate how cleverly Johnston splices fictional characters into real-life events.)
Despairing of her loneliness, Devlin's mother drowned herself in the sea; some time later, his father wandered away from Peary's camp in northern Greenland and was presumed dead.
Since then, Devlin has been well cared for by a devoted aunt and barely tolerated by a chilly uncle who finds his presence a constant annoyance. To the people of St. John, Newfoundland, Devlin is a dark symbol of family tragedy, a genetic time bomb sure to self-destruct some day just as his parents did. Isolated by this cloud of ignominy and smothered by his aunt's love, he develops -- as you might expect -- into a rather contemplative, lonely young man.
The novels he reads aloud with his aunt every night provide his only real experience of the world, which endows his own narrative with a sonorous Victorian voice and a penchant for analysis that's sometimes comically precise. In a typical example, he describes an acquaintance this way: "His were the eyes of a man humbly and indulgently resigned to the loneliness of greatness, a man who, though he knew he would never meet his equal, had a gentle, all-forgiving view of humankind. But at the same time, there was that barely perceptible look of amused disdain, a universal dissuasiveness, an inclination to regard all things, himself included, as ultimately inconsequential." You know, those kind of eyes.
Plenty of people will find this hard going and prefer Kevin Baker's breathless description of the riots that consumed New York City. But there are deep riches here for readers with a taste for adventure who appreciate the careful parsing of thoughts and motives in the manner of Hawthorne or James.
In the darkest hour of Devlin's teenage loneliness, he receives his first secret note from Dr. Frederick Cook, Lt. Peary's real-life arch nemesis. The letter contains enough warnings and preconditions to make anyone suspicious, but it plays on Devlin's deepest needs, and soon he lives only for Cook's infrequent letters. Finally, when he can resist no longer, Devlin violates the conditions of their correspondence, runs away to New York, and presents himself at Cook's door with great expectations. But Dickens's Pip had it easy compared to the reincarnations and lurid revelations Johnston throws at Devlin.
Cook immediately adopts him as an assistant and fires the boy's imagination with his own passions. "Whoever reaches the pole first will do so in the name of humankind," Devlin remembers him saying, "and cause a worldwide enlivenment of spirit, wonder, awe, and fellowship." For Devlin, awe has already arrived. As quickly as possible, Cook teaches him everything he knows about exploring, and as slowly as possible, he teaches him everything he knows about his dead parents.
While dealing with these family skeletons, Devlin must also enter the internecine battle that rages among explorers. And as a member of Cook's cash-hungry team, he must support the facade of optimism that keeps donations flowing to these impossible quests for the North Pole.
"The Navigator" wends through some truly extraordinary episodes, above and below the tree line. One of the book's greatest scenes shows Cook's attempt to "rescue" Peary and his wife from a stalled expedition. Physically wasted and mentally unbalanced on this frozen wasteland, Peary refuses to leave his tent and Cook refuses to let himself be tagged as the man who kept Peary from reaching the top of the world.
The standoff continues for several blank weeks that demonstrate who really had the endurance among these fanatics: their wives. With an icy stare or a chilly sigh, Johnston captures the melted hopes and dreams of these women lashed to celebrated heroes who are never home, never productive, never really honest with anyone.
The New York society parties, drawn here with all the extravagance and flattery lavished on brave explorers, seem more foreign and inscrutable to Devlin than anything he sees in the land of prehistoric ice. What's more, for the first time in his life, "the odd Stead boy" finds himself the subject of curiosity that assumes the best about him instead of the worst.
Johnston's ironic treatment of his hero's rise from infamy to fame nicely calls into question the terms of both appraisals. Indeed, the public's attention seems no more fixed than the ever-changing landscape of ice that shifts and drifts over the North Pole. Even as it follows Devlin's exploration of his own values, "The Navigator" provides a fascinating map of early 20th-century aspirations.
"To Dr. Cook and all the others who wrote about it," Devlin thinks, "no greater life could be imagined than that of an explorer." But fortunately, despite his wide-eyed naiveté, his moral imagination is deeper than Cook's grandiose dreams or Peary's cruel determination.
By the time he's finished describing this remarkable adventure, Johnston has braved the coldest spot on earth but delivered us to a place of genuine warmth.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1024/p1...
Though no less devoted to the past, Wayne Johnston takes a different approach in "The Navigator of New York." Here, the Newfoundland author keeps his attention focused on a precocious young man and uses history -- the race for the North Pole -- as a stunning backdrop to his hero's personal search. (In 1999, Johnston employed a similar method for "The Colony of Unrequited Dreams," a novel about Newfoundland's first premier.)
Devlin Stead tells the sad story of how his father abandoned them soon after the family began. At first, Dr. Stead left on the charitable pretense of bringing medical care to poor Eskimos. Then, he asked his wife to be patient while he devoted himself to the grand quest for the North Pole, which so obsessed the early 20th century. As a member of Lt. Robert Peary's legendry team, he participated in some celebrated near-successes. (History buffs will appreciate how cleverly Johnston splices fictional characters into real-life events.)
Despairing of her loneliness, Devlin's mother drowned herself in the sea; some time later, his father wandered away from Peary's camp in northern Greenland and was presumed dead.
Since then, Devlin has been well cared for by a devoted aunt and barely tolerated by a chilly uncle who finds his presence a constant annoyance. To the people of St. John, Newfoundland, Devlin is a dark symbol of family tragedy, a genetic time bomb sure to self-destruct some day just as his parents did. Isolated by this cloud of ignominy and smothered by his aunt's love, he develops -- as you might expect -- into a rather contemplative, lonely young man.
The novels he reads aloud with his aunt every night provide his only real experience of the world, which endows his own narrative with a sonorous Victorian voice and a penchant for analysis that's sometimes comically precise. In a typical example, he describes an acquaintance this way: "His were the eyes of a man humbly and indulgently resigned to the loneliness of greatness, a man who, though he knew he would never meet his equal, had a gentle, all-forgiving view of humankind. But at the same time, there was that barely perceptible look of amused disdain, a universal dissuasiveness, an inclination to regard all things, himself included, as ultimately inconsequential." You know, those kind of eyes.
Plenty of people will find this hard going and prefer Kevin Baker's breathless description of the riots that consumed New York City. But there are deep riches here for readers with a taste for adventure who appreciate the careful parsing of thoughts and motives in the manner of Hawthorne or James.
In the darkest hour of Devlin's teenage loneliness, he receives his first secret note from Dr. Frederick Cook, Lt. Peary's real-life arch nemesis. The letter contains enough warnings and preconditions to make anyone suspicious, but it plays on Devlin's deepest needs, and soon he lives only for Cook's infrequent letters. Finally, when he can resist no longer, Devlin violates the conditions of their correspondence, runs away to New York, and presents himself at Cook's door with great expectations. But Dickens's Pip had it easy compared to the reincarnations and lurid revelations Johnston throws at Devlin.
Cook immediately adopts him as an assistant and fires the boy's imagination with his own passions. "Whoever reaches the pole first will do so in the name of humankind," Devlin remembers him saying, "and cause a worldwide enlivenment of spirit, wonder, awe, and fellowship." For Devlin, awe has already arrived. As quickly as possible, Cook teaches him everything he knows about exploring, and as slowly as possible, he teaches him everything he knows about his dead parents.
While dealing with these family skeletons, Devlin must also enter the internecine battle that rages among explorers. And as a member of Cook's cash-hungry team, he must support the facade of optimism that keeps donations flowing to these impossible quests for the North Pole.
"The Navigator" wends through some truly extraordinary episodes, above and below the tree line. One of the book's greatest scenes shows Cook's attempt to "rescue" Peary and his wife from a stalled expedition. Physically wasted and mentally unbalanced on this frozen wasteland, Peary refuses to leave his tent and Cook refuses to let himself be tagged as the man who kept Peary from reaching the top of the world.
The standoff continues for several blank weeks that demonstrate who really had the endurance among these fanatics: their wives. With an icy stare or a chilly sigh, Johnston captures the melted hopes and dreams of these women lashed to celebrated heroes who are never home, never productive, never really honest with anyone.
The New York society parties, drawn here with all the extravagance and flattery lavished on brave explorers, seem more foreign and inscrutable to Devlin than anything he sees in the land of prehistoric ice. What's more, for the first time in his life, "the odd Stead boy" finds himself the subject of curiosity that assumes the best about him instead of the worst.
Johnston's ironic treatment of his hero's rise from infamy to fame nicely calls into question the terms of both appraisals. Indeed, the public's attention seems no more fixed than the ever-changing landscape of ice that shifts and drifts over the North Pole. Even as it follows Devlin's exploration of his own values, "The Navigator" provides a fascinating map of early 20th-century aspirations.
"To Dr. Cook and all the others who wrote about it," Devlin thinks, "no greater life could be imagined than that of an explorer." But fortunately, despite his wide-eyed naiveté, his moral imagination is deeper than Cook's grandiose dreams or Peary's cruel determination.
By the time he's finished describing this remarkable adventure, Johnston has braved the coldest spot on earth but delivered us to a place of genuine warmth.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1024/p1...
April 28, 2020
“The Navigator of New York” takes the story of the rivalry between Arctic explorers Frederic Cook and Robert Peary and their quest to reach the North Pole, and inserts a wholly fictional tale of a boy from St. John’s, Newfoundland and his part in this quest.
This one doesn’t rise to the literary heights of Johnston’s previous novel, “Colony of Unrequited Dreams”, which captured the essence of Joey Smallwood’s quixotic quest to modernize Newfoundland in a way that a conventional narrative could never achieve.
“Navigator” is a more straightforward, plot-driven book, but one of high craft. Johnston successfully portrays the three worlds of St. John’s, turn of the century New York City, and the high Arctic. He’s particularly good at capturing the manic energy fueling the boom of New York, and the fear of being left behind, every man running full steam, even if he knows not what he is running towards.
Johnston never quite succeeds in making the main character, Devlin Stead, more than a vessel for the plot to come out. More interesting to me was his portrayal of Frederic Cook, and how the actions Cook takes to make amends for a long-ago mistake leave him caught in a trap from which he sees no escape.
If you enjoyed the saga of Peary and Cook in this novel, I highly recommend Pierre Berton’s “The Arctic Grail” (non-fiction). Many of the events in this book (minus the participation of Stead and family) actually happened, and the real story is every bit as fascinating.
This one doesn’t rise to the literary heights of Johnston’s previous novel, “Colony of Unrequited Dreams”, which captured the essence of Joey Smallwood’s quixotic quest to modernize Newfoundland in a way that a conventional narrative could never achieve.
“Navigator” is a more straightforward, plot-driven book, but one of high craft. Johnston successfully portrays the three worlds of St. John’s, turn of the century New York City, and the high Arctic. He’s particularly good at capturing the manic energy fueling the boom of New York, and the fear of being left behind, every man running full steam, even if he knows not what he is running towards.
Johnston never quite succeeds in making the main character, Devlin Stead, more than a vessel for the plot to come out. More interesting to me was his portrayal of Frederic Cook, and how the actions Cook takes to make amends for a long-ago mistake leave him caught in a trap from which he sees no escape.
If you enjoyed the saga of Peary and Cook in this novel, I highly recommend Pierre Berton’s “The Arctic Grail” (non-fiction). Many of the events in this book (minus the participation of Stead and family) actually happened, and the real story is every bit as fascinating.
April 8, 2020
This was a nearly 500-page book and would have been better with about 100 pages edited out. It was sometimes hard to keep going. In the end, I was glad I did. In the early part of the story of lonely orphan Devlin Stead, the location is St John's Newfoundland, then later in New York City where he travels to meet his mysterious real father. It is a story of growing up and finding his true self.
The backdrop is the intense rivalry among polar explorers in the late 1800s and early 20thC, especially Peary and Cook who vied to be the first to reach the North Pole travelling on the polar ice in sleds with Eskimo support and guidance. It is very likely neither did actually reached the pole although Peary was credited with doing so.
The book is rich in historic detail about the rivalries and conflicts among people and clubs that funded missions and explorations. Johnston's descriptions of life in St Johns, the setting, the sea and the ice are very evocative. His descriptions of New York City, Manhattan, Brooklyn (and the bridges) in the first decade of the 20th Century are all well done as are the many-glaciered fjords of Greenland.
Life in the high arctic is carefully described as are the complex relationships among explorers living long, dark, dangerous months together while they await the climate and timing they need to push on for their elusive goal.
The backdrop is the intense rivalry among polar explorers in the late 1800s and early 20thC, especially Peary and Cook who vied to be the first to reach the North Pole travelling on the polar ice in sleds with Eskimo support and guidance. It is very likely neither did actually reached the pole although Peary was credited with doing so.
The book is rich in historic detail about the rivalries and conflicts among people and clubs that funded missions and explorations. Johnston's descriptions of life in St Johns, the setting, the sea and the ice are very evocative. His descriptions of New York City, Manhattan, Brooklyn (and the bridges) in the first decade of the 20th Century are all well done as are the many-glaciered fjords of Greenland.
Life in the high arctic is carefully described as are the complex relationships among explorers living long, dark, dangerous months together while they await the climate and timing they need to push on for their elusive goal.
May 14, 2022
My introduction to Wayne Johnston was his 1998 novel “The Colony of Unrequited Dreams”. Suitably impressed, I jumped into “The Custodian of Paradise” and enjoyed it equally as much.
So I circled back to read some of his earlier works starting with “The Navigator of New York” which was written in 2002. It can be setting oneself up for disappointment to read a novelist’s work in reverse chronological order. But fortunately, that did not happen in this case.
“The Navigator of New York” is the story of Devlin Stead, a loner and outcast, who grows up in the custody of his aunt and uncle. His life takes an extraordinary turn when he receives a series of letters out of the blue from polar explorer Dr. Frederick Cook. The letters change the course of his life as he moves to New York to be with Dr. Cook and become his assistant. Dark secrets about his parents, and Dr. Cooks part in those events, are gradually revealed which define the man he will become.
This novel is a challenging read with minutely detailed descriptions and long passages where Dr. Cook relates his experiences, in particular one three month period, that connect him to Devlin. It may test some readers’ patience but is worth hanging in with for the duration.
So I circled back to read some of his earlier works starting with “The Navigator of New York” which was written in 2002. It can be setting oneself up for disappointment to read a novelist’s work in reverse chronological order. But fortunately, that did not happen in this case.
“The Navigator of New York” is the story of Devlin Stead, a loner and outcast, who grows up in the custody of his aunt and uncle. His life takes an extraordinary turn when he receives a series of letters out of the blue from polar explorer Dr. Frederick Cook. The letters change the course of his life as he moves to New York to be with Dr. Cook and become his assistant. Dark secrets about his parents, and Dr. Cooks part in those events, are gradually revealed which define the man he will become.
This novel is a challenging read with minutely detailed descriptions and long passages where Dr. Cook relates his experiences, in particular one three month period, that connect him to Devlin. It may test some readers’ patience but is worth hanging in with for the duration.
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