Alison’s review of The Vaster Wilds > Likes and Comments
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A really compelling book.
It does sound like a sad and hopeless book, Alison. I wonder why the author chose to tell this particular story. Did the character exist in history, do you think?
I don’t recall any claim that she did, Fionnuala. But she represents a type of resilient and defiant yet quiet young woman that history generally renders “insignificant,” so unlikely to be recorded. I hope this type of woman did exist, although I wouldn’t wish her fate on anyone. I guess I imagined the book as helping us see an experience history would ignore.
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Stephen
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Nov 17, 2025 01:08PM
A really compelling book.
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It does sound like a sad and hopeless book, Alison. I wonder why the author chose to tell this particular story. Did the character exist in history, do you think?
I don’t recall any claim that she did, Fionnuala. But she represents a type of resilient and defiant yet quiet young woman that history generally renders “insignificant,” so unlikely to be recorded. I hope this type of woman did exist, although I wouldn’t wish her fate on anyone. I guess I imagined the book as helping us see an experience history would ignore.
