2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy.

Pages: 258 pages

Length: 1 month (July)

Participants: Lorraine, Valerie, Beth, Keets, Cordelia, TerryJane

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Here are some questions to help get the conversation started! Feel free to look up discussion questions specific to this book or come up with your own. Just make sure any questions that contain spoilers are under spoiler tags.
Discussion questions are not required but may be a fun way to talk about the book and get to know each other!

Prior to starting:
What prompted you to join this buddy read?
Have you read this author before? What do you think of their other books?

Mid-read:
What character or ideas do you relate to the most and why?
Do you have any favorite quotes or scenes?

After reading:
What was enjoyable or not-so-enjoyable about this book?
Did this book change your perception about anything, either within the book (character development) or in real life?

Starting this tomorrow.

Read the first five chapters and it has really drawn me in. I’ve always been fascinated by wolves and added to that this is beautifully written and the different character threads are intriguing. (view spoiler)[ Inti’s hyper empathy, the mystery surrounding what has happened to her sister, the various locals we have met make for quite a mix and plenty of potential for conflict and possible alliances. We will see (hide spoiler)]

I've finished the book and will share my comments shortly.
Valerie, there's a book I read a few years ago about wolves that I think you’d find interesting. It’s quite good—short and insightful—and gives a clear picture of how challenging it can be to reintroduce wolves into the wild. Here’s the link: Return of the Wolf: Conflict and Coexistence by Paula Wild

I finished Once There Were Wolves a few days ago. While I liked it, I didn’t find it as compelling as Wild Dark Shore. I’m not sure why. The book has mystery, wolves (like Valerie, I’m fascinated by them and by the mythology humans have built around them), nature, interesting characters, and it’s beautifully written.

(view spoiler)[ I think what didn’t work for me was the way the author connected the story of wolves with domestic violence. I don’t know—I would have preferred if those themes hadn’t been combined. To me, violent men are not “alpha males” at all—quite the opposite. So I’m unsure what the intended connection was. Maybe there wasn’t one, and it’s just me—I find it hard to read stories involving domestic violence. (hide spoiler)]

I'm not yet sure when I'll start. I have had this book on my TBR since 2021, and figure reading it with buddies will be a great way to finally get to it.

I read this author twice previously. I gave Migrations a 3-star rating. I read Wild Dark Shore in March when it first came out and liked it more. It was a 4-star for me.

Finished this morning. This really wasn't what I was expecting, but I completely enjoyed it. There was a lot going on - environmental novel, murder mystery, sort-of romance, family drama, literary fiction - and that could have been too much for a lesser writer. But McConaghy balances all of these genres wonderfully into Inti's beautifully written story. I was confused a bit in the initial chapters, but everything came together by the end. There were some interesting twists and reveals that kept the story moving.

With all that said, I liked Wild Dark Shore more than this. But this was well worth the time!

I haven’t started reading this one yet.I’m planning to pick it up once I finish my current read. I really enjoyed Wild Dark Shore, so I’m hopeful that I'll like this one too. Saving the best for last, as they say! I’ll be sure to share my thoughts once I’ve finished.

Oh, and just to add to the wolf discussion, I recently came across an interesting article : a U.S. startup has reportedly brought back from extinction a species of wolf( dire wolf I think) that was native to America around 10,000 years ago. Pretty wild stuff!

End of chapter 18. Well I know a lot more about wolves now but I have more questions than answers about the humans. (view spoiler)[ so did Duncan murder Stuart? And was it intended to frame the wolves deliberately to protect both himself and his community? If not, is he protecting someone else? Were the whole group of friends involved? And Inti - how did she end up killing Gus? Self defence or to protect Aggie? (hide spoiler)]
Interested to see how this all plays out. Hoping for the best but expecting and fearing the worst.

Finished. Certainly a rollercoaster of a final part, none of which I saw coming. I think it is a really good book but I agree with Lorraine and Beth that Wild Dark Shore is better. (view spoiler)[ for me the characters in that book are more engaging even though they have traumas and can be difficult. This book really focuses on Inti (who has some admirable qualities but is not someone you warm to) without any of the other characters really being rounded into people you think you know and care about. I also have a bit of a problem with the ending even though I enjoyed the twists and turns. I don’t believe that Duncan would have left Aggie free knowing she was a potential threat to his community, especially around his baby daughter. (hide spoiler)] That said, she really is an excellent writer, and I agree with Beth that she balances the different elements of the novel really well.
Looking forward to reading Migrations next month.

Haven't started yet. Still waiting for it to arrive from library.

Starting today.

Now that the readathon has ended, I have finally started this one.

I finished today, and I liked this one almost as well as Wild Dark Shore. Four stars for me. 🐺

Oddly enough, an article about Yellowstone's gray wolf reintroduction came through in my Facebook feed last night. The aspen population was dwindling in the 1990's with not a single sapling located. Scientists determined that in the absence of wolves, the elk population had exploded, and the elk ate all the aspen saplings before they could grow. The success of the wolf program resulted in both fewer elk and more aspens.

I appreciate those who understand the cycles and interaction of these circles of life. I fear I would have tried to blame reduced aspen numbers on too much or too little rainfall, too hot or too cold weather, insects, disease, etc. It would not have crossed my mind that it was due to a lack of wolves. I found the timing very strange with the article being presented to me mid-book, and I kept thinking about it. Now y'all can, too. 😉