What Happens when you bring WOLVES to the CITY?

Here's a huge thank you to author Dorris Heffron for taking time out of her stay at the cottage with her grandchildren to stop by and talk about her newest novel, CITY WOLVES

There was a great turnout from the Book Club and other Library patrons, and she sold out every book she had brought with her.  That's always a good sign.

It's a great book, too.  An historical fiction, it is meticulously researched, well written, with engaging characters (both fictional and real).  Following the notorious Dog Doctor of Halifax, the first female veterinarian in Canada, the story winds from Halifax, through Boston, to the Yukon Goldrush in Dawson City.  What both drives and binds the tale is the development of the Malamute sled dog breed, closely descended from wolves, and a truly Canadian indigenous breed.  These were the dogs that opened up the North for both First Nations and the later prospectors and Northwest Mounted Police. 

The main character, Meg, follows her dream and passion at a time when most women were -- as Meg's sister and mother -- entangled in childbearing, with little time left over to pursue anything else.  Whe her unusual and childless marriage abruptly ends in Boston, she heads across the country, drawn by the legends of the sled dogs.

Hovering around her throughout the book are the spirits of an old Inuit couple from the malamute tribe who devoted their lives to raising wolves from the wild to become the most superb sled dogs, and the foundation of the Malamute breed.

It's a great read for anyone interested in Canadian history, the Gold Rush in the Klondike, the pioneering spirit of women moving away from traditional roles, dogs in general, Malamutes and wolves in particular... or for someone just looking for a great tale to read over the summer.