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Sick Heart River

Authorised Edition
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( 369 ratings, 51 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Sick Heart River by John Buchan follows Sir Edward Leithen, a lawyer and politician, who, upon being diagnosed with a terminal illness, embarks on a profound journey to the remote Canadian wilderness. Seeking deeper meaning in his final days, he becomes involved in the search for a missing man, reflecting on life, mortality, and redemption. The novel intertwines themes of adventure and introspection, presenting a poignant exploration of the human spirit.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you are intrigued by stories that explore the depths of human resilience and redemption, set against a dramatic wilderness backdrop. With its compelling blend of adventure and introspection, the narrative offers a poignant reflection on mortality and the meaning of life through a gripping journey. It's perfect for those who appreciate profound themes wrapped in a rich, engaging storyline.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

This is both John Buchan's most powerful novel and his last, completed just days before his death. It was published posthumously in 1941. Buchan's rich descriptions of the rugged Canadian Northwest Territories are influenced by his real-life voyage down the Mackenzie River in 1937. At that time, Buchan was Governor-General of Canada.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Sir Edward Leithen—perhaps the most autobiographical of Buchan's characters—is dying of tuberculosis and has been given a year to live. After this prognosis, Leithen undertakes a profoundly heroic quest from London to the Canadian Northwest, tracking down a missing man who is literally sick at heart. In the course of this epic journey, Leithen finds redemption for himself.

Sick Heart River is John Buchan's most powerful novel, completed just days before his death. The rich, authentic descriptions of the rugged Canadian landscape were influenced by a voyage down the Mackenzie River in 1937, at which time Buchan was Governor-General of Canada.

With an introduction by James Buchan.

This edition is authorised by the John Buchan Society.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Sick Heart River is praised for transforming an adventure story into a profound spiritual journey, achieving a level of depth that is rarely matched. According to the Evening Standard review, this aspect of the narrative makes purchasing the paperback worthwhile.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781846970306

Publisher: Birlinn General

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 17 July 2007

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Polygon An Imprint of Birlinn Limited

Edition: Authorised Edition

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 15.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 195.0mm

Weight: 200g

Pages: 214

About the Author

John Buchan was a Scottish diplomat, barrister, journalist, historian, poet and novelist, born in Perth in 1875. He published nearly 30 novels and seven collections of short stories. After spells as a war correspondent, Lloyd George's Director of Information and Conservative MP, Buchan moved to Canada in 1935. He served as Governor General there until his death in 1940.

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