But numerous times I had to flip back to the beginning of the book to verify the time period and location. This book contains an intricately woven mystery, with several subordinate mysteries embedded into the main storyline. The Tenderness of Wolves is a must-read historical epic, weaving adventure, suspense and humour into an exhilarating thriller, a panoramic romance and ultimately, one of the books of the last ten years. Tosh. It�s a little odd to alternate between the narrative for Mrs. Ross in first person and that for other key characters in third person. Upon returning home she finds that her seventeen-year-old son, Francis, a friend of the murdered man, has disappeared. The author paints a vivid picture of the trials of life for settlers. I appreciated the imagination it took for a British writer to convey the hardscrabble existence of life in remote northern Ontario in the late 1860�s without ever having been there. Although I liked the writing, I was constantly wondering, so, when is the story about the wolves starting, it never did. See all 5 questions about The Tenderness of Wolves…, The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney - 5 stars. That appeals to me. Please try again. (I think he picked it because his last name means wolves. Just what I needed right now to be honest. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. She has succeeded in creating an intriguing story set in a truly captivating world, peopled with multiple interesting characters. A Frenchman, a disabled former employee of the Hudson Bay Company, is found murdered in his cabin in Dove River, Ontario, Canada. Would probably give it 4 1/2 for capturing my interest. I suppose that it just shows the difference between people! The Tenderness of Wolves So many column inches dedicated to Stef Penney's agoraphobia and non-trip to Canada in connection with her Costa winning book The Tenderness of Wolves that I don't feel inclined to add much more to that aspect. This book was a thriller/mystery and historical romance set in a less populated backwood of Canada. Suspicion falls upon her son and a mixed-race tracker. The Tenderness of Wolves (Die Zärtlichkeit der Wölfe) is about the German serial killer and cannibal Fritz Haarmann.It’s not a documentary though, it’s an artistic interpretation of the story, and it’s a classic of the cannibal genre. Our protagonist, Mrs. Ross, discovers the body and alerts the authorities. The solution to the crime is satisfying, but my main criticism is that the novel is over-loaded: there are too many minor characters, there's at least one sub-plot too many and there are motifs that Ms Penney seemed to get bored with: the tablet with the mysterious signs just got lost near the end, oh well, never mind, and although the idea of one main character who is also a narrator having a shameful past in an asylum was interesting, it left too many unanswered questions (how did she get out? If only more books were written like this!!! To criticise Penney because she didn't go to Canada to research it (as apparently happened) is in my mind nothing more than a form of literary snobbery. The murder of a trapper and disappearance of Mrs. Ross� teenage son sets her, friends of the trapper, town officials, and representative of Hudson�s Bay Company on various paths to resolve the mystery, leading different parties to carry out dangerous treks to distant settlements in the middle of winter. Although it took me some time to become absorbed by the story, I soon couldn't put it down. This was a very interesting book, sensitively written and complex and managed to have elements of romance in it without putting me off too much (anyone who follows my reviews will be surprised by this). Impossible to go slow — esp. I did not get a feel for either! The (Costa) judges said it made them feel "enveloped in the snowy wastes" of Canada in 1867. It was the first thing any of the residents thought of when they woke up and when they went to bed, because their live's depended on it. I bought Tenderness of Wolves because it won the Costa Book of the Year in 2006 but somewhere in my brain the title had become muddled with In the Company of Wolves, so when it arrived I was more than a little thrown to read the blurb and find that the central character was a woman. Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2019. This is easily one of the most beautifully written books I have read in a long time. This book has been a book I looked forward to reading and it didn't disappoint. It does have flaws but minor. Well, it was worth the wait. Did they let her go? Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2020. Average Customer Ratings. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 5, 2018. Why? To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. What listeners say about The Tenderness of Wolves. July 10th 2007 For what it's worth, this is the first book I've read since I joined Goodreads to which I've given five stars. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. The Tenderness of Wolves. This is a frustrating novel on so many levels. In a small Canadian town by the Georgian Bay, Mrs Ross finds the body of her murdered neighbor, trapper and fur trader Laurent Jammet. After her husband searches, but fails to find Francis, she and the tracker set o. Characters are many and varied, including family, friends and strangers, all adding to the complexities that make the story line take so many different directions. All episodes of Stef Penney - The Tenderness of Wolves. My sister recommended this during a Sunday afternoon phone chat. The hero of this novel is only ever referred to by two names: Mrs Ross, and Mama. being sick and doing nothing but reading. In Stef Penney’s mystery novel The Tenderness of Wolves (2006), a violent crime exposes the corruption, greed, and injustices plaguing a small rural town. Mrs Ross sets off with a half-Indian guide, William Parker, to find her son. Simon & Schuster; Later Printing edition (March 4, 2008), Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2018. Stef Penney grew up in the Scottish capital and turned to film-making after a degree in Philosophy and Theology from Bristol University. Its metaphor for the hunters, and tribespeople. I can understand why people like it because there are plenty of wonderfully crafted moments, but the novel lacks focus and depth. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. I also enjoyed the contrast of the first and third person narratives. I am putting this aside for a couple of reasons. The back of the white book cover – evocative of the snow, it says in red letters, the colour of blood. Again, I had to keep flipping back to get som. Is this book perfect? Good, but needed editing. I've read a few reviews that ooh and aah over the fact that it's a murder mystery wrapped in a love story hog-tied to a western deep fried in good ol fashioned wilderness tale, but I've always felt that genre divisions are a crutch for people who need the books they read to conform to a series of prearranged attributes. What a pleasure it is to read an 1867 stories whose facts hold true to everyday life and period accuracy. In their brief moments together at the beginning of the novel, Angus Ross never speaks to his wife, and she does not have a single good friend who knows her well enough to address her by her first name. Well it's 1:20 AM and I just finished this well written page turner. about the author. I liked the weaving storylines and plots and the way the characters were connected in what I was imagining to be a vast wintery wilderness. I was given this book about three years ago, and such is my "To Be Read" pile that I've only got around it reading it now. Stark and grisly with the wolf on the front, this more than sets the scene for the horrors going on in the wildest of wildernesses. The cold snows of Canada seemed like a suitable place to be when the weather here is so wintry. My interest in this novel was heighted by two outside pieces of information: that the author was a screenwriter and that she had never been to the area north of Georgian Bay where the novel is set (and had been criticized for it). The prose, particularly when used in the first person perspective of Mrs. Ross, really drew me in. 1867 Canada. But numerous times I had to flip back to the beginning of the book to verify the time period and location. Impressive Composition, Superficial Story, Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2008. Partly because, I took it to a hotel (staying with business) who accidentally wrapped it up in the bed linen when they were stripping the bed and sent it off for cleaning. Our protagonist, Mrs. Ross, discovers the body and alerts the authorities. The year is 1867. In this historical fiction set in the Canadian wilderness in the mid-19th century, a French-Canadian trapper living near an isolated village is found murdered in his bed. A historical mystery set in Canada, and featuring what are essentially the precursors to Mounties, It staggers me to see poor reviews of this novel. Whew! These events eventually intertwine and connect, with the people involved. Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2019. Someone who has read this: Does it have anything to do with wolves? As a result, the author successfully makes the book truly unforgettable. This was a Book Club selection. It's similar to saying that even if someone reads lots about a country and say, its political situation, they are not entitled to comment on it unless they have been there to study it first hand. Well it's 1:20 AM and I just finished this well written page turner. Start by marking “The Tenderness of Wolves” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Had at least 40 characters with no connection and no story lone. Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2020. The first interested me because the novel is “cinematic” and written in scenes—and moves forward at a compelling pace; the second, because I’ve been decrying the place that research has assumed in novel writing these days and completely accept the author’s counter that. Please try again. Who cares if she never went to Canada? The Tenderness of Wolves is in part a murder mystery, opening with the brutal killing of a French-Canadian trapper near Dove River, a small settlement in Canada’s northern territory. Refresh and try again. I was given this book about three years ago, and such is my "To Be Read" pile that I've only got around it reading it now. Penney is a screenwriter and lives in Edinburgh, the locale where many of the people in this story lived before they went to Canada where the story is set. the tenderness of wolves. It won the 2006 Costa Prize for 'Book of the Year'. Loved this book. Please try again. Since there where a constant change of poin. The story is based on the crimes of German serial killer and cannibal Fritz Haarmann. She is reserved, polite and, as a married woman in these stifled Scottish, Presbyterian, conclaves in 19th Century Canada, almost invisible: when a self-important local figure demands, ‘Is you husband in?’, she note. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. It's going to be tough to read my next book now, as I really loved being inside the world of The Tenderness Of Wolves. Something about the title of the book had attracted my attention. The land is both stark and beautiful, as are the characters who come from different backgrounds and experiences. Upon returning home she finds that her seventeen-year-old son, Francis, a friend of the murdered man, has disappeared. Penney's writing kept me interested. Episode 9. Mrs. Ross discovers her neighbor, Laurent Jammett murdered in his bed. The Tenderness of Wolves: A Novel Stef Penney creates a frozen rural setting in which the characters struggle to unfreeze even their feelings. The main reason is that I get no sense of place and time! Penney captures the voices, terrain, and myriad of cultures of the remote and vast Hudson Bay territory. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2013. Writing is excellent, leaves you both satisfied and wanting more. 4 out of 5 stars 4.3 out of 5.0 5 Stars 2 4 Stars 1 3 Stars 1 2 Stars 0 1 Stars 0 Performance. I wanted to know what happened to Amy Seton. Stef Penney's smoothly written debut novel is an engaging and pacy mystery set in mid nineteenth century Northern Territory. I wanted Mrs Ross to confront her husband over his affair and his treatment of their son and leave him! You'll get no answers in this book other than question why you spent the time looking. Nor did I find the blending of genres -- historical, romance, mystery -- completely successful, beyond the limited basis of a minimal story. A brilliant and breathtaking debut that captivated readers and garnered critical acclaim in the United Kingdom, The Tenderness of Wolves was long-listed for the Orange Prize in fiction and won the Costa Award (formerly Whitbread) Book of the Year. Directed by Ulli Lommel. An excellent read! Again, I had to keep flipping back to get some continuity. In this historical fiction set in the Canadian wilderness in the mid-19th century, a French-Canadian trapper living near an isolated village is found murdered in his bed. My husband found it for me at Sequoya Library just before they closed for the day. The storyline begins with the murder of a trapper/searcher, in the small homestead of Caulfield. It has been on my TBR shelves since May 2007 when I first heard about it and thought it sounded fantastic. Set in the small village of Caulfield in Ontario during the winter of 1867, The Tenderness of Wolves tells the story of a woman's journey into the Canadian wilderness to find her missing seventeen year old son Francis, who has disappeared after a man, who was a friend of her son's, was found brutally murdered. As a murder investigation begins, various ‘aside’ events both present and past are revealed. Welcome back. My only complaint about the book is that I felt it left things untied, made one wonder what happened to the characters, as what happened to them, but the author does mention this in an interview about ending a novel and that "endings are never neat, because when life goes on, there is no end."