A spectacular and thoughtfully researched story.
Pragmatic and hard-working, Nazaire Poulin is a family man first and foremost. He dreams of nothing more than the contentment and simplicity of life as a farmer with his wife and children. But grain prices keep falling, leaving Nazaire hard-pressed to afford basic necessities. After childbirth exacts too heavy a price, Nazaire is left without a wife, and even his children are taken from him. With his children and land on the line, Nazaire makes the difficult choice to head off in search of gold. But this is the very early 1900s and the perilous trek will take him through the devastating and unforgiving wilderness, exploring the length and breadth of Canada.
The Long Shot: A French Canadian Saga is a fact-based historical novel offering a glimpse into the humble lives of men and women of Quebec and beyond in the 1900s. So much care and attention was devoted to painting a realistic picture of these early entrepreneurs, that it’s easy to feel like you’re a part of Nazaire’s life-changing journey. Readers are treated to a spectacular and thoughtfully researched story, a brilliant snapshot in time, captured in one man’s chronicle to save what is left of his family. The pace is calm and deliberate, allowing complete immersion into a time period vastly different than our own, although the financial and personal struggles feel eerily similar. If you enjoy a grand adventure pitting man against the elements, and also man against man, then The Long Shot will be a rewarding and heart-warming story you won’t soon forget.
