I am almost done with the Golden Spruce by John Valliant. I have learned a lot about BC, trees, and the beaver trade that started the exploration here in BC. However, I was rather disappointed in Gary Hadwin’s story. The reviews compared Valliant to Krakauer, however it was a big disappointment. Krakauer has a way of keeping the story and the history flowing, but Valliant’s writing was choppy and the history messed up the flow of the story. It felt like the book was billed as Hadwin’s story, but the suspense did not deliver. I think it would have been better to go deeper into the logging industry and the way the logging has changed since the Golden Spruce was cut down of if it had any impact. I am not done, yet. However, I have been very disappointed in all the hype of the tree being cut down. However, I have very much enjoyed the history of BC and Haida Gwai and the life of a tree. Reading the book has made me want to go into forestry. I wish I could have seen what this continent looked like before humans devoured the landscape. According to the book the Westerners are not the only ones that ravaged the earth. So no one is innocent in the destruction of creation on this continent. It makes me so mad how we have destroyed so much of the forest here. I think it is a book worth reading, but don’t expect Krakauer.
