Wild Geese
Wild Geese
Book Brief
Beta312
Novel • Fiction
Rural Manitoba • 1920s
1989
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
Wild Geese by Martha Ostenso explores the life of a rural family on a Canadian farm. The novel focuses on a young woman named Lind Archer as she navigates complex family dynamics and personal desires. Through themes of freedom and repression, the narrative paints a vivid portrait of life in the early 20th-century Canadian frontier.
Gritty
Mysterious
Dark
Challenging
Emotional
Reviews & Readership
868 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
Wild Geese by Martha Ostenso is celebrated for its vivid rural setting and exploration of oppressive familial dynamics. Readers praise Ostenso's atmospheric writing and strong character development. However, some find the pacing uneven and the storyline predictable. Overall, it's a compelling study of human resilience against harsh environments and restrictive relationships.
Who Should Read Wild Geese?
A reader captivated by familial strife and rural settings, much like those in Willa Cather's O Pioneers! or Sinclair Lewis's Main Street, would enjoy Martha Ostenso's Wild Geese. This novel appeals to those intrigued by the complexities of human endurance against oppressive forces in an agrarian backdrop.
868 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Wild Geese was published in 1925 and helped establish Martha Ostenso’s reputation as a notable author in Canadian literature, capturing the harsh realities of pioneering life in rural Manitoba.
Martha Ostenso won the Dodd, Mead and Company Best Novel of the Year Award for Wild Geese, which significantly boosted her career as a writer.
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Inspired by Scandinavian and Icelandic sagas, Ostenso's narrative style in Wild Geese reflects her own Scandinavian heritage, infusing the novel with a rich sense of place and emotional intensity.
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312
Novel • Fiction
Rural Manitoba • 1920s
1989
Adult
18+ years
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