Coming of Age

Brian is a boy growing up in Saskatchewan in the 1930s. He lives with his parents, a younger brother, and his grandmother, whom he hates! The book starts when Brian is (I think) 4-years old and continues until he is 11 (I think).

It was ok. Pretty slow-moving, as nothing big really happens. It was just things that happened in his life as he was growing up. I grew up in Southern Sask (though in the 70s and 80s!), but “recognized” some of the small town prairie happenings (i.e. (sadly) kids trying to get gopher tails; luckily, I never saw it, just heard about it). Overall, it was ok. ( )

"It had something to do with dying; it had something to do with being born. Loving something and being hungry were with it too. He knew that much now. There was the prairie; there was a meadow lark, a baby pigeon, and a calf with two heads. In some haunting way the Ben was part of it. So was Mr. Digby."

Thanks to my cross-Atlantic flight which kept me in a seat for hours with little distraction I finished reading the Canadian classic that is Who Has Seen the Wind. This is a feat that I probably would not have accomplished if I had any other options to occupy my time, because this was a really boring read.

Imagine The Heart is a Lonely Hunter but without the tension, without a plot, without any of the interesting characters, and with a lot of gophers. Dead and alive gophers. Oh, and set in the prairies.

To be fair, there were some good scenes in the book that did keep me reading but they were so under-developed in favour of the simplicity and celebration of the thoroughly uneventful, that they are hardly worth mentioning. Some involve people, some involve animals, one involves a gopher. ( )

Magical, lyrical writing filled with the endless sky, birds, sloughs, coullies, animals and the wind. I walk, ride, or snowshoe on the prairie every day and see something different every time. A mystical experience. ( )

I was sure I had read Who Has Seen the Wind at some point but the audiobook seemed like a good way to pass the time while driving to the American southwest so it went into my bag when I packed. It is read by the author and he does a marvelous job. After listening for a while I realized I had never read this book so it was a wonderful surprise for both me and my husband.Brian is a young boy growing up in a small town in Saskatchewan. The prairie is very close to his house and he knows how it looks and sounds and all the creatures in it. As the book opens Brian is miffed with his grandmother who has kicked him outside because his little brother is very ill. He wants to talk to God and get God after his grandmother. His friend tells him he can show him where God lives and takes him to the church. Turns out God is not available but the minister agrees to talk to him although he is not much use either. His little brother recovers and Brian decides his grandmother is okay after all. As Brian grows older he goes to school, gets into trouble, makes friends and suffers losses. Mitchell captures the thoughts of a young boy to perfection. He makes the reader feel like they are seeing the town and the prairie and the good people of Saskatchewan for themselves. This book is a classic. ( )