The Orenda
Joseph Boyden
Set in the wilderness in the 1600s,The Orendabrings together three characters and their clashing cultures: a young Iroquois girl named Snow Falls, a Huron elder named Bird and a Jesuit priest named Christopher. As their cultures collide, the stage is set for the country that will become Canada. Both brutal and beautiful,The Orendabrings the past vividly to life: it's historical fiction at its best.
The Orendawon Canada Reads in 2014. It was defended by Wab Kinew.
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From the book
We had the magic, the orenda, before the crows came. We'd never questioned this before their claws first grasped our branches and their beaks first pecked our earth.
Most of us will admit we were taken aback by how quickly the crows adapted. When you fall asleep laughing in the evening, its difficult to awake crying in the sun. But this isn't about sadness, or pity, or blame. We are all party to our own wants as well as to our own shortcomings.
From The Orenda by Joseph Boyden 2013. Published by Hamish Hamilton Canada.