Sick Heart River: Authorised Edition

By John Buchan

Book Overview

Sir Edward Leithen - perhaps the autobiographical of Buchan's characters - is dying of tuberculosis and has been given a year to live. After this prognosis, Leithen undertakes a profoundly heroic quest from London to the Canadian Northwest, tracking down a missing man who is literally 'sick at heart'. In the course of this epic journey, Leithen finds redemption for himself.

Sick Heart River is John Buchan's most powerful novel, completed just days before his death. The rich, authentic descriptions of the rugged Canadian landscape were influenced by a voyage down the Mackenzie River in 1937, at which time Buchan was Governor-General of Canda.

With an introduction by James Buchan.

This edition is authorised by the John Buchan Society.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 184697030X
• ISBN13: 9781846970306
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Birlinn
• Length: 214 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Good book

The story is captivating, good description of a man's soul searching, and being in peace with God and nature.

Philosophy the cold way

I recently read this book for a report in my English class. I usually never read anything outside of Sci-fi, fantasy, or well known classics. Although the first 30 or so pages I had trouble staying awake, it changed quickly into a book I couldn't put down. There are some great characters in this book, and Buchan leaves the reader (listener) on your toes a lot. This book had a great deal of philosophy in it, and though it took me some time to appreciate it, eventually I found that this book has a very deep meaning to it. Sick Heart River may only be available in tape-form now, but it is the same story that I read. Sick Heart River has more twists and turns in the plot than some sci-fi I've read. I hope that you enjoy this book as much as I did. The way of ending the book is also VERY original. Other than this book's slow start up, I enjoyed every page. Kudos to Buchan, a wonderful written book!