From the forebiding shoreline of the Labrador Coast to the genteel homes of American gentry, Katherine Govier takes the reader on a journey that will never be forgotten. The subject is one of the most renown naturalists of the world, John James Audubon. Seizing the moment to write about his life unknown to many beyond his skilled illustrations, his 'Birds' the author skillfully introduces him as a man with a questionable past, who suceeds against all odds to fulfill his dream.

Audubon floats through this novel like a ghost, seemingly living both in the past; his childhood in France, to the present; watching his beloved son scale the cliffs for his one desire, birds. It is these birds that fascinate him from a young age, and inevitably draw him to his demise. As he becomes estranged from not only his family, but the world around him, he delves back into the lost events of his life, trying to salvage from them his future.

The sucessful journey through the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the Straight of Belle Isle is seen through many eyes; among them a young British sea captain, and cartographer, Audubon's former assistant, and also his wife. Not to be left out, the 'Birds' take many shapes in Govier's work, not only gracing the pages as part of the impressive story line, but also as carefully chosen prints.

This is a group review, and we are far from agreement. The person who recommended this book loved it because she loves to travel and approaches travel as an adventure. For her, reading the book was like going to another country where she didn't understand the culture but was transported there by the stories. However, the remaining three members of the group read this book from a different frame of reference, and they had less favorable reactions. These readers admit they probably had higher expectations of quality from authors of this caliber. From a literary standpoint, many of the stories didn't measure up. In more than a few of the stories, the writers do not provide adequate context and detail. The stories did not transcend the level of travelogue to become a more meaningful exploration of either the place or the author's experience there. Furthermore, the issue of gender as it relates to travel is not clearly articulated. In these ways the editor's goal for the book were not met. However, there were several stories we liked: Robyn Davidson's "Alone Across the Outback," Ysenda Maxtone Graham's "Through a Barren Land," Wendy Law-Yone's "The Year of the Pigeon," and "Highway to the Black Mountains" by Bapsi Sidhwa. These stories moved us, providing more details and reflection on the meaning of the experience to the writer. Through our discussion of this book, we realized how difficult it is to write insightfully about travel. It was interesting to us to read about different places and different perspectives, but we wondered if there should be more to travel writing than this.

It's no coincidence that the women who wrote these selections do not belong to the travel writing genre per se. The essays are honest and are a picture of realistic travel. It's not the typical travel stuff that sells--not the waving palm trees and lush tropical islands--it's the nit and grit. What a relief. I was beginning to think there was something wrong with me until I read this book. My travels just did not fit in with the Shangri-la, all-enlightening journeys that mainstream travel authors write about to appeal to an American audience. This is a great book, though I admit, it won't necessarily conjour up pictures of paradises that don't exist.