Non-fiction review: The Curve of Time

 

Title: The Curve of Time: New, Expanded Edition

Author: M. Wylie Blanchet

Publication Info: Whitecap Books, 2011, 272 pages. Originally published by Blackwood & Sons in 1961.

Source: Library

Publisher's Blurb:
Widowed at the age of thirty-five, Muriel Wylie Blanchet packed up her five children in the summers that followed and set sail aboard the twenty-five-foot Caprice. For fifteen summers, in the 1920s and 1930s, the family explored the coves and islands of the BC coast, encountering settlers and hermits, hungry bears and dangerous tides, and falling under the spell of the region’s natural beauty.


Driven by curiosity, the family followed the quiet coastline, and Blanchet—known as Capi, after her boat—recorded their wonder as they threaded their way between the snowfields, slept under the bright stars and wandered through Indigenous winter villages left empty in the summer months.


The Curve of Time weaves the story of these years into a memoir that has inspired generations to seek out their own adventures on the wild west coast. First published in 1961, less than a year before the author died, Blanchet’s captivating work has become a classic of travel writing, and one of the bestselling BC books of all time.

 

My Review:
This is one of those books that I don't really feel competent to review, but just want to call it to your attention. The blurb calls it a "classic of travel writing," and I agree (I also was informed, when I excitedly talked about the book to my brother, who boats the same waters, that it's on the bookshelf of pretty much every boat on the Inside Passage). The style is a little dated, but wears surprisingly well, and I enjoyed every dip of the tiny Caprice into the coves and inlets of British Columbia. It makes me want to ignore my propensity for seasickness and head out on my own explorations.

I'm sure the author glosses over a lot of things that weren't so perfect--it can't have been pleasant in bad weather having six people and sometimes a dog crammed in a tiny boat, chilly and damp, and the children must at times have whined that they'd rather be at home playing in the woods and reading books (hey, this was the 1930s and they lived a pretty unconventional life even when at home). But the picture Blanchet paints is of a family that has responded to loss and grief by immersing themselves in the natural world, taking their home-schooling to a whole new level for the summers. And through it all, Blanchet's prose remains enticing, so that you want to jump in your boat and follow after her.

My Recommendation:
Read it. It's especially recommended for those who like boats, for those who grew up with Swallow and Amazons, or are interested in the history of the coastal waters of British Columbia, or for readers who like a good sea story.

FTC Disclosure: I checked The Curve of Time out of my library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."  


 

 ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2024
 As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated.


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