Comfort Reading: in praise of a multi-generational saga
by Ann Riordan
I recently finished reading Barkskins by Annie Proulx and I enjoyed it immensely. It is a multi-generational saga that follows the descendents of settlers in Newfoundland, their relationships with the indigenous inhabitants and with the forest, from the 1600s to modern day. For days after I finished reading, I was still back in that landscape, back in that time in my mind. It reminded me how much I enjoy a long-range generational family tale, you know the type that needs a family tree and a map in the preface. Those used to be popular in the 1970s - think James Michener, think R.F. Delderfield, think Alex Haley's Roots. The 1980s was also a good time for family or historical sagas of a racier nature - with blockbusters like The Thornbirds by Colleen McCollough or Mistral's Daughter by Judith Krantz.
The 1980s also gave us two of my all time favourite comfort reads - Ken Follett's amazing The Pillars of the Earth, and Anne Rice's The Witching Hour. (Ok, The Witching Hour was published in 1990, but it has those 1980s blockbuster ingredients.)
Most readers would be familiar with The Pillars of the Earth, it regularly appears on favourite reads lists, and it was a tv series too. But if you aren’t, it follows the life and work of a medieval cathedral builder. It doesn't sounds like much, but the treat is the depiction of medieval life, family betrayals, goodies and baddies. It is pacy and full of drama. And there are two sequels. Bonus!
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice may be more of a niche read. If you have read (and possibly become bored with) Rice's vampire books, this is a slightly different kettle of voodoo. It tells the tale of thirteen generations of a family with a dominant witch at its head. Exciting, sensational, lush in detail, what a read! I go back to it again and again, and for a while I actually carried a print of the family tree tucked up in a pocket in my handbag. Fans of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness might like this.
Edward Rutherfield writing in the 2000s picked up the mantle with his tales of London, Paris, New York and even The Princes of Ireland: the Dublin Saga. Beverley Swerling wrote four novels in the Old New York series following the settlement of New York from New Amsterdam to the foundation of modern New York. And I also highly recommend Jane Smiley's Last Hundred Years trilogy (Some Luck, Early Warning and Golden Age) that follows an Iowa family from the early 1900s to modern day.
So, Barkskins brought all this back to me, the enjoyment of the long tale, character driven, the historical details, the complicated family trees and best of all, the prospect of a sequel! Is the family saga due for a revival? Or has it been overtaken by fantasy series in the popularity stakes? I hope not!
Barkskins and all the other titles are available through the library catalogue at www.corkcitylibraries.ie . Barkskins is also available in ebook form through your BorrowBox account.
Please note: I wrote this piece without once using the phrase 'sweeping tale'. I am proud of me.