Review: The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare

5 stars for The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare.

This is a novel that warms my heart through and through.

Embarassed to say, I almost give this book a miss initially as the title does not entice me to give much thoughts to reading it. That and that the story is in third person narratives, not one that I look foward to. Now I am simply glad to have read it, and sad at the same time that the story has come to an end.

Set in eighteenth century Maine, this story is about the first settlers in a new township. 12-year old Matt Hallowell is tasked to guard the family's newly built log house and corn patch as his father returns to their house in Quincy to fetch his mother, sister and the new baby. Left alone to fend for himself in the wilderness home, Matt is hard-pressed to survive until local Indians teach him their skills.

Though the story is in third person narratives, we see the story unfolding only when Matt is around. He tells of how he gets to know and be friends with a local Indian boy Attean. Through Matt, the story explores frontier and pioneer life, Indians of North America, survival and adventure, courage, friendship, goodwill and respect.

There are many things to like about this book - the world building, the characters, the useful survival skills, the understanding of the need to live with people of other ethnic groups, life's lesson, the way of the Indians, the secret of the forest and even the fundamental differences in the way of living and beliefs between two very different groups of people. Of all, life's lesson is my favourite. Because at the end of the day, that is what matters most. We learn and we grow, older and wiser. Just like how it is for Matt; he gains more than just survival skills from Attean, he is rewarded with firsthand experience of how it is for the Indians, watching their old hunting grounds being taken over by White settlers, and White traders demanding more animal skins than the woods can provide. Matt begins to see things differently, from a different perspective, one which he can never understand without the chance and willingness to integrate with the local people first.

These days when I read books, I always enjoy it when the author uses foreshadowing to cast doubts and worries and to up the excitement level. To quote " On the day of their greatest adventure, Attean had come without his dog. So there was no warning." I like the way the author suggests that something big and bad is coming their way. Yes, it will be Matt and Attean's greatest adventure but perhaps, also their greatest misfortune. It certainly keeps my eyes riveted on the book and my fingers on turning the pages.

All too soon, I have reached the end of the book. But I am not quite ready to leave the story and its setting behind. A check with Google revealed that this is the last book written by the author. She has gone to the great beyond in 1994. This means that there will never be any sequel to The Sign of the Beaver or any other new story by this same author ever again. And that is quite a sad thing. But there is consolation in knowing that there are some earlier works by her. I may check them out some day.


Publisher: Yearling; English Language edition
Publication date: 1 Jul 1984

*** Favourite Quote ***

Day after day Matt tramped the woods alone, trying to shake the doubts that walked beside him like his own shadow.

~ The Sign of the Beaver
Elizabeth George Speare

@}--->>--->>-----

Twelve-year-old Matt is left on his own in the Maine wilderness while his father leaves to bring the rest of the family to their new settlement. When he befriends Attean, an Indian chief's grandson, he is invited to join the Beaver tribe and move north. Should Matt abandon his hopes of ever seeing his family again and go on to a new life?

*Blurb from Goodreads*

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