Great read, full of the unknown and suspense. Exposé of remote Canada

I did not want to put this one down.

Subtle yet honest portrayal character, nuanced emotion and the protagonist, Mrs Ross, wolf mother. I wondered about the title for a long time until I realised that that bitter and hungry country echoed with their presence.
An epic that appealed to what I know of that era especially in regard to the demise and fragmentation of the indigenous culture touched so tenderly by the fingers of the mind of the author.
I got lost in this book, and looked forward to returning to it each evening. It enriched me, I read it a month ago and still miss it

Each character in this book, no matter how briefly they appeared, was well developed and multi-dimensional. The author is very skilled in providing specific insights into a character to develop the internal person, while leaving each character enough mystery to keep the reader engaged. The only problem I had with this book is it ended too soon. I am recommending this book to everyone I know!

It is a supreme pleasure in life to come across a truly good book that captivates you completely. The Tenderness of Wolves is one of them. The storyline and characters are compelling and full of depth. It is easy to feel compassion and interest for virtually every character in the book. A well crafted, interesting, hard to put down book. Bravo.

This has it all in just under 400 pages. Genre-bending is a popular descriptor these days but it does not do this novel justice. There is adventure, murder, a love story, a richly described historical setting and all in a first novel. The narrative is told in third person and passes through a succession of characters. Put some quiet time aside for this one. It is well worth the effort.

I wouldn't rate this book anything like as highly as most critics. Some aspects of the plot were highly improbable. For instance, would a gentle 17 year old white boy seriously be suspected of scalping someone? I think it is far more likely that it would have been blamed either on Indians or on an extremely evil, practiced killer. The plot line about the carvings on the bone is just dropped without any explanation. The ending is also very unsatisfying... and the bit about Maria never knowing her good fortune when Donald dies imagining the life they could have had together is just downright silly. There is some good writing in the book but it could have done with a very stiff edit.

I was disappointed that I had spent the time reading the book. Several tedious background plots were left hanging.