Deep River is a marathon of a historical novel, one you cannot bear to put aside. We follow the children of Maijaliisa and Tapio Koski from Kokkola, Finland as they immigrated to the communities of the Columbia River basin (known then as the Deep River) between Washington and Oregon, USA, and became an important element in the timber industry and the Colombia River basin, as the family spread out and grew. The Koski family were hard working, a credit to their community, a settlement comprised for the most part of Finnish and Swedish immigrants. Ilmari, the first of the children to come over in 1897, welcomed his younger siblings as tension and persecution in Russian-ruled Finland increased and the young men of the community faced being drafted into the Russian army, young women a life of servitude and fear.

Life in the northwest USA was not easy or simple at the turn of the 20th century. It was a new day for the Toski children, however, as they grew to fit in and appreciate their new home. We follow their progress from the death of three of the siblings in Finland from cholera in 1891 through March of 1969. This is a saga you will not want to miss. The influence of the immigrants from Finland and Sweden are still apparent in the communities today that cradle the mouth of Deep River.

I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel from Netgalley, Karl Marlantes, and Atlantic Monthly Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.

So, guys, Matterhorn. Marlantes' last book? Huge; really big. You'd think there'd be all kinds of reviews about this book out there already, all kinds of p. r. Nope, hardly a peep. And I sort of needed for someone to tell me how I felt about this book. Is that weird?

It will seem even weirder when I tell you that I really liked this book. I'm all over decades long family sagas. I mean, The Thorn Birds was one of my first "grown up" favorite books, after all. And I learned a lot from Deep River and you know how much I love that in a book. The lumbar industry, the labor movement on the west coast, the immigrant experience of the Finns who settled in the west - Marlantes had me going to the internet again and again to find out which characters were real people, what events really happened.

I became very attached to some of the family and the people who surrounded them and felt that they were, for the most part, well developed. Which made me get really nervous when the tension built but Marlantes kept from making this a giant saga of terrible things that happened to this family.

But then...it seemed to drag on forever. It is over 700 pages long but I've raced through books that long before. What made this one feel so different? One reviewer I found used the word "longeur" in his review (which I had to look up which you know I also love!); for those of you, like me, who need a definition, longeur means a tedious passage in a book. Oh yeah, for as much action as there was, for as many beautifully descriptive passages as there were, there were also a heck of a lot of longeurs. In fairness to Marlantes, though, I was balancing several books I needed to get through, including a really long audiobook and I might have become much more engrossed in it if I had devoted myself solely to this book. But part of what made the book drag was that Marlantes included so many characters and tried to cover so much ground with this book - the history of the logging industry along the Columbia River, the history of the labor movement, the salmon and fishing industry, the immigrant experience. Yes, it gave me a lot to learn about but it often felt like it was pulling me away from the story of this family.

I would recommend Deep River, with the proviso that there may be times you'll want to skim over those longeurs. If you read it, especially if you are able to really devote your full attention to it, I hope you'll let me know what you thought of it.

I didn't finish this book. It just felt too dark. (Now I am filling in the space: I didn't finish this book. It just felt too dark.I didn't finish this book. It just felt too dark.I didn't finish this book. It just felt too dark.I didn't finish this book. It just felt too dark.I didn't finish this book. It just felt too dark.I didn't finish this book. It just felt too dark.I didn't finish this book. It just felt too dark.I didn't finish this book. It just felt too dark.)

DNF at 34%

The trials and tribulations of the Koski siblings as they flee from Russian-occupied Finland to logging country in Washington state in the early 20th century.

To be fair, I am not the target demographic for this book, and it was made abundantly clear to me the more I read it.

This is the kind of book that boomer-aged white guys love—that thick, historical fiction tome that is both interesting and something you can show off.

Think James Michener or Ken Follett (although I actually kinda like Follett's historical fiction), where men are men and women are...well, they are empowered and strong and totally have agency because men can write women too.

My first clue should have been the blurb, where Aino was touted as one of the book's many "strong, independent women." Remember that Twitter hashtag where people mimicked stereotypical male writers writing women? This author never read that hashtag and totally thought he could. They don't quite breast boobily, but they come close.

Straightening her shoulders, pushing her breasts out, and with the confidence of a queen, she reentered the dance.


Never have I ever been as preoccupied with my boobs and my ribs as Aino is.

She was taller than Aino, but younger, not yet fully developed. She was not beautiful but not ugly, pleasant looking. There was no fat on her, nor was there any on the other girls, but she wasn’t thin. She looked strong, in a girl way.


Not only is this poor writing, but it's really condescending. "Strong in a girl way?" Wtf.

Plus, there's a lovely "she was curvy in all the right places" description, and I'm not quite sure if he was describing a woman, a bed post or a sine wave because what does "curvy in all the right places" even mean??

Anywho, I really did enjoy the descriptions of logging—this aspect was precisely why I picked this book up—and that it takes place in southwest Washington, close to the Oregon border. While the descriptions of the Columbia River tended to wax a little too poetic, I had serious nostalgia for home.

But ultimately my enjoyment of the general plot and the setting wasn't enough to pull me into the storyline. Poorly written female characters (there are probably male authors and male readers who will probably contest me—a woman—stating this) sucked my enjoyment from the storyline, along with two out-of-the-blue n-words (seriously white authors, I don't care how "historically accurate" you wish to be, this is not our word to use).

Honestly, I'm pissed that I didn't enjoy this more and even more pissed that I spent 3 days slogging through it when I have other books to read.

Reasons to read: if you're a white cis male boomer who enjoys long, family-oriented historical tomes that could probably be heavily edited.

Reasons to avoid: if you're literally anyone else.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

There are two kinds of summer reads: (1) the “beach read” consisting of a page-turning mystery or rom-com -- sufficiently entertaining, but not overly serious; and (2) the 700+ page immersive family saga – think Roots or The Thorn Birds. Summer affords the requisite leisure time to tackle a hefty book. Deep River falls into the latter category.

The book depicts the experiences of the three Koski siblings – Ilmari, Aino, and Matti -- from their childhood in Finland, to their individual journeys to Washington state and efforts to gain a foothold in a new country. Ilmari, the traditional brother, is a farmer and blacksmith. Strong-willed sister Aino, influenced by Marxist comrades in Finland, seeks to organize chapters of the IWW. Matti aspires to operate his own logging business. Meanwhile, their friend Aksel dreams of owning a fishing boat.

I am a huge fan of Marlantes’ first book, Matterhorn, so was eager to get my hands on the Netgalley version of Deep River. Just as Matterhorn, Deep River offers a lengthy dramatis personae and detailed descriptions of the era, in this case, the 1900s logging industry and nascent labor movement. Without a doubt, Marlantes did his research. I would pause in my reading to Google unfamiliar logging equipment or a fishing term. Just when I began to worry that the minutia on timber would rival Melville’s on whales, the plot would shift back to the struggle to unionize. The two were intertwined: for the unchecked risks posed by logging practices, fueled labor’s demand for safer conditions and higher wages.

New to me was the impact of WWI on the immigrants and the timber industry. Recent immigrants tended to sympathize with the posture taken by their home country in Europe rather than the American position. And then there were businessmen who proclaimed that war was the best thing to happen to them. They were sorry to see armistice.

Marlantes’ appreciation of ancient texts -- evident in his non-fiction work What It Is Like to Go to War -- is again on display as he pays homage to the Finnish epic, The Kalevala. But the reader need not fear being lost in fodder for literary studies, Deep River is first and foremost a darn good story.

This book was deeply gripping and included stunning detail. This is the kind of historical fiction that is unforgettable. This story has completely 3 dimensional characters, who are wonderful and flawed and completely lifelike. This book made me shed a couple of tears, and gave a really insightful look into the early labor movement. This book was wonderful for fans of deep character development, long and engrossing stories, wonderful and lyrical writing, and many passionate arguments against capitalism.

"Karl Marlantes’s debut novel Matterhorn has been hailed as a modern classic of war literature. In his new novel, Deep River, Marlantes turns to another mode of storytelling - the family epic - to craft a stunningly expansive narrative of human suffering, courage, and reinvention.

In the early 1900s, as the oppression of Russia’s imperial rule takes its toll on Finland, the three Koski siblings - Ilmari, Matti, and the politicized young Aino - are forced to flee to the United States. Not far from the majestic Columbia River, the siblings settle among other Finns in a logging community in southern Washington, where the first harvesting of the colossal old-growth forests begets rapid development, and radical labor movements begin to catch fire. The brothers face the excitement and danger of pioneering this frontier wilderness - climbing and felling trees one-hundred meters high - while Aino, foremost of the books many strong, independent women, devotes herself to organizing the industry’s first unions. As the Koski siblings strive to rebuild lives and families in an America in flux, they also try to hold fast to the traditions of a home they left behind.

Layered with fascinating historical detail, this is a novel that breathes deeply of the sun-dappled forest and bears witness to the stump-ridden fields the loggers, and the first waves of modernity, leave behind. At its heart, Deep River is an ambitious and timely exploration of the place of the individual, and of the immigrant, in an America still in the process of defining its own identity."

I always loved the historical episodes of Northern Exposure, seeing the booming days in the wilderness, and therefore, this book is right up my alley.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

In the early 1900s, as the oppression of Russia's imperial rule takes its toll on Finland, the three Koski siblings--Ilmari, Matti, and the politicized young Aino--are forced to flee to the United States.

Good Beginning but overall the book could have been several pages shorter. I lost interest in the minutia, and there was a lot of minutia.

2☆

I'm not gonna lie. I wanted another Matterhorn. I loved Matterhorn so much for being so true to the experience of a marine in Vietnam. Of course, it was written by a Vietnam veteran who has now turned to Finnish immigrants in the Pacific Northwest at the turn of the century. So....not Matterhorn. I suppose I'll forgive Marlantes. He brings the plight of the Koski family to vivid life while teaching a history lesson on the birth of unions, the logging district, the politics of bootlegging in the prohibition era and what it means to be a part of a family. Marlantes shows his true strengths as a writer in battle scenes. While WWI is touched on, the battles of Deep River are not in the arena of war, but battles for workers rights, survival in hard times and for keeping those you love with you. Over 800 pages, the battle scenes are well placed to keep you invested in the story right through the end.

Going against the grain with this one, but I just couldn’t finish it. Good enough story, but it’s very slow and incredibly long. And, 42% into the book, I just don’t find myself invested enough to continue.

Its early 1900s and Russia is in the imperial rule and takes Finland by control.
Three family members flee to America they settle in Colombia River in Washington.
The brothers Ilmari, Matti and Aino began their life in the wilderness by working hard and trying to make ends meet and start a family.
This is a very moving account of immigration life and sacrifice to leave your home behind and start again in a new country.

'Anger at the senseless cruelty of it all kept her awake at night.'

Escaping Russian rule, siblings Ilmari, Matti, and Aino immigrate to America joining other Finns in the hopes that they will find the perfect place to thrive. Ilmari is the first to leave Finland, to avoid being drafted in the Russian army he flees his homeland. In America, Ilmari is a devout man who builds a farm of his own and a blacksmith shop before his brother Matti follows. Helping his brother for a time with the running of things, he must make a life for himself. By Christmas finding work with the sole options being fishing or logging, he choses logging. Felling trees, a job that can crush a man, easy. With no idea how, he swears to himself he will one day have his own company! Last is Aino, seventeen- years old and desperate for work. Already having suffered for her revolutionary beliefs back in Finland, the fire burns just as bright now in America. She isn’t happy to settle as some man’s wife and men want a woman to care for their families not a maid. Marriage is still against everything she believes in, and if she ever marries, she has to feel love, hers is a heart that cannot in good conscience settle. There are more important things to her future, and her socialist desires. Life isn’t easier in America, everything is not golden nor as ‘free’ as she imagined. Instead, they meet with backbreaking, deadly work logging in the forrest of Washington, where workers are nothing better than slaves making money for others (capitalism). A staunch socialist, Aino is well read, and desperate to fight for laborers rights often at the risk of her very life. Conflicted by the expectations of women of the times (have a family, settle down) she’d rather take part in activism, even when love comes calling. Is it better to settle down, safer? She is fed up being a live in servant, did enough of that before, and marriage is much the same too. She works for a time cooking for hundreds of men at a logging camp, Reder Logging. It comes to be the hardest work she has ever known. The reality is often disheartening, even later when she is a wife living in cheap lopsided quarters, it isn’t enough to please her. She must occupy herself with a life full of purpose, helping others. Escaping the unrest of their own country only to land in a place where one must continue to fight for human dignity, America isn’t turning out to be the dream Aino envisioned. Women should know their place, and certainly not be slipping off for meetings threatened by raids! A man who works his fingers to the bone relies on his good wife waiting with a meal, the home clean and comfortable. She’s a feminist, a fighter, a woman who won’t be caged but I admit, she could come off as self-righteous and selfish at times too. Could motherhood settle her?

The men face loggers being killed, the equipment fails, people make mistakes that costs lives and no one is looking out for their safety. It matters to Aino. It is for ‘the common good’ and if she is called a communist, so be it, they must still fight! The powers that be don’t want strikes and of course will threaten those who dare strike with brute force. Naturally she finds herself jailed. The Koski siblings will rage against “slave wages, slave hours, and slave working conditions” and find their future as pioneers logging the vast forest of Washington. They will all search for their identity as they push for early labor rights or material success. From logging camps to fishing for salmon, strikes, Spanish flu, co-ops, the first cars, and captialism. Love and affairs, jail, unrest, starting families, and businesses in the new American dream. There is a lot happening in this novel that because of the historical scope it covers, the stories can sometimes leave the reader meandering. It is a rich, well researched historical fiction about the early days for Finish immigrants in the forrest and mills of Washington. More importantly it is a grim look at the fight for labors rights.

Publication Date: July 2, 2019

Grove Atlantic

<i>Dark River</i> follows the Koski siblings--Aino, Ilmari, and Matti--from childhood in Russian-occupied Finland to their settlement in the Pacific Northwest as they enter adulthood and begin families of their own. Ilmari, the first to arrive in the United States, homesteads on a large piece of land he received. Matti, the youngest, embraces capitalism as a way to protect himself from fears seated in childhood. Aino, however, the middle child and only girl, interested in communism from a young age, delves into the labor movement.

In the community that survives largely on fishing and logging, the Koski siblings encounter many fellow Finns as well as Swedes, some of whom they knew in their hometown. Their business dealings and activism--not to mention relationships--take them in and out of each other’s orbits, while Aino, a stubborn lightning rod, often attracts danger from powerful business and political interests. They also face obstacles from nature--sometimes dry spells, sometimes too much rain--from world events, and from the economy.

Karl Marlantes’s Matterhorn is a tour de force, combining an engrossing setting with fully realized, unforgettable characters. In that novel, the details of being a soldier in Vietnam are so vividly drawn, it’s visceral, and the frustrations and injustice deeply felt.

In <i>Deep River</i>, Marlantes conveys the same comprehensive awareness of setting born of personal experience and extensive research. No matter the context--a socialist meeting, a fishing boat, a logging site, or a bootleggers’ shootout--Marlantes provides encyclopedic knowledge. On the one hand, this can be very interesting, and I definitely learned a lot. On the other, it can be almost overwhelming and at times distracts from the story, bogging it down in unnecessary details.

Because the book seemed to want to address every historical event in the time period over which it was set--some more tangential to the narrative--such as the Spanish Flu and the introduction of the automobile, the story is very long and bloated without a clear focus. Probably the most accurate answer to what the story is about would be that it charts Aino’s growth. Unfortunately, I found her a less than sympathetic character. This is surprising to me because she is a strong, independent woman before her time. Yet, she is clearly unable to read a crowd, and is so stubborn, she is selfish. Characters I was more interested in such as Vasutäti, a Native American elder, and Aino’s niece, Mielikki, had less of a role in the story. Overall, though, I think that the novel would have benefited from a ruthless editor who provided focus for the narrative while eliminating the unnecessary technical details of the logging and fishing crafts.

Also, I was uncomfortable with how Marlantes used gender and cultural stereotypes without problematizing them. Finally, I was most disappointed in the writing style which I found less than polished. The transitions were often awkward, and the sentence structure led to a choppy, discordant flow.

<i>Deep River</i> definitely includes interesting debates about socialism and unionization. During World War I, not just corporations and the state government, but also the military became involved in union busting. The skirmishes between the Industrial Workers of the Work (IWW), Ainoe’s union, and law enforcement, deputized citizens, and “patriots” were hard to imagine until you consider the types of conflicts in our streets today.

Despite the flaws, this book should appeal to die-hard historical fiction fans as well as those who are interested in the history of the Pacific Northwest, particularly the logging and fishing industries, or about unions in the early 1900s.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic / Atlantic Monthly Press for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Thank you #Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Deep River is a Historical Fiction that spans a good chunk of time and locations.
As someone who enjoys history, I quite liked this book. I would say it was a little bit longer than expected and could have worked in a series.
I would still recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the genre.

Marlantes has written an epic novel that ranges from Finland to the Pacific Northwest of the USA, spanning the years from 1893-1932, and covering the dawn of the logging industry, IWW labor organizing, and WWI. Featuring the stories of 3 siblings who separately left Finland to escape the Russian domination of their homeland, Ilmari, Matti, and Aino have settled along the Columbia River in Washington state—it’s 1904. The story most closely follows Aino, the young sister, who arrives in the United States alone and speaking only Finnish. The PNW has been a haven for other Finnish and Swedish immigrants so she travels there, reconnects with her brothers, and eventually fits in. In a sweeping novel that focuses most closely on the logging industry, the reader sees the deprivation, the extreme physicality, and the frequent injuries and deaths that are caused by the long days, low wages, and horrific conditions under which these people work and for which they are paid pennies.

I suppose the amount of detail about the logging business might be a distraction for some readers but I was absolutely caught up in the daily grind and the hardships suffered by these characters I grew to love. You know you’ve fallen in love with the characters when you mourn their losses and cheer their success. #ilovebigbooks and this one really is a favorite for me.

In an author’s note, Marlantes says this is a tale highly influenced by the heroes of Finland. These tales, kept alive through a collection of ancient songs known as The Kalevala, are now brought to life through the imagination and storytelling of Karl Marlantes.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for this advance readers copy.

Deep River is a "good story well told." It is the story of Finnish immigrants who migrate from Finland and end up on the banks of the Columbia River in modern day Oregon and Washington State. Some become loggers, another becomes a fisherman, and the central female character becomes an organizer for the IWW (Wobblies). The time span is roughly 1905-1932. Based on the author's (Karl Marlantes) afterword, it is a fictional retelling of the history of his people in the American northwest.
While at times I felt the story a little contrived and the plot points too well placed, it is good writing and good storytelling. The writer's style and content remind me of Ivan Doig (subdued American romanticism).
I've read two other books on logging in the Northwest: Ken Kesey's "Sometimes A Great Notion," and Annie Proulx's "Barkskins." Marlantes' book is the best of the tree.

I was excited as soon as I heard that Karl Marlantes had a new epic on the way – this time focused on Scandinavian immigrants, the Pacific Northwest, and union organizing, with a super-strong female protagonist. Sign me up.
Deep River is all that and more; it exceeded even my high, high expectations. Marlantes’ attention to detail is superb. I (who thought that I knew it all) learned so much. But it is never forced, always within the flow.
Yes, Historical Fiction at its best. Early 20th century logging, fishing, canning, and living were an endless dangerous struggle - fraught, tragic with a touch of occasional joy.
But, it was impossible to avoid being reminded that “the more things change, the more they stay the same”. We are once again fighting for livable wages, safe working conditions, fair immigration, free speech, ethnic and racial equity. In many ways, not much has changed in the relationship between those that own property and control the tools of production and those many who do not.
Deep River requires the reader’s effort – there’s a lot to digest, oftentimes sad or frightening. But it’s worth every bit. Thank you Atlantic Monthly Press and NetGalley for the ERC.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Three Koski siblings-Ilmari, Aino, and Matti-escape Finland during political unrest and find a home in Deep River, Washington. The two boys find jobs in the dangerous logging profession while Aino, the central character of the book, works in the logging kitchens. She sees the terrible working conditions of the men working long hours for little pay and becomes a strong voice for unionization.
The story follows the three through the downfall of the logging operation, river salmon fishing and the rise of unionization.
I think Aino was a strong female character in the book, and I like how passionate she was about fighting for the common worker. But I also thought she was so selfish putting the cause before everything else: her husband, her freedom, and even her daughter. This is a large book, but well worth the time. Great story!

Three Koski siblings—Ilmari, Matti and Aino—flee Finland in the early 1900s and settle in Deep River located in southern Washington along the Columbia River. The brothers begin logging careers, and Aino encourages unionization. Covering over three decades, this novel shares details about the siblings' lives as they cling to their traditions, embrace the customs of their new country and discover what really matters.
While this book is long, it tells a moving, entertaining and educational tale. I appreciated the mixture of humanity with facts and learned a great deal about the lives of pioneers in the logging industry, the quest for safer work conditions, and life of Finnish immigrants to the United States. I even felt like I knew the family intimately.
Filled with sisu (grit!), "Deep River" took me on an adventure. It's a thoughtful novel that prompted me to consider the history of the United States and my current life in a new way.

From Finland to the Pacific Northwest, this is the early Twentieth Century story of the Koski family. This historical fiction book does a fantastic job painting the picture of the America that created the labor union movement. The characters are well developed and the story is dark, but compelling. A beautifully written masterpiece!

Thanks to NetGalley and First Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.