Reviews

The Building of Jalna by Mazo de la Roche

maribel_books's review against another edition

emotional funny relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

canadiantiquarian's review against another edition

4.0

Overall, it’s structure and theme is standard, sprawling romantic epic. But MdlR explores this space in passions and outbursts, letting weeks float by, and changes occur, with barely a sentence. The result is a story that richly paints moments and makes a seemingly unrelatable world easier to grasp.

saj_81's review against another edition

5.0

So I finally gave in and started reading this series. My mother has been going on and on about Jalna since I can remember and she finally bought this one for me at a used books store, because she "just knows that I will love it".

And of course I was forced to admit that mom was right and I fell in love with the Whiteoaks. This one (the 7th in the series chronologically) has a lot of characters and juicy drama and it also got me curious about what happened before. So now I'm working my way through the whole series. Which I recommend warmly, because "you will love it"!

exurbanis's review against another edition

4.0

Vintage series. This was my introduction to it.

This is supposedly #7, but it was the first she wrote. Not exciting enough for me to want to read more.

inesdef's review against another edition

5.0

The « Jalna » series is pure happiness and I always think about it with sincere nostalgia. The complete Jalna collection was passed on to me by my mother, who first got it from her mother. The books have been standing proudly in my bookshelf since I’m a teenager. Jalna is a great historical fiction, the characters quickly feel like family, which makes it so easy to read all the following volumes ! The writing is simple, yet manages to involve you into the plot. A reading that stays with you long after turning the last page and allows you to learn more about the first colonies in Canada.

P.S: can anyone make it a TV show???

chiariviera's review against another edition

3.0

3 1/5.
E' un libro leggero, che ti intrattiene, anche se un po' troppi intrecci amorosi per i miei gusti.
Alcune cose mi hanno fatta alzare gli occhi al cielo, come per esempio il determinismo legato ad uno dei personaggi e il fatto che si sia ritenuti responsabili per le colpe dei propri genitori.
E' comunque di intrattenimento, ma non all'altezza delle altre saghe familiari che ho letto.
Proseguirò comunque nella lettura del secondo volume, perché un pregio delle saghe familiari è affezionarsi ai personaggi ed essere curiosi della continuazione del loro percorso.

thewellreadlife's review against another edition

This was an interesting read. The Jalna series is new to me, as I have never heard of it. It takes place in the Canadian frontier. The New Frontier is fresh, families are starting and rooting themselves in land, wealth, and legacies. I found this book to be a bit of adventure itself. It follows a young energetic couple, asks they choose to take a risk and start life anew in Canada. I loved Adeline, she really was a piece of work. But more so it shows how women really haven't changed over the centuries! The language, and slang I found endearing. I actually yearned to be apart of this life, being one with nature, building a home from the ground up. Founding a community. There was much freedom. People were free to move and conquer as they please. The world was new and ready to be inhabited. What an exciting time it was and it as beautifully captures in the first book in the series. I can't wait to start book two.