Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Bright and Distant Shores

by Dominic Smith (Goodreads Author)

3.55 of 5 stars 3.55 · rating details · 191 ratings · 75 reviews

From the award-winning author of The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre and The Beautiful Miscellaneous comes a sweeping historical novel set amid the skyscrapers of 1890s Chicago and the far-flung islands of the South Pacific.In the waning years of the nineteenth century there was a hunger for tribal artifacts, spawning collecting voyages from museums and collectors around...more

Paperback, 480 pages

Published September 13th 2011 by Washington Square Press (first published March 2011)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Kirkus Best Books of 2011

28th out of 88 books — 147 voters

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own M... by Catherynne M. Valente

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith

I Picked It Up Because of the Title

271st out of 580 books — 342 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,357)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Oct 24, 2012 Susan Hirtz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-novels

Wow, a balanced and interesting story, about the late 19th century, the down and dirty ways of a Chicago robber baron and his bigotry. Many cultural changes were taking place in America and its overseas contacts at this time after the adoption of Manifest Destiny as a national policy. (It had been been clearly stated as part of the Monroe doctrine in 1822).

According to Michael Lubragge:
"First used in 1845, the term Manifest Destiny conveyed the idea that the rightful destiny of the US included...more Wow, a balanced and interesting story, about the late 19th century, the down and dirty ways of a Chicago robber baron and his bigotry. Many cultural changes were taking place in America and its overseas contacts at this time after the adoption of Manifest Destiny as a national policy. (It had been been clearly stated as part of the Monroe doctrine in 1822).

According to Michael Lubragge:
"First used in 1845, the term Manifest Destiny conveyed the idea that the rightful destiny of the US included imperialistic expansion...[it]emerged naturally and inevitably out of fundamental want and need to explore and conquer new lands and establish new borders. With this growth came moral, cultural, social, ideological and economic differences between people, states and countries." [See citation below.]

Smith places his story in the period leading up to the Spanish American War, the 1890s, a time in US history when this philosophy was beginning to be questioned by thinking people and leaders, among them Mark Twain, Andrew Carnegie and Grover Cleveland, even as Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and Benjamin Harrison were reviving the idea of an American empire. (Something even Lincoln frowned on.)The Monroe doctrine had been recently formulated by James Monroe, fearing the influence of Spain and other European powers in Latin America.

Smith's story takes place in Chicago and in the South Seas, where his protagonist, a youthful adventurer, is determined to meet the challenge given him by a Chicago magnate to procure something wild and savage he can use to cultivate interest in the products he sells. This eminent (and wealthy) personage is keen to display his elitism in cultivating global contacts and equate his business with "civilization".

The questions Smith poses are germane today, i.e., to whose ultimate advantage does this "globalism" take place? He also has us considering other story levels than the basely overt; where greed originates and what causes people to change from being tolerant and generous into their opposites by allowing themselves to be co-opted.

Ultimately, what causes us all to make odd or unusual choices in life and are we being farsighted when we make these decisions? Do they come from letting go or holding on? How much control do we want to have over the outcome after all?

-----------

Lubragge, Michael T., Manifest Destiny, The Philosphy that Created a Nation (see http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/essays/1801...)(less)

like · see review

Jul 30, 2012 Tuck rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sailing-and-fighting, western-rural-with-tractors-horse, pre-wwi

good saga of pre wwi 1899's usa set in chicago and south sea isalnds/"Melanesia" in which a rich insurance co owner wants to one-up the new field museum in getting better,,cooler, more grisly "artifacts" and even bring some islanders to live in a display on top of his new "tallest in the world" skyscraper. so he sends up and coming orphan owen to trade mirrors and trinkets for blades, shrunken heads etc
meanwhile, argus, and orphan islander raised up by a scottish missionary is set loose after h...more

like · see review

Feb 12, 2012 Northwestreader rated it 4 of 5 stars

Bright and Distant Shores is a period piece that is set in the waning years of the 1800’s. It is clearly based on extensive research on multitudes of diverse topics. If it weren’t for the story line, the book could be a sociological and anthropological treatise. It is resplendent with details of life at that time—from the street scenes of Chicago to the introduction of skyscrapers to the technology involved in the ice block industry to the commonly held view of peoples of the equatorial islands...more

like · see review

Dec 08, 2011 Parismaddy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Bright and Distant Shores by Dominic Smith ensnared me and captivated my full attention from the very first chapter. It sets a brisk pace in an atmospheric nineteenth century period setting.

Young Owen Graves loves treasure hunting, remnants of people passed, bits of metal fixtures, all thrill him. His Chicago-based building-wrecker father's demolition sites further develop this love and provide fertile hunting grounds for the young lad. Unfortunately, early in the book Owen sees his father crush...more

like · see review

Dec 04, 2011 Felice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Set in the late 1800’s, Dominic Smith’s third novel, Bright and Distant Shores follows a Heart of Darkness template. It is the kind of historical fiction that takes men out of their natural elements, puts them in worlds where they should never be and then adds a crisis.

Following a vogue of the time a Chicago insurance kingpin Hale Gray finances an expedition to the South Seas to gather up an array of Melanesian artifacts with which to decorate his new skyscraper. Seems the perfect collection to...more Set in the late 1800’s, Dominic Smith’s third novel, Bright and Distant Shores follows a Heart of Darkness template. It is the kind of historical fiction that takes men out of their natural elements, puts them in worlds where they should never be and then adds a crisis.

Following a vogue of the time a Chicago insurance kingpin Hale Gray finances an expedition to the South Seas to gather up an array of Melanesian artifacts with which to decorate his new skyscraper. Seems the perfect collection to celebrate the latest World’s Tallest Building, right? Along with the weapons, bowls and other crafts the expedition is also charged with bringing back several natives. Hmmm…

Enter the historical novel’s required orphan, Owen. Owen is the son of a late demolitions expert from the South Side. A previous trip to Melanesia brought Owen to the attention of Gray and that led to him to hire Owen to lead a new voyage to Melanesia in order to plunder. Owen leaves the girl he loves behind and off he goes. Trouble starts almost immediately. The crew is made up of ex-cons and Jethro the spoiled son of Gray who is brought on as the expedition’s resident naturalist despite his lack of any useful experience in that area.

Owen is not happy about Gray’s insistence that some natives, related by blood, be brought back to Chicago. However despite Owens misgivings Argus Niu, a failed warrior turned Protestant mission houseboy and his sister Malini are selected to make the return trip along with the handicrafts and wild animals. Once in the city Argus and Malini are forced to perform in racist and degrading parodies of native life.

The history in Bright and Distant Shores is interesting, the characters are strong with good backstories but it is in the blurring of worlds that this novel really excels. We start out knowing where the divide is between civilization and the wild and then Dominic Smith slowly erases that line. Bright and Distant Shores is impressively propelled by writing that entertains and questions. (less)

3 likes · like · see review

Nov 28, 2011 Sabrina Laitinen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was sent this novel from Simon and Schuster. It is a wonderful novel set in Chicago in the late 1800's. A real estate and insurance mogul hires a young explorer named Owen to travel to far flung places in search of artifacts for his newly opened sky scraper. Owen takes along the mogul's son, Jethro, who is interested in botany. They travel to distant islands in the South pacific island area, and encounter primitive live at that time. Through a chance meeting, they come in contact with a native...more

like · see review

Aug 13, 2011 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 21st-century, library-book-or-loan, australia, historical-fiction

I discovered this author because Bright and Distant Shores been short-listed for the 2011 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards – and I shall certainly be chasing up Smith previous novels down at the library. He’s a wonderful story-teller, combining a rollicking style, an intriguing love story and food for thought about the impact of collectors on indigenous societies during the 18th century Enlightenment.

Owen Graves is a most interesting hero. Bright and Distant Shores is a many-layered quest – f...more

like · see review

Apr 08, 2013 Malvina Yock rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a book with a fine line of censure running through its veneer, where you can take one step back and observe the mixed results of a sea voyage to bring back a couple of ‘savages’, plus weapons and artefacts, to ‘display’ on the roof of the tallest building in 1890’s Chicago: Chicago First Equitable. The voyage and the detail in Chicago is top-notch reading: rich with eye-popping, presumably accurate, vividly seething detail. The weather, the wildlife, the natives, the life at sea; the gro...more

like · see review

Aug 27, 2011 Rick F. rated it 5 of 5 stars

From the award-winning author of The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre and The Beautiful Miscellaneous comes a sweeping historical novel set amid the skyscrapers of 1890s Chicago and the far-flung islands of the South Pacific.
In the waning years of the nineteenth century there was a hunger for tribal artifacts, spawning collecting voyages from museums and collectors around the globe. In 1897, one such collector, a Chicago insurance magnate, sponsors an expedition into the South Seas to commemora...more From the award-winning author of The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre and The Beautiful Miscellaneous comes a sweeping historical novel set amid the skyscrapers of 1890s Chicago and the far-flung islands of the South Pacific.
In the waning years of the nineteenth century there was a hunger for tribal artifacts, spawning collecting voyages from museums and collectors around the globe. In 1897, one such collector, a Chicago insurance magnate, sponsors an expedition into the South Seas to commemorate the completion of his company’s new skyscraper—the world’s tallest building. The ship is to bring back an array of Melanesian weaponry and handicrafts, but also several natives related by blood.

Caught up in this scheme are two orphans—Owen Graves, an itinerant trader from Chicago’s South Side who has recently proposed to the girl he must leave behind, and Argus Niu, a mission houseboy in the New Hebrides who longs to be reunited with his sister. At the cusp of the twentieth century, the expedition forces a collision course between the tribal and the civilized, between two young men plagued by their respective and haunting pasts.

An epic and ambitious story that brings to mind E. L. Doctorow, with echoes of Melville and Robert Louis Stevenson, Bright and Distant Shores is a wondrous achievement by a writer known for creating compelling fiction from the fabric of history.

"An epic and ambitious story that brings to mind E. L. DoctorPW" is a good summation of the magnificent writing talents of Dominic Smith, as he brings both late 19th Century Chicago and the mysteries and glory of the South Pacific to life, Bright and Distant Shores is a novel that has so much going for it that a complete review would take up pages and pages! Suffice to say, Bright and Distant Shores is a complex and wonderful read, one which will remain with the reader long after the last page is read.

A JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB MUST READ

RICK FRIEDMAN
FOUNDER
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB MUST READ

(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Oct 16, 2011 Klgrissom rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

probably closer to 3.5

I did like this book. It is not my normal genre' but I was very interested in the characters of the book from the very beginning. I had to finish the book as soon as I met Argus to see what he was able to do in this life and where life would take him. I also really liked his sister and Owen. I thought Jethro was well written, although I really didn't like his character (but I feel it was intended to be that way). Dominic Smith did an awesome job bringing the characters to l...more

like · see review

May 15, 2012 Michelle added it

"Greed is good." Even though this famous phrase was first vocalized in a movie made in the 1980s, this phrase has dictated the American business model for generations. The only difference is that this greed that greases the wheels of the economy takes different forms as one progresses through history. At the turn of the century, greed took the form of height and artifacts. Dominic Smith's Bright and Distant Shores discusses at length the greed for each that gripped the country and specifically C...more "Greed is good." Even though this famous phrase was first vocalized in a movie made in the 1980s, this phrase has dictated the American business model for generations. The only difference is that this greed that greases the wheels of the economy takes different forms as one progresses through history. At the turn of the century, greed took the form of height and artifacts. Dominic Smith's Bright and Distant Shores discusses at length the greed for each that gripped the country and specifically Chicago in the late 1890s. It provides a prosaic and sound warning against the greed which causes people to disregard the safety and health of others in order to be ranked among the upper echelons of society and within a global economy.

This is not a story where the good guy wins everything and lives happily ever after. One really could describe Bright and Distant Shores as the antithesis of or, more accurately, the reality behind the much-adored American dream. In true American dream fashion, Owen Graves and Argus Niu are poor and downtrodden. Graves has been forced to make ends meet since the untimely death of his father. He wants to win the girl but needs money to do so. Niu is maligned by whites because he is a native and by his tribesmen for ingratiating himself with the whites; it is the ultimate no-win situation. By ignoring their individual upbringings, those cherished lessons taught to them by their fathers, each manages to eke out some facsimile of success. That success, however, comes with a price and more importantly does not guarantee happiness.

Bright and Distant Shores is also a tale of two stories. On the one hand, the reader gets an in-depth look at trading during the turn of the century. On the other hand, the reader gets an in-depth look at Chicago and life among the fabulously wealthy and powerful as well as the working echelons of the city. Unfortunately, the city imagery and narrative cannot compare to the wealth of detail and exotic descriptions provided in the trading sections of the novel. There is a definite pall over the entire story whenever the action occurs in Chicago. The characters in each section are just as disparate. While Graves and Niu dominate both sections, the scenes held in Chicago while both men are still at sea are flat and insipid in comparison to the colorful scenery and larger-than-life cast of characters on the ship. Once everyone is back in Chicago, gone is the sense of danger and mystery, and the reader is no longer afraid that either hero will find himself in mortal danger. The story simply loses steam.

Historically, Bright and Distant Shores is a fascinating glimpse into the turmoil occurring in city landscapes at the turn of the century and the insane obsession with and fierce competition for native goods. Narratively, the story struggles between the adventures of island artifact hunting and the more mundane aspects of life in Chicago. While Mr. Smith has attempted to create an exploration novel in the more traditional grandiose fashion, Bright and Distant Shores falls flat once the narrative reaches land-locked Chicago. From a historical perspective, the shining star of the narrative is the fabulous array of details that allows the reader to easily imagine life in the South Seas, aboard ship, or behind closed doors of those who built and controlled the first modern-day skyscrapers. Mr. Smith's research is thoroughly and meticulously relayed throughout the story and strengthening the air of realism that already exists in this historical coming-of-age story.

Acknowledgments: Thank you to Atria Books for my review copy!(less)

like · see review

Oct 23, 2011 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars

In the late 1800’s, fascination with other cultures was at a high point. The Chicago Exposition had drawn huge crowds. Explorers returned home with tales of exotic lands and treasures for collectors and museums. Wanting to be a part of this, Hale Gray finances a voyage to the South Pacific. His goal is to bring back not only artifacts but actual natives who he can then put on display and outdo his Chicago rival, Marshall Field. Assembling a team that includes his weak son Jethro and explorer Owe...more

1 like · like · see review

May 10, 2012 Jo rated it 3 of 5 stars

In the late 1800's the world has developed a voracious appetite for tribal artifacts. Owen Graves, a salvage and demolition expert from Chicago’s east side, is hired by an insurance magnate to fill a contract for artifacts and people on a collecting journey through the islands of the south Pacific. Using outstanding narrative, Dominic Smith takes the reader from bustling 1890's Chicago to the islands of the south pacific. He artfully weaves together the stories of Graves with that of Argus Nui,...more

like · see review

May 27, 2012 Sallie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really loved this book! It truly lived up to it's title and took me to "Bright and Distant Shores". It is so different and full of adventure! Not only did I not know much about Chicago in the 1890's or the islands of the South Pacific, I couldn't imagine how those two locales could possibly be part of the same story. But, in a magical way Dominic Smith manages it and spins a great yarn of exploration in directions both upward and outward. From the worlds highest sky scrapers to the world's mos...more

like · see review

Apr 12, 2012 Eileen Charbonneau rated it 4 of 5 stars

Bright and Distant Shores is told in a fulsome style that teems with both thoughtful substance and picturesque coarseness. Graves and Niu are the perfect guides to Chicago and the South Seas. Of his employer’s mentally unbalanced son, Graves speculates that he seems the kind who “spent his life walking out of rooms in the middle of arguments.” But it is Argus Niu who steals every scene he’s in, as he navigates between worlds and forges his own philosophy, trying to combine his new religion while...more

like · see review

Jan 03, 2012 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this entertaining book about Chicago in the late 1800's. Owen Graves sets off to collect handicrafts from the South Seas for an insurance magnate to use in his new skyscraper. He is also to bring back some natives to use in an exhibition. The characters that Owen meets on this voyage are quite colorful. He is saddled with the very odd son of the magnate who creates problems from start to finish. The two "natives" that Owen brings back turn out to be not what he expected....more

like · see review

Nov 02, 2011 Sharron rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

At the end of the nineteenth century, Hale Gray, a Chicago insurance magnate, sponsors an expedition into the South Seas to seek out native weaponry and handicrafts, as well as several natives for a planned lavish museum. Drawn into this scheme, are Owen Graves, an itinerant trader hoping to make his own fortune and establish himself as worthy of the woman to whom he has recently proposed; Jethro Gray, the magnate’s son, a young man with visions of becoming a naturalist; and a native brother and...more

like · see review

Dec 29, 2011 Dianne rated it 4 of 5 stars

I do love me a good historical novel, and this one really filled the bill. It moves from late 1890s Chicago to Melanesia, from big business tycoons to sailing captains and crews, to "savages" transported back to civilization. Our hero, Owen Graves, was orphaned in his young teens, found his way to sailing the world in search of artifacts for the museums in Chicago and learns a lot about life along the way.

Heavy on plot, lots of interesting characters, moral dilemmas and ambiguous decisions...all...more

like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 Dr. rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone--all ages and especially men

This historical novel is very different to me than the norm. It is written by a man wih th mani character being a male. This gives a vry different perspective than a book written by a female or about a female.
This book is full of adventure and action---not boring historical facts that are flat. The facts are brought to life by brilliant writing creating a lively atmosphere.
This is an eduational book and men will enjoy it. It isn't full of boring politics and love stories only. it is full f adve...more

like · see review

May 12, 2012 Maryann rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was my book club's May selection, suggested after we read A Vintage Affair last year. The setting is Chicago just before the turn of the 19th century and a sea voyage to the South Pacific, financed by an insurance mogul for artifacts to rival Marshall Field's museum. The book paints a vivid picture of life aboard the ship, interactions with the native islanders and the events that unfold upon returning to the city. The theme of progress and it's ramifications is evident but without an agend...more

like · see review

Jan 13, 2012 Carla Ford rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this novel! It is filled with history, drama, love and friendship, and is so well written that it's easy to just fall into the world of Owen and Adelaide. Set in Chicago in the 1890's, the novel takes us on a ship journey to foreign lands in search of artifacts as Owen is hired by an insurance magnate, Hale Gray, to undertake the voyage on his behalf. There are a couple of surprise developments before the voyage even begins, the details of the cargo present a dilemma, and Gray's son is t...more

like · see review

Nov 28, 2012 Don rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

The book is set in the late 1890s, just before the turn of the century, and spans from the skyscrapers of Chicago to the seas of the South Pacific. The characters themselves are just as sweeping as the landscapes, including an insurance magnate and his odd son, a house-wrecker from the wrong side of town, a museum secretary who comes from "old money," an eccentric ship captain, a siblings from Melanesia, one who is a converted Christian after serving as a butler for a Presbyterian minister and m...more

like · see review

Feb 04, 2012 Teresa Lukey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-it, 2012-top-10, 5-stars, i-learned-something, must-share-with-friends, my-absolute-fav-s

Bright and Distant Shores opens and closes in Chicago and sure to please any lover of that city. It is history, love and adventure all rolled up in to on lovely package that will not disappoint.

The story opens in the summer of 1897 at the opening of Chicago First Equitable, the world's tallest skyscraper at 28-stories. The owner of this skyscraper, Hale Gray would like to have a unique "show" on the rooftop in order to attract people to the building in order to sell more insurance policies. The...more Bright and Distant Shores opens and closes in Chicago and sure to please any lover of that city. It is history, love and adventure all rolled up in to on lovely package that will not disappoint.

The story opens in the summer of 1897 at the opening of Chicago First Equitable, the world's tallest skyscraper at 28-stories. The owner of this skyscraper, Hale Gray would like to have a unique "show" on the rooftop in order to attract people to the building in order to sell more insurance policies. The driving force behind this vision is a fierce competition with another local collector and magnate, Marshall Field.

Hale enlists a young adventurer, Owen Graves, to procure him artifacts as well as "savages" for his show. This requires Owen to sail on a boat through the South Pacific, leaving Adelaide, his fiance behind, giving him some anxiety since he has already delayed their marriage for years. Owen also knows that, Adelaide, would not approve of the idea of bringing savages to Chicago after events that occurred during the 1893 World's Colombian Expedition, but the monetary reward is too great for Owen to turn this opportunity down, seeing it as his chance to provide a solid footing with Adelaide, who grew up privileged.

Thus starts the adventure through the South Pacific, where there are vivid descriptions of the islands in which they travel and the indigenous they encounter. We learn about "faux-pa's" crew members make with the indigenous tribes, we get a feel for their personalities and how they interact with one another. Through the journey, Owen finds himself babysitting Jethro, Hale Gray's son, who has been sent on the trip to find himself and collect specimens. Jethro causes quite a few problems on the trip and descents into madness by the trips completion.

Throughout the South Seas adventure, Owen and Adelaide manage to stay in contact. Even though the voyage is amazing, I always felt like I wanted Owen to go back to Adelaide. I just wanted Owen to be done with this voyage and find a happy life with Adelaide, which, of course, is the same thing Adelaide desires.

This is a fabulous book with wonderful imagery and an eloquent writing style. A must read!(less)

like · see review

Jul 07, 2011 Zinta rated it 5 of 5 stars

Since I met the author, Dominic Smith, in 2006 for an interview in Austin, Texas, to talk about his then newly published first novel, The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre—I was working on an article for the alumni magazine of a Michigan liberal arts college—I have been enthralled with his work. Not a chance that I would miss any of his books. And by now, there are three.

Bright and Distant Shores is Smith’s third novel, and it will be available September 2011. I rocked on my heels in glee when m...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jun 15, 2012 Gene rated it 5 of 5 stars

Set in the 1890's, this ia a fine work of historical fiction about the development of private museums in Chicago and the impact of missionaries and artfact traders on the lives of people in the southern Pacific Isles. Set in Chicago, it describes the city's culture and class system through the eyes of a working- class seaman, a wealthy progressive woman who volunteers at Hull House, and a Pacific islander who was educated by a Scottish missionary. Great characters and a lively plot move this alo...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 14, 2011 Micwrites added it

This is a sprawling historical novel based in Chacago and spanning around the globe that tells the story of an expedition into the South Seas for tribal artifacts. Central to the story are orphans Owen Graves and Argus Niu, a houseboy in the New Hebrides. Smith's story beautifully depicts the two very different worlds and the intereactions of its characters. It is a colossal work that I found very tough to get into but once I did it was fascinating.

like · see review

Nov 08, 2011 Katelin rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who enjoy time pieces

Recommended to Katelin by: Goodreads Giveaway

I really enjoyed reading this book. There is no doubt that Dominic Smith is an excellent descriptive writer, however, I did become slightly bored here and there. As much as I enjoyed reading this book, I cannot say that I loved it. I felt that the last chapter or two fell a little short. For such an elaborate attention to detail, the story behind all of the well written chapters seemed to be lacking just a bit. I lent the book to a co-worker who was really enthused about the book when she first...more

like · see review

Jan 05, 2012 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, goodreads-authors, first-reads

What a great adventure this is! Sea trips in old sailing ships, expeditions to collect artifacts, including native people, to put on display in Chicago, a clash of wealth and poverty, men of hubris and dedicated to lives of one-upmanship. This novel is filled with lovely (although not always loveable), quirky characters, wonderful prose, and a terrific story line. It's all the better for its glimpses of history, Chicago and the world on the brink of the 20th century. Occasionally, the writing wa...more

like · see review

Jun 21, 2012 Monica rated it 4 of 5 stars

I grew up in Chicago just 3 blocks from where the 1893 Worlds Fair was, and really enjoyed reading about Chicago in the 1890s. Aside from Chicago, much of the book takes place in the South Pacific where Owen Graves, who had been a collector since he was a small boy and went along with his dad to demolish buildings, goes to trade and seek his fortune.

like · see review

Dec 11, 2011 maven rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-book, attempted-but-quit, fiction, historical-fiction, united-states, midwest, chicago, traveling, pacific, 1800s

I really wanted to like this book. The reviews of it seemed good, and the story sounded really interesting. The writing was certainly detailed, but it felt so flat, like there wasn't any emotion behind it. This made the people feel like robots, and the story was just too predictable. It also felt like convenient little details were tacked on everywhere, without a proper backstory. A lot of telling, not showing, basically. Very disappointing.

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 45 46 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (3)

Genres

Historical Fiction

36 users

Adventure

6 users

Book Club

3 users

Adult

2 users

Literature > 19th Century

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Dominic Smith

Dominic grew up in Sydney, Australia and now lives in Austin, Texas. His short fiction has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and appeared in numerous journals and magazines, including The Atlantic Monthly.

Dominic is the author of three novels, most recently of "Bright and Distant Shores," which was a selection for Kirkus Reviews' "Best Books of 2011," and shortlisted for Australia's Vance Palmer...more

More about Dominic Smith...

Books by Dominic Smith

Paediatrics at a Glance (Blackwell's at a Glance) (Blackwell's at a Glance)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Bright and Distan...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Bright and Distant Shores
avg rating	preview: Bright and Distant Shores Goodreads rating: 3.55 (191 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10200595-bright-and-distant-shores?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1304486938l/10200595.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10200595-bright-and-distant-shores?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Bright and Distant Shores by Dominic Smith[/url]

Bright and Distant Shores

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website