The Rapids

by Alan Sullivan

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348 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1920

About the author

Edward Alan Sullivan was a Canadian poet and author of short stories.

Born in St. George's Rectory, Montreal, he was the oldest son of Edward Sullivan and Frances Mary Renaud. In 1869, his father became rector of Trinity Church, Chicago. The family lived to the city in 1871, and thus witnessed the Great Chicago Fire. When he was 15, he began attending Loretto in Musselburgh, Scotland, a famous school for boys. On his return to Canada, he attended the School of Practical Science, Toronto. After this he did railway exploration work in the West, and later worked in mining. He was assistant engineer in the Clergue enterprises at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario for a year and a half, before the organization of the Consolidated Lake Superior Company. Subsequently he spent several years as a mining engineer in the Lake of the Woods district during the period of its gold exploitation.

He gained recognition in the United States through his poems, short stories and comprehensive articles on various themes. These frequently appeared in Harper's Magazine, the Atlantic Monthly, and other leading American periodicals. In 1941 he won the Governor General's Award for English language fiction for the novel Three Came to Ville Marie.

Reviews

[Alonzo Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Clark, dreamer, entrepreneur, comes to the Canadian town of St Mary’s after hearing a chance comment on train. The town is little — but next to a spectacular rapids that is a natural wonder — and a great source of power just waiting to be harnessed for industry.

It’s 1920. Nature is not going to win. St. Mary’s may be Eden, but it is the destiny of Men of Destiny to exploit it. Whether Clark wins depends on financiers, speculators, and whether his vision will actually pay.

A good read.