Wild Geese

By Martha Ostenso

Book Overview

"Wild Geese" is a powerful and stark masterpiece of prairie realism that captures the harsh beauty of the Canadian landscape and the psychological intensity of rural life. Set in the isolated community of northern Manitoba, the novel centers on the Gare family and their domineering patriarch, Caleb Gare. Caleb is a man obsessed with his land and driven by a cruel desire for control over his wife and children, maintaining his authority through secrets and manipulation.

Against this backdrop of oppression, his daughter Judith Gare emerges as a symbol of defiance. Her yearning for freedom and passion contrasts sharply with her father's cold, calculated greed. The arrival of Lind Archer, a new schoolteacher, provides a fresh perspective on the family's internal struggles and the stifling atmosphere of the Gare household. Martha Ostenso expertly weaves a narrative of desire, repression, and the unforgiving power of nature. "Wild Geese" remains a landmark in North American literature for its uncompromising portrayal of the human spirit's struggle against tyranny and its evocative depiction of the vast, indifferent prairie.

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1026086647
• ISBN13: 9781026086643
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.2" x 0.5" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

Canada's Willa Cather.

In 1925, Martha Ostenso was a young student enrolled in a writing course at New York's Columbia University. Upon hearing that the publishers Dodd, Mead, and Company were holding a contest for the best North American novel she decided to return to Winnipeg Manitoba and devote herself to winning the prize. From her rented room, she completed the draft of Wild Geese in a mere six weeks. Her submission beat out 1,389 competitors to win, and became her first of many published novels.Wild Geese is the story of the Gares, a very secluded rural family that is presided over by the tyrrannical father/husband Caleb Gare. He subjects them to what can only be described as daily slavery... fiercely suppressing anything that does not contribute to his maniacal tilling of the land. Because of Caleb's selfish need for constant control and domination of others, freedom of expression is not allowed in the Gare household. But this does not set well at all for his fiery tigress of a daughter (Judith) and their live-in schoolteacher Lind Archer. Together, these two women represent the hope of passion, the power of beauty, and the occasional whiff of perfume amidst the manure of Caleb's machinations. Will he be able to ultimately thwart his daughter's freedom? Will Caleb be able to destroy Lind's lover with the terrible secret that only he and his wife know about? Not until the VERY last pages do we really know the answers to those questions, and Ostenso does a great job of keeping the reader interested up to that point and beyond.She is very much in the style of Willa Cather who also wrote of the windswept plains of the early 1900's. If you enjoy Cather's well-known "O Pioneers" or "My Antonia" I think you will really enjoy Wild Geese.

A true story

While visiting in the area that this book is from,the interlake of Manitoba,Canada,I met a few of the people who can identify the true life characters who were the models for this epic.It is a true saga.I found the story that more captivating for this knowledge. It delves into the human spirit especially in the harsh early years of the building of the nations.

A very good read.

I thought this was a really good book. I read it in one sitting. The characters are believable and well-written. You can totally become engrossed in their lives. It's a powerful story about how people can not only endure, but overcome, oppression and tyranny.

The story of a very courageous woman named Judith Gare.

The gripping story of a woman named Judith Gare, who possessed a fiery passion and courage that enabled her to withstand her father's tyrannical rule. A very well written and powerful book about the strength of the human spirit. A definite must read.