The Revenant is a fictional tale based on the real life account of Hugh Glass, a trapper who was attacked by a grizzly bear and then left for dead by the men who had been left to care for him.
This story is so gripping. From the explosive opening moments until the very last page, the reader is practically swept up into the action.
Not only are the men in The Revenant struggling with each other, but Nature herself has a huge role in this survival tale. If the characters aren’t freezing, they’re starving or looking for a safe place to sleep.
This is a particularly excellent read for a cold winter night with a cup of something hot to drink near your elbow.
This would have been a five star read except for the ridiculously unsatisfying conclusion.
It felt like The Revenant suddenly turned from a survival/adventure/revenge story into a tame morality play.
I realize that it is a morality play the whole time, but with all the action and nail-biting tension, it doesn’t “feel” like one until the ending- which I won’t ruin for you, except to say that it was very lame.
My husband read a version of this story called Lord Grizzly when he was in college so, while I was into this one, we were comparing notes on the differences between the two works.
Although varying in small details, the major arcs were the same. I felt as if The Revenant did a better job of building the tension than Lord Grizzly but we both agreed that the ending to the story (in both books) was a let-down.
If you enjoyed reading The Revenant, you may enjoy The Knife of Never Letting Go. Though not based on a true story, it shares the traveling-through-the-wilderness feel and tension of this book.
I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads. FTC guidelines: check!
And thanks for reading!
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