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REVIEW: "Diamonds -- The Rush of '72"
ISBN: 978-1-4116-1088-0
by Johnny Frem Dixon

What a story! An intriguing tale that had me wondering all the way through about which of these vivid characters, each with so much at stake, would outwit the others, to make their fortune during the Diamond Rush that got everyone in California and as far away as New York, London and South Africa all fired up again with more of the same fever that heated up the Gold Rush. I read it this summer as I was heading by car with my business partner up into the Northwest Territories of Canada to visit with an old flame of his, whose husband works as an engineer at the huge diamond mine in the middle of Great Bear Lake. There were a myriad of synchronicities between Sam North's book and our own adventure, so I can't be sure without prejudice if my rave review is a reflection of my incredulity with those co-incidences or simply an admiration for the writing.

The research must have been monumental. So many details to verify. No doubt there's a lot of room to lie. There are many detailed portraits of characters we allow Sam to invent since thier only purpose is to color the story. But there's also so much that had to be factual, since it's all based in a true episode of that rugged history. I understood so much more about the past I've come from and the aspirations of the wave of immigration to the West Coast of North America, because "Diamonds" took me right inside the people and their dreams.
The book moves smoothly and segues seamlessly from one character's point-of-view to another's. Just when you think you know what's going to happen next, there's another surprise. This book is a marvel.


Diamonds - The Rush of '72 by Sam North
ISBN: 978-1-4116-1088-0

Buy from Amazon.com
'a terrific piece of storytelling'
Historical Novel Society
Also printed in the UK
Amazon.co.uk
& Waterstones

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