The order of good cheer

a novel

No cover

Bill Gaston: The order of good cheer (2008, House of Anansi Press)

391 pages

English language

Published Feb. 20, 2008 by House of Anansi Press.

ISBN:
978-0-88784-200-9
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OCLC Number:
184738474

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When all is despair, and hope is near lost, what is the one event that perks up man’s spirits so that he may carry in on the face of adversity? Apparently, a party.

At least, that’s what the two protagonists in Bill Gaston’s extraordinary new novel The Order of Good Cheer would have us believe. And as one of the two is legendary explorer Samuel de Champlain, allowing Gaston the benefit of a doubt would seem appropriate.

The Order of Good Cheer, aside from being co-opted by Gaston for his title, was a series of feast nights begun by Champlain in the settlement of Annapolis Royal in 1607. After a harsh experience with the perils of the Canadian wilderness, Champlain’s idea was to hold a meal to celebrate “our new home, and our own good company, and the good cheer that God provides.”

Such feasts became legendary, and may also …

Subjects

  • Champlain, Samuel de, -- 1567-1635 -- Fiction