From Finland to Astoria

Deep River by Karl Marlantes; 2019; $30.00; 724 pages; Atlantic Monthly Press, New York, NY; 978-0-8021-2538-5; purchased from SmileAmazon.com because I wanted to read it before having it signed at the Portland Book Festival, Novemeber 9, 2019; 10/3/19-10/11/19

I have read two previous book by Karl Marlantes and they were a joy to read so when I heard that he was going to be at the Portland Book Festival on November 9 I picked up newest book.  
This is the story of a Finnish family who immigrate to the state of Washington.  Some are loggers, some are fishermen, one is a labor organizer for the IWW and one seems to do whatever they need to to survive.  They come in waves for various reasons.  There is a lot of Finnish history, along with history of the labor movement in the United States during the early part of the twentieth century.  The Russian occupation of Finland and World War I are important events in the book.  The history of Astoria, Oregon takes center stage at one point. The characters are fully drawn and compelling.  The motivation for each character is different and makes sense for that character.  I would strongly recommend it if you are a fan of family histories.  

10/10