For a short story, this has a lot of characters and a lot of information to keep track of.

I didn’t find the overall plot very interesting and the writing was full of descriptive sentences. So much so that I felt bogged down in the writing and never connected with the story.

Thank you to the Author Sarah Stonich, the publisher Minnesota Press, and NetGalley for giving me an ARC in I exchange for my candid review.

I believe that I received only the first chapter of this book as an ARC, but it was compelling enough that I purchased the book.

A very quirky, but real look into a small community located in the northern wilds of Minnesota on the edge of a wilderness reservation. The reserve is totally uninhabited with the exception of one man, Rauri, who is grandfathered for his lifetime as long as he does not leave it for longer than one month.

The book opens with the town wanting to know the exact date that the ice melted in the waterways. But the only person who is deemed worthy to judge the date is Rauri, as he is locked onto his island until the ice thaws. But where is Rauri? He is late and everyone starts to speculate about where he is. Is is wounded and alone on the island? Is he dead? But who should go out there and see?

There is an upcoming wedding, the aftermath of a tragedy, and many realistic life challenges that unfold in this book.. It is a compelling read and show true insight into the challenges and demons that can affect people's lives. And it tells about how we don't always make the right decision about our loved ones.

The characters are quirky and real and the interaction of the small town, which at any one time can be annoying and intrusive and yet endearing and tender.

This is a compelling read and well worth it. Congratulations to Sarah Stonich for writing a wonderful book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

I’m so sorry but I just didn’t enjoy this book. It is just not what I thought it was going to be and I could not finish it. I hate that it was not what I expected and I wish so bad I would not have asked for it. I hate to leave a review that is not rave but I in all good conscience can’t with this one. I was highly disappointed.

It’s only a 2 star for me and I would recommend it to anyone that likes this type of book. It was just not for me.

This is the second novel that I have read by Sarah Stonich. I really enjoyed this book. Great lovable characters, the storyline was terrific and held my interest throughout the book. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author, and would recommend her to family and friends. Thank you for my advance copy I really enjoyed this book. Great lovable characters, the storyline was terrific and held my interest throughout the book. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author, and would recommend her to family and friends. Thank you for my advance copy

Every story needs a hook, and for Laurentian Divide it's the question of what happened to Rauri Paar, the odd man who winters alone on his island. His appearance heralds the true return of spring to the residents of Hatchet Inlet. But the answer to that question is not nearly as interesting as the stories of the people who are asking it. There's: the widower who's about to marry the woman nearly 20 years his junior (they're deeply in love); his son, the veterinarian who's also a recovering alcoholic; and his fiancee, who's dealing with a mother with major dementia and reeling from the loss of her neice, who was killed in a drunk driving accident. These are the people who tell the story, of their past and their present, that color the book in shades of ice blue and the green of new buds.

Unlike other books small-town books, I never got a sense of the town itself, although the larger scenery of Minnesota on the Canadian border comes through vividly (it may have helped that I was there not long ago). As for what happened to Rauri Paar, the answer is appropriately anticlimactic, serving to satisfy the the curiosity of both reader and town, without overshadowing the characters the reader has come to identify with. The revelation also allows the book to come to a graceful, natural ending. I was pleased to learn that this is the second book in a planned trilogy, although it can be read alone; I'll almost certainly pick up the first one, and I'll be looking for the third when it comes out.

First of all, I'd like to point out this is a second book in this series. The first one is called Vacationland which I plan on reading soon before the 3rd book comes out. With that being said, let's move on.

This book isn't any of the action, thriller, suspense, horror, or romance genre. I have no idea what to call this genre.



It is a novel of an ordinary small town located in Northern Minnesota of ordinary people. Laurentide Divide has a rich setting full of colors, quirkiness, and humor. The characters in this fictionalized little town were delightful to read.
Very relatable. I laughed, I cried, I frowned and I smiled with them.

What makes this book unique and enjoyable? The lives of the people which at the moment are being held together by politics, cultures, tragedies, hope and love. There are several plots in this book richly interwoven together. I actually felt immersed in this community even though it's not real.

I intend to read the first book, Vacationland before the 3rd book comes out. I cannot wait for it to come out.



I'd give it a 4 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.



Do yourself a favor and get this book. It's worth the heart warming, feel good, and a whole lot of thinking everything!

I received this ARC from University of Minnesota Press through Net Galley and Bookish First in exchange for my unbiased and honest review. Thank you

Laurentian Divide is book two in Sarah Stonich's Northern Trilogy set in the far north resort town of Hatchet Inlet, Minnesota. I would highly recommend reading book one, Vacationland, first as it introduces many of these characters.

The story opens with a transcript of the polka service sermon from November. Pastor Dan is a rip and doesn't mind getting political, talking about welcoming immigrants and denigrating 'fools making noise about building walls. That is what we've come to,' he says. "I want to think here in Hatchet Inlet we are better than that.' Pastor Dan is my kind of guy!

Now on to the story: the local crowd at Pavlova's cafe are wondering when recluse, Rauri, will make his appearance now that the ice has thawed. Rauri is the local harbinger of spring and the townspeople lay bets on the exact day he'll show up. But spring is moving along with no sign of Rauri. Did something happen to him over the winter? Who will volunteer to go find out? It's a rough 3-hour trip with canoeing and portages.

Meanwhile waitress Sissy will soon marry Alpo Lahti, a widower twenty years her senior. His son Pete, the local vet, has been in and out of rehab for alcoholism. Will it stick this time so he can see more of his kids?

These characters and others ring true to life; you're sure to run into some of them at your local greasy spoon. They are a close-knit group who quarrel amongst themselves and still resent 'incomers' even after 25 years.

The rustic setting again plays a role in the story. They are up by Lake Superior, just a hairsbreadth away from Canada, where deer and other wild animals abound, where tourists annoy locals but are the life's blood of the town.

If you've ever spent any time in the upper Midwest (Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin), you'll recognize this land and its people. Oh! And the pasties!

I'm looking forward to the last book in the trilogy now. What will happen to our new-found friends? Sarah Stonich is a fine writer who draws the reader into the story and makes you care deeply about these people, their joys and their sorrows.

Many thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for providing me with access to an arc of this delightful new book.

Sarah’s Stonich’s writing has been compared to books by Richard Russo and the similarity is valid insofar as they both write about everyday people and their day to day lives. A son or daughter who has succumbed to substance abuse, a spouse coping after the loss of their mate, a small town that survives on the latest gossip. Everyone in Hatchet Inlet knows the score and the players. There is nothing special about any of them and that is what makes this book such a wonder.

As Pastor Huttala exhorts to his congregation on the opening pages in his Polka Service Sermon, welcome strangers, sit down and share a coffee with the lonely, listen to someone’s grief, don’t turn away, just listen. Pretty basic stuff which makes for a great book with characters like Alpo and his son Pete; Sissy her dog, Jeff, her sister Laurie, and their mother Louise who is barely holding on to her mind, and the missing Rauri Paar, who may or may not be dead.

Great writing that allowed for a chuckle, a tear, a shake of the head and a whole lot of thinking in between. Thank you NetGalley and the University of Minnesota Press for a copy.

Laurentian Divide is about the lives of the people of a small (and very cold in winter) town in northern Minnesota called Hatchet Inlet. The interesting characters in this town and the way their life stories unfold keeps your interest as well as some surprises along the way. The characters, while very original, are very believable and likeable. I attribute this to the author’s writing style and authentic dialog. Two key events are occupying the residents of this town. One of their more eccentric residents is missing after his typical winter hibernation and a popular waitress in town is getting married to a much older local man. I discovered that this is the second book in a trilogy about the town, the first is titled Vacationland. I intend to read the first book as I am hooked on these characters and the author’s ability to bring them to life.

The author, Richard Russo, recommended this book and if you’ve enjoyed his stories about small towns in upstate New York, I think you’ll enjoy this book as well.

My thanks to Netgalley for an early opportunity to read this book.

The plot of this book, set in northern Minnesota, revolves around all of the citizens awaiting the arrival of Rauri Paar to town, so spring can officially begin. Rauri lives way off from civilization, alone in the snow and woods. When he returns to town every spring, the citizens relax and welcome spring. This particular spring Rauri does not return and everyone wonders why. Each citizen deals with the news differently. The story then becomes a slice of life tale of northern Minnesota. The citizens are mildly interesting, but the author takes too long to tell the story. Her writing is very beautiful, though, and is filled with descriptive imagery.

This story has at its hub recluse Rauri Paar whose reappearance in the northern Minnesota community of Hatchet Inlet usually heralds the return of spring. This year he is late and that leads to wild speculation on the part of the town's inhabitants.


This is a captivating look at life in a small town, with unforgettable characters dealing with their own problems and just trying to survive day to day. They reflect on their own lives, the good parts and the bad, while striving to do better and become the person they want to be. Just like any small town, right?


Highly recommended! ttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show/254862354

Beautiful descriptions of the characters and the setting transport the reader to Minnesota. The writing in this book reminds me of an American Fredrik Backman (and that's a good thing!) I enjoyed the somewhat quirky characters and their interactions. The story meanders a bit but it all seems in keeping with the general theme of the book. It's an entertaining read.

The community in far northern Minnesota of Hatchet Inlet, verging on the wilderness park of Laurentian Reserve, is very small but closer than most families. Most years they endure 7 months of winter, and celebrate summer and the joys of each other - but also they share the sorrow and sense of loss encountered in the lives of their kin and neighbors. All mourn the presence of early onset alzheimer's that has hit Louise Pavola so very hard. Now in Senor Cedars nursing home, she is rarely 'there' though they all visit often.

We visit the inlet community in May as they watch the ice break up in the bay, and worry that the hermit Rauri Paar should have been to town by now - they hope he is not dead - or maybe he's just not alive. 'Spring is here' or 'Rauri's back' are synonymous. "Some folks won't set seedlings in their windowsills until they've seen the whites of Rauri's eyes." And the big betting pool for officially guessing the iceout time and date is waiting at Palova's Diner. Rauri always shows up to officially set the time and winner, and ice has been out on the big lake for four days, now.

Fear of death rides them all heavily this year - last fall they lost two of their own, young women just approaching adulthood. Kelly Rantala and Jessica Wiirtinen were best friends, always together, and together lost their lives in a tipsy road accident. Every citizen of Hatchet Inlet lost a child they loved and watched grow into adulthood, or a fellow student, or a favorite babysitter. No heart is left whole.

It had been a hard winter, longer than most. But better times are coming - Pete Lahti, veterinarian, and Meg Machutova, artist - both in their 40's- are back, perhaps to stay. Alpo Lahti and Sissy Pavola will soon marry. Someone is going to win the kitty for iceout eventually. This year it is a little over two grand. Pete Lahti has been sober this time for over six months. And Laurentian Reserve is officially 100% wilderness and free of combustion engines with the only exception the three small islands owned by Rauri, which revert to the state on his death, or if he leaves the island for longer than two months time. But he can't be dead. Or not alive.

I love these stories from the snow-locked north. I choose to live in the desert foothills of the Sacramento Mountains, for the most part snow-free, but only 19 miles to visit the snow fields of Cloudcroft, NM at 9,000 feet. But reading of snowed in - that is wonderful. Specially when it's 106 degrees in August. And this was a wonderful book, any time of the year. The protagonists are perfect - well rounded people you feel that you know personally, and just a little bit crazy. The town and the Reserve are so well defined you could have already been there, and the story is tight. Laurentian Divide is the middle novel of trilogy, but completely stand alone. I will however be getting Vacationland as soon as possible and cannot wait for the conclusion novel.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Sarah Stonich, and the University of Minnesota Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

Librarian: This is a tricky one to determine the placement of. It doesn't really seem to fit in any particular genre, despite being full of tropes that belong predominantly to particular genres. That can cause a bit of difficulty in genrefying it. I'm honestly still not sure how I would genrefy it, even several days after finishing it. The way it defies genre convention, may make it difficult to get it into the hands of the readers who will most appreciate it. Which would be a pity, because it is a truly fantastic book. The settings feel real and lived in, and the characters feel like real people you could meet on any street corner. This is a worthy addition to a collection.
Reader: I didn't realize that this was the second book in a series until after I was already a decent way through. That being said, I don't feel like I missed much. You can enter into this novel without having read the first book, and you can exit It with no plans to read the next. That said, you'll probably want to. I know I do. I look forward to my next trip back.

Full disclosure: I’m grateful to NetGalley for the free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I give this book 4 stars.

This is the second book in the series, but I enjoyed it on its own and had no trouble connecting with the characters. Being from Minnesota myself, I felt at home in the setting and with the characters. In some ways it’s like Garrison Keillor’s Lake Woebegone with the small-town feel, neighbors who’ve known each other for generations, and neighbors who’d been there for 25 years and were still considered outsiders.

Read this book when you have time to relax and read this leisurely, savoring the quiet setting of rural northern Minnesota. I’m already looking forward to Stonich’s next book.

This is a difficult book to categorise. There is a core story to it, but mostly it's a meandering tale of interwoven lives, and the deeply personal truths of the characters. Fragments that might be perceived as annoying digressions, in a different book, become pieces of a rich tapestry thanks to to skill of the writer. I haven't read the first book in the series (this is book 2) but it didn't feel like I was missing anything. There is quite a big cast of characters, but they own their individuality so well, it was easy to keep track of who was who, and indeed this is very much a character driven novel. I didn't find it to be consistently a page turner, but certain places definitely were.

This book is amazing! It has everything, but especially is rich in wonderful characters who are just beginning to come out of winter. In the Minnesota town of Hatchet Inlet which has terrible winters, it is situated at end of the wilderness in a place known as Laurentian Divide.

As spring ensues, the town comes back to life with most everyone there having lived their whole lives.
At the restaurant known as Pavola's, everyone is talking about Rauri Parr who is the last landowner in the reserve and who they think has gone missing. He lives out on an island and they only see him in spring and summer and then he goes back to his island for the harsh winters. Everyone gauges everything by Rauri's appearance at the first sign of spring when all the ice is melting in the river and he is able to get there.

This book has so many good characters in it like Sissy, who has worked at the restaurant since she was young and now is getting married for the first time in her life and she is in her 40's. Her sister works there, Pete the veterinarian, and his father Alpo are there, along with a whole list of characters. Sissy is marrying Pete's father Alpo, and they are quite concerned where Rauri may be.

This book is rich in not only characters, but tales of things that may be in the past but kept alive by the characters. We get a glimpse into all these people, as the plot rolls on and their lives and problems. It is a great story and I loved reading about Laurentian Divide, the past and the present and the future of these people. the ending of this book is great, but I will say no more, but like the book itself so many unexpected things happen that will endear you to this group of people

I gave this book 5 stars and Sarah Stonich is now on my list of must read authors!

From the first page, Laurentian Divide was a delight to read. Immediately, I felt a connection to the town of Hatchet Inlet and the characters that weave in and out of each other's lives in the small Minnesota town near the Canadian border. In the book, Sissy and widower Alpo, twenty years her senior, prepare for their upcoming wedding. The town needs a celebration after a tragedy the fall before that rocked the community. Tragedy threatens the town again when Rauri Paar, the last private landowner in the Laurentian Reserve, fails to make his annual appearance at the beginning of spring. Pete, Alpo's son, a recovering alcoholic, navigates his own minefield trying to stay sober.

Stonich writes beautifully, and she expertly creates a millieu believable and sympathetic. With good-natured humor and an appreciation for the foibles of Hatchet Inlet's residents, she compellingly sketches themes surrounding trust, secrets, and forgiveness. Sissy, who has always worked at her family's diner, questions her calling and attacks the future with determined persistence. Alpo, who was exempt from the Vietnam War due to his employment in a vital war industry, struggles to justify his dispensation. Peter, who has left a trail of devastation in his wake, must learn to live in a society with constant temptation.

The Laurentian Reserve, a million acres of wilderness, and a site of peace and renewal, provides the backdrop to the story, and a history of forty-years of conflict over land use represents a microcosm of environmental debates, and I like to think comes down on the side of protecting the land for future generations. One of my favorite aspects of the novel is the ubiquity of dogs and their presence as family members, exhibited most charmingly, by Jeff, Sissy's dog, and in her mind, the most handsome man in town.

In Laurentian Divide, even the most peripheral characters matter, even if they don't realize it, and are bound to the community. Their absence matters, and key events reverberate through the residents. Despite the challenges, they remain interconnected, and the novel concludes on a hopeful note.

When I was reading the book, it reminded me of Richard Russo, who also so skillfully renders small town living, and it wasn't too surprising to me to later see that he had provided an endorsement for Laurentian Divide. It was truly a book I was sorry to finish. I didn't want to leave the people of Hatchet Inlet.

Luckily for me, this is the second in a planned trilogy centered on the denizens of the area. I have not read the first, Vacationland, though I plan to, and I eagerly await the third.

I didn’t realize this was the second of a Northern Trilogy when I requested it, but as soon as I realized it, I decided to read Vacationland, the first of the series. Vacationland consists of short stories about characters within the same community whose lives cross paths throughout the years. The characters I read about in Vacationland appear again in Laurentian Divide. It’s probably not necessary to read the first of the trilogy, but it does provide some background information for the second book of the series.

Laurentian Divide mainly focuses on two important events in Hatchet Inlet. One is the wedding of Sissy and Alpo, a local couple who are marrying late in life, and the other is the whereabouts of the last landowner in the Reserve, Rauri Parr.

The locals each face different struggles and Stonich successfully captures the sense of a small town community and how the people come together to help each other. They know everything about each other--but in some ways they don’t know anything at all.

Alpo’s son Pete, the local veterinarian, is a prominent character in the novel as he struggles to maintain sobriety. Pete provides readers with some apprehension when he goes of in search of Rauri on the day before the wedding. I really enjoyed Pete’s story line.

Another character not to miss is Louise, the mother of the bride. Louise is suffering from some form of dementia and lives in a home for senior adults. She often says things that others discount as a symptom of the illness. Well, trust me on this--pay attention to Louise! She turns out to be the life of the party at the wedding.

This is an enjoyable novel and one that will be a favorite to read in order to capture a sense of the Minnesota area near the Canadian border.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the University of Minnesota Press for allowing me to read an advance copy and offer my honest review.

I didn't realize this book was the second in a trilogy until after I finished it, Sarah Stonich did such a fantastic job of seamlessly blending events from the first book in with the plot of Laurentian Divide. I thought what I was getting was going to a boring book about some people way up north going out to find a hermit that didn't come off of his island at the change of the season like he was supposed to. I was so far off the mark. Laurentian Divide is a beautifully poignant deep character dive of multiple different individualized people that are dealing with grief, childhood traumas, substance abuse, love and forgiveness, and land/political issues. It's such an effortless read and endlessly surprising. I don't often go back and read first novels when I'm given advanced reader copies but I'm making an exception with this one because the characters are so lovable that just one book isn't going to be enough, do yourself a favor and read this book.