"In the fall of 1983, Patricia Van Tighem and Trevor Janz are newlyweds. Young, successful people - he's in medical school and she's a surgical nurse, they take some time off work to go spend a weekend in the wilds of Waterton Lakes National Park, in the Canadian Rockies.
Having camped in the snow, they're hiking down a trail when suddenly they encounter a grizzly and her cubs fedding on a carcass. The huge bear attacks Trevor first. Patricia is powerless to help him and climbs a tree. But suddenly the bear turns and charges right up her perch, reaching up to swat her out of the tree. Patricia will never forget the feeling as the grizzly chews on her head.
When the attack stops as suddenly as it began, the couple of course feel great relief. They'll get themselves back to a ranger station, where they're helped. Janz recovers quickly. But Van Tighem will have a tough time of it. She'll need surgery after surgery to repair damage done to her face. Eventually, she loses one eye that was crushed by the bear.
They go on to do some traveling, living for a time in New Zealand, and starting a family. They already have one daughter when Van Tighem gives birth to twins, one of whom it turns out has Downs symdone. This will prove very difficult for Patricia. Eventually she'll spend some time in a mental institution. It's only there that she tries to recover.
"
Ann Gaines, Resident Scholar
Click above for the new Obama Girl Parody video!
Review Analysis of The Bear's Embrace
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Family, ill
Yes
Who?
- Daughter
because he/she is
- physically ill
Phys disability/mental struggle?
Yes
Struggle with
- mental illness
Which institution
- mental hospital
Life in an institution
Yes
Period of greatest activity?
- 1950+
Subject of Biography
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- doctor
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity
- White
Nationality
- Canadian
How sensitive is this person?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- missing body parts/abilities
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 6 (an above average amount)
The Americas (not US):
Yes
The Americas:
- Canada
Mountains/Cliffs
Yes
Mountains:
- climbing on trails
Century:
- 1980's-Present
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Unusual Style:
- a lot of flashback and forwards
Writer's slant towards subject:
- favorable
Story of entire life, or part?
- story of set of events during life
Autobiography?
Yes
Pictures/Illustrations?
- None
How much dialogue in bio?
- significantly more descript than dialog
How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life?
- 76%-100% of book
