num_pages: 140
description: Based on an Athabascan Indian legend passed along for many generations from mothers to daughters of the upper Yukon River Valley in Alaska, this is the suspenseful, shocking, ultimately inspirational tale of two old women abandoned by their tribe during a brutal winter famine.Though these women have been known to complain more than contribute, they now must either survive on their own or die trying. In simple but vivid detail, Velma Wallis depicts a landscape and way of life that are at once merciless and starkly beautiful. In her old women, she has created two heroines of steely determination whose story of betrayal, friendship, community and forgiveness "speaks straight to the heart with clarity, sweetness and wisdom" (Ursula K. Le Guin).
language: English
title: Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival
titlecomplete: Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival
characters: Sa', Two old Athabaskan women, Ch'idzigyaak
genres: Adventure, Nature, Historical, Native Americans, Survival, Folklore, Historical Fiction, Mythology, Fiction, Book Club
ratings_count: 14498
places: Alaska
awards: awardedAt: 725875200000
name: Western States Book Award, awardedAt: 757411200000
name: Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award
publisher: Perennial