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74th out of 84 books
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179 voters
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Dancing at the Rascal Fair
by
Ivan Doig
Ivan Doig's supple tale of land seekers unfolds into a fateful contest of the heart between Anna Ramsay and Angus McCaskill, walled apart by their obligations as they and their stormy kith and kin vie to tame the brutal, beautiful Two Medicine country. This is the central volume in Doig's acclaimed Montana series. National ads/media.
Paperback, 416 pages
Published
September 11th 1996
by Scribner
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I was moved by the reflective voice of the narrative. There were many elements that make this a five star book for me. First, the writing is poetic and delicately stated.
Second, the history of the setting places the story in a very nostalgic period of American homesteading. I love the setting. For some reason I feel particularly connected to the late 1800's and early 1900's. The wild Montana frontier life during this period fascinates me and completely captured my imagination in this nove...more
Second, the history of the setting places the story in a very nostalgic period of American homesteading. I love the setting. For some reason I feel particularly connected to the late 1800's and early 1900's. The wild Montana frontier life during this period fascinates me and completely captured my imagination in this nove...more
Readers who love Norman MacLean (A River Runs Through It) and Wallace Stegner (Angle of Repose, Crossing to Safety) will appreciate Ivan Doig. In the voice of a young Scottish immigrant to Montana, he writes a novel about making a life. Acts of God and very human choices intersect against a backdrop of homesteading, sheepherding, the newly-created National Forest Service, World War I, influenza, and always the manic and skulking weather. Doig spins a tale that is not easy or light but very b...more
Wow, what a book. It's a prequel to the first book in Doig's trilogy and I decided to read it first. But I have a feeling I would have gotten more out of it reading it second as it reads very much like a background to a later story.
It took me a long, long time to get into this book. I picked it up and dropped it a few times and finally finished it after about 4 or 5 months. But once the love story got going, it hooked me until the end. Yes, I found some of it hard to believe and I neve...more
It took me a long, long time to get into this book. I picked it up and dropped it a few times and finally finished it after about 4 or 5 months. But once the love story got going, it hooked me until the end. Yes, I found some of it hard to believe and I neve...more
Another perfect story about the early days of Montana from a native son who was raised in its country & then went to achieve a PhD in history, but clearly Montana has stayed in his soul. This story follows best friends, Angus & Rob, from their home in Scotland to the sheep country of northern Montana. The journey begins when they are 18 & follows them for the next 30 years. Doig writes about the land, its early Scottish settlers and the fierce task of homesteading with such a becautiful voice...more
3.5 stars
Rob Barclay and Angus McCaskill leave Scotland for Montana, where Rob’s uncle Lucas is “a miner.” But what they don’t know is that Lucas’s mine, aptly named the Great Maybe, is no more. In fact, Lucas lost his hands in the explosion and is now a saloonkeeper in a small town, Gros Ventre, with a Native American “housekeeper,” Nancy.
Once they find him, though, nothing will keep the boys from trying to make their fortunes along with Lucas. And he helps stake them. They h...more
Rob Barclay and Angus McCaskill leave Scotland for Montana, where Rob’s uncle Lucas is “a miner.” But what they don’t know is that Lucas’s mine, aptly named the Great Maybe, is no more. In fact, Lucas lost his hands in the explosion and is now a saloonkeeper in a small town, Gros Ventre, with a Native American “housekeeper,” Nancy.
Once they find him, though, nothing will keep the boys from trying to make their fortunes along with Lucas. And he helps stake them. They h...more
This is the "central" or second-written book in Doig's Montana Trilogy, but within the trilogy's chronology it's a prequel to English Creek -- telling the story of the beginning of the McCaskill family in Montana. It starts with Angus' immigration from Scotland in 1889 and covers until 1919. Angus and his friend Rob both emigrate as 19 year olds, and much of the book is about how their friendship changes over the years. We also get a complete picture of the town they settle in, the ...more
It took me more than 6 months to read this book. I could only read a couple pages at a time. It is so wordy and slow moving but I was determined to finish it and hopefully find out what my friend found so compelling about Ivan Doig's writing. She loves Montana. That wasn't enough for me. The relationships of families, friends, and neighbors were quite real--all except the pining of the main character for another man's wife. If that was supposed to give the book spice, it failed miserably.
I gave this five stars for the narration - I probably would have only given it 4 stars if I had read it.
Narrated by Robert Ian MacKenzie
19 hrs and 58 mins
Publisher's Summary
Dancing at the Rascal Fair by National Book Award nominee Ivan Doig, captures the passion and tenacity of turn-of-the-century immigrants struggling to build new lives amidst Montana’s windswept Rockies. The tale unfolds into a contest of the heart between Anna Ramsay and Angus McCaskill...more
Narrated by Robert Ian MacKenzie
19 hrs and 58 mins
Publisher's Summary
Dancing at the Rascal Fair by National Book Award nominee Ivan Doig, captures the passion and tenacity of turn-of-the-century immigrants struggling to build new lives amidst Montana’s windswept Rockies. The tale unfolds into a contest of the heart between Anna Ramsay and Angus McCaskill...more
Dancing at the Rascal Fair is the tale of two Scottish immigrants, Rob and Angus, who come to Montana in the late 1800’s in search of opportunity; one that promises independence, prosperity and a chance to make one’s mark in life. It’s the adventure of coming to a new country, settling the wild land, learning a new way of living and making a life through good times and bad.
I felt like I became a Montana homesteader while reading this book. I felt the cold and the wind of the harsh Montana ...more
I felt like I became a Montana homesteader while reading this book. I felt the cold and the wind of the harsh Montana ...more
What a storyteller this Ivan Doig is! I began reading this a week after finishing his "Whistling Season" which hooked me from the first page. It took much longer to connect with this one and that's why I gave it three stars instead of four. About half way through the book it finally enveloped me and I really enjoyed it. Around the late 1800's two friends emigrated from Scotland to northern Montana where there was an abundance of wide open land for homesteading. This is the story of all...more
an audiobook for me, I've been inhaling the Doig books backwards in time, having found The Whistling Season in a shop in Red Cloud, MT. I finally found the McGaskill who emigrated! Not everyone will like this -- the language is very rich, and the themes of turn of the century Montana settlement near the Two Medicine may get a bit redundant as we wind through the final third of the book, but I loved it -- the struggles with family, with women, with sheep, with all that new coming over the horiz...more
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This is the second novel in Doig's celebrated Two Medicines trilogy, but the first from a chronological standpoint. Doig introduces us to two young men, Angus McCaskill and Rob Barclay, who leave Scotland behind in the late 1880's to homestead in Montana. Beginning with their voyage across the ocean, we follow the twists and turns of their lives over the following 30 years as they scratch out a living as sheep farmers by the foothills of the Rockies. As the nascent community around Gros Venture,...more
I'm not much of a western/not fantasy reader but being in a Western Lit class makes it hard to not be. For this I am glad, in the case of this book at least. I can't say I'll necessarily read it again but there are two main things that made it deserve 4 stars. One being the way it was beautifully written. Serious kudos. Not just imagery and whatever else but especially the phrases and anecdotes that the characters say. I would read them and think how I never would have thought of it. Brilliant. ...more
Just an absorbing read - one of those that made me actually wish a 5 hour flight in a middle seat were 6 hours long! I described it to a friend as romantic, but not in terms of the relationships amongst the characters (in that regard, it was more tragic and heartbreaking than romantic). But rather, in the description of the brave new world the early immigrant homesteaders found, claimed, and tirelessly worked and cared for. In many instances, it was a poetic reminder of the majesty of this plane...more
This is the first of a trilogy. I believe Ivan Doig studied with Wallace Stegner. In any case, his books have a similar flavor.
This is dense, but enjoyable reading. Doig is a wordsmith. By the end of the book, you feel you know the characters--almost too well.
This first book chronicles two young men who cross the pond and end up in northern Montana in the 1890s, ultimately becoming sheep herders. The book chronicles their lives--work and relationships. It is a haunting...more
This is dense, but enjoyable reading. Doig is a wordsmith. By the end of the book, you feel you know the characters--almost too well.
This first book chronicles two young men who cross the pond and end up in northern Montana in the 1890s, ultimately becoming sheep herders. The book chronicles their lives--work and relationships. It is a haunting...more
This book had some mighty fine writin' and was chock full o' that pioneer spirit I like so much!
That being said, I felt this book erred on the long side and the writing was not good enough to keep me sufficiently interested in the story. My attention started wandering and then it got lost altogether. Perhaps the main reason for this was the fact that the unrequited love affair of Angus and Anna (which was a central part of the story) didn't touch me in the least. I didn't actually like Ang...more
That being said, I felt this book erred on the long side and the writing was not good enough to keep me sufficiently interested in the story. My attention started wandering and then it got lost altogether. Perhaps the main reason for this was the fact that the unrequited love affair of Angus and Anna (which was a central part of the story) didn't touch me in the least. I didn't actually like Ang...more
This book is very lyrical and paced with the life of settling Montana; it's not one of those you just can't put down. The story and characters build complexity over time, but the narrative is much more of the experience that I'll take away. Doig is a great storyteller transporting the reader into 1900's Montana and the lives of the (home)'steaders. I didn't realize that this was the middle book of a trilogy (actually a prequel to the first book), and now may decide to read another. Coincidental...more
Possibly well written, but I'm afraid I was so distracted by the self-involved narrator ("protagonist") and the object of his unrequited love. I have no patience for people/characters whose self-absorption & selfishness causes real unhappiness in those around them. I was utterly disgusted with the main character by the end of the book.
So, to be fair, I honestly couldn't tell you if the book itself was good or not. :-) I know others who really loved this book. But I also kno...more
So, to be fair, I honestly couldn't tell you if the book itself was good or not. :-) I know others who really loved this book. But I also kno...more
Imagine coming to America from Scotland in the 1890's to homestead in Montana. This tale revolves around two young men, best friends, who establish parcels of land near one another and face both the perils and the joys of sheepraising and building their lives. Each finds love and raise families, but not without much turmoil and tension due to differences in how they see their partnership with their business as well as their personal lives. Throw in the hardship of harsh weather that threatens i...more
This is a 1987 epic novel by Ivan Doig about early homesteaders in Montana, beginning in 1889. It is part of the Two Medicine Trilogy, though the story stands on its own. Doig was raised in the Rockies front range of Montana, the son of homesteaders and ranchers, and his native knowledge really enlivens this book. He is often referred to as Wallace Stegner's heir as dean of Western America writers. From where I sit, he wears it well.
The story begins with Robert Burns Barclay and Angu...more
The story begins with Robert Burns Barclay and Angu...more
I first read this book in high school and quickly fell in love with it. Since then, I have frequently given it as a gift and recommended it to almost everyone I know. I just reread it for book club, though, and am amazed at how much I had forgotten since my first reading (or maybe just missed all together).
Things I've always loved about this book: the vivid descriptions of the Two Medicine region of Montana, the complicated characters who frustrate me at times but are always beli...more
Things I've always loved about this book: the vivid descriptions of the Two Medicine region of Montana, the complicated characters who frustrate me at times but are always beli...more
I don't usually use the words "muscular" and "sculpted" to describe books, but in this case, the Chicago Sun-Times review is spot-on.
On a personal note, it's wonderful to read this book as I find apt parallels in my own life: we drove into Montana as Rob and Angus arrived there. We started to enter agricultural "civilization" as they started setting up their homes, and the national forest is established on the day I see a slideshow of Glacier National Pa...more
On a personal note, it's wonderful to read this book as I find apt parallels in my own life: we drove into Montana as Rob and Angus arrived there. We started to enter agricultural "civilization" as they started setting up their homes, and the national forest is established on the day I see a slideshow of Glacier National Pa...more
This is a wonderful book, set in Montana, covering a thirty year period between 1890 and 1920. It is the story of two young men who immigrate from Scotland to homestead property in the most forbidding of worlds. Ivan Doig has a great talent for creating vivid and believable characters and for drawing a fascinating portrait of the hardships and pleasures faced in this new world. This story is a good one for anyone interested in the settling of the West.
I loved this adventure, of 2 men who come to Montana in the late 1800's to start a new life, based only on the knowledge that one of them has an uncle there. I felt like I was with them through their journey and life. I heard about this book via an interview on NPR and I was not disappointed. The area they homestead is close to Glacier National Park, and the birth of that park is encompassed into this story. Also, sheep herding, war, the influenza epidemic of 1918. An adventure that highlig...more
What I liked about this novel:
-- The sense of time and place: Montana homesteading in the late 1800's and early 1900's.
-- The Scottish immigrant characters.
-- And probably not unrelatedly, the way a glass of whiskey is frequently being hoisted.
-- The homespun feel of homestead life.
-- The descriptions of sheep-ranching.
-- The historical information about World War I and the Influenza Epidemic.
-- The bits of verse woven into the prose.
Wh...more
-- The sense of time and place: Montana homesteading in the late 1800's and early 1900's.
-- The Scottish immigrant characters.
-- And probably not unrelatedly, the way a glass of whiskey is frequently being hoisted.
-- The homespun feel of homestead life.
-- The descriptions of sheep-ranching.
-- The historical information about World War I and the Influenza Epidemic.
-- The bits of verse woven into the prose.
Wh...more
When I started reading Ivan Doig, I made a point of reading English Creek, the first book in the McCaskill trilogy, first. That was hardly necessary. Dancing at the Rascal Fair is a prequel, not a sequel. It tells the story of two young men who emigrate from Scotland to Montana where they hope to find an uncle who has struck it rich. The story follows the intertwined lives of these two men as they change from enthusiastic youths to grumpy old men. Evolving human relationships and beautiful descr...more
I felt like an uneven read to me. It was interesting in parts and slow in others. The author lets you see the country of Montana through his eyes - beautiful and harsh at the same time. The story involved the friendship of Angus and Rob who immigrated to America to homestead in Montana. There friendship seemed seamless but events and life brought complexity and stress to their relationship. Not my favorite read.
Doig brillantly wraps his childhood, intelligence, and education around an historical story line. He deals with the mysteries of human relationships in a passionate portrayal of immigrants to Montana at the turn of the twentieth century. I, like my friend Lorraine, will read more of Doig's books. This book is the middle of a trilogy sandwiched between English Creek (nonfiction) and Ride with Me, Mariah Montana (fiction).
Dancing at the Rascal Fair is actually the middle book of Doig's trilogy. The subject: Scottish immigrants to Montana in the early part of the 20th century. They raise sheep and survive drought and winter. The marry and have children. The first book, English Creek, is about the land and people. There is no plot. the last, Ride with me, Mariah Montana, has some plot. Rascal Fair is very good. Unless you like sheep, skip the first and third.
Becky Stewart
added it
This was my first time reading Doig. It made me want to move to Montana and back about 110 years. The descriptions of the landscape seemed to turn to photographs before my eyes. I also love it when men do a good job writing about relationships, and this book definitely has that quality. The introduction to the beginnings of the National Forest designations was very interesting. Everyone I've talked to likes English Creek better than Dancing at the Rascal Fair, so now I am definitely looking forw...more
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Ivan Doig was born in White Sulphur Springs, Montana to a family of homesteaders and ranch hands. After the death of his mother Berneta, on his sixth birthday, he was raised by his father Charles "Charlie" Doig and his grandmother Elizabeth "Bessie" Ringer. After several stints on ranches, they moved to Dupuyer, Pondera County, Montana in the north to herd sheep close to the Ro...more
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