Montana 1948
by Larry Watson
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of Montana 1948.
discuss this book
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
lists with this book
This book is not in any lists. Go add it to a list.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 477)
Read in June, 2007
Stunning story full of shocks and surprises...
Larry Watson's novel shines the light on the justice and morality of a small western town at a time when many people chose to look the other way at certain social injustices.
David Hayden narrates this stunning story as an adult recalling the events as he remembers them when he was twelve years old. His narrative is crisp with all of the openess and clarity characteristic of an observant young man, but seasoned with age,
H...more
Larry Watson's novel shines the light on the justice and morality of a small western town at a time when many people chose to look the other way at certain social injustices.
David Hayden narrates this stunning story as an adult recalling the events as he remembers them when he was twelve years old. His narrative is crisp with all of the openess and clarity characteristic of an observant young man, but seasoned with age,
H...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2008
The narration in this book is absolutely beautiful. The narrator is an adult recalling a life-changing, family-disrupting year of his childhood, and the manner in which he retells this tale is true and honest. His words ring clear, and Montana's landscape plays like a silent, beloved older brother.
My heart sank, however, when the disasterous crime first surfaced. When a horrid event is foreshadowed, I always expect the author will tell a story about sexual abuse, rape, or female violati...more
My heart sank, however, when the disasterous crime first surfaced. When a horrid event is foreshadowed, I always expect the author will tell a story about sexual abuse, rape, or female violati...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in November, 2007
This was a re-read of another title that I would call a perfect little book. Over the years I have recommended Montana, 1948 so many times to readers that I felt the need to go back and give it another read, just to make sure I still knew what I was talking about. I do. The novella is that perfect example of a suspenseful literary title, and the perfect prescription for literary readers grown bored with navel-gazing, and crime readers grown weary of the formulaic nature that even the best myster...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
I liked this, but didn't love it. Montana, 1948 is well-written, simple and direct. It seems more like a short story than a novel. If you're a fast reader, it'll be over before you know it. My favorite parts were the visual descriptions of a small Montana town sixty years ago. I've driven through Montana a few times and always been amazed by the combination of beauty and emptiness.
I wasn't as crazy about the plot. Montana is both a crime drama and an examination of the ...more
I wasn't as crazy about the plot. Montana is both a crime drama and an examination of the ...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
I think the whole "coming of age" novel has been done to death, and so often is done badly. This slim book (more of a novella than a novel) is the exception to my rule. The story of a boy who discovers that his family is not exactly what he thought they were rings so true to me. The 'voice' is just right for a boy on the fine line between childhood and adolescence who is starting to search for the true meaning behind the things adults tell him - and the things they choose not to tell h...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in June, 2008
Honestly, I had no desire to read this book. The title sounded boring, the cover was plain, and my only motivation to read the book was out of obligation as I have to teach it next year. My initial hesitations could not have been further from the truth. Larry Watson crafts a story in which a twelve year old boy, David, discovers that his uncle, the man he looks up to the most, is capable of destroying lives. The story is further complicated when his father, the sheriff, must choose between the ...more
Like this review?
yes
2 comments
Read in January, 2005
I am currently reading the newest book by the author of Montana, 1948, and it reminded me how much I liked this one. It was on a high school reading list and is thought-provoking for teens and adults. David Hayden is growing up in a small Montana town where his father is sheriff and his uncle the town doctor. When the Sioux woman who works for his family becomes ill but refuses to be treated by the doctor, David learns that his uncle has been molesting the Native American women in town. The read...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2008
This was a really short novel that I read for the university reading program for the incoming freshman in September. I'm not an incoming freshman but will be facilitating a book discussion with a group of students.
Any who, as I said, the book was really short and can easily be read in one sitting. The story was good and hooked me in but I would have preferred more character development. The basis of the story was engaging but I wanted more "meat" which is why I only rated it thr...more
Any who, as I said, the book was really short and can easily be read in one sitting. The story was good and hooked me in but I would have preferred more character development. The basis of the story was engaging but I wanted more "meat" which is why I only rated it thr...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in December, 2003
A moving novel about family relationships, family loyalty and justice. The story reveals the events that lead a young boy to face new realities about the people he loves. Set in a small town it places brother against brother and son against father, as a sheriff must investigate the rape and murder of his Sioux housekeeper at the hands of his brother. It raises the question, “Do you uphold justice with the price being the downfall of your brother?” The answer in this case is yes, but ther...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Finished this last week... Now, can someone explain to me why a lackluster book like "Water for elephants" was a NY Times bestseller and this little gem is virtually unknown? What is that about? There's a lot I could say about this book, but what most stands out for me is how quickly and effectively the author made me know the characters. With just the (seemingly) most simple strokes, the main protagonist, a 12ish age boy, was a real person to me. An utterly convincing voice. This is a...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 2008
I read this book because it is the choice this year for Cal Poly's Preface Program. (One book is choosen each year by the University for the entire community of San Luis Obispo, CA to read). This is a disturbing story of the relationship between whites and Native Americans, specifically the sexual abuse of Native American women by a white man. A well written book but rather depressing. It is told from the perspective of a 12 year old boy; his memories of the summer of 1948 and a series of haunti...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
lovers of literary fiction
This is a quick, enthralling read, part coming-of-age, part crime fiction, part family novel. I enjoyed the voice of the young narrator, especially his descriptions of growing up in a family tortured by its secrets. The death of the Uncle, however, didn't wash for me. I would have preferred to see events unfold in a public trial, but perhaps that's because so many books like this have done that. I can't figure out why no one has made this into a film. It seems perfectly suited, with Clint Eastwo...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2008
recommended to Vince by:
High School Englishrecommends it for: Anyone.
Montana 1948 is an excellent story. Deals with the unification family, cultural barriers, and putting justice before all else. I've also heard that the story serves as a historical metaphor for the treatment of American Indians. Not sure how applicable that idea, but nonetheless Montana 1948 is a human tale to which everyone can empathize.
My only complaint that its in sparse simplistic prose a lot of details were sacrificed. I just wish it were longer.
My only complaint that its in sparse simplistic prose a lot of details were sacrificed. I just wish it were longer.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
All who love a good book
Here is one of best books ever written about the far west of the U.S. I was so drawn into the story and people of the story I had to read it in one sitting. The geography of northeastern Montana becomes part of the lore and the tale that enflames the simple men of the north. Told from a teenage boy's point of view, we get a new moral insight and the tension between Native Americans and the ranchers of privlege.
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
1 comments
Read in March, 2008
I've read this book before, and was once again struck by the chilling realization much of our history is not contained in the approved texts but held behind closed doors and spoken of only in whispers. It's difficult to learn from the past when the truth is shrouded by a comforting lie.
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
2 comments
Read in April, 2002
recommends it for:
Lovers of good fiction
An amazing novel that explores racial and family relations as seen through the eyes of a young teenaged boy. The term "coming-of-age" has been over used but in this case it is a true description of this wonderfully touching novel. Short and to the point, the suspense in the opening chapter keeps the reader's interest to the very end with its shocking conclusion.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2005
Loyalty to truth/justice ideals or to family/class/community? The easy, wide road or the tough, twisted road? Stand up & risk being knocked down or conform & blend-in? Charactewr or conformity? A slim novella but it contains big issues that in one form or another confront us all at some time if not as bluntly & costly as it does the characters in this story.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2008
This is actually better than I thought it was going to be. A fast read, almost more of a novelette or novella than full-blown novel. I can see why they chose for Preface (short, so maybe people will finish!)
A coming of age story that deals with white-Indian relations in 1948 Montana. Reminds me of the much longer and more complex Davla, by Jim Harris.
A coming of age story that deals with white-Indian relations in 1948 Montana. Reminds me of the much longer and more complex Davla, by Jim Harris.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
A family is rocked apart by criminal accusations and the need to do the right thing while trying to remain loyal to each other as well as see justice served. Because the story is told by a twelve-year-old boy, this book struck me as a mature To Kill A Mockingbird only with whites and Indians (rather than blacks).
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2002
recommends it for:
anyone
Larry Watson is a very good writer. The book reads easily and quickly. Issues of race loom large and the story really kept me turning the pages. It is as much a novel about the setting as the story, and really gives one a sense of having been there. It has stayed with me years after reading it.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
