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150th out of 194 books
—
45 voters
Road Home
by
Jim Harrison
This is the story of Jim Harrison's captivating heroine, Dalva, and her peculiar and remarkable family. It encompasses the voices of Dalva's grandfather, John Northridge, the austere half-Sioux patriarch; Naomi, the widow of his favourite son and namesake; Paul, the first Northridge son, who lived in the shadow of his brother; and Nelse, the son taken from Dalva at birth w...more
Paperback
Published
by Picador USA
(first published October 1st 1998)
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"The Road Home" is epic but grounded firmly in reality to a depth few writers attempt to explore, or are capable of exploring. Harrison writes in the article "Bar Pool": "I seek the substantial in life." It's one of my favorite quotes and gives you a sense of what you'll find on each page of any of his works, "The Road Home" included. A single paragraph of Harrison's contains more of life than many full novels and I have to consciously pare down my expectations when reading other writers. I rush...more
A gotta read...just read what goodreads says...and it received 4.3 stars average...
This is the story of Jim Harrison's captivating heroine, Dalva, and her peculiar and remarkable family. It encompasses the voices of Dalva's grandfather, John Northridge, the austere half-Sioux patriarch; Naomi, the widow of his favourite son and namesake; Paul, the first Northridge son, who lived in the shadow of his brother; and Nelse, the son taken from Dalva at birth who has now returned to find her. It is a f...more
This is the story of Jim Harrison's captivating heroine, Dalva, and her peculiar and remarkable family. It encompasses the voices of Dalva's grandfather, John Northridge, the austere half-Sioux patriarch; Naomi, the widow of his favourite son and namesake; Paul, the first Northridge son, who lived in the shadow of his brother; and Nelse, the son taken from Dalva at birth who has now returned to find her. It is a f...more
I started reading this because Legends of the Fall was checked out of my local library. The Road Home is very, very good, although it does move a bit slowly. One thing that struck me was that there are similarities to Legends, at least to the movie (still have not read the book). The patriarch, John Wesley Northridge, is former soldier who seethes at the treatment given to the Indians in the West. Unlike the old man in Legends, he marries an Indian. The child of that marriage, John Wesley Northr...more
The Road Home is a kind of sequel to Dalva, at least it takes up from that story and more or less fills in around it. As I said in my review of Dalva, I read Harrison now and then just to get grounded in every day life, and this book once again had that effect. It's quite a long Harrison novel, and is probably only for real fans of his work. It has five narrators: Dalva's grandfather, her son, her mother Naomi, her uncle Paul, and finally Dalva herself. Dalva's grandfather John Wesley Northridge...more
There appears to be a trend among male authors of the late Twentieth Century. Now that it is no longer politically correct to vent their misogyny upon their female characters, these authors are substituting violence against nature and animal cruelty to boost their male egos. Maybe these authors are worried that writing novels is not a manly enough profession, and so they fill the pages of their books with graphic descriptions of animal cruelty and man's domination over the natural world to convi...more
I'm a Harrison whore; I read everything this guy writes--his poetry, his essays, his novels. He's one of the few writers I rush out to buy the minute a new book comes out, and of all of his books, this is my favorite. He's an endlessly smart and interesting writer, and each sentence is literally a new revelation. I also like this his characters can be prett rough folks--the men and the women--or at least rough-hewn.
THE ROAD HOME by Jim Harrison is a beautiful, lyrical novel which explores the lives of five members of the Northridge family. It is written from multiple perspectives as they strive to understand their present and their past. Instead of making sweeping generalizations, I wanted to address a discussion question found in the back.
How is the portrait John Northridge II paints of himself in his "memoir" different from the picture we get through other characters?
The portrait John Northridge II paint...more
How is the portrait John Northridge II paints of himself in his "memoir" different from the picture we get through other characters?
The portrait John Northridge II paint...more
Harrison perhaps at his best. The story of a family living on the Nebraska plains over several generations, actually told through the voices of five separate family members at differing points in time - primarily in the 1950's and 1980's.
Extremely rich, the rambling narratives give each character their own personalities, and tidbits of events as seen from these differing perspectives are very well woven together. A trademark of Harrison, he writes with poignant affection for the natural world w...more
Extremely rich, the rambling narratives give each character their own personalities, and tidbits of events as seen from these differing perspectives are very well woven together. A trademark of Harrison, he writes with poignant affection for the natural world w...more
Quite a disappointment after the nearly flawless Dalva!
In fact, while reading 'The Road Home' I had to dig out my copy of Dalva, which I'd read a couple of years ago and remembered as admirable and far-reaching, to compare passages to this sequel. No, not to look for forgotten facts or characters, but to see if for some reason I had missed the the irritating vibes I was getting from TRH. Well, no again, Dalva still holds up and has none of the annoying elements that taints TRH to the point of...more
In fact, while reading 'The Road Home' I had to dig out my copy of Dalva, which I'd read a couple of years ago and remembered as admirable and far-reaching, to compare passages to this sequel. No, not to look for forgotten facts or characters, but to see if for some reason I had missed the the irritating vibes I was getting from TRH. Well, no again, Dalva still holds up and has none of the annoying elements that taints TRH to the point of...more
My first Harrison novel and very graceful at that. There is more story in these 400 plus pages than other authors can manage in the same space. I attribute this to the authors mastery of the language and ability to prescribe words that evoke the proper imagery. Many authors spend a lot of time over describing what you the reader should be seeing instead of letting your mind feed on the words given to them and seeing it for yourself. Harrison tells the road home from four main characters who are...more
With his 1988 novel, Dalva, Jim Harrison commenced an epic of the American Midwest--or more specifically, the Nebraska sandhills. In The Road Home his eponymous heroine returns in search of the son she abandoned 30 years before, only to find herself more deeply enmeshed than ever in the coils of the family romance. (Quite literally, by the way: the father of Dalva's son was her half-brother.) Now, a decade later, Harrison continues her story in The Road Home. Ranging over an entire century, this...more
I love Jim Harrison's books and this was written late 1980s-he writes so beautifully and they are not page turners because you will miss something if you read too fast. The Road Home is just a spellbinding saga of family, family secrets, nature, and beautiful places in the Michigan Upper Peninsula, Minnesota, Nebraska and more. Jim Harrison is a master storyteller, naturalist, spokesman for the voiceless, and so much more. Read any and all of his works; more than once.
Harrison is a writer who says the most with the fewest words possible. This book happened to be on the verbose side for him. Having read Dalva, I thought this book was excellent at providing just a little more on the stories of those characters. Unlike most prequels or sequels, The Road Home doesn't "dumb things down" and have you rolling your eyes thinking, "Yeah, I already know this, get to the story, will ya?" Another great book for Harrison's fans to delve into.
I liked this sequel almost better than Dalva, maybe because of the lack of silly Michael and the voice of Nels, Dalva's son.
Harrison is a wizard, a wise man, and he says what he thinks. I am used to hearing his philosophies in the minds and voices of his characters and I welcome his hilarious, humane, and earthy points of view.
But read Dalva first.
Harrison is a wizard, a wise man, and he says what he thinks. I am used to hearing his philosophies in the minds and voices of his characters and I welcome his hilarious, humane, and earthy points of view.
But read Dalva first.
Simultaneously epic and intimate, shot through with some elegant and muscular prose, vivid characters. It just runs from beginning to end as bracing, wide and clear as the Niobrara river. Really had a hard time putting it down. One of those books that hit at just the right time, too, as lots of synchronicity surrounded my reading it.
At least one sentence or concept takes my breath away on every page of this 400 page book. The kind of book that breaks your heart with the simple realities of humanity. Full of history, birds, adventure and love. I read Dalva first, but the books can go in either order really.
Took me too long to read this novel, which I really loved. Told from varying points of view, members of the half-Native Northridge family through the generations. I read somewhere that Harrison took some grief for attempting to write from women's voices, but I don't know. I think it's all sympathetically done, each deeply and distinctly rendered.
All, however, share a more-or-less-vituperative, nostalgic lament against the crudity, violence, and confusion of modern society, from the genocide aga...more
All, however, share a more-or-less-vituperative, nostalgic lament against the crudity, violence, and confusion of modern society, from the genocide aga...more
Beautifully written as are all of Harrison's novels. The characters are vivid and alive. But all the narratives fail for me to become A narrative. I felt more like I was reading interconnected novellas. Perhaps that is fine.
Jul 13, 2011
Dan
added it
Big, sprawling and connected to Dalva - loved this and it and many of his books make me want to get to know the Sand Hill country of Nebraska better - along the Niobrara River. This is a wonderful book.
This sequel to Dalva completes this heroine's story and, along the way, provides an unforgettable perspective on historical atrocities against Native American cultures.
So much to enjoy and yet a rushed feeling at the end as the main characters all close up shop. I need to read "Dalva" to get to the inner truth of this one.
I couldn't get enough. What couldn't be more riveting than a fact-based-fiction-love story? I am ready to read anything Jim Harrison.
I loved this book. Have read it many times. The people, the land, their lives. Love that Dalva is back. Jim H is a master.
This one of the most beautiful books that I have ever read. The follow up to Dalva, it can still be read on its own. A must read.
I have to admit, this book was a little slow-going at first. But I'm glad I stuck with it. It snuck up on me and by the end I was all about it. Fantastic story of family relationships and the simple life. Plus, one of the best endings I've ever read. Always a bonus.
Jan 21, 2009
Sheree
marked it as to-read
I love Harrison, but didn't manage to finish this book. Perhaps I wasn't ready for it. I will come back to it.
It's just incredible. I dont have time right now to review it but he's just my very favorite writer. I wish I knew him. He's simply wonderful. He should be getting a nobel prize for literature. When I read Blindness between two of his books I was just shaking my head in disbelief. This man trumps them all. Truly insightful with important urgent things to say, a liquid sense of language. Erudite to the point of tears. I love this man and I love this book and I love Dalva. Juniper is next. Oh and...more
May 20, 2009
susan
marked it as to-read
this is the bookclub pick for june for hildegard's proteges in frankfort kentucky.
harrison's books always leave me craving pan fried beef steaks and good red wine. yum.
One of my all time favorite stories. I simply love Jim Harrison's work.
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Jim Harrison was born in Grayling, Michigan, to Winfield Sprague Harrison, a county agricultural agent, and Norma Olivia (Wahlgren) Harrison, both avid readers. He married Linda King in 1959 with whom he has two daughters.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
His awards include National Academy of Arts grants...more
More about Jim Harrison...
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
His awards include National Academy of Arts grants...more
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“The days are stacked against what we think we are.”
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“It is easy to forget that in the main we die only seven times more slowly than our dogs.”
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Oct 21, 2012 01:31pm