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A Country Called Home
by
Kim Barnes
With her acclaimed memoir In the Wilderness Kim Barnes brought us to the great forests of Idaho, where geography and isolation shape love and family. Now, in her luminous new novel, she returns to this territory, offering a powerful tale of hope and idealism, faith and madness.
It is 1960 when Thomas Deracotte and his pregnant wife, Helen, abandon a guaranteed future in upp...more
It is 1960 when Thomas Deracotte and his pregnant wife, Helen, abandon a guaranteed future in upp...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
September 30th 2008
by Knopf
(first published 2008)
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I used to live in a town in Colorado where many hippies moved in the ’70s so they could get ‘back to the land.’ They lived in a variety of yurts, teepees, or log cabins and tried to grow all their food and can and freeze enough to make it through the year. I wasn’t that hardy. I just dabbled in making jams from the apricots and cherries that grew in orchards all around the valley. But I always enjoyed visiting my friends’ farms, and occasionally, farm sitting.
So I was intrigued b...more
So I was intrigued b...more
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An idealistic and romantic young couple, Thomas and Helen, move to the Idaho countryside to provide the nearby villagers with a doctor and to enjoy a peaceful idyll - but Helen becomes bored and unhappy when her husband seems to fish all day rather than practice medicine or spend time with her and baby Elise. A tragedy means that Elise grows up with just her distant dad and handyman Manny as company, and her lack of knowledge about the world or herself lands her in a mental hospital at the tend...more
This somewhat difficult-to-read novel was a very sad story, but beautifully rendered. Loving writing about Idaho...its wilderness and one of its small town.
I just finished this book. You know when I sit down mid-day and read it is a book I like! Although "like" may not be the correct word for such a sad and dark story. And gritty would be another good descriptor.
I had put off finishing the book until late afternoon because I was afraid of how it was going to en...more
I just finished this book. You know when I sit down mid-day and read it is a book I like! Although "like" may not be the correct word for such a sad and dark story. And gritty would be another good descriptor.
I had put off finishing the book until late afternoon because I was afraid of how it was going to en...more
The blurb writer did not read this book. No hope, no idealism, no luminous. No home. No country for that matter. The Idaho wilderness is the bass note humming in your ears, while every single character conducts the symphony of grief unhealed, pain itching under skin, suffering oozing, regret tasted but not swallowed, the earth itself alternately boiling mud or verdant trap. Pounding, relentless misery like having stones piled on your chest until you can't breathe. There is not even a dog grinnin...more
This book reminds me why I generally don't like reading novels written by women. Barnes's writing is so sentimental and unlikely. She is constantly describing how people smell, particularly how their breath smells. It would work if she did it once or twice -- and didn't use ridiculous, maudlin descriptions ("hot lemonade"?) -- but it's practically an obsession in this book. The characters seem to float through the novel driven by little else but a vague emotionalism; reading it, you'd ...more
Ah, I just loved this book. I'm always a sucker for tragic love stories. It really speaks to how right we attempt to make things and the enormity of just how wrong they can go. I was easily drawn into the story of this young couple who moves to a small town in Idaho trying to make a life, and a similarly young man who comes to experience this with them and quickly gets caught up in and becomes part of their tragedy. Loved it! Barnes is a great writer (a few parts, though, we're a bit - just a bi...more
I really enjoyed the style of this book--Barnes doesn't overuse her talent for analogies and is able to describe the feelings and perceptions of her characters wonderfully. She writes indirectly from the perspective of several different characters throughout the book, never revealing too many details as she takes us through their story. Their viewpoints overlap just enough to provide a complete picture of the rural area they live in, but their personal stories and perceptions vary so widely as...more
Complicated love story of two, a free spirit and one who thinks she is. Their child and her development, which was rather stunted because of where they lived and her father's lassitude. The local orphan boy who seems to know lots about everythingand actually raises Elise,acting more like a father than Thomas. "Dr" Kalinsky is an interesting character, too.Doesn't have the regular elements of a 'family'.
Unusual the way author use the opening and closing to connect al...more
Unusual the way author use the opening and closing to connect al...more
Good story and some strong characters, but Derracotte (the husband/father) dragged down the plot. Honestly, the story would have been better without him. When I finished this novel my first thought was "what a dope". No wonder his wife was unfaithful and took a horrible risk that took her life. No wonder no one wanted to see him as a doctor, he obviously didn't care about people. And no wonder his daughter was so messed up. It's a wonder why Manny stuck it out with him for 16 year...more
It's nearly ridiculous, how good Kim Barnes' work is. I mean, you read her nonfiction, which is nothing short of amazing, and you think, "There's no way her fiction could even come close."
Then it does... what a gifted writer.
From the moment I read the short prologue — which reads more like prose poetry — I knew I was going to love this book. Barnes writes beautifully, both about people and her beloved Idaho wilderness, without being overly sentimental or flower...more
Then it does... what a gifted writer.
From the moment I read the short prologue — which reads more like prose poetry — I knew I was going to love this book. Barnes writes beautifully, both about people and her beloved Idaho wilderness, without being overly sentimental or flower...more
I don't really like writing this flowery and dramatic, with all the bugs, birds and plants described way over the top. But in spite of the somewhat pompous writing, I must say this is a good book. It had a beginning, a middle and an end which all made sense, even had some transformation of characters, which I always like. I started reading this before finishing the last book ("The Fiction Writer") and finished this one pretty quickly. I recommend it for its excellent story and char...more
Didn't think I was going to like this book at first, but it grew on me. A bit Wallace-Stegner-ish in its style--well-developed characters, the importance of fly-fishing, lyrical writing. Update on 4/13/09--I've downgraded my rating overnight--the last half of the book was good, and would have been a good short story on its own. But the first half of the book suffered from undeveloped characters. I didn't find the main character (the doctor) or his wife compelling--in fact, I just wanted them...more
I first heard Kim read from this novel at Whitman College a few years ago and just finished reading it yesterday. Wow. WOW. Beautifully constructed with a few major twists that are gorgeous. I hope to write something this beautiful some day.
The copy editor may have fallen asleep toward the end--a few left out words and the character Elise's name appeared as Elsie at least once. Frustrating moments in an otherwise fine book.
The copy editor may have fallen asleep toward the end--a few left out words and the character Elise's name appeared as Elsie at least once. Frustrating moments in an otherwise fine book.
Again, wishing for an "I loved it" star. But this time I went up instead of down. The lyricism certainly was not lacking. Nothing lacking. Great story--I couldn't put it down. I guess there was just a lot that was pretty similar to In the Wilderness. And why not? Same geography, some of the same time periods covered. The fishing, the religion--all well portrayed, but very clear when you've read someone's memoir just what parts are autobiographical. And man alive, too much smoking. I me...more
I have loved Kim Barnes as long as my adult reading life has existed. Her memoirs are among some of the most beautiful, and significant, books I've read and there are passages and moments from them that I can remember word for word, even after years. This book, too, is wonderful. I could hardly put it down and devoured it in a few sittings, and think I might start rereading some of those earlier books just to have them again.
I wasn't sure when I started this book that I was going to be able to get into it. Very slow-moving in the beginning, but once I sat down with it, I found it much easier to read. I liked ths story, tragic as it was. Not sure I would read another of her books, though. I thought the entire story was mabye too detailed. I may have liked a little less detail in some parts.
A tale set in 1960 of a young couple from Connecticutt who decide to relocate to the wilds of Idaho. The story is full of hope and tragedy and the characters are so believable. I found myself hoping they would find happiness, but sometimes that is a hard gift to find. The book started slowly, but I enjoyed it considerably.
I am sorry but I didn't think this book was that good. It was a Willa Cather wannabe. But the digressions into nature just weren't that meaningful. And it seemed too contrived. Just didn't do it for me although I really wanted to find another Willa Cather. But I did finish it although the last 30 pages were a quick read -
I grabbed this book while in line at the library & I am so glad I did. The river that flows through the setting is a lovely metaphor for the story. The ending was perfect in its imperfection. It didn't really end. No tidy wrap up; no conclusion. To me, a good ending is key to a good book. Loss and Lack were main features & so heart-rending. I have a lingering feeling that I really do not understand Grief.
The one word that kept coming to mind as I was reading this book was "overwrought". Throughout the book I found myself thinking, "what's that supposed to mean?" Maybe I just didn't get the subtleties of this book. If I finish a book I give it at least three stars hence the rating but I can't say I liked this book.
This book was not what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be a little light & fluffy but it was anything but. I deep emotional tale of life in a small town & the dysfunctional people who live there. As messed up as some of these characters were, I liked them & was pulling for them. At the end of it all, I think they each found something good....
I really didn't enjoy this book at all, but always feel some irrational responsibility to finish what I start. I was drawn to it because it takes place in my home state, ID, but the state was not really characterized here. It was a depressing book and a waste of my time.
I wasn't as impressed with this book as I thought I would be based on the reviews I read. It's about a young couple, Thomas and Helen, who impulsively move from Connecticut to a rural farm in Idaho. After their first child is born it seems like nothing is the same for any of them and when Helen mysteriously dies a few months later things go from bad to worse for Thomas. It's a pretty depressing book and no one seems to be happy for long, which is why I only gave it 2 stars.
For only being 200+ pages, this story has a LOT going on (in a good way)! It was an excellent story about a modern couple trying to 'live off the land' but what they didn't bargain for is how hard it would be. The story takes place in the 60's and 70's.
I wasn't entirely sure that I would like this novel, which was set in the country. I guess I was afraid there'd be too much description of nature and not enough plot. But I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the characters and their struggle surrounding tragic events.
I have now read 3 of Kim Barnes' books and I probably liked this the least of all. It is fiction and while it is well written, It didn't grab me like her other books did. Her descriptions of Idaho's wilderness are again wonderful though.
I couldn't get into this book. By the time I got a quarter of the way in, there were 3 or 4 POV characters and nothing had really happened, and for the things that had happened the motivations were really unclear. I gave up on it.
A 24-hour book. Cover to cover in less than 24 hours--plus a busy day in between. Rocket Barnes up my list of authors. The type of writing I'd like to do if I wrote fiction. Loved it. Lush, haunting, heartbreaking, real.
This novel takes place in the author's home state of Idaho and centers on a young couple who marries and relocates to this recluse area in the hopes of finding a simple, easier life. What they found was anything but.
Saw a review for this book in the NY Times Sunday Book Review. I picked it because the author lives and teaches in Idaho. It was a good story. Lots of twists and turns and interesting characters.
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Kim Barnes is the author of two memoirs, Hungry for the World and In the Wilderness: Coming of Age in Unknown Country, which was a finalist for the 1997 Pulitzer Prize. In the Wilderness also was honored with a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award and was a finalist for the PEN/Martha Albrand Award. In 1996, Barnes received the PEN/Jerard Fund Award for an emerging woman writer of nonfiction. She...more
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