book data
87 ratings,
3.53
average rating, 34 reviews
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published
September 30th 2008
by Knopf
binding
Hardcover, 288 pages
isbn
0307268950
(isbn13: 9780307268952)
description
From the author of the acclaimed memoir In the Wilderness (finalist for the Pulitzer Prize): a luminous novel of youthful idealism, of faith and madne
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book Nook Cafe: Past, Present & Future Reads | 92 | 87 | 4 hours, 56 min ago | |
| Readers and Reading: * June 2009 reads | 27 | 38 | 8 hours, 20 min ago | |
| Book Nook Cafe: What I read last month | 85 | 134 | 11 hours, 47 min ago |
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 191)
All ratings
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5 stars (13)
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4 stars (35)
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3 stars (25)
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2 stars (13)
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1 star (1)
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avg 3.53
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in June, 2009
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
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Read in January, 2009
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
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Read in April, 2009
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
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Read in January, 2009
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
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Read in April, 2009
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
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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.
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Read in January, 2009
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.
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Read in January, 2009
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 -
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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.
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Read in January, 2009
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....
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Read in January, 2009
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.
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Read in January, 2009
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.
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Read in March, 2009
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.
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Read in January, 2009
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.
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Read in January, 2009
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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An okay read...easy to get through, not very memorable. Finished it a couple of days ago and have nothing compeling to report. That should say it all. But not bad enough not to finish it....!
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Read in January, 2009
This novel incorporates elements from Barnes' memoirs -- small Western communities, born-again religion -- into a wholly new story. I enjoyed reading it.
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See my reviews at the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Book Nook at www.lvrj.com/blogs/booknook.
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Read in November, 2008
I enjoyed parts of it, but I didn't love this book. It was an interesting read.
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Read in October, 2008
Loved it. Read it all night long.
SPOILERS!
In 1960 a young doctor(Thomas) with a yen for the west brings his beautiful classy bride (Helen) out to Idaho where he becomes more interested in fishing than doctoring or paying attention to his wife. Helen and Manny, the orphaned farm hand have a short lived affair that ends when she drowns in the river. Manny stays on as a surrogate parent to the couple's infant daughter who grows up eccentric and lonely. The second half of th...more
SPOILERS!
In 1960 a young doctor(Thomas) with a yen for the west brings his beautiful classy bride (Helen) out to Idaho where he becomes more interested in fishing than doctoring or paying attention to his wife. Helen and Manny, the orphaned farm hand have a short lived affair that ends when she drowns in the river. Manny stays on as a surrogate parent to the couple's infant daughter who grows up eccentric and lonely. The second half of th...more
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