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The Green Age of Asher Witherow
by
M. Allen Cunningham (Goodreads Author)
Rich in historical detail, this gorgeously written debut novel tells the story of a young soul coming of age during the boom and bust years of a California Welsh coal mining in the 1860-70s. M. Allen Cunnignham writes about a place at once gritty, yet magical. He captures an intimate connection between the characters and a sweeping landscape, where the future seems filled ...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
October 5th 2005
by Unbridled Books
(first published 2004)
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This book was written by someone I went to elementary school with (& highschool, though I didn't see him much then). It's set near Mount Diablo back when there were large coal mining operations here. I somehow wasn't even conscious that we had a coal mining history. Though now that I think of it, I must have once learned that the "Black Diamond Mines" were not for mining diamonds, but coal. :) M. Allen has a unique writing style and uses advanced descriptive terms. This book is i...more
Boy growing up in coal-mining east bay town in late 1800s. Elements of the fantastic, undercurrents of evil in the town. The real evil is the hypocrisy of the townfolk. Tragedies happen, scaring people into further superstition and silent persecution of some of the people who are at the soul of the town. Eventually the soul dies as they all leave or die, coal production falls off and the mining company basically moves up to Washington.
It was okay, but not exceptional. A little too mu...more
It was okay, but not exceptional. A little too mu...more
Dark novel, full of metaphors to decipher: great bookclub discussion book. This fictional novel is set in the East Bay (in northern CA, near SF), and the setting is based on factual information about the coal mining that took place there, near Mt. Diablo, in the mid-to-late 1800's. The book was written by a young man native to the Mt. Diablo area.
Gary
rated it
Recommends it for:
California Residents and Welsh Coalminers
Recommended to Gary by:
James Coles
I enjoyed this book but not as much as I could have. It's a lonely little thing, "skeletal" as the author would say. Did I say it was thin? It is. It's a lonely, solitary waif of a book. The subject is worthy, even compelling. Here's what I think got in the way. First, I imagine the editor must have been like the Willem Defoe character in Mr. Bean. A cool fella in a turtleneck in an underlit room saying, "Less...less...less" until there was little left. Secondly, who do we bl...more
I wasn't enjoying it as I read, due to the unreliable narrator. I liked it better after hearing what my book club had to say!
bet thing was that it took place at black diamond mine in antioch in 1870's
25 cent download from Unbridled Books
i enjoyed this book, especially (perhaps mostly?) because it's about the diablo valley in the 1800s... cool local connection. also i saw the author speak at the contra costa times book gala a few years ago. the storyline was very arresting, but cunningham's writing was a bit too flowery/elaborate for my taste. i found myself skimming over long descriptive sections because i just kinda wasn't totally buying the fancy descriptions.
I liked this book a lot, but it was not what I would call and "easy read." If you like coming of age reads and exploration of the spiritual and the nature of superstitions in a small town, you should like this.
This book has beautiful language and descriptive detail, is sad in many ways, but also life affirming in others.
This book has beautiful language and descriptive detail, is sad in many ways, but also life affirming in others.
Kellie
marked it as to-read
I lived quite near the Black Diamond mines (the setting for this story) so this makes the place far more fascination to me!
Very descriptive almost poetic writing that really draws you into the story.
Max B Norton
marked it as to-read
KatyaR
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Nicole
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Marlena Fernandez
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Roz
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Angela Alcorn
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M. Allen Cunningham's latest book project is DATE OF DISAPPEARANCE, a short story collection in illustrated limited edition. Reserve a copy, or learn more at http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/proje...
M. Allen Cunningham’s debut novel The Green Age of Asher Witherow, set in nineteenth-century Northern California, was a #1 Book Sense Pick and a finalist for the 2005 Book Sense Book of th...more
More about M. Allen Cunningham...
M. Allen Cunningham’s debut novel The Green Age of Asher Witherow, set in nineteenth-century Northern California, was a #1 Book Sense Pick and a finalist for the 2005 Book Sense Book of th...more
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