In the years before World War I, Byron Aldridge led a charmed life as the charismatic heir apparent to a Pennsylvania timber empire; and to his you...
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reviews
Mar 11, 2009
Teresa
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Gautreaux does so many things well, including things I didn't think I'd care about, such as the descriptions of mechanical things. (I first noticed that in his short story collection.) He has an eloquent, lyrical prose style that creates vivid pictures in your mind as you read. His characters are complex and unique, and you come to care about them. He does interpersonal relationships well, without a hint of sentimentality. The dialogue is a pleasure to read, flavored with just a touch of di
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Jul 14, 2008
Julie
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A few minutes ago I turned the final page on The Clearing, Tim Gautreaux. I'm still trembling. From general exhaustion and distraction, it took me several days to get through the first 80 or so pages; this morning I went through three cups of coffee and 4 instrumental CDs to read the remaining 225. It's an extraordinary book, a captivating story- I learned something about an era (Prohibition), a place (the swamps of Louisiana), a people (lumber/millworkers) and got caught up with a family that b
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Mar 31, 2009
Rick
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Engrossing tale of two estranged brothers, one a mill manager for his father and the other a twisted wanderer who never recovered from his stint in the Great War. Byron, the veteran, has long been missing, wandering the west and south, taking odd jobs, many which require violence which he excels at, until he is settled in a bayou lumber camp as company lawman. A stringer for the father’s company finds the lumber camp and reports back to Pittsburgh, when dad buys the mill and dispatches Randolph
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Aug 02, 2009
Dera
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I fell in love with Gautreaux after reading one of his short stories in the New Yorker--he's got that Southern thing down pat, the water and the green dark and the ruin and the snakes and the violence. I decided to read everything he'd written. Now I'm not as sure as I was: I love the writing, but I'm thinking he may be better for the short-story genre. Characters are a little boiler-plated, I fear, and the plot never just wound me up and dragged me along. Still, I do love the writing.
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Apr 15, 2009
Al
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Set in a cedar forest in post-WW I Louisiana, this book follows the fortunes of two brothers, sons of a lumber magnate, one of whom has returned burned out from the horrors of Europe in WW I and is working as a deputy in the sawmill village, and the other who has come down from Pittsburgh to run the operation. We watch as they battle badmouths, cottonmouths, and a depression-era version of organized crime. Blood is spilled, lessons are learned, and redemption is found. I really liked
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Oct 06, 2009
Amy
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When I worked in a bookstore one day I answered the phone a publisher want to recommend we take a look at a couple of books, one of them being Tim Gautreaux's The Clearing. I found a copy of the book and read it. It was an amazing piece of work. A quick review of the story didn't capture my attention but I began to read it and was totally sold on the writing. When The Missing was released, I immediately got a copy and was once again captivated by Gautreaux's writing. The story this time aro
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Jul 25, 2009
Jennifer
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This story is set in the early part of the century and tells the tale of two brothers running a family-owned mill in the swamps of Louisiana far from usual society. One brother had gone "missing" after WWI and when he was located working as constable in this removed mill-town, his family bought the mill with the intent to take over, clear the land, and bring the prodigal son home once this was accomplished. The physical setting is great: snake-infested swamps, mud everywhere, alive wit
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Sep 12, 2009
Antoinette
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I was lured in to reading this book by the nice review by Richard Russo on the back, but it was truly awful, with the possible exception of the very last scene. It's full of silly sentences like "The mill manager felt as though a giant electric switch had been thrown off, stopping everything in his life." And it features offensively unbelievable baby-killing Sicilian villains. The only reason I finished reading it was because the library was closed over Labor Day weekend and I didn'
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Jan 27, 2010
Jennifer
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I've read 2 other books by the author (The Last Step in the Dance, and The Missing). He writes wonderfully descriptive stories of the South. Hope this is as good.
From a review: "You might learn more about old-time logging than you ever wanted to know, but the story is as compelling as Cold Mountain or All the Pretty Horses and just as well written. "
Loved this. I learned a lot about logging in the old primal forests that were too quickly gone. I've started Last More...
From a review: "You might learn more about old-time logging than you ever wanted to know, but the story is as compelling as Cold Mountain or All the Pretty Horses and just as well written. "
Loved this. I learned a lot about logging in the old primal forests that were too quickly gone. I've started Last More...
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Jun 27, 2008
Sean
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I picked this book up from the library because I had read an interview with Annie Proulx in which she stated that The Clearing was the best novel she’d read in ten years. I thought that was high praise coming from a talented writer such as Proulx, who I respect and whose writing I really enjoy. And, in fact, similarities exist between Gautreaux’s novel and some of Proulx’s work. Both authors raise physical place almost to the level of a living, breathing character through their intricate
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Feb 10, 2008
Sabra
rated it:
Casualties
Wars of different sorts are a main theme in The Clearing, by Tim Gautreaux. It amazes me with the artfulness of the language and how the careful details put you in the place. I can easily imagine being knee-deep in Louisiana swamp water keeping an eye out for water moccasins gliding by.
Two of the characters, both lawmen, have been through their own wars. The older saw the Civil War destroy his home, his father's dignity, the family's livelihood. The memory of More...
Wars of different sorts are a main theme in The Clearing, by Tim Gautreaux. It amazes me with the artfulness of the language and how the careful details put you in the place. I can easily imagine being knee-deep in Louisiana swamp water keeping an eye out for water moccasins gliding by.
Two of the characters, both lawmen, have been through their own wars. The older saw the Civil War destroy his home, his father's dignity, the family's livelihood. The memory of More...
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Feb 03, 2010
Chris
rated it:
I just finished both The Clearing & The Missing. I had never heard of the author until I read the reviews in Bookmarks magazine. Outstanding author, I had a hard time putting both books down. Both books were set in post WWI Louisiana. I found the descriptions of the Southern backwoods fascinating. You can tell the author has a lot of knowledge & affection for steamboats, railroads, timber mills, and music. I would have given The Clearing a 5 star rating, but I found the Buzetti character a
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Jul 21, 2009
Elyse
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I fished this book out of my 'to read' pile after reading a short story by the author in 'The New Yorker.' I've had it on my shelves for so long - it was an ARC I picked up at Random House. Wonderful book, a tale of two brothers set in a no man's land post WWII, clearing wood in a godforsaken patch of land. The characters, the pacing, the atmosphere, the language - all was brilliant and so enjoyable, even though sometimes it was difficult to witness the goingson in the story.
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Mar 11, 2009
Isis
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The good: evocative, lyrical descriptions, fresh metaphors, and strong women. Lillian in particular surprised and delighted me.
The bad: A slow-moving and predictable story. I wanted to knock all the men in this book over the heads with a frying pan. And constantly referring to one person in alternate sentences as 'Randolph' and 'the mill manager' until I was about ready to throw the book across the room. Fanfic writers learn early on that epithet-ism is irritating and confusing; More...
The bad: A slow-moving and predictable story. I wanted to knock all the men in this book over the heads with a frying pan. And constantly referring to one person in alternate sentences as 'Randolph' and 'the mill manager' until I was about ready to throw the book across the room. Fanfic writers learn early on that epithet-ism is irritating and confusing; More...
Apr 28, 2009
Su
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An interesting story of two brothers running a lumber business in the backwoods of Louisiana during the 1920's. Byron, the older brother, had been mentally scarred from serving in WWI and Randolph tries to bring him back to happiness. I was amazed at the depth of knowledge the author knew about logging and railroads from that era. In places the story was awfully wordy, but overall a very good read.
Oct 05, 2009
Mweiss641
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This novel set in the post WWI cyprus timber industry of rural South Louisiana gives the reader insight into many areas--the hard-scrabble poverty of the period, the post-traumatic stress results of that distant war, the racial divide of the time, the ravaging of the forests and its wildlife. Gautreaux, a LA native, gives the reader a well spun take with a good cast of characters.
May 27, 2011
Stephanie
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I'm from Louisiana, but I've never been that deep into the swamp before. Beautiful and haunting. Felt like I was on the train ride in the beginning. Might drag here and there, but if you want to understand this culture give it a try. I just love period pieces anyway. Read anything by Gautreaux. He's an original.
Aug 28, 2011
mbpardy
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I really liked this book. The novel is set mainly at a timber mill in remote country in the early 1900's, and the whole setting and the way people live and work is fascinating. One of my favourite scenes is when May visits Randolph's bed and the conversation in the morning. Really well done.
Feb 17, 2010
Jessie
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Great idea for a book as I have wondered about the "great" cypress forests that once stood in Louisiana. I was so disappointed in the characters, very predictable unfolding of the story, more violence than even in the first book of his that I read. So much for Louisiana writers (my home state)!
Mar 06, 2009
Wendy
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This is an amazing book that I just finished reading. It is a novel that stays with you for a long time after reading. Set in the 1920's in a Louisianna cypress timber mill. The characters are so rich and the environment of the surrounding swamp is so eerie yet engaging.
Jan 07, 2011
AKT
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Rafi: 3 Peaks: It's all about the wood in more ways than one.
Seamus: 3.1 Peaks: Byron as Wyatt Earp.
Andy: 2.65 Peaks: Brown sugar and shovel justice.
Chad: 2.9 Peaks: Godfather meets Heart of Darkness
Scott: 3.2 Peaks: Snakes, power tools, sex and violence--Hooah!
Seamus: 3.1 Peaks: Byron as Wyatt Earp.
Andy: 2.65 Peaks: Brown sugar and shovel justice.
Chad: 2.9 Peaks: Godfather meets Heart of Darkness
Scott: 3.2 Peaks: Snakes, power tools, sex and violence--Hooah!
Mar 21, 2010
Dylan
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Like its author, this book is a wondrous anomaly. Gautreaux's skillful southern Gothic sensibility transcends all the violence and atmospheric grittiness that oozes so deftly from his pen. He taps these characters like a vampire stumbling into a houseful of quadriplegics. It's a book that, nuanced and full-throttle simultaneously, verifies the written word's superiority over the visual arts. You'll be cast into deep waters, without a false oar stroke along the way. You'll be second-guessing your
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Oct 20, 2009
Mary
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I liked the review that said, "I learned a lot about logging." Tim Gautreaux is sneaky like that. I learned an awful lot about steamboats in The Missing, too, and with both books, got a good story out of it in the process.
Nov 12, 2009
Carol Jean
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This book takes you into the swamps of Louisiana and shows you what people are made of. The brilliant prose, terrible truths, and a wild-west plot galloped along and I couldn't put it down. Excellent.
Sep 22, 2010
Dgoll
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What a great author! What a beautiful book! This is an odd comment given the topic of the book. It is a superbly woven story in absolutely lovely prose. I hightly recommend it!
Dec 22, 2008
Adam
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A 1920s Louisiana logging camp, and all its violence, comes alive. Gautreaux uses concise similes and intelligible metaphors to set the scene well.
Jul 11, 2011
Melanie
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I love the way Gautreaux writes, but for some reason, I didn't feel that connected to the characters in this novel, and was glad when it was over.
Aug 02, 2009
andrew
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A decent literary thriller. Would have been dererving of a fourth star if not for a sluggish and repetitious plot in the first half.
Dec 08, 2009
Lucy
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Nice combination of action, effective character description, emotional struggle and poetic landscapes. Good read.
