Ledokhod

The Long War #1

by Robert E. Townsend, Sergei Kotlar (Translation)

Spirit Falls is a coming-of-age novel set in the late 1950's on the empty and hardscrabble borderland between Michigan's Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin. Ricky Belisle is a boy born to first-generation Americans who have migrated north to farm and hold land that cannot be taken away from them. They bring with them the beliefs, manners and stories of the homeland that they have not occupied and in so doing they create a disconnect in Ricky that forces him to begin the exploration that will eventually take him away from the land that has leached into his bones, that has given him the foundation for how he sees the world. Marie Jeanne Charbonneau, "M.J.," a French-Canadian tomboy, is his best, his only, friend, who shows Ricky that the world is wider than he thinks and that much of life takes place in the space between the words. Their relationship sparks the hunt for truth within themselves. The gypsy-like refugee Marina Svetana, green-eyed, black-haired, beautiful and wounded, a fragment of war-torn Europe, arrives like a visitation of the spirit world. Her arrival is the beginning of Ricky's journey. Ricky Belisle, Marie Jeanne Charbonneau and Marina Svetana find themselves on the eve of the winter solstice, the coldest, longest night of the year, set on a course that will last until the spring thaw brings with it a cascade of events that ends with Ricky carrying M.J. in his arms across the Great Bogus Swamp into the teeth of a 100 year Lake Superior storm. He wants only for her to survive this catastrophe and for him to find what it means to be a man. Ricky identifies with the land, the source of his strengths and weaknesses, requiring of him those things that he would not require of himself. He must learn to live with his fear of its darkness, to manage a homeland both harsh and sublime, and learn to leave behind the place both familiar and brutal. Ricky's struggle is to sort out what role women play in his life, how an honorable man treats those who are weaker, and how a young mans knows truth--by what he is told or by what he feels.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Action

246 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 2014

Reviews

[Don Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spirit Falls

Great story in time and place setting.great characters,down home. A little hard to follow at first, present and past. Couldn't put it down though. Highly recommend it.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. The time is the fifties, the place is northern Wisconsin, the community is comprised of immigrants and/or first generation descendents. The main character is a sixteen-year-old boy. He and his best friend, a girl his age, trap and work together on the farm. Other people include a displaced person he crushes on, an abused girl who nowadays would be seen screaming for help, some male friends...and enemies. In this coming of age story, we see how he begins to think of places outside Wisconsin, dream of something other than farming.

The writing craft could have been better. The shifting points of view were sometimes abrupt with little transition, and with another abrupt shift within a few paragraphs so that I had to figure out who was thinking what. The characterizations were sometimes over the top, too, with some heavyhanded stereotyping and people behaving strangely. In one place an incident was referred to that didn't happen till later on in the story.

But I felt the lure of the beautiful northwest. I could see the beauty, hear the rushing water, feel the cold. Boy, could I feel the cold! This is one of the coldest books I've ever read.

But even when I put it down, I was wondering what was going to happen, and looking forward to picking it up again.

I liked it so much I intend to reread it, taking in things I missed in my haste to get through it.

This is an excellent read.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

My opinion is back and forth on this one. Perhaps because it is so very written from a male perspective, I found it hard to follow.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

kept me glued to the pages. a great story,can not wait for his next book!

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Made it half way. Gave up. Too slow and terrible transitions between events. Hard to follow although nothing was happening.

[Casey · Rating 1 out of 5]

disappointing.

[Phillip Cushman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Formatting of the Kindle version is terrible! I also had some trouble following the story line; otherwise it was an interesting read. I don't regret taking the time.

[Richard Ross · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave up after 40 pages. For an action, suspense, thriller reader, this was just not doing it for me.

[Lily Archer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good writing. Not a pleasant story--but good writing.