On Bear Mountain: A Novel

by Deborah Smith

In a tense, exciting coming-of-age novel by the author of A Place to Call Home, a strange iron sculpture of a bear brings together New Yorker Quentin Ricconni and Southerner Ursula Powell. 80,000 first printing.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Southern, Womens Fiction, Roman

342 pages, Hardcover

First published February 7, 2001

About the author

aka Jackie Leigh
aka Della Stone
aka Leigh Bridger

Bestselling Author
Co-founder, co-publisher
Vice-president, Editor in Chief
BelleBooks, Memphis, TN

Deborah Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of A Place to Call Home, and the No. 1 Kindle Bestseller The Crossroads Cafe, A Gentle Rain and other acclaimed romantic novels portraying life and love in the modern Appalachian South. A native Georgian, Deborah is a former newspaper editor who turned to novel-writing with great success.

With more than 35 romance, women's fiction and fantasy novels to her credit, Deborah's books have sold over 3 million copies worldwide. Among her honors is a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times Magazine and a nomination for the prestigious Townsend Literary Award. In 2003 Disney optioned Sweet Hush for film. In 2008 A Gentle Rain was a finalist in Romance Writers of America's RITA awards.

For the past fifteen years Deborah has partnered with Debra Dixon to run BelleBooks, a small press originally known for southern fiction, including the Mossy Creek Hometown Series and the Sweet Tea story collections. As editor, she has worked on projects as diverse as the nonfiction Bra Talk book by three-time Oprah Winfrey guest Susan Nethero, and the In My Dreams novella by New York Times bestselling author Sarah Addison Allen.

In 2008 BelleBooks launched Bell Bridge Books, an imprint with a focus on fantasy novels and now expanded to include multi-genre fiction--mystery, suspense, thrillers, women's fiction, nonfiction and other. In 2013 BelleBooks acquired the late Linda Kichline's paranormal romance press, ImaJinn Books, and hired legendary editor Brenda Chin, formerly of Harlequin Books, as editorial director. Chin will expand the imprint to cover a diverse mix of all romance types.

Deborah's newest books are the Crossroads Cafe novellas: THE BISCUIT WITCH, THE PICKLE QUEEN, THE YARN SPINNER, and THE KITCHEN CHARMER (2014). She released a mini-short story, SAVING JONQUILS, in March 2014. A sexy romantic novella, A HARD MAN TO FIND, is scheduled for later in the month.

Reviews

[Laurie (barksbooks)]

I read and reviewed this author many years ago but never again and this is why.



Here's my original review so those who will cannot accuse me of being a drive-by troll. If anything I was a silly fangirl. I wrote this way back when. Ahhh, innocence was bliss.

This is a beautifully crafted book filled with characters who leap off the pages and into your heart. These aren't perfect people, they've made mistakes and make a few during the course of the book which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. I have a short attention span and most books simply bore me or just plain annoy me. Despite a few obvious tear-jerking plot contrivances this is one that will stick with me for a bit and one of the better books I've read this year.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

On Bear Mountain
5✨

[Maria Lavrador · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um livro fofinho, daqueles romances que começa e acaba exactamente como todos os dos seu género. Lê-se bem, tem uma escrita agradável mas sem qualquer tipo de surpresa, como é de esperar de algo deste tipo

[Cindy Landes · Rating 3 out of 5]

J’ai ADORÉ la première partie du roman, toute l’histoire de l’enfance des deux personnages. J’étais passionnée par l’histoire plutôt dramatique de leur famille et tout faisait du sens avec les adultes qu’ils deviendront plus tard.
Cependant, à partir du moment où ils sont adultes, j’ai commencé à me lasser de l’histoire et j’ai aussi senti que ça avait mal vieilli (surtout la portion romance).

[Lin Stepp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of Deborah Smith's wonderful southern books I discovered. Since reading this book, I have hunted down and read all Deborah's books - all equally good reads.

On Bear Mountain is set in the rural mountains of Georgia near the Tennessee Smokies line. I just re-read this novel for my book club this fall. Again, I enjoyed Deborah's tough, spunky main characters - Ursula Powell and Qnentin Riconni, the regional descriptions, the captivating plot, and the psychological insights into 'what makes us what we are' - weaknesses, strengths, passions, determinations. Deborah writes deep, intense books about deep, intense people - and through them shows us about life, love, sacrifice, and the triumph of joy over sorrows. I've never read a book by Deborah Smith I didn't like.

[Titinha Scaeiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75*
Não consegui chegar às 4*
sei que podia arredondar mas como me irritei com a história ao redor do urso, não merece o arredondamento...
Raios, já li melhores da autora!

[Adelaide Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gosto bastante da autora e aguardei este livro com curiosidade, foi num entanto uma desilusão. A história de Ursula e Quentin salta de um para outro sem haver uma sequência lógica. Há no decorrer da história uma mistura de pensamentos em que o leitor fica perdido sem saber de início a quem se referem.
A leitura torna-se confusa e morosa pelo que não consigo dar uma melhor classificação

[karenbee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review should come with a warning: I am not a regular reader of straight-up romance novels. On Bear Mountain is a romance. I picked it up because it was two bucks, and the setting (mountains, rural Georgia) sounded interesting, and the story involves artists and scrappy farmers, and why the hell not?

Here is why the hell not: SO MANY WRONG THINGS. I was very optimistic for the first big chunk of the book, where the two main characters' childhoods are narrated -- really enjoyed that, though I've noticed a lot of reviewers were bored by it -- but I grew disenchanted as time went on and I read further into On Bear Mountain. I mean, the story is okay once we get to current-day Ursula and Quentin but it never charmed me or clicked with me the way I hoped it would.

Smith's story moves along well enough and the bare bones of it are mostly solid, but I was out of the novel for good once I realized the whole story's being told by Ursula, even the parts that are only inside Quentin's head. At least, I THINK that's the intent. I may be reading it wrong. It's very confusing.

Anyway, once I realized that, it bled the suspense from the scene I stumbled over in the beginning of On Bear Mountain, and it was more distracting than engrossing. There were also some contradictions within the story and plot threads that went nowhere.

But those quibbles were NOTHING compared to all the punctuation errors in the Kindle edition. (I don't know if they're in the print edition.) They drove me NUTS once it was obvious they were intentional. Unnecessary commas everywhere. Except, if this were On Bear Mountain, that would read: Unnecessary commas, everywhere. "I was dying, inside." "I won't be lost, anymore." "I can do it, myself." There were a lot of them. Also: extra apostrophes, not as bad but obvious, like "Ricconni's" (that's a plural) and IN THE SAME SENTENCE "Powells" (also a plural).

Oh, and the phrase "come on" being turned into "comeon" which makes NO SENSE, if it were c'mon I could see it as a dialect thing, but "comeon" appeared at least half a dozen times throughout the text so I guess someone thinks that's a thing? IT'S A TERRIBLE THING.

So yes, punctuation problems. Predictable storylines. Unbelievable dialogue. Italics denoting internal monologues not ending when they should, creating some confusion over where the monologue ends.

I feel like I'm being overly picky here. It's a sweet book with good intentions and a nice message, aside from all the I CAN'T LOVE YOU BUT I DO BUT YOU CAN NEVER KNOOOW mental gymnastics performed by both main characters. If you like bears, you'll really dig all the bear imagery On Bear Mountain offers. It DOES have issues, and I wouldn't pay more than two bucks for it. BUT. BUT! All that suffering is ENTIRELY WORTH IT for this: Quentin is SHOT BY A BEAR CUB. Hahahahahaaaaaaaaa. Oh God, I love it so much.

That part is near the end of the book, so you know, you have to wade through things like "the Tweens" which is a made-up thing that's like fairies but different and DEFINITELY NOT short for "tweenagers" in this book, so try not to read it like that.

Enjoy Ursula sticking her hand in her brother's mouth while he's seizing so he won't choke -- Smith deserves to have her finger bitten for perpetuating that myth. (I'M KIDDING, I do not advocate punitive finger-biting, but seriously, don't stick your hands or anything else in a seizing person's mouth.)

Marvel over mental mutterings such as "She can't let herself depend on anyone. God, I want her to trust me." And eye-roll over external dialogue like "He clearly appreciates history, yet he's bluntly unsentimental. So many contradictions." People TOTALLY talk like that.

P.S. The narrative omniscience gets really weird when the narrator -- Ursula -- tells us things like "Quentin was vividly aware of my breath on his cheek, the scent of me."

I started being unpleasantly picky again, sorry. Here, I will give you a taste of the best part, maybe it will make up for all that griping: "He reached inside his jacket and brought his hand out, covered in blood. 'I should have known I'd be shot by a bear,' he said." Yes, Quentin, you should have.

After that, Ursula kinda bandages him and the two sidekicks run off for help, and Quentin and Ursula chat a bit, but it's hard to focus on that because NO ONE HAS SECURED THE GUN. GUYS, GUYS, THE BEAR STILL HAS THE GUN.

Eventually everything quiets down and it's just the two of them and the will-he-survive tension and Ursula tells us that "Even the bears had disappeared." WITH THE GUN? DID THEY TAKE THE GUN, URSULA?

On Bear Mountain gets two stars because despite all the irritations, I still finished the thing! I think this would be a great one for readers who favor romance novels (with minimal sex) for comfort reading. An extra half-star for all that spoilered stuff, which brought me great joy.


(two-and-a-half stars)

[Tita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sendo este o sexto livro que lia de Deborah Smith, em que só apenas um é que me tinha desiludo, tinha muitas expectativas com Regresso a Casa, no entanto, não foi tão prazeiroso como gostaria.

Os nossos protagonistas são Ursula, uma jovem que acaba por regressar à sua terra, no sul, após saber da morte do seu pai, com quem tinha cortado relações a alguns anos, principalmente por causa do fascínio que o pai tinha por uma escultura de um Urso; e Quentin, filho do escultor do tal Urso e que, presentemente, deseja adquirir.
Inicialmente, vamos conhecendo, intercaladamente, a infância de Ursula e Quentin, o que nos permite ficar a conhecer melhor as suas personalidades e as dificuldades que tiveram. E posso-vos dizer que gostei muito desta parte.
Temos depois um salto temporal, voltando à actualidade e, foi esta parte que não correspondeu às minhas expectativas. E porquê? Muito em parte à narração. A história acaba por ser narrada na primeira pessoa, por Ursula, mas onde temos também acesso a pensamentos e cenas do Quentin, e achei que tornava a leitura muito confusa. Por várias vezes, tive dificuldade em conseguir identificar que estava numa "parte" de Quentin e não da Ursula.
Achei também que a autora poderia ter explorado um pouco mais a personagem de Arthur, irmão de Ursula e que é autista; e da outra moça (cujo nome não me recordo) mas que ainda é uma prima afastada e que também tem problemas de aprendizagem.
Outro aspecto que não me convenceu, foi todo o fascínio do Urso de Ferro e, confesso, fiquei sem perceber porquê tanta obsessão no Urso.

É certo que o livro me entreteve mas, infelizmente, não me conquistou como os anteriores, mas continuo a querer ler mais de Deborah Smith.

[Connie53 · Rating 4 out of 5]

De families Powell en Tiber leven al sinds mensenheugenis in Tiber Ville. Er is ooit een huwelijk geweest tussen beide familie, dus zijn ze in feite allemaal familie. Maar ergens is er iets misgegaan en de Powell-bruid gaat ervandoor met de zoon van de enige zwarte familie uit het dorp. Dat zorgt voor een hoop weerstand tussen de families.
De Tibers zijn eigenaar van de grootste fabriek (kipproducten) en de bank en het hele dorp werkt voor hen. De boeren zijn allemaal kippenhouders en hebben allemaal leningen uitstaan bij de Tiber Bank. Tom Powell werkt ook als kippenboer maar zijn gezin woont verder weg van het dorp op een plateau op een van de bergen. Ursula, zijn dochtertje, is met Tom aanwezig als er per trein een kunstwerk arriveert, gekocht bij een beginnend kunstenaar, Richard Riconni. Het is een levensgrote sculptuur van een beer, gemaakt van schroot, ijzer en ander afval. Het dorp is geschokt en besluit het beeld te vernietigen. Tom is echter erg onder de indruk en geeft zijn laatste geld om het beeld te kopen en bij zijn boerderij neer te zetten. Ursula's moeder overlijdt kort daarna bij geboorte van haar broertje Arthur, die daarbij een hersenbeschadiging oploopt en autistisch is. Arthur groeit op met de beer op hun erf en hij zegt dat de beer met hem praat.
Meer dan twintig jaar later is Quentin Riconni op zoek naar het laatste werk van zijn vader dat hij nog niet heeft kunnen vinden. Alle werken van Richard zijn inmiddels een vermogen waard en zijn moeder zou het geweldig vinden om ook de beer, Bare Wisdom, weer terug te zien. Zijn zoektocht brengt hem naar Ursula en haar broer. Hij wil de beer van hen kopen maar Arthur is daar erg van in de war. Quentin en Ursula bedenken een plan om Arthur te overtuigen, maar dat loopt niet helemaal zoals gepland en Quentin moet veel langer blijven dan hij had gedacht. Hij begint zich thuis te voelen op Bear Mountain.

[Sonia Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Passados 7 anos da primeira leitura, em Inglês, regressei a Bear Creek. Não posso dizer que tenha sido uma releitura entusiasmante, que decorreu em dias de muito calor e durante os quais não tinha ânimo para muito, mas gostei de Ursula e do irmão Arthur, autista, de quem todos tomavam conta. Já Quentin irritou-me aquela teimosice dele de não amar ninguém por causa do pai e tudo é culpa do pai.

[Marta Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uma vez mais a Deborah Smith presenteia-nos com um livro maravilhoso.
Um romance doce, profundo e cheio de esperança que me encantou desde a primeira página.

[Eulalia Mira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Não foi o livro mais entusiasmante da Deborah!!!!! Estava à espera de mais e de menos ursos!

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many parts of this hauntingly beautiful book that are lyrical and philisophical. But here are three of my favorites:

"He(Daddy)taught me that life was a work of art we build on crudely welded turning points and hopeful imagination. He said every birth, every death, every joy, and every heartache shaped our destinies from thin air, while we were busy pretending we were in charge of our own construction."

"If you only love someone after they've changed to suit your tastes, then what did you love about them to begin with?"

"We made love like theives after pleasure has become its own kind of stolen virtue."

I love the intuitive voice of the narrator and don't mind suspending disbelief when she speaks words that Quentin said as if she were in his head at the time he said them. It is an unusual form, but it suits.

There is something about the soulfulness of the story and her sentence structures and characterizations that reminds me of Melinda Haynes.

[Susie James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered Deborah Smith several years ago after noticing a paperback copy of her novel, "A Place to Call Home" on our library's swap rack. Her story and writing truly drew me in and I hoped to find more of her work. A year or so later I found a used hardback version of yet another wonderful Southern story she'd published, and a copy of "On Bear Mountain" was among a hodge podge of used books a friend boxed for me for Christmas 2015. I just found time to read it and, though I was afraid I'd be weeping at the end of the novel, and well, I must say I was right about that, those tears were dripping into a satisfied smile as well!!! Ha.

[Mary Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my first read by this author, and frankly doubt I will look for more of her books. I found this one on sale, and now I see why. The first part of the book was so boring, and confusing, I found myself skimming pages to get to better parts. There were two interwoven plots but the transition from one to the other was choppy and I was unsure which plot I was reading for awhile. As the book progressed, the story did become more interesting but since I skimmed parts and found some of the storyline confusing, I did not feel it deserved 3 stars.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable emotional romance novel. I have not read a Deborah Smith book that I have not enjoyed. The history and stories of the 2 main characters and their families was an intimate look at the emotional baggage we all carry and must face in this lifetime. Well portrayed and an enjoyable romance story. I especially loved Arthur and his simple yet profound connection to nature and the things around him. I feel his character brought a new dimension to the romance aspect. Good book.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a no-thinking fictional book that was okay. It was an impulse purchase at Sam's Club.

[Martha Meyers · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a free book on my kindle, but it wasn't worth my time. Too predictable, and I didn't even like the story.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my reading highlights of 2010. I have read another of her books since and REALLY like her writing style!

[Joana’s World · Rating 2 out of 5]

Este livro não é para mim. Não achei piada a história, muito menos a história do urso. No entanto não perdi a esperança e vou tentar ler mais livros da autora.

[Mª João Monteiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gostei muito de um dos livros anteriores desta autora («A doçura da chuva») e medianamente de um outro. Já este ,apesar de ter um bom início e uma boa premissa, enrola-se ali a certa altura e fica aquilo a que os meus alunos chamam «muito confuso», o que me fez desligar bastante e andar a engonhar com ele. A história acompanha Ursula, uma jovem do sul, proveniente de uma família pobre (mas que tem um ramo rico com quem há desacordos) e Quentin Ricconi, filho de um escultor cheio de dificuldades que aproveitou a oportunidade de lhe cederem um armazém longe de casa para se dedicar às artes sem que desse a devida atenção à sua família (Angele, bibliotecária, e o filho). A obra prima de Ricconni é um urso feito de desperdícios de metal que vai parar a uma fábrica dos tais parentes de Ursula e é comprada por seu pai para não ser destruída (ela chama-se Ursila devido ao urso...), o que impede que tenham dinheiro para a mãe de Ursula, grávida, seja acompanhada pelo médico, causando-lhe a morte durante o parto do irmão autista de Ursula. Depois, as histórias vão-se cruzar lá muito para o meio, mas entretanto sabemos que Quentin, vivendo num meio duro e aguentando-se como bom aluno e figura de exceção, acaba por fraquejar ao roubar automóveis e vai para o exército para evitar a prisão, no momento em que tinha ganho uma bolsa para engenharia no MIT. Aqui, já eu soprava por todo o lado com tanta desgraça mal arrumada... Enfim, A rapariga tem uma livraria que está num quarteirão que vai ser demolido e é ativista, mas não adianta e tem de voltar para casa onde as coisas também não correm bem. Além do irmão pseudo autista de Ursula, há uma prima afastada com qualquer problema cognitivo, mas que sabe conduzir e foge de casa frequentemente. Isto tudo junto tornou-se muito cansativo. Histórias a mais sem que se perceba qual o objetivo além da junção dos protagonistas.

[Andreia Duarte · Rating 2 out of 5]

🐻 Nem sei ao certo o que comentar neste livro, foi uma história tão fraquinha.... Foi uma desilusão, sinceramente não estava à espera, pois Deborah Smith é uma escritora que adoro e que cativa com as suas histórias lindíssimas e personagens adoráveis.

🐻 Mas este livro baseou-se muito numa escultura de ferro, um urso, tornando-a lenta e sem qualquer desenvolvimento... Sempre de volta desta bendita escultura que liga a vida de duas pessoas, Ursula Powell (a proprietária da escultura) e de Quentin Riconni (o filho da pessoa que fez a escultura); cada um com os seus momentos de dor e de luta interior com os seus fantasmas...

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poignantly, beautiful story of two damaged and lonely people. Each loose key people in their lives at young ages. Ursula’s mother dies in childbirth when Ursula is a young girl and her father has spent all of their money buying a iron statue of a bear. Quentin’s father was the tortured artist who made the bear. Life weaves a path for these two to meet, old grudges and feuds, southern mountains, tortured memories and love all mix into the story.

[Noora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kirja, jonka lukeminen takkuili jostain syystä alkuun ihan älyttömästi, vaikka juoni oli kiinnostava ja kirja vaikutti hyvältä. Puolenvälin jälkeen lukujumi aukesi ja luinkin lopun melkein yhdeltä istumalta. Kirja oli hyvä, vaikka loppuratkaisu olikin ennalta-arvattava. En ehkä lukisi saman kirjailijan muita kirjoja, mutta tämä oli ihan mielenkiintoinen tuttavuus.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been awhile since I've read a romance and this was an enjoyable one with Southern flare, likeable characters, some art and history and myth thrown in for fun. Could easily be made into a Hallmark movie. Not great literature by any means, but a good reminder that books don't have to be and that sometimes easy and fun is what we need to read.

[Vera Teixeirinha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Foi o pior que li desta autora até hoje. Só a meio do livro é que desenvolveu e cativou. Foi exatamente como outra opiniáo que li aqui, completamente desorganizado nas falas, eu nunca sabia quem estava a dizer o quê até porque estava sempre a saltar no tempo e de pessoa para pessoa. Foi muito estranho mesmo. As 3 estrelas sao para a ultima parte do livro, gostei muito do Quentin.

[Karen S. Coghill · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me well into the first Part to get to know and like the characters. But, the further I read, the more I was captivated by the story. The people and the surroundings come to life with vivid descriptions. This tale explores many of the ways people and family can love and express their love for each other.

[Adelaide Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gosto bastante da autora e aguardei este livro com curiosidade, foi num entanto uma desilusão. A história de Ursula e Quentin salta de um para outro sem haver uma sequência lógica. Há no decorrer da história uma mistura de pensamentos em que o leitor fica perdido sem saber de início a quem se referem.
A leitura torna-se confusa e morosa pelo que não consigo dar uma melhor classificação

[Donna Arcara · Rating 3 out of 5]

From my notes in 2003: "3. 5Stars. This romantic story was recommended by the Librarian; it was a pretty solid story. There was a little too much mysticism about an iron sculpture for my liking, (it was a stretch) but the "destined to be together" aspect of this Romance was satisfying."