Bright's Passage in Ask Josh Ritter

Jul 16, 2012 James rated it liked it

Ritter is one of my favorite musicians. His songs teem with beautiful lyricism and literary allusions, and his knack for storytelling is writ large in his music.

But while Bright's Passage, Ritter's first novel, evidences his gift of weaving together imaginative tales, it comes up a little short (and a little too quickly) in the end. That said, his prose are a thing of beauty and the non-linear narrative never dulls. The story's antagonist is one of my favorite characters in the fiction I've rea ...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Carl rated it liked it · review of another edition

I saw Josh in concert a couple of weeks ago (kudos to his sideman Zach as well) and was impressed by his passion and enthusiasm. A bit of Googling revealed that he had also written a book; the wonders of the internet placed the book in my hands via nook in the time it takes to pour a glass of cool water. This fast read, reminiscent of one of my all time favorite authors, Ray Bradbury, combines elements of history, fantasy, and gritty realism into a story that follows Bright from the France's WWI ...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Rita Kempley rated it really liked it

The dense, lyrical language flows naturally from the pen of first-time author, Josh Ritter. It seems an angel has followed dough boy Henry Bright from the trenches of France to the hollows of West Virginia. To the modern reader, it seems more likely that the hero is suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. Short chapters, alternately set in Europe and Appalachia, speed the story along and add suspense, although the plot is rather thin. Ritter's knack for recreating time and place is the tr ...more

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