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Title: Winter Range : A Novel by Claire Davis ISBN: 0-312-28425-X Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 05 October, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (12 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Far From Empty
Comment: I hope that nobody was deterred from buying this book by the absurd Amazon editorial review which dismissed it as "big and empty, just like the state of Montana". Those of us who live in the state take offense at such comments. I would also like to point out to this reviewer (who notes, with seeming derision, that starving cattle is "apparently a crime in Montana") that animal neglect and cruelty happen to be crimes in all 50 states, not just in the "empty" ones.
That said, let me tell you why Winter Range is worth your time. First of all, it's a very good read --highly compelling. THe plot revolves around the conflict between a small town sheriff and a failed rancher, but Davis peels back layer upon layer to show us that the roots of this conflict run much deeper than these two men. In fact, the conflict strikes at the heart of an entire community, and an entire (dying) way of life.
I have spent the past five years working in tiny towns and rural areas of Montana, and the tension between the townspeople and the "outsider" sheriff in this story really struck a chord with me. I think Davis has realistically captured the attitude of small town Westerners towards newcomers, while managing to evoke sympathy for both sides.
This book is well-written, original, full of tension, and it leaves you with something to think about after you're finished. WHat more could you ask of a novel? THe only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that I think the author fell just short of reaching the full potential of this story. At times, it seemed she wasn't sure what kind of story she wanted to tell. This book has all the elements of a terrific thriller, yet Davis purposefully (I think) detracts from the dramatic tension by digressing into long psychological explorations of her characters. It's almost as if she was embarassed to write a straight-up thriller because she is a talented writer and talented writers are only supposed to write 'literary' novels. Yet I think she could have let this novel be the fast-paced nail-biter it was meant to be, and her top-notch writing and characterization would have still made it stand apart from the rest of that genre.
But this was only her first novel, and it is much, much better than most first attempts. Highly recommended, whether you're looking for excellent writing or a good old-fashioned page-turner.
Rating: 1
Summary: Not for the feint of heart
Comment: I couldn't stomache the crulety to the animals. Only the worst of our society would treat animals in this fashion.
Rating: 5
Summary: Davis explores idea of responsibility in naturalistic debut
Comment: Claire Davis' triumphant debut novel, "Winter Range," is a complex and challenging work. Precisely and elegantly crafted, the novel's setting, the fiercely beautiful and forbidding praire of eastern Montana, unrelentingly batters both the characters and the reader. Focusing on the psychological development of its three central characters, "Winter Range" explores the theme of adult responsibility, especially in the face of trauma, discontent and rebellion. A daunting winter brings to the breaking point the taut tensions between an honorable sheriff, Ike Parsons, his proud but haunted wife Pattiann, and a truly malicious misanthrope, Chas, whose unrequited passion for Pattiann complicates an absorbing conflict between the characters, their own pasts and their abilities to survive an environment seemily indifferent to their circumstances. Ms. Davis provides a powerful and compelling response to her own core question: when do we stop blaming others and begin accepting our lives as our own, as flawed as they may be, for what they truly are?
Ultimately, the author has each character commit to an answer provided by Pattiann as she sorts out the conflicts engendered by a restrictive upbrining and her love of a man whose calm restores her sense of self. "Isn't there a time when a peson has to say, all right, now this is the rest of my life? And I'm accountable fo that?" "Winter Range" picks up momentum throughout its fast-paced narrative, and the conclusion is both liberating and forbidding.
I also feel a need to compliment the author on how hard she worked for the reader. For this is a beautifully crafted piece of literature. She has a marvelous sense of imagery. Take, for example, her description of parents' grief after the death of their child. "And now he was dead and his parents, early in their middle years, would wake the rest of their days and know the relentless taste of grief as sharp and cold on their tongues as metal on a winter's morning." Ms. Davis constantly reinvents the Montana plains, from its fickle abundance to its devastating winters; those who live and work as cattle ranchers receive unspoken, but genuine, homage through her descriptions of their environment.
This dark, brooding and intense novel signals the advent of an accomplished author. In tune with the people she describes, Claire Davis offers us unusual and timely insights into the adult mind.
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Title: Where Rivers Change Direction by Mark Spragg ISBN: 1573228257 Publisher: Riverhead Books Pub. Date: 08 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Fruit of Stone by Mark Spragg ISBN: 1573222232 Publisher: Riverhead Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 2002 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason by Nancy Pearl ISBN: 1570613818 Publisher: Sasquatch Books Pub. Date: September, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: The Great Fire: A Novel by Shirley Hazzard ISBN: 0374166447 Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux Pub. Date: 14 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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Title: Who's Your Caddy? : Looping for the Great, Near Great, and Reprobates of Golf by Rick Reilly ISBN: 0385488858 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 06 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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