Reviews
Love and Terror on the Howling Plains of Nowhere: A Memoir by Poe Ballantine, Cheryl Strayed
leessa's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting read. Does skip around somewhat but very interesting. Homicide, at least that’s my perception, was never solved. Crime in a 5000 person small town. Pretty interesting ideas in book.
kimswhims's review against another edition
3.0
Poe Ballantine is a very entertaining writer. Somehow his style reminds me of Carl Hiaasen, and is possibly more factual, but I suspect the jury would be out on that one.
Investigating a suspicious death in a small town is certainly an original and quirky idea for a memoir.
Glad I read it but one I'd only recommend to my most quirky of friends.
Investigating a suspicious death in a small town is certainly an original and quirky idea for a memoir.
Glad I read it but one I'd only recommend to my most quirky of friends.
ivleafclover's review against another edition
5.0
Ballantine is far and away the most lyrical nonfiction writer I've ever read. Readers looking for a standard true crime book will be disappointed, but readers looking for good writing will be delighted over and over and over again.
courtney_mcallister's review against another edition
4.0
Poe Ballantine has a wonderful narrative voice, which I really enjoy. I also partially identify with his late bloomer complex and his discomfort with other people's definitions of success/stability. Although Love and Terror is a bit repetitive at times, the story of how a tragedy affects a small town is handled well. The documentary based on this book is also very good.
I think what I appreciate most about Ballantine's prose is that he doesn't set himself up as an authority on anything. He isn't a know-it-all or a patronizing expert; he's just a curious person who walks around, talks to the people who are willing to talk to him, and tries to formulate hypotheses. Along the way, he explores the inner workings of his relationships, his town, and the daily assumptions we make that are threatened by unexpected violence.
I think what I appreciate most about Ballantine's prose is that he doesn't set himself up as an authority on anything. He isn't a know-it-all or a patronizing expert; he's just a curious person who walks around, talks to the people who are willing to talk to him, and tries to formulate hypotheses. Along the way, he explores the inner workings of his relationships, his town, and the daily assumptions we make that are threatened by unexpected violence.
mattpr_co's review against another edition
5.0
I can't pinpoint why I loved this book, but I do. Ballantine's writing is warm and descriptive with just enough flourish to make you take a step back now and then to go back over a paragraph to dwell on the words.
Yes this is a story about a real tragedy, but it's mostly a story about a man and his life and his adopted home town, his wife and his son. There is no real conclusion, and it's good to know that going in. It's a very readable slice of life, and this slice winds up in 300 some pages.
Yes this is a story about a real tragedy, but it's mostly a story about a man and his life and his adopted home town, his wife and his son. There is no real conclusion, and it's good to know that going in. It's a very readable slice of life, and this slice winds up in 300 some pages.
richardwells's review against another edition
4.0
Imagine hanging with a good friend who is kind, witty, articulate, and honest. You talk about life: wives/marriage, autistic kids, friends, America, and adventures in the trades, and trenches. For this few rounds of beers you spend a good bit of time discussing the disappearance and strange death of a mutual friend. Enjoy!
h2oetry's review against another edition
4.0
Poe Ballantine has a tendency to be in the wrong place at the right time. Or the right place at the wrong time. He may have actually said that about himself, and I’m just quoting him. If you see his name in a byline, read it.
After facing the financial travails that is modern-day authorship, Ballantine found himself in the panhandle of Nebraska in a little town, Chadron. A few scattered thousand populate the town, and Ballantine brought his wife, whom he courted in her native Mexico. They had a child together, Tom, thought by many to be autistic. Tom is a delightful companion throughout the memoir. His curiosity and imaginative demeanor provide an ease from the slowly-building tensions in Chadron.
Ballantine’s jobs and lack thereof present him with ample opportunity to mingle with the oddball populace. Four books behind him and looking ahead, his publisher(and her detective fiance) fly out to scope out book opportunities. She suggests a graphic novel centered on the town folk, or a quirky cookbook, to capitalize on his skills as a short-order cook. Dead-end ideas abound till Chadron is confronted with a terror(amplified when given the small town dynamics). A math professor ends up missing, only to be found ninety-five days later burned to death.
I will deviate from the plot-review here. In the small town, nearly everyone knows everyone, and the intrigue and suspicion is on high alert -- Ballantine floats among the major parties looking to solve the crime. But that suspicion runs deep and finds conflicts with trust, truth, and tension.
Ballantine is a perfect writer to capture a city shook; his sturdy journalistic unwillingness to cave to theories and pressure from friends or enemies is admirable. I count this among the finer true crime tales such as Dave Cullen’s ‘Columbine’ or Capote’s ‘In Cold Blood.’
After facing the financial travails that is modern-day authorship, Ballantine found himself in the panhandle of Nebraska in a little town, Chadron. A few scattered thousand populate the town, and Ballantine brought his wife, whom he courted in her native Mexico. They had a child together, Tom, thought by many to be autistic. Tom is a delightful companion throughout the memoir. His curiosity and imaginative demeanor provide an ease from the slowly-building tensions in Chadron.
Ballantine’s jobs and lack thereof present him with ample opportunity to mingle with the oddball populace. Four books behind him and looking ahead, his publisher(and her detective fiance) fly out to scope out book opportunities. She suggests a graphic novel centered on the town folk, or a quirky cookbook, to capitalize on his skills as a short-order cook. Dead-end ideas abound till Chadron is confronted with a terror(amplified when given the small town dynamics). A math professor ends up missing, only to be found ninety-five days later burned to death.
I will deviate from the plot-review here. In the small town, nearly everyone knows everyone, and the intrigue and suspicion is on high alert -- Ballantine floats among the major parties looking to solve the crime. But that suspicion runs deep and finds conflicts with trust, truth, and tension.
Ballantine is a perfect writer to capture a city shook; his sturdy journalistic unwillingness to cave to theories and pressure from friends or enemies is admirable. I count this among the finer true crime tales such as Dave Cullen’s ‘Columbine’ or Capote’s ‘In Cold Blood.’
panda8882's review against another edition
4.0
Poe Ballantine is a very talented writer. Cheryl Strayed promised as much in the introduction and she has never let me down yet. It was also a refreshing change from all the YA books I've been reading for some reason lately. I think my problem with this book was that my expectations were very different than what it was. I was expecting a true crime book ... with a resolution. It was more a memoir with a bit of true crime mixed in .. and [spoiler alert] no real resolution. But his writing was amazing, so I was ok with that. Just not sure I would recommend it to people who want an interesting read and not just good writing. I read it in one day because I was basically in an airport and on planes all day. I think it would have been a slow read otherwise. I also wondered if his wife read it since he painted her in a pretty unflattering light. Gotta respect that he really put it all out there I guess :)
But yeah, as Cheryl Strayed said - this guy can write.
But yeah, as Cheryl Strayed said - this guy can write.
leepydumpling's review
3.0
I am so conflicted by this book. Ok, so the prose is beautiful, he has a gift for description and for turn of phrase. The true crime aspect of the book is fascinating, as is his open love for his autistic son. I had the audiobook, read by the author and he is a pleasant voice to listen to.
But oh God I could do without the bloviating about how amazing a husband he was and how his wife is distant and neurotic. He could have sliced off easily a third, maybe more, of this book and then gone back and filled out more detail about the actual crime. Instead of constantly speculating on who thought what happened, some details and facts laid out clearly and in good timelines would have been much better.
Or alternatively, written about the early life he kept alluding to, but never quite fleshing out.
And the repeated racism towards Indigenous Americans was gobsmacking. His repeated dismissal of them as not quite the same value as the rest of the townfolk really made me feel sick.
I wonder if he was too busy trying to be in the club of dry white American men making their name for writing about how much women and "natives" annoy them and booze and their own navel is endlessly fascinating.
But oh God I could do without the bloviating about how amazing a husband he was and how his wife is distant and neurotic. He could have sliced off easily a third, maybe more, of this book and then gone back and filled out more detail about the actual crime. Instead of constantly speculating on who thought what happened, some details and facts laid out clearly and in good timelines would have been much better.
Or alternatively, written about the early life he kept alluding to, but never quite fleshing out.
And the repeated racism towards Indigenous Americans was gobsmacking. His repeated dismissal of them as not quite the same value as the rest of the townfolk really made me feel sick.
I wonder if he was too busy trying to be in the club of dry white American men making their name for writing about how much women and "natives" annoy them and booze and their own navel is endlessly fascinating.
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