dbjorlin's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
"One thing I have learned hard, if indeed I have learned it now: it is a reduction of our humanity to hide from pain, our own or others'. To hide from anything."
"One thing I have learned hard, if indeed I have learned it now: it is a reduction of our humanity to hide from pain, our own or others'. To hide from anything."
halfcentreader's review against another edition
2.0
At times some hidden gem about life or pending death. Too much ranting about the counterculture for my liking.
gingerholli's review against another edition
5.0
Oh Wallace Stegner, how I love you. That ending. I’m speechless.
bobbo49's review against another edition
5.0
Much as I love Stegner's writing and stories, it is a rarity that I am actually brought to tears by a book. But I can hardly imagine anyone reading this story without tears - Stegner's ability to capture the profoundly unfair incongruities of life, the philosophical and physical dilemmas of youth and aging, the desire of humans to find logic and reason in the tragic universe as it swallows them whole . . . another simply wonderful novel that captures the essence of our efforts at humanity.
meaganchurch's review against another edition
5.0
Another Stegner book that did not disappoint. He crafts a subtle story so beautifully that the prose carries you into the heart of the characters. The story isn’t built on drama and suspense, but rather the pain and beauty of relationships. Unlike with many other writers, his description never feels laborious to read. It is a pleasure and it pulls you into the world, the relationships, the characters. Again, I stand in awe of his writing.
bjr2022's review against another edition
5.0
I got sucked so deep into the lives of the people in this novel that it did not feel like a novel. Ironic because I found the narrative difficult to read sometimes—between the vocabulary and convoluted syntax, I had to reread sections to get meaning or realize a transition to another time had happened. But that aside, because probably it is my limitation as a reader, this was a wonderful, painful, compelling book about real lives and relationships. I was so emotionally involved, I had to take breaks—once to do a full one-hour workout, to use up my adrenaline flood; I longed to run away, yet I couldn’t stop reading, and finally it left me shredded and speechless.
drx's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
mars_b's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
tanyarobinson's review against another edition
5.0
It's been several years since I read Stegner's award-winning Crossing to Safety, yet I immediately recognized his voice in this novel. He is such an amazing writer, and this book gave him the platform to wade in profound issues - life, death, pain, accountability, search for meaning, choice... I have a category here on Goodreads I call "book club-esque," and this novel should be the poster child for my bookshelf. I had countless discussions in my head as I was reading; I'm not even going to try to reproduce any of them here. Just know that this is strong literature worth the time investment. If you are a deep thinker, this book is for you.
rdebner's review against another edition
4.0
Stegner's Joe Allport is the quintessential cranky old man, with whom all is not as it seems to the casual observer. After the death of his estranged son, Joe and his wife Ruth decide to make a new start in 1960's California (I can't quite pin down where -- I think north of San Francisco), at a time before mass development hit that area. In trying for a retreat from the world, the world comes to Joe's doorstep and takes him by the throat. Joe has little tolerance for hippies and the countercultural movement of the time, yet he acknowledges (in retrospect) that one such character perhaps could have helped him heal the wounds left from his son's life and death; out of an all-too-human sense of righteousness and an angry impulse that he can't control, Joe squanders this opportunity.
Though I enjoy Stegner's writing immensely, from the 3 books I have read, his female characters seem to be stamped from one of two molds: 1) wise and forbearing wives or 2) spirited, in-love-with-living women who come to a tragic, yet somehow noble, end. I think I read in an introduction to the book that it was the death of his mother (or wife? or both?) from cancer that was highly influential for him -- and this has certainly shown up in this book.
Though I enjoy Stegner's writing immensely, from the 3 books I have read, his female characters seem to be stamped from one of two molds: 1) wise and forbearing wives or 2) spirited, in-love-with-living women who come to a tragic, yet somehow noble, end. I think I read in an introduction to the book that it was the death of his mother (or wife? or both?) from cancer that was highly influential for him -- and this has certainly shown up in this book.