A review by daisyq
The Big Rock Candy Mountain, by Wallace Stegner
5.0
Great read. I do like a good multi-generational family saga, and this is very well written.
The characters were all brilliantly drawn. While it's semi-autobiographical, Stegner manages to get inside the actions and motivations of all the key family members, their relationships, and how they affect each other. He makes it easy to understand and care about them, even at their worst moments. Even though it's pretty clear from the outset (or reading the blurb) that Bo's many schemes are doomed, I still wanted him to succeed and never entirely lost sympathy with him.
There's some really interesting settings and set pieces in this; the family moves around a lot. I found their time in Canada and the impact of the post-WWI flu epidemic particularly fascinating.
The characters were all brilliantly drawn. While it's semi-autobiographical, Stegner manages to get inside the actions and motivations of all the key family members, their relationships, and how they affect each other. He makes it easy to understand and care about them, even at their worst moments. Even though it's pretty clear from the outset (or reading the blurb) that Bo's many schemes are doomed, I still wanted him to succeed and never entirely lost sympathy with him.
There's some really interesting settings and set pieces in this; the family moves around a lot. I found their time in Canada and the impact of the post-WWI flu epidemic particularly fascinating.