“Watson builds a simple but powerful tale. The style of Montana 1948 is as thin, clear and crisp as a North Dakota wind.” vivid, living characters who speak truly. A literary page-turner, morally complex and satisfying in its careful accumulation of detail and in its use of landscape to reveal character.” “A lean, gaunt narrative rich with implication. And it is the story of this country, of power and racism.” It’s a brilliant evocation of time and place. “It is, first and foremost, a good story, told in a direct, seemingly artless prose. So just go out and buy this book and read it.” And small-town life? Watson’s description recalls To Kill a Mockingbird. Watson’s portrayal of a small-town family at mid-century is zero to the bone. Very thoughtful, very artistic, beautifully written. And David Hayden’s narration seamlessly combines youthful and adult perspectives in an authentic and urgent voice.” Montana 1948 ’s efficiently drawn characters, understated Main Street setting and disturbing situations are always convincing. The memoir-like tone of Montana 1948 is one of its great merits and pleasures and Larry Watson, who grew up in nearby North Dakota about the same time, knows his isolated Montana locale inside out, from the distinctive redolence of Bentrock’s bowling alley to exactly where the trout lie on the Knife River.” “Larry Watson handles each of his characters with considerable skill. “Watson’s story builds beautifully to its surprising yet inevitable conclusion. In crisp, restrained prose, Watson indelibly portrays the moral dilemma of a family torn between justice and loyalty by implication, he also illuminates some dark corners of our national history.” Quickly read (you’ll stay up till it’s done), this story will not be as quickly forgotten.” Watson sometimes evokes echoes of Ivan Doig and, of all authors, Harper Lee. It is a spare, unpretentious, but riveting book. The writing is clean, the characters finely drawn, the whole book deeply felt and honest. “Montana 1948 is a superbly rendered novel. Fiction at its finest is sometimes hard to find Montana 1948 amply fits the bill.” There’s something eminently universal in Watson’s ponderings on the human condition, and it’s refracted through a nearly perfect eye for character, place and the rhythms of language. You finish in the wee hours, mesmerized by the fast-moving plot, the terse language, uncompromising characterization and insights into life.” Be prepared to read this compact book in one sitting. Watson mines that vein with both unflinching honesty and complete respect, both for the dignity of the people and the implacability of the landscape.” “The unspoken life of any small town, especially a small, hardscrabble western town, contains a motherlode of raw emotion, morally ambiguous and potentially devastating. But Watson is after something smaller and larger-a quest for personal integrity within a community that doesn’t seem to want the truth an understanding of the complexity of justice a look at corruption behind the ideal of American white men as conquering heroes.” “A narrative that can be read purely for the pleasure of a good story. New York Library Best Books for the Teen Age.
Shortlisted, IMPAC Dublin International Award.
0 kommentar(er)
