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As Good as Gone
As Good as Gone: A Novel | Larry Watson
27 posts | 13 read | 40 to read
The American West is bestselling author Larry Watsons forte, and in this, his tenth novel, he has created his most vivid, genuine antihero yet in Calvin Sidey, a man stuck in a myth. Calvin Sidey, steely, hardened, with his own personal code, is one of the last cowboys. Its the 1960s, and hes living off the grid in a trailer on the prairie when his adult son, Bill, seeks his help. A mostly absentee father and grandfather, Calvin nevertheless agrees to stay with his grandchildren for a week. He decamps for his sons house in the small town where he once was a mythic figure, and soon enough problems arise: a boys attentions to seventeen-year-old Ann are increasingly aggressive, and a group of reckless kids portend danger for eleven-year-old Will. Calvin only knows one way to solve a problem: the Old West way, in which ultimatums are issued and your gun is always loaded. In the changing culture of the 1960s, Calvin isnt just a relic; hes a wild card. At the same time, his old-school ways exert a powerful effect on those around him, from the widowed neighbor, Beverly Lodge, who feels herself falling for him and wants to be part of his life, to his grandchildren. Ann and Will see in their grandfather a man who brings a sudden, if shocking, order to their lives, as Calvin terrorizes those who have often terrorized them. With the crisp, restrained prose for which Larry Watson is revered, As Good as Gone is a story of a man increasingly at odds with the world. This is Larry Watson at his best. Praise for Larry Watson: With rugged prose as biting as a northern plains wind . . . Watson writes of people universal in their flaws and virtues, a community that cannot be defined or limited to one region or genre. The Washington Post Book World
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MeJeMiller
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Pickpick

Written by a fellow North Dakotan, it was decent. I liked the grandfather. I didn‘t expect the P.O.V.‘s to change and I went back and forth in liking the son or the father‘s view. There were times I felt like something was missing. Overall decent read.

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clconn17
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Pickpick

This is a story about a family in 1960's Montana. Definitely has a western feel to it and Cal Sidey made me think of Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino. I felt sorry for Cal even though he brought his misery on himself. I will definitely check out other Larry Watson books!

47 likes1 stack add
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samwinchester90
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Panpan

I rarely dislike a book as much as I did this one. But nothing - absolutely nothing - about this book drew me in. The relationships weren't developed, the narrative voice was annoying, and the ending was pathetic. I persevered to the end hoping it would live up to its promise at some point. It failed in every conceivable way.

AlexMay Sounds like a good read. 8y
16 likes1 comment
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slhbooks
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Pickpick

Terrific read! Just plain ol' good story-telling. Set in small town Montana in the early 60s. Sparse landscape, memorable characters, quiet tension until... This is just my second Larry Watson book. I assure you, I will now read them all. He reminds me of Kent Haruf💙💙💙

29 likes3 stack adds
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slhbooks
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Arrrgh😠 Knitting needles click. You only use one crochet needle at a time. Hard for it to click unless you have noisy yarn😉 OK, back to the book on this rainy day...

Alfoster Weird how those little details are so irksome!😝 8y
LeahBergen 😠 8y
Handmade_Redhead Maybe she's tapping 2 needles together and not crocheting? 8y
See All 7 Comments
RanaElizabeth Ugh, I hate those kind of easily researched mistakes. They really pull you out of the narrative. 8y
DeborahSmall I'm reading the Girl with All The Gifts and it's great but Mike Carey is British and putting words like 'asphalt' in. 8y
DeborahSmall Driving me mad! We don't use that word in that context in U.K. Few other words thrown in as though he's worried his American audience won't understand and that's ridiculous. 8y
Blueberry I recently read another book that said exactly the same thing. I would have thought SOMEONE would have caught that in the editing. 8y
40 likes7 comments
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slhbooks
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If Nellie won't come to the book, the book must go to Nellie😉 Read one of Watson's books, Montana 1948, many years ago for a book club. I remember everyone liked it. This one is described as being 'both tough and tender'. Sounds promising...
#catsoflitsy

Robothugs Nellie's look reminds me of the looks my cat Kyte gives me... "You're so weird...I'm ignoring you now, human until you go away..." ? 8y
Mimi28 My cats have become indifferent to me shoving books in their faces and taking pics too, lol. They are just like - Meh. 8y
NCNY Your cat and I share a name!! I rarely run across any other Nellie's. 8y
slhbooks @NCNY It's a wonderful name. We think it suits her😘 She has many nicknames too including Little Miss Prancy Toes🐾🐾 8y
35 likes4 comments
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Bookdodger
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Pickpick

Ok, I finally got this finished. (It has been a hectic summer.) Watson's writing is so moving that I fell in love with Calvin Sidey. As a consequence I hated the ending! Oh well, I will just make up my own!

Meglet I think I'll take on this attitude for more books - permission to make up my own ending! 8y
10 likes1 comment
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MeganAnn
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Came home to find book mail today! Thanks @AlgonquinBooks and #24in28 for the #SpinePoetry win! This book looks so good I can't wait to start reading it. Even better, the author grew up in my home state of North Dakota.

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shawnmooney
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BOOKMAIL! Yay for farm novels!

53 likes2 stack adds
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ShelfSpaceLimited
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Bookmail!! Thank you @Litsy and @24in48 for this awesome prize! Can't wait to dig in and share my review.

shawnmooney I too am expecting this book in the mail, soon - excited! 8y
ShelfSpaceLimited Oh and huge thanks to @AlgonquinBooks 8y
31 likes2 comments
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Sara_Planz
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Thank you @AlgonquinBooks and @24in48 ! Came home from my bookish weekend in California to discover this in my mailbox! This was from a challenge during the #24in48 weekend! So appreciative and cannot wait to dig into this one!

63 likes3 stack adds
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JPeterson
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Suzze Yay you! 8y
BethFishReads You'll love it!!!!! 8y
JPeterson @Suzze 👍🏻😄 @BethFishReads Awesome! It's going out of what I normally read, but I'm super excited to expand my boundaries! 8y
BethFishReads He's one of my favorite authors 8y
MrBook Love #BookMail! 😊👏🏻👍🏻 8y
82 likes5 comments
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kdwinchester
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"Standoff"

Listen to me / I'll tell you in person, / Jackaby, / the walls around us / as good as gone.

My example for the #SpinePoetry competition that I made from books from our sponsors!!
#24in48 #readathon

Sydsavvy That's great! 8y
115 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Curley_Bender
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I call this one "Strange Creatures In Odd Places".
Vampires
in the lemon grove,
Nosferatu
Far from the madding crowd.
The Borrowers
Under the volcano,
Pretty monsters
On the blue shore of silence.
#24in48 #SpinePoetry #readathon

MrBook Very nice! 8y
7 likes1 comment
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Ashley31
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Ode to my TBR Stack: I like my closet full of books and I cannot lie You other readers can't deny, when you walk into my itty bitty space, And all those spines be in your face, You get sprung,Wanna pull up a chair. Cuz you know those shelves ain't bare. You're hooked by the covers, be starin, Get readin in that Great Gatsby shirt you wearin #24in48

Grrlbrarian 😆 8y
Reademandweep You a fool 😂 8y
9 likes2 comments
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emilymorgan
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The fairest white umbrella/ brings priceless whispers of hope/ out of the dust/ so we terrify no more. #readathon #24in48 #spinepoetry #contest

Anna4031 Whispers of Hope is one of my favorite devotionals! 8y
1 like1 comment
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kaylaraeintheway
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The man in the high castle under the stars
Unbroken, untamed
Buried in the sky

#24in48 #SpinePoetry

readinginthedark Love spine poetry! 8y
WanderingBookaneer One of the best I've read. 8y
WanderingBookaneer Congratulations! Well deserved. 8y
See All 6 Comments
Soubhiville This one's my favorite! 8y
Soubhiville This one's my favorite! 8y
19 likes6 comments
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charminggoats
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A little #SpinePoetry with a selection of books from my TBR shelves #24in48 #readathon

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24in48
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@Litsy is hosting the Hour 12 check-in on www.24in48.com. And there are prizes! Go check out the details and add your spine poetry for a chance to win AS GOOD AS GONE, courtesy of @AlgonquinBooks

44 likes1 stack add
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Litsy
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Time for our first contest, which is sponsored by AS GOOD AS GONE by @AlgonquinBooks !!

We want to see bookish poetic genius. That‘s right, it‘s time for some spine poetry. Take your TBR stack, create a poem, and post a photo of it on Litsy. FIVE winners will be chosen at 4PM EST. For complete details you can head over to 24in48.com . #SpinePoetry

(Congrats to @Soubhiville @JaimitaPR @Alicia who won our last giveaway! We‘ll be in touch soon!)

Litsy Don't forget to use #24in48 and #readathon so we can see your entry!! Happy stacking! 8y
BethFishReads Oohhhh. Ppl be sure to enter for this. One of my favorite authors. I was lucky enough to meet at BEA this year 8y
Peddler410 Is anyone else having trouble with the app? I can't add anything 8y
See All 6 Comments
Peddler410 Anyone else having issues with the app? 8y
WordWaller @Peddler410 I've been having lots of issues with it. Like I'm still not getting notifications is one example. I usually just go back to reading and try again later. 8y
Aleida Nice cover 8y
116 likes11 stack adds6 comments
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shawnmooney
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30 likes5 stack adds
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Bookdodger
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Watching my darling grandson "shoot bad guys" with a water pistol and finally getting around to this lovely book! What a perfect day!

3 likes1 stack add
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BethFishReads
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The ultimate highlight of today's BEA. Set in 1960s Montana. Teen boys, trouble on the horizon, and a grandfather who solves problems the old-fashioned way. Old West meets changing times. Love love love this author.

Gulfsidemusing I love this author, too! 8y
28 likes6 stack adds1 comment