Welcome to Litsy!

It might be a “it‘s not you it‘s me” thing but I didn‘t really like this one. Based on the premise, I thought I was getting a western with doomed lovers set in the Montana winter 1891. What I got technically followed the description but I never really felt like I was reading any of those things. Lovely lyrical writing but surface level with no sense of place. I never truly felt like I understood the characters & they could have been anywhere. ⬇️

I liked this but found parts of it over the top. I liked the descriptions of the wilderness & the methods Alex used to study wolverines. I didn't like the absolutely bananapants criminal activity that she stumbled across, spoilers below, a& I found Alexis annoyingly preachy. Even when I agree with the message, which I do in this case-

Hard to put down once the love story kicks in.

The only reason this isn‘t a pan for me is that the author was a 20yo at the time the story takes place and thus his brain was clearly *not* fully formed. TW for the (sometimes senseless, often suffering) deaths of a number of wild animals. The author learned some life lessons, in a good way, but not before I wanted to throat punch him. Also: do not bring a dog along on your tale and then fail to keep me constantly updated on their wellbeing. 3⭐️

https://youtu.be/UwbYj6BKLxI?si=rWnMia1wQo-DxIzR

Introduction

A couple milestones

Mystery guest

Week in review

The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Archibald Colquhoun (Translator)

The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry

The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence

The Misses Mallett by E.H. Young

Off Keck Road by Mona Simpson

Spinster Kang by Zoë S. Roy

The Art Lover by Carole Maso

Rough around the edges & crude, this book follows the lives of a community in small town Montana. It‘s funny, but also sad and depressing. Softball, drugs, alcohol, sex….bad religion, abusive/neglectful parents… friendship. The death at the end hits hard.

Scott, this was such a great read - I bought it based on your rec and it didn‘t disappoint! Celine is absolutely my kind of character - I just adore her. I wish he‘d write another book about her search for her daughter ♥️ Peter Heller fans, which of his other books should I read? @vivastory

This is a tale of two Scottish immigrants who come to America filled to the brim with dreams and naïveté. The book was as epic and sprawling as the land the homesteaders try to survive and build their lives on. Even if some plot points are a bit formulaic, Doig‘s writing style provides a depth I never expected. I look forward to more of his tales. If there isn‘t a PBS miniseries for this and possibly the whole trilogy, there needs to be one!

The ending was satisfying in a way that left me wanting more. I wasn‘t ready for it to be over. There is a conclusion to what happened to the missing person. I was also left with curiosity about what happened to the characters next. This ending left room for the reader to draw their own conclusions, which I kind of like. It‘s fun to dream about what I hope happens next. 

Full review at https://abookandadog.com