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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I finished this book with tears in my eyes. Set in the late 1970s in a small town in Northern California, this book explores logging at Redwood National Park focusing in a community struggling with a series of medical issues.
For generations, people have harvested those giant old trees and now the community is suffering with the toxic chemicals they have been spraying on the forest. Women are dealing with infertility, miscarriages, and birth defects. Others are dealing with all sorts of different types of cancer. The story follows Rich and Colleen Gundersen, and their son Chub. Rich works for the Sanderson Timber Company and she is a midwife who did not have formal education and lacks state licenses but is well know by the people of her town helping deliver babies.
Colleen had suffered many miscarriages and have observed several medical problems going on where se lives and starts to suspect there is something wrong related to the defoliant that has been sprayed on the woods for many years.
The book depicts the environmental movement and the conflicts among the members of this community, with some people against the logging and others who live of the logging.
The conflict extends to Colleen’s family. The story is told through different points of view which gives an ample spectrum about the nature of the conflicts roiling the area.The author does a great job looking deeply in this small town and these characters, in their relationships, making you feel attached to them and to the storyline. You empathize with their situation, understand their pain, and experience their emotional highs and lows.
Damnation Spring discusses the effects of logging on aquatic systems and on salmon watershed populations as well as the forestry practices interfering on the health of the soils of the forest, causing erosion and mudslides, for example. Davidson did a phenomenal job with this book. It will stay with me forever and I will recommend it to everyone.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Published: August 3, 2021
Scribner
Pages: 463
Genre: Contemporary Literary Fiction
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.
Ash Davidson was born in Arcata, California, and attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Her work has been supported by the Arizona Commission on the Arts and MacDowell
“Two thousand years to grow a forest, a hundred years to fall it. No plague-like man.”
Rich is a logger, and it’s in his blood. Like his father, his grandfather, and his great grandfather. Earning a living in the woods is what he knows. After losing a baby at five or so months, Colleen feels angry. She wants to try again, but Rich can’t. Then a blast from the past arrives and brings news that could change everything.
This was a beautifully written novel. Deep, emotional, raw, vulnerable, and devastatingly realistic.
I enjoyed the story and found the plot similar to the Erin Brockovich story, only this time is solely focused on the people, without the lawyers.
The conflict in this novel is so well presented, and the balance tips precariously. The character development blossoms as the storyline progresses.
The alternating narrators was a lovely touch, adding to the balancing act of the plot. I enjoyed the emotional aspect Colleen brought to the story, mixed with the stoic realism Rich brought.
The ending will literally take your breath away and leave you with tears in your eyes. This is a beautiful story, told over several years, of hope, forgiveness, truth, lies, and family.
Scribner
Pages: 463
Genre: Contemporary Literary Fiction
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.
Ash Davidson was born in Arcata, California, and attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Her work has been supported by the Arizona Commission on the Arts and MacDowell
“Two thousand years to grow a forest, a hundred years to fall it. No plague-like man.”
Rich is a logger, and it’s in his blood. Like his father, his grandfather, and his great grandfather. Earning a living in the woods is what he knows. After losing a baby at five or so months, Colleen feels angry. She wants to try again, but Rich can’t. Then a blast from the past arrives and brings news that could change everything.
This was a beautifully written novel. Deep, emotional, raw, vulnerable, and devastatingly realistic.
I enjoyed the story and found the plot similar to the Erin Brockovich story, only this time is solely focused on the people, without the lawyers.
The conflict in this novel is so well presented, and the balance tips precariously. The character development blossoms as the storyline progresses.
The alternating narrators was a lovely touch, adding to the balancing act of the plot. I enjoyed the emotional aspect Colleen brought to the story, mixed with the stoic realism Rich brought.
The ending will literally take your breath away and leave you with tears in your eyes. This is a beautiful story, told over several years, of hope, forgiveness, truth, lies, and family.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Violence, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Incredibly bleak. Glacially paced for the first 350 pages (out of 450). Here's a summary of the first 70%: characters make eggs, they buy eggs, they clear the trap in the creek, they are logging, they drive people places, characters have graphic miscarriages, characters take water samples. I like a slow book where nothing happens but lordy. There's also a lot of side characters, many of whom I didn't find distinct enough to be able to tell them apart.
Sorry to Davidson... I do like her writing style in general, and her dialogue was realistic. But boy.
Sorry to Davidson... I do like her writing style in general, and her dialogue was realistic. But boy.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
We picked Damnation Spring as our book club choice for January. The initial attraction (based on the cover and blurb) was the PNW setting, a new topic to explore (logging and the life that comes with it), community tension and generational endurance. All things I love to immerse myself in.
As anticipated, Damnation Spring was a sweeping saga that centred around the Gunderson's. Rich, an experienced tree-topper following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather (both of whom died on the job), has his eye on the 24/7 ridge - a sprawling mass of giant trees that would ensure he could provide for his wife and son well into the future. But when a growing group of tree huggers show up, Rich and his fellow loggers find themselves in jeopardy - without the trees, how will they survive? How will they feed their families? Logging is ingrained in their skin, tattooed into their calloused hands - it's all they have. With both sides explored, Davidson expertly tackles the themes of environmentalism, greed, and the impact of logging on families, the community, and health.
Firstly, the rich descriptions in this book were truly transportational - you could instantly picture yourself in each character's shoes, slogging through mud, catching your breath as a tree came crashing down, feeling the strength of the rushing water as you waded chest-deep into the creek. However, there is a line you can cross with descriptions where they become overkill and unfortunately it got to that point with this book. It felt so drawn out at times and I did consider DNFing on multiple occasions because nothing was happening other than what felt like redundant descriptions. It was the slowest burn I've read in a long time and I felt like I was slogging through mud A LOT, especially in the beginning. I'm not against slow burns, in fact, I love them, but there's they need to build tension and still feel relevant - too many parts felt mundane and could have easily been edited out without affecting the story. Add to that the heavy technical language and logging jargon that the reader is expected to pick up without explanation - it was a good job I read on my phone because I used the dictionary way more than normal.
I'm still giving four stars though (4.1 to be exact) because I did really enjoy the characterisation, the narrative and the themes. It was a really interesting read and tackled a lot of sensitive subjects. It reminded me of the way Jodi Picoult lays out her books - we hear from both sides of a controversial topic and we get more than one perspective, leading us to make our own decisions rather than being heavily guided by the author. I always appreciate that in a book, especially when it could be very easy to pick a side and focus on that.
Also 10/10 for a beautiful cover 😍
Rating breakdown
As anticipated, Damnation Spring was a sweeping saga that centred around the Gunderson's. Rich, an experienced tree-topper following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather (both of whom died on the job), has his eye on the 24/7 ridge - a sprawling mass of giant trees that would ensure he could provide for his wife and son well into the future. But when a growing group of tree huggers show up, Rich and his fellow loggers find themselves in jeopardy - without the trees, how will they survive? How will they feed their families? Logging is ingrained in their skin, tattooed into their calloused hands - it's all they have. With both sides explored, Davidson expertly tackles the themes of environmentalism, greed, and the impact of logging on families, the community, and health.
Firstly, the rich descriptions in this book were truly transportational - you could instantly picture yourself in each character's shoes, slogging through mud, catching your breath as a tree came crashing down, feeling the strength of the rushing water as you waded chest-deep into the creek. However, there is a line you can cross with descriptions where they become overkill and unfortunately it got to that point with this book. It felt so drawn out at times and I did consider DNFing on multiple occasions because nothing was happening other than what felt like redundant descriptions. It was the slowest burn I've read in a long time and I felt like I was slogging through mud A LOT, especially in the beginning. I'm not against slow burns, in fact, I love them, but there's they need to build tension and still feel relevant - too many parts felt mundane and could have easily been edited out without affecting the story. Add to that the heavy technical language and logging jargon that the reader is expected to pick up without explanation - it was a good job I read on my phone because I used the dictionary way more than normal.
I'm still giving four stars though (4.1 to be exact) because I did really enjoy the characterisation, the narrative and the themes. It was a really interesting read and tackled a lot of sensitive subjects. It reminded me of the way Jodi Picoult lays out her books - we hear from both sides of a controversial topic and we get more than one perspective, leading us to make our own decisions rather than being heavily guided by the author. I always appreciate that in a book, especially when it could be very easy to pick a side and focus on that.
Also 10/10 for a beautiful cover 😍
Rating breakdown
- Plot/narrative - 4.1
- Writing style/readability - 3.5
- Characters - 4.2
- Diverse themes - 4.3
- Ending - 4.2
Overall - 4.1
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death