Reviews - Damnation Spring

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974 reviews for:

Damnation Spring

Ash Davidson

3.88 AVERAGE

ktcowper's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

verbivoracious's review against another edition

3.5

challenging emotional informative slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

"The past isn't a knot you can untie."

Erin Brockovich meets The Grapes of Wrath in this cerebral literacy fiction novel about how environmental degradation impacts a community. 🧠🐌🌲

I was immediately intrigued by the premise of this book. It's 1977 on the California coast, where the ancient redwoods are either cleared, protected, or fiercely debated among loggers and environmentalists. Rich Gunderson comes from a long line of loggers, and his wife, Colleen, is a midwife who has seen many complicated or tragic pregnancies that just don't seem right. 🤔

Book of the Month described it as brainy with a slow build, which I think is perfectly on point. I enjoy literary fiction, but I found this book to be very slow and challenging to read until just about the very end. 🐌 I was always interested in where the plot was heading and the environmental issue at the core of the story, but the writing style often felt superfluous and convoluted to me.

I'm in back to school mode and have a lot of my mind with work, so that's probably part of why I struggled with this one. 🍎 Overall, I'd say that the plot and relationship between Rich and Colleen were exceptional, but the writing style was not for me. 💭

tiff_reads_'s review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional sad 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: Complicated

Hands down, one of the most beautifully written books I’ve ever read. The scenery, the characters, the story — I was broken-hearted when it ended.

Content Warnings

selilabude's review against another edition

3.0

It’s very wordy and full of logging words. So many characters it was hard to keep track. The first half is very slow and I questioned if I wanted to keep going. But it does pick up in the second half. And the ending absolutely destroyed me and had me crying.

whatsbookinjenni's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Got a little Nicholas Sparks-like in terms of drama in the last 10%, but I loved the characters and the exploration of the intersection of environment, health, and livelihood. I definitely look forward to reading more of Ash Davidson's work in the future!

Thank you to Ash Davidson and Scribner for providing me with an early copy of this work through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Damnation Spring is available now.