Reviews

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner

panijolene's review

4.0

This was the first Wallace Stegner piece I had read, and I only picked it up because it had been on a friend's to-read list. I'm so glad I did, because I really enjoyed this book.

Stegner is truly a master of the written word - the description and detail are amazing, and he captures characters so well.

I would pick up another one of his books in a second.

bethmercedes's review

5.0

Beautiful story that is beautifully written. Definitely something I would like to read again at a different point in my life.

dlberglund's review

3.0

I liked it, but certainly didn't love it. I was hesitant at first to criticize a Pulitzer Prize winner, but I am. I found him to be somewhat condescending toward women. I didn't like the device of having the main character writing about his grandmother, in order to give us a story within a story. I would rather have just read a novel about the grandmother. I didn't find the main character sympathetic. I also don't like long dream sequences in books. It almost always rings false or too contrived when I read it. I can appreciate his sweeping vistas, the tale of the woman who has to make her way in a harsh land, but I didn't love the book.

cyt's review

adventurous inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

dday_0612's review

reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Well written book about the west.  It was a challenge to read at times and I considered not finishing it a few times, but I am very glad I stuck with it.  

gocubs1908's review against another edition

3.0

Three stars for Mary Hallock Foote, whose well written letters Stegner used verbatim in an act of "fair use" or "plagiarism" depending on your view of history. The rest is predictable, repetitive, and clearly written by a man about a woman. I imagine I'll enjoy A Victorian Gentlewoman in the Far West more.

laurenjoy's review

5.0

The book was a trip to the old west- seen through the eyes of a book loving genteel woman, in love with a new adventure and expressed through the words of her grandson, Lyman Ward. Lyman is the product of an upper class eastern education, shaped through the hardships of a bone disease and the misery of a divorce. His story and hers become entwined in a beautiful way- the only complaint I had was the way the book ended. It was as though the author too had met the 'angle of repose' and came to a dead stop.

sue_reilly's review

3.0

Removing this from my Favorites shelf after finding out that Stegner plagiarized the writing and life of Mary Hallock Foote.
https://www.altaonline.com/books/fiction/a39179237/wallace-stegner-mary-hallock-foote-plagarism/

abisko's review against another edition

5.0

A slow, continuous trek into the hearts and minds of a couple on the brink. When the West was still really the ``Wild West`` and an engineer could dream of changing the world, this pair lived the dream until it crumbled before them and within them. A Master work and a Master class in writing. Highly recommended and a solid 5 stars!!

jgbeck's review

4.0

Interesting story about inter-generational relationships, perseverance on settling the west. Vivid prose, a little longer than it needed to be.