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chelsl's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'd give this more than 5 stars if I could!
eggbeater's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
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
I love a book that makes me consider different circumstances and perspectives. The logging industry, and all of its complications, was not previously on my radar at all. This book brought to light legitimate worker concerns as well as environmental issues. There didn't seem to be easy answers. I really felt for the characters and the hardships and dilemmas they faced. This was a great book.
cass_lit's review against another edition
1.5
Before I say anything else about this: THERE IS NO EXCUSE TO USE THE R-WORD. You can make it clear that a child is being bullied in a million other ways. Reading the r-word just once will absolutely ruin my experience and opinion of a book, but Ash Davison uses it FOUR TIMES. ONE WASN’T EVEN BULLYING, it’s a kid *thinking* about his mom!!!! Absolutely not necessary and, in my opinion, reflects poorly on the author and the book.
Now, for the rest of my review:
I hated this. I wanted to DNF, but I also wanted to be able to rate this low and explain for anyone else considering reading it. I need everyone to know that my review is fully informed. But then I decided my sanity was more important; I decided to DNF and felt great about it. Since I had decided not to continue, I went to read others’ reviews and *one* on here said if you get past the first quarter of the book then it’s so worth it. I was excited for this book, I bought this book, I wanted to like it! Now, I was already at 37%, but I thought maybe the reviewer was just estimating. I picked Damnation Spring back up, upped my audio speed a bit (not easy, the narrators are definitely trying to give rural logging community), and tried again.
Unfortunately, it never got better for me. As I said, I hated this. I did not like the writing style to begin with, and as soon as the r-word mentions started I *hated* the writing style.
Now to my more substantive issues with the story.
- All the adults suck. Colleen bugged me more than Rich (SO whiny), but god they both sucked. You’re adults. Communicate. Or do something. Anything. We didn’t even get to read about the infidelity for something fun, it got like two mentions. I hated Ridge but god Colleen just leave him. Also, fuck you, Daniel (and that’s coming from an environmentalist).
- The POV switches to Chub felt not super important and random and were kinda just as boring as C & R’s (more understandable for him because he’s five though). Random sister POV there at the end too?
- The “mystery” or conflict doesn’t start until 45-50%. I didn’t even know there was a mystery or that this would be the plot point it became until those reviews during the period I tried to DNF. All the first half did for me was make me hate everyone in this town so… basically nothing.
- An absolutely individual, personal issue: I work in the environmental field; I started this while at a conference with other environmental professionals expecting it to be a fictionalized Silent Spring/Dark Waters (Exposure). I was sorely disappointed.
- Real quote from one of the adults in this story: “fifteen’s old enough to breed her.” Also unnecessary: dog murder.
- The end. Again, I didn’t care about these characters so it didn’t impact me too much emotionally, it just felt traumatic and draining. Writing a sad book doesn’t make you profound.
- Finally, it was Way Too Long. So long. So much of it was dragged out incessantly, but other parts were just completely unnecessary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Ableism, Death, Child death, Bullying, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death and Death of parent
Minor: Abortion
tdwightdavis's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
alexmariesc's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
4.0
Set in the logging towns of Northern California in the late 1970's, this first novel is one of those books where you have to slog through a good quarter of the book until that magic moment when it takes off. Logging is a brutal and complex business and we hear way too much about it, engulfing the narrative like one of those mudflows that will later roll down hillsides. But then, the story takes off, the characters come alive and we are deep into this tale.
Environmentalists (always referred to by locals as "hippies") are all over town, protesting logging of old growth redwoods. The locals don't like this at all--logging is all there is and all they know. The logging company is the one that gives them a clinic and a dentist, baby gifts, and family fish fries. These hippies are also looking at the water and whether pesticide spraying has poisoned the spring water. Colleen is a logging wife who helps deliver babies when women can't--or won't get to the clinic. She's seen too many miscarriages and serious birth defects recently, and one of the researchers is an old boyfriend from high school. She's happily married with a five year old, but has had eight miscarriages since Chub was born.
Once the story gets out of the woods, Ash Davidson describes strong, complex, believable families, a strong community threatened by what's to come, their fear, anger and frustration as their logging lands become a state park.
Stick with "Damnation Spring" through that first quarter and it will pay off. Ash Davidson is an author to watch and I look forward to her next novel.
Environmentalists (always referred to by locals as "hippies") are all over town, protesting logging of old growth redwoods. The locals don't like this at all--logging is all there is and all they know. The logging company is the one that gives them a clinic and a dentist, baby gifts, and family fish fries. These hippies are also looking at the water and whether pesticide spraying has poisoned the spring water. Colleen is a logging wife who helps deliver babies when women can't--or won't get to the clinic. She's seen too many miscarriages and serious birth defects recently, and one of the researchers is an old boyfriend from high school. She's happily married with a five year old, but has had eight miscarriages since Chub was born.
Once the story gets out of the woods, Ash Davidson describes strong, complex, believable families, a strong community threatened by what's to come, their fear, anger and frustration as their logging lands become a state park.
Stick with "Damnation Spring" through that first quarter and it will pay off. Ash Davidson is an author to watch and I look forward to her next novel.
dhensley002's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? No
4.0
Well written. Great story. Felt a connection to main characters.
reillsreads's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books I've ever read. Love Rich and Colleen and was not expecting the ending.
destinydeeter's review against another edition
3.0
It was a little slow for me at first but I was so invested in this family and their story but the end of it. Prepare to have your heart broken
kleonard's review against another edition
5.0
This is going to make a great movie. Through careful use of language and gesture, author Davidson creates life in a small logging settlement in the 1970s, from the loggers' terminology (there are a few too many references to "big pumpkins," though) to the danger of the business to how the industry affected the families of employees. As the protagonists slowly come to understand how harmful the industry is, they must also grapple with everyday life in a poor and underserved community. The beginning felt slow to me, and I had almost just written off Rich as an asshole and the writing as repetitive before I pushed myself to continue and found that all of the characters' development was being beautifully crafted within a dense network of relationships and histories. This isn't just a great read: it could also serve as a model writers to study.