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hoppymelissa's review against another edition
5.0
Loved the story and the characters. And what gorgeous cover art!
lauren_r's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
alison_marie's review against another edition
3.0
I was prepared to give this four stars, but the ending left me disappointed. I'd still recommend this book, though, as it's obvious Davidson did extensive research into the logging industry and environmentalism circa the late 1970s. Her characters are varied and interesting, and the pace of the book is quick, which can be rare for a 400-plus page book.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
chandlerainsley's review against another edition
*chants self care while i DNF this*
carolpk's review against another edition
The Hook - Two of my favorite Northshire Bookstore, Manchester, VT, recommended this book, Alden Graves and Stan Hynds. They were right on.
The Line - ”EVERY BABY IS A MIRACLE.”
The Sinker - All I could think of as I read along was “You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't". A gut wrenching struggle between livelihood and environmental issues.
Though most of my GR friends gave Damnation Spring a thumbs up, a few did not. Their reasons varied but overly descriptive, slow moving, repetitious, were a few of the critiques.
Perhaps my embrace of the story was due to the audio experience. The story unfolds in months and seasons and is told from several points of view which lends itself well to audio. The four narrators, CJ Wilson, Rebecca Lowman, Mark Sanderlin, Candace Thaxton, delivered an outstanding performance and production. I'd give them an Audiofile Golden Voices award if I could. I also read parts of this in hardbound as I wanted to read the words and let them churn in my heart and head. The story unfolds in months and seasons and several points of view.
If you plan to read this debut don't read my spoiler. < spoiler>I can't quite get my head around the death of a main character, Rich. He and his wife Colleen were a couple on the seesaw of struggle. Just when life is finally going well, Rich loses control of his truck in a moment of distraction, skids off the road into the ocean and dies. Generally I don't mind a sad ending, or an ambiguous one. I like to ponder what happens next. Not in this case. < /spoiler>
Damnation Spring is on my best of 2022 list. I look forward to the sophomore novel of Ash Davidson.
The Line - ”EVERY BABY IS A MIRACLE.”
The Sinker - All I could think of as I read along was “You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't". A gut wrenching struggle between livelihood and environmental issues.
Though most of my GR friends gave Damnation Spring a thumbs up, a few did not. Their reasons varied but overly descriptive, slow moving, repetitious, were a few of the critiques.
Perhaps my embrace of the story was due to the audio experience. The story unfolds in months and seasons and is told from several points of view which lends itself well to audio. The four narrators, CJ Wilson, Rebecca Lowman, Mark Sanderlin, Candace Thaxton, delivered an outstanding performance and production. I'd give them an Audiofile Golden Voices award if I could. I also read parts of this in hardbound as I wanted to read the words and let them churn in my heart and head. The story unfolds in months and seasons and several points of view.
If you plan to read this debut don't read my spoiler. < spoiler>I can't quite get my head around the death of a main character, Rich. He and his wife Colleen were a couple on the seesaw of struggle. Just when life is finally going well, Rich loses control of his truck in a moment of distraction, skids off the road into the ocean and dies. Generally I don't mind a sad ending, or an ambiguous one. I like to ponder what happens next. Not in this case. < /spoiler>
Damnation Spring is on my best of 2022 list. I look forward to the sophomore novel of Ash Davidson.
caitie711's review against another edition
4.0
It is long and, despite the short chapters, slow in places, and the end made me mad, but I appreciated a lot in it and will be thinking about it for a good while.
seachell1's review against another edition
3.0
This might be one the saddest books I have read in quite a while. I enjoyed the story and the writing, but there is not one happy, redeeming moment to be had. I guess that is the point. Life was hard for loggers and their families. The author did her research about logging practices in 1970's northern California. That and the environmental impact of said practices were very interesting to me, but again...so sad.
I do recommend this novel, but be ready. Have a tissue or 2 nearby!
Thank you to Scribner and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book for my honest opinion.
I do recommend this novel, but be ready. Have a tissue or 2 nearby!
Thank you to Scribner and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book for my honest opinion.
arielamandah's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. Wow, this book was a big, slow burn for me. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. Despite taking place in the 70s, it felt so vividly contemporary: logging towns and small, blue-collar communities change so little. The specific controversies may be different, but people and their actions feel so, so the same. I grew up here (or a version of “here”), I can picture Eugene and Enid. Anyhow, this was great. Davidson’s writing is great, bringing all the threads together as she stays out of our way. Big book, big heart.
shiloniz's review against another edition
5.0
This book was such a complete and nuanced portrait of the late 1970s in a small coastal timber country town, where the logging companies and government are using herbicides to make logging easier and keep the roads from being over grown, subsequently poisoning the same population who work and live off the land. The characters in this story were as complicated and diverse as the loggers and fisherman in the small town I grew up in, and Davidson captured them in all their humanness, the good and the ugly. Damnation Spring follows Rich, a generational logger, his wife Colleen, the towns midwife and someone whose suffered 8 miscarriages, their young son, and weaves their POV's through this story of hope, tragedy, grief, and so much love. I've been able to think of little else whenever this book wasn't in my hands, and I'm going to go out on a limb in saying that it's going to be one of my top books of 2022.
debatable7906's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25