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nickscoby's review against another edition
4.0
This book could've gone so wrong: the premise is almost embarrassingly cliched. Four near strangers--black, white, Asian, Latino--living in LA go for a hiking excursion in search of a place called Lost Canyon. Sounds like Crash but in the woods right? And yet Revoyr manages to pull this off. For starters, she really cares about the characters. Secondly, was a strategic decision to make one of them a hero. To avoid spoilers, I won't say who but it's an interesting choice, which pays off at the end.
About two thirds of the way I in, I was literally gripping the book and could not put it down. It really is thrilling. Overall, not my favorite by this author, but an enjoyable read.
About two thirds of the way I in, I was literally gripping the book and could not put it down. It really is thrilling. Overall, not my favorite by this author, but an enjoyable read.
keight's review against another edition
4.0
Some suspension of disbelief is necessary to appreciate Lost Canyon, from the moment a park ranger tells the quartet of Los Angeles-based hikers their planned route is closed due to fire and he sets them up with a hand-drawn map for a trail elsewhere in the Sierra Nevada — one that supposedly hasn’t been accessed in years... Read more on my booklog
readingwithhippos's review against another edition
4.0
Nina Revoyr is a writer I come back to again and again. I just love her writing style and find it very relaxing to read, even though in Lost Canyon the plot itself is tense and high-stakes. She never gets in a hurry, each scene is fully fleshed out so you feel like you’re there, and every character is a complex, realistic, flawed person. I especially love how she brings together a diverse group of people and shows what develops when different privileges and perspectives collide. I just want to grab a bowl of popcorn, sit back, and watch the show.
Lost Canyon is about a group of hikers who venture out of their comfortable lives in LA and into the Sierras. They’re brought together by Tracy, a pushy athletic trainer. You know the type—they’ll say, “One more set!” when they really mean three more sets. Then there’s Gwen, who works with underprivileged teens, Oscar, a flashy real estate agent, and Todd, a lawyer at an elite firm. Their group is a mix of ethnicities, backgrounds, and physical ability, and they’re all going to be pushed to the limit because—you guessed it—this hiking trip goes very, very badly. And that’s all I’m going to say about the plot—this is one camping trip you should experience for yourself.
Lost Canyon is about a group of hikers who venture out of their comfortable lives in LA and into the Sierras. They’re brought together by Tracy, a pushy athletic trainer. You know the type—they’ll say, “One more set!” when they really mean three more sets. Then there’s Gwen, who works with underprivileged teens, Oscar, a flashy real estate agent, and Todd, a lawyer at an elite firm. Their group is a mix of ethnicities, backgrounds, and physical ability, and they’re all going to be pushed to the limit because—you guessed it—this hiking trip goes very, very badly. And that’s all I’m going to say about the plot—this is one camping trip you should experience for yourself.
bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition
3.0
I get sentimental about nature a lot and imagine myself in all kinds of majestic settings when planning the next vacation, Jack London style. This book was a good reminder that the wilderness is out to get you, and civilization was created for a reason. Showers and hotel bars, for one thing.
The four hikers in Lost Canyon learn the hard way. Never trust a ranger who's all: "oh, all the trails are busy, why dontcha take a super remote one that's not been used in forever because of reeeasons . It's like totally overgrown. Here's a handdrawn map!"
These scrappy LA yuppies are surprisingly meek and go along with their leader Tracy to the Trail Of Doom. Tracy is the least developed character and the only one whose p.o.v we don't get. She's inexplicably enthusiastic about making terrible decisions, although she's supposedly the most experienced hiker of the group. The others get alternating chapters and a lot of backstory, but I felt like they were mostly there to represent the issues the author wanted to write about. Which is fine. Exploring race, class and gender through a nature adventure story is a good idea, but there was no depth to it. The Important Issues were simplistic and packaged in fluff, as if intended for sheltered high schoolers or those boozy book clubs where you want everything neatly analyzed for you. Everything is spelled out and thoroughly explained, and there are some rather unbelievable plot elements (if I were a Sierra Nevada ranger I'd be mighty offended).
I liked the nature writing, and it's pretty suspenseful once bad shit starts to happen. However, this is a case of loving the idea and being disappointed in the execution. It's gotten some nice reviews though, so I might be missing something.
The four hikers in Lost Canyon learn the hard way. Never trust a ranger who's all: "oh, all the trails are busy, why dontcha take a super remote one that's not been used in forever because of reeeasons . It's like totally overgrown. Here's a handdrawn map!"
These scrappy LA yuppies are surprisingly meek and go along with their leader Tracy to the Trail Of Doom. Tracy is the least developed character and the only one whose p.o.v we don't get. She's inexplicably enthusiastic about making terrible decisions, although she's supposedly the most experienced hiker of the group. The others get alternating chapters and a lot of backstory, but I felt like they were mostly there to represent the issues the author wanted to write about. Which is fine. Exploring race, class and gender through a nature adventure story is a good idea, but there was no depth to it. The Important Issues were simplistic and packaged in fluff, as if intended for sheltered high schoolers or those boozy book clubs where you want everything neatly analyzed for you. Everything is spelled out and thoroughly explained, and there are some rather unbelievable plot elements (if I were a Sierra Nevada ranger I'd be mighty offended).
I liked the nature writing, and it's pretty suspenseful once bad shit starts to happen. However, this is a case of loving the idea and being disappointed in the execution. It's gotten some nice reviews though, so I might be missing something.
leavingsealevel's review against another edition
4.0
Really good, although probably not the thing to have read right before going into the Alaskan wilderness. Both the Nina Revoyr books have been really good thrillers that take into account the dynamics of difference and power* that shape our world and that so many authors gloss over.
*that makes me sound like I'm back in college.
*that makes me sound like I'm back in college.
vtlism's review against another edition
Slow, and I didn't like the premise of boring normal cardboard people
eric_roling's review against another edition
1.0
This was a slog - incredibly slow moving, and the writing was not very good. Not bad, just run of the mill.
chrisiant's review against another edition
3.0
Enh. Beginning didn't grab me - plot seemed predictable. In the middle there was a little less predictability and I got more engaged again, but in the end it was a little too obvious where things were going. And it frustrated me that the characters were all so gullible when they seemed like otherwise intelligent people. I still like how Revoyr includes multiracial characters and folks bumping up against less predictable race issues in the middle of stories that aren't directly "about race". But I wasn't thrilled by this book.
pilesandpiles's review against another edition
4.0
I'm kind of on the fence about this book. It never gets REALLY good, but it also never collapses on clichés or symbolism, as it easily could. It's solid as an adventure-suspense genre novel that's anchored in socioeconomic reality. And as in her novel Southland, Nina Revoyr conveys her love for LA's rich social fabric and the way it gives rise to unexpected affinities.
eunicek82's review against another edition
4.0
A gripping, quick read set in my hometown mountain range...thankfully, I've never been on this kind of backcountry trip.