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keenanmaree's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
5 stars for setting, absolutely. It’s set in Klamath, which is about 45 minutes from where I grew up, and every mention of a familiar place and description of the environment was like a warm blanket over my homesick heart.
Everything beyond that, though, was just so heavy. I know that it’s all pretty accurate to the history of the area, but that didn’t make it less of a tough read. I knew a story set in that area around that time period was gonna be at best bittersweet, but it got to the point where it started to feel like misery porn.
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexism, Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Racism, Animal death, Car accident, Miscarriage, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcohol, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, and Cancer
betsygrace's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Hate crime, Child death, Racial slurs, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, Sexism, Abortion, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, and Medical trauma
bookswithmybulldog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Infertility, Child death, Pregnancy, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Medical content, Death of parent, Infidelity, Car accident, and Violence
Minor: Abortion
ssternle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer, Child death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, Abortion, and Medical content
and_opossum's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Racism, Violence, Pregnancy, Infertility, and Death
Moderate: Abortion, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Medical content
rozereads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Miscarriage and Medical content
Moderate: Abortion, Animal cruelty, Car accident, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Bullying, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Death, and Physical abuse
davidrb's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Richly written, with excellent character building, but didn't stick the landing. I really need to highlight the work Davidson puts into writing realistic characters: it's easy to slip into stereotypes and caricature with rural people and their lives, but they feel so human. I don't like most of them, but that's fine. Colleen, Enid, and Daniel stand out as my favorites.
But man, that ending. For a book that's all buildup, that's where it goes? Maybe I'll get it better on a reread.
The main reason I'm withholding a rating is the portrayal of the Yurok characters. I'm non Native myself, so I can't speak to it, but I'll be looking for Native reviewers' thoughts on the story. I liked Daniel personally, but something about the way he was written struck me as off, especially with the modern day climate where water protectors are still fighting his same battle.
Graphic: Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racism, Terminal illness, and Violence
abookwanderer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
While it took me a while to settle into, by the end of the book I was completely invested in the story of this broken and troubled family. I didn’t want to leave them. Davidson has brought a small logging town in the 1970s Pacific Northwest to life. And while some of the logging jargon was hard to follow at times, it never took me out of the book. In fact, it made it even more real.
And that’s what they made Google for, anyway, right?? I love when a good story also teaches me something.
I was repeatedly impressed with Davidson’s ability to have me sympathizing with the loggers when I knew if I was plopped down into this story, I’d be one of the hippie tree-huggers. She humanized each character, whether they were ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
The book is told from three different points of view: Rich, his wife Colleen, and their five year old son Chub. I was never lost when the views changed, each voice distinct and beloved by the end.
While it deals with some very heavy and serious subjects—environmental degradation, infidelity, miscarriage, birth defects—at its heart, it’s a novel about perseverance, family history, commitment, and love. This story wrecked me. In a good way, and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.
Thank you to Scribner and Netgalley for an advanced reader’s copy.
Graphic: Miscarriage, Infertility, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Terminal illness, Racial slurs, Medical content, Death of parent, Car accident, Alcoholism, and Abortion