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kricket84's review
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.5
the_villager's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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? No
5.0
ocurtsinger's review against another edition
3.0
My only previous reading of Doig being the faster-paced and more harrowing Sea Runners, I was a little slow to warm up to the tempered plot of English Creek and the longer cadence of its narrator, Jick, who seems to fret over anything that casts a shadow. However, through his slow but attentive and detailed descriptions of English Creek, Doig opens up to the reader a Montana that is laden with affection and color. We learn about haying, the workings of the Forest Service, and the art of treading the social scene at a rodeo, and English Creek becomes a place that you feel you could stroll into and begin chatting with the locals, piecing out even more history and lore that Doig scratches the surface of. It's no wonder that in his acknowledgements Doig has so many historical societies to thank for the creation of a fictionalized town. Worth the time, and I look forward to digging deeper into the Montana trilogy.
soniapage's review against another edition
3.0
After a good start, this book sort of sags in the middle then picks up at the end. I was drawn to the story of a young boy growing up in Montana with his Forest Ranger father since I'm married to a forester. The accounts of the Forest Service life in the 1930's was very interesting, especially the forest fires. The middle of the book, however, recounts Jick's unremarkable "town life" doings which I found amusing but left me wondering when things would pick up again.
adholmes3's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
moveslikewind's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
The 4th of July will stay in my mind for a long while. And damn that ending.
larryerick's review against another edition
4.0
After reading this author's excellent autobiographical, This House of Sky, I was immediately struck at the beginning of reading this book by how difficult it was for me to distinguish between the "true" non-fiction work and this fictional narrative. Both books deal with rural Montana and its life in livestock and the like. I rarely have trouble sorting out fiction and non-fiction, primarily because fiction writers, even when trying not to be fantasty-like in any way, still tend to eventually reach those points in the narrative where you can feel the author manipulating the course of events for effect. Non-fiction, assuming it isn't obviously biased, is not being manipulated by the author. No matter how unlikely an event may seem to the non-fiction reader, those supposedly strange twists in events are always true. This author makes even his fictional lives ring very real. Having said that, at some point in my reading, I realized I had transitioned from a nearly non-fiction fictional tale to just a great, engaging yarn. I found myself savoring the book in small proportions to extend my enjoyment. I look forward to the second installment in the author's Montana centennial McCaskill trilogy.
jdintr's review against another edition
3.0
Any summer--especially those in which I can't visit the West--has to begin with a western novel, and with English Creek, I was taken to Montana. This novel isn't built on plot--the central conflict between Alec and his parents isn't resolved until an off-hand statement in the epilogue--but it's worth the read if only for the big-sky dollops of scenery that Doig sprinkles throughout the narrative.
Organized around four central events in the 15th summer of Jick McCaskill--a sojourn in the mountains with an old mountain hand, a 4th of July rodeo, a hay harvest, and a forest fire--the book is well researched (or well remembered as the case may be). I know a lot more about sheep farming and forest fire fighting than I did before I read it. I really enjoyed the sense of humor and wisecracks used in the book. However, I felt that for a young-adult book, the bunkhouse language was a little too blue for younger readers who might otherwise love this book about Montana history.
Organized around four central events in the 15th summer of Jick McCaskill--a sojourn in the mountains with an old mountain hand, a 4th of July rodeo, a hay harvest, and a forest fire--the book is well researched (or well remembered as the case may be). I know a lot more about sheep farming and forest fire fighting than I did before I read it. I really enjoyed the sense of humor and wisecracks used in the book. However, I felt that for a young-adult book, the bunkhouse language was a little too blue for younger readers who might otherwise love this book about Montana history.