lyzadanger’s review: “What started as an uplifting and stirring north plains epic–I loved the highly-educated characters and the sweetness of the family of boys–kind of devolved into an insipid "Little House on the Prairie"-ness in tone that never redeemed itself before the slapdash, jolting ending.

Plus marks for the interesting scenes of one-room-schoolhouse madness and the descriptions of the people (mishmash) and beauty (bleak/flat) of the prairie.

But certain elements of the plot were dead obvious for later twists. Lies leaking from characters were thinly veiled. Repetition of country themes became tiring.

I really think I could like Doig. His style is very much like "what I read." Something about this book rubbed me slightly the wrong way. Perhaps it was too saccharine, too insipid. The alter-character of the protagonist was weak and never fleshed out. Something.

I’ll try another of his novels and see if it fares better.
“
Harvest Books (2007), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 352 pages
tags: fiction, 2008readinglist, montana, american west, united states, 20th century, early 20th century, historical fiction, dryland, farming, education, read, readin2008