Beautifully written story of the women who made America, and the sacrifices that were asked of them. Flawed, I think, in one important regard, but still an amazingly immersive read.
Like many people coming to this book, and author Glendon Swarthout, for the first time, I decided that I needed to read the book after seeing Tommy Lee Jones' movie adaptation, and being in almost equal parts dazzled and infuriated. I felt I needed to read the source material, to see if it cast any light on what I saw as baffling narrative decisions in the movie.
Well, it does and it doesn't: but I'm very glad I've read it. Both movie and book are equal parts dazzling and infuriating, and will stay with you long after you have finished with them. I'm trying to avoid spoilers here, because I think this is a Poster Child for the sort of book/movie where you really need to come to it cold.
So, no spoilers: Swarthout, in my opinion, is a subtle and thoughtful writer, lyrical when he wants be, blunt and unsparing when he needs to be, respectful of his source material, and very clever in the way that he builds his story.
Mary Bee Cuddy is a fantastic character. This is a novel that feels like a breaking news bulletin from the farthest frontiers of desperation. And the sacrifices -- the unacknowledged sacrifices that people endured to create our modern world, for better or for worse.
Like many people coming to this book, and author Glendon Swarthout, for the first time, I decided that I needed to read the book after seeing Tommy Lee Jones' movie adaptation, and being in almost equal parts dazzled and infuriated. I felt I needed to read the source material, to see if it cast any light on what I saw as baffling narrative decisions in the movie.
Well, it does and it doesn't: but I'm very glad I've read it. Both movie and book are equal parts dazzling and infuriating, and will stay with you long after you have finished with them. I'm trying to avoid spoilers here, because I think this is a Poster Child for the sort of book/movie where you really need to come to it cold.
So, no spoilers: Swarthout, in my opinion, is a subtle and thoughtful writer, lyrical when he wants be, blunt and unsparing when he needs to be, respectful of his source material, and very clever in the way that he builds his story.
Mary Bee Cuddy is a fantastic character. This is a novel that feels like a breaking news bulletin from the farthest frontiers of desperation. And the sacrifices -- the unacknowledged sacrifices that people endured to create our modern world, for better or for worse.
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