To: KGXC73A GAIL SINGER GROSS Date: 06/21/95
From: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Time: 3:31 PM
...
With all the talk of Pochahontas hereabouts, I thought
I'd recommend a little gem with an American Indian focus I
stumbled upon this month: MONTANA 1948, by Larry Watson. I'm
a sucker for family tales seen and told through the eyes of
children (a la COLD SASSY TREE), and this one did not
disappoint. According to the cover it won the 1993 Milkweed
National Fiction Prize...
=================Reply 9 of Note 39 =================
To: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Date: 06/23
From: KGXC73A GAIL SINGER GROSS Time: 11:01 AM
greetings ADELE...
i also read MONTANA 1948 By larry watson..who has a new
one out titled JUSTICE...thanks to our CERTIFIED BOOK JUNKIE
i devoured MONTANA 1948 and would recommend it...
i just reserved PATRON SAINTS and VANISHED...love to hear
new titles that tintillate...
gail..a passionate reader in sunny and warm and glorious
SAN FRANCISCO..
=============== Note 44 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: ALL Date: 01/14/97
From: VRCH78A ALLEN CROCKER Time: 10:27 PM
AN INTERNETTER DISCOVERS C.R.
Yesterday I received an e-mail from an unexpected
quarter - a school librarian by the name of Bernice
Cox who came across our Web site and found some
material there to share with her own (real-world)
book discussion group. She requested that I ask if
any of the CRs were familiar with a book titled
MONTANA 1948 by Larry Watson. Her note:
Dear Allen:
I have recently discovered Constant Reader through my
efforts to find reviews or discussions of books I have
recently read or am currently reading. I belong to a
small book discussion group in Gainesville, Georgia.
Last month we greatly benefited from the discussion
found on this site regarding The Optimist's Daughter.
We are wondering if any of your readers have read
Montana 1948 and what they thought of it. Any response
will be appreciated.
Thank you,
Bernice Cox
*******************
I immediately wrote back to Bernice, thanking her for
her attention and asking if she had anything she might
want me to post her for her and she elaborated a bit:
Briefly, I can say that I found Montana 1948 to be a
deceptively simple coming-of-age story. The characters
were well developed and the tension of the story kept
the pages turning. The moral dilemma faced by the sheriff
left me with qustions to ponder long after I finished the
last page. It's a quick read but worthwhile I feel. I am
sure I will have much to say after our group discusses
it. That's the advantage of a group - someone always sees
something I didn't.
********************
Naturally, I extended an invitation to Bernice and her
book group to come join us here, but also offered to relay
anything you folks might post on to her. If you'd prefer to
contact her directly, I'll send you her e-mail address.
It's fun to know we're having influence beyond our
borders, isn't it? Who knows may be out there reading along
with us?
Allen
=============== Reply 1 of Note 44 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: VRCH78A ALLEN CROCKER Date: 01/15/97
From: ZRPD32A RICHARD HAGGART Time: 12:33 PM
Allen: 'Montana 1948' was on 'Radio Reader' (Dick Estelle,
University of Michigan Public Radio) a few years ago, if I
recall correctly. All I can remember is that it was a hard,
spare book, full of action and great, outdoorsy detail.
Dick in Alaska, not quite as hard and spare as the book
=============== Reply 2 of Note 44 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: ZRPD32A RICHARD HAGGART Date: 01/15
From: KGXC73A GAIL SINGER GROSS Time: 9:59 PM
greetings....
MONTANA 1948 was introduced to me by our CERTIFIED BOOK
JUNKIE.. btw who should be popping in any day now... and if
i am not mistaking the author is larry brown...unless i got
it confused with the one who wrote the book about
fireman.... excellent also..
i'd advise using homework helper for additional
information..that program is a goldmine... i liked the book
very much ..it received oneof those awards..like MILK WEED
...a short book...and one i would highly recommend...gail.hp
=============== Reply 3 of Note 44 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: VRCH78A ALLEN CROCKER Date: 01/17
From: BTXF40A LINDA THERKELSEN Time: 2:29 PM
Milkweed is a smallish Minnesota publisher -- they give out
their own annual "best book" kind of award. The award
winner is usually a "small gem" kind of book like Montana
1948, always worth reading. In fact, most of their stuff is
at least worth looking over, they have lots of "little
gems." Larry Watson doesn't live in Minnesota but has many
ties here. Also check out Minnesota writer Bill Holm
published by Milkweed, especially Coming Home Crazy and The
Heart Can Be Filled Anywhere on Earth: Minneota, Minnesota.
I liked Montana 1948 very much. If you also read the
prequel, Justice, by Watson, you sort of get to pondering
how much of the story is driven by character. That is, the
set of stories in Justice shows how the character and flaws
and integrity of the individuals in Montana 1948 is already
set much earlier. It seems, then, that the conflicts in the
novel are absolutely inevitable results of character.
Linda
Just happened to be browsing by....
=============== Reply 4 of Note 44 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: BTXF40A LINDA THERKELSEN Date: 01/17
From: KGXC73A GAIL SINGER GROSS Time: 6:23 PM
greetings LINDA..
so good to hear your voice...and hope you will contribute
more often...i think i made a mistake and called him LARRY
BROWN.. i get the two mixed up... LARRY BROWN..wrote ON
FIRE ..and FATHER and SON.. LARRY WATSON is of MONTANA 1948
fame and JUSTICE.
TONS of thanks... gail..hp..a passionate reader in cool san
francisco..and no rain..
=============== Reply 5 of Note 44 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: BTXF40A LINDA THERKELSEN Date: 01/17
From: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Time: 10:01 PM
Linda,
Please pass through and post regularly...very interesting
note. Where do you get information about Milkweed's best
book award list? Barb
=============== Reply 6 of Note 44 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 01/20
From: BTXF40A LINDA THERKELSEN Time: 10:10 AM
Barb, Gee, I just find it around by browsing the
bookstores, especially The Hungry Mind. I always look over
new Milkweed books. But I guess if I look at a book there
would be an address (don't know of a web site, however, I
just loaned out my newest Milkweed edition). Ah, here's an
address from 1990; P.O. Box 3226, Minneapolis MN 55403 (says
books may be ordered from the above address).
Linda
=============== Reply 7 of Note 44 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: ZRPD32A RICHARD HAGGART Date: 01/20
From: VRCH78A ALLEN CROCKER Time: 10:06 PM
Dick, gail and Linda:
Thanks for the feedback on MONTANA 1948. I'll be passing
your notes on to Bernice, to whom I've already sent the
posts relating to the book that I turned up by searching
the P* BB Archive.
BTW: According to Tonya, we should soon have some kind
of forum set up on the C.R. home page, so we can have
dialogues with Internet folks directly! Watch for more
news on that development in the weeks ahead.
Allen
=============== Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: ALL Date: 06/13/97
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 2:57 PM
MONTANA 1948 by Larry Watson
I may be the last one here to read this, but I couldn't
resist writing about it. This is short, beautifully written,
deeply moving and a page turner. What more could you ask
for. It asks a very important question: how do you do the
right thing, when it may mean losing everything you know?
Family relations, race relations, small town
politics--specifically how a small town can overlook the
glaring sins of its citizens, especially its powerful
ones--are examined through the eyes of a twelve year old
boy. We talked about similar issues during our discussion
of PARIS TROUT.
Just recently I bought his latest, WHITE CROSSES. It is
about the same small town, but in 1957. Anybody want to read
it with me?
Sherry
=============== Reply 1 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 06/13
From: KGXC73A GAIL SINGER GROSS Time: 9:18 PM
greetings SENSATIONAL SHERRY..
yes...MONTANA 1948 was a gem...and one of my BOOKIES is
reading WHITE CROSSES..i just ordered it but not sure when i
will get around to it... if i am not mistaken..didn't he
write one inbetween..JUSTICE?
off to read...so nice to be free....gail..hp..a passionate
reader in sunny and lovely san francisco where my tizzie
lizzie's are flourishing..
=============== Reply 2 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 06/14
From: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Time: 10:19 AM
Sherry,
This sounds like a good one, but I'm still engrossed in A
CUNNING MAN, which I hope to finish before the discussion is
over!
Ann
=============== Reply 3 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: TQWX67A ANN DAVEY Date: 06/14
From: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Time: 6:21 PM
Hi Sherry,
My book (very new and evolving) book group read Montana 1948
on my recommendation. I thought it was so well done--so
sparse and yet so intriguing. A very discussable book, I
thought. They didn't agree. I don't think they "got it".
This is what makes me SO grateful for CR. I am looking
forward to Watson's newest one, which was reviewed in our
paper on Friday. At first I thought it was a negative
review--but after I re-read the review, it sounds like
similar to M1948, in that it gives the reader a lot to
ponder. My kind of book! Adele, who likes to think about
her books
=============== Reply 4 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 06/15
From: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Time: 1:12 PM
The most intriguing issue of M1948 for me was the decision
to imprison his brother in the basement instead of jail.
Seemed to me such a (oh I'm going to be sorry for this)
"male" reaction to the situation. I wish I knew a better
name for it. Trying to do the right thing, yet trying to
save some kind of face (on something that maybe didn't
deserve saving). And in many ways this was more humiliating
to the brother than jail would have been. The sheriff-
brother was between a rock and a hard place (between his
father and his brother, between right and wrong) to be sure,
but why did he do it this way? And yet, I understood why he
did it. So interesting. Adele, ducking for the bashing that
may be due her, the mother of all male children--both
teenagers now--so be kind.
=============== Reply 5 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Date: 06/15
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 5:07 PM
Adele,
That was the action in the book that intrigued me the most,
too. He wanted to have it both ways. He wanted to do the
right thing, did not want to seem like he was one-upping his
brother, but he really put his family in danger.
My son just called from Oregon, so I'll finish this later.
Sherry
=============== Reply 6 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 06/15
From: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Time: 10:05 PM
Sherry,
It's been a few months since I read this (for the second
time), and I don't own a copy, so I can't refer back. But
after thinking about this some more, I got to wondering
about what might have happened had the sheriff put his
brother in jail. In some ways the outcome hurt the sheriff
more than the "right" way would have--and yet the outcome,
however painful, did put a stop to everything--the crimes
against the Indian women. I surely wasn't sorry the brother
was dead.
And what about the grandfather's cavalier attitude about
his son and his feelings that his shennanigans with Indian
girls were not something to be so concerned about, since
they were *only* Indians. Disturbing, but very believable
given the time and place.
What a simply complicated story. A little masterpiece, I
thought.
Adele
=============== Reply 7 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Date: 06/15
From: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Time: 10:44 PM
Adele: I haven't read Watson's novel yet, but I must say
that my head was spun around by your phrase "a simply
complicated story..ie, a little masterpiece." I think I know
exactly what you mean.
I promise to steal the term "simply complicated" many,
many times in the months/years to come, when I'm talking
about literary forms. I only hope you haven't found a good
phrase-copyright attorney here on line, or else I'm history.
>>Dale in Ala.
=============== Reply 8 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Date: 06/16
From: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Time: 8:44 PM
Dale, I wish you would read Montana 1948, and join in here.
Would really enjoy your take on this.
Adele
=============== Reply 9 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Date: 06/16
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 9:30 PM
Dear Dale,
I second Adele's request. This book is right up your alley.
(I don't think I'm being TOO presumptuous here). He reminds
me a little bit of Larry Brown. Not so much in style or even
in content, but in a kind of male take on things. I'm a
sucker for blue collar sensitivity.
Sherry
=============== Reply 10 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 06/16
From: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Time: 11:52 PM
Sherry, Adele & All: I accept your challenge re: MONTANA
1948.
Remembering vaguely from my college calculus studies, if
you plot a graph of "the male take" on any issue, overlaid
with "blue collar sensitivity," the resulting response, when
digitized and pixellated, looks an awful lot like me.
More soon,
>>Dale (unless I keep confusing Larry Watson with Sterling
Watson and Brad Watson, and Larry Brown and Tim McLaurin,
which seem hopelessly entangled at the time) in Ala.
=============== Reply 11 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Date: 06/17
From: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Time: 8:23 AM
Great Dale! The more I chew on this, the more I see some
interesting parallels with TSSP. Good vs. evil for sure.
Only in M1948, it's not clear who wins.
Waiting for your ideas here.
Adele
=============== Reply 12 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 06/22
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 5:44 PM
I got MONTANA 1948 out of the library yesterday afternoon
and gulped it down before 8 o'clock. What a terrific book.
Excellent writing, believable characters. A good story,
but the emphasis on how the characters react to the events,
rather than on the events themselves. I used to love a
long, involved story that evolved over generations, like
DANCING AT THE RASCAL FAIR. Lately, my favorite reads have
been like this book, closely focused on a moment.
The moral dilemma here is one that has been addressed time
and time again in literature and in art. Loyalty to family
or to honor. The story was resolved, but nothing was
solved. This was a situation in which there was no right
answer. By not solving it, Watson has given us a gift,
something to think about long after our reading is over.
Thanks Sherry and Dale, and others, for recommending this
book.
Ruth, in balmy California
=============== Reply 13 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 06/22
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 9:22 PM
Dear Ruth,
I thought you would like this. Very concise beautiful book.
I went right to WHITE CROSSES. I like that as well. Life has
prevented me from gulping it, but as soon as I get back to
normal, I will finish it. I don't think it's the classic
that 1948 is, but well worth while.
Sherry back from Up North where I missed the big Milwaukee
Flood of 1997
=============== Reply 14 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 06/22
From: KGXC73A GAIL SINGER GROSS Time: 9:31 PM
greetings dddRUTH...
and just think now you have his latest to add to your
list...WHITE CROSSES...
gail..hp..a passionate reader in the throes of THE
SPARROW...
=============== Reply 15 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Date: 07/01
From: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Time: 8:30 AM
Just finished MONTANA 1948 on tape. It was produced by
Recorded Books and read by Beau Bridges. I was kind of
surprised to see that name because, though Recorded Books
does use stage actors as readers, they haven't used a well
known "Hollywood" actor before...that I've noticed.
In any case, he did a good job and I definitely recommend
it.
And, wow, what a good book! I now see what everyone has
been talking about. It had many of the things that I love
about a good short story, really zeroing in on the moment
as Ruth said. And, yet, it was long enough to spin it out
and give us more dimensions.
That father reminded me a bit of the one in A THOUSAND
ACRES. I know that there were a lot of differences as
well, but that strong, western person who has such a
capacity for hurting his children rung a bell. I had the
sense that he saw the brother as such a projection of
himself and admired him so much that he would have been
willing to sacrifice the other son and his family to save
him.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm not sure that Frank's (do I have his name right?)
suicide rings true for me though. Given his cavalier
attitude toward his crimes and his father's attitude toward
them, I couldn't imagine him feeling this kind of despair
about the situation. Though he felt some closeness to his
brother, I didn't think he would stop short of mowing him
down to survive. Comments?
BTW, hope Prodigy will still post this on the original
thread. Barb
=============== Reply 16 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 07/01
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 12:17 PM
Barbara, I felt exactly the same way about the suicide. Just
didn't ring true. I had the feeling it was kind of a *deus
ex machina* to tie things up and come to some kind of an
ending.
Ruth
=============== Reply 17 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 07/03
From: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Time: 3:05 PM
Barbara & All: I just finished Watson's MONTANA 1948 and now
I see what all the fuss was about. One hell of a book, isn't
it? Intriguing, the range of emotional effects he can
achieve with such spare, restrained writing.
I agree with you guys in having reservations about Frank's
fate, but I'm hard-pressed to come up with a different
ending that would work. I'd love to read an interview with
Watson where he discusses that subject. I'll check on
Homework Helper and see if there's one there.
What a beautifully done scene, where Frank's breaking the
canning jars. I don't know how Watson did it, but the sense
of fear and threat was even stronger for me than in the
shotgun scene that came just before.
And an epilogue, pardon the expression, to die for.
Most epilogues are letdowns for me, but what a gorgeous way
of closing out such a book: the image of playing football in
the leaves with Marie, and the final scene at Thanksgiving
dinner where father slams his fist down and says "Don't ever
blame Montana." Such strong characters, throughout.
Whew. A life-interrupter, for sure. After I recover from
this one, I'm going to track down WHITE CROSSES.
>>Dale in Ala.
=============== Reply 18 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Date: 07/03
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 3:23 PM
I'm glad you enjoyed it Dale. I thought it was terrific.
MONTANA 1948 and Allan Gurganis's (sp?) WHITE PEOPLE are the
best things I've red this year.
Ruth
=============== Reply 19 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 07/03
From: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Time: 3:58 PM
Ruth: Speaking of Gurganus, I've got an excellent interview
with him from Poets & Writers magazine. I'll drop it in the
mail to you this weekend.
>>Dale in Ala.
=============== Reply 20 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Date: 07/03
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 6:47 PM
Dear Dale,
I'm so glad you liked this. I thought you would. I disagree
with the others in that I think the suicide seemed to fit.
It was almost like some sort of morality play or
Shakespearean tragedy. I can't wait for you to read WHITE
CROSSES; I've been dying to discuss it with someone.
Sherry in the cold and dreary north woods of Wisconsin. Look
like IN THE LAKE OF THE WOODS out there.
=============== Reply 21 of Note 37 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 07/03
From: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Time: 7:54 PM
Sherry: Good to hear from you! My mind still boggles at the
miracle of "talking" to somebody in a cold and dreary
climate. The sun was broiling here today, and the humidity
brought the heat index up to 110 at one point. Perfect time
for my car's A/C to go out, which it did. Luckily it's a
"relay switch," $75, and not the compressor. I suppose I'm
living right.
I look forward to reading Watson's WHITE CROSSES, for
sure.
And your reference to IN THE LAKE OF THE WOODS makes me
realize that O'Brien's novel is one of a handful the mention
of whose very name makes my heart ache. I worry about those
people, till this day. The ultimate achievement of a fiction
writer, I would think, and O'Brien--for all his tortured
"real" life--is definitely one of the best we've got.
>>Dale in Ala.
=============== Reply 6 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Date: 07/04
From: VMMN97A FELIX MILLER Time: 11:00 AM
RE: MONTANA 1948
I read this book in one sitting, and was really locked in.
The characters and the situations manage to be both very
strong in a sense of a particular time and place, and still
ring true for people in general. The attitudes of the
father and the "golden boy" Frank remind me of many of the
people I grew up with, back in the bad old days of the
1950s in the south. Substitute African-Americans for Native
Americans, and you have an exact parallel. The father is a
recognizable type, Western, Southern or otherwise, a man of
absolutes and intolerant of any differing views or of
anybody who doesn't measure up. Like the son who was good
enough to mind the store at the sheriff's office, but who
could not compare to the War Hero/Athlete/Doctor son.
I found it easy to believe the suicide of the "golden boy,"
because he was essentially without any real character, just
an assemblage of skills. Having never known anything but
admiration and unqualified approval, he was totally
unprepared for the sort of humiliation and public exposure
facing him in a trial.
This is a keeper. From the very hot mountain, Felix Miller
=============== Reply 7 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: VMMN97A FELIX MILLER Date: 07/04
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 12:33 PM
And I found it hard to believe the suicide, for almost the
same reason, Felix. This guy seems so completely tuned into
himself, so completely unable to see that his actions were
in any way beyond the Pale, you know, one of those people
who think if they did it, it was justified, that I couldn't
believe he would knock himself off. I was sure he would
just go on, no matter what happened, with his head locked in
the same box. Nevertheless, this book is right up on the
top of my
list this year.
Ruth
=============== Reply 8 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Date: 07/04
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 12:37 PM
Dale, I'm looking forward to reading the Gurganus interview.
If that excerpt is an example, it should be very, very
interesting. My subscription to P&W appears to have
dissolved. I hate it when magazines start dunning you to
renew so far ahead of time that by the time the sub actually
runs out you can't remember if you renewed or not.
Ruth, in Redlands where the forecast is for 102
=============== Reply 9 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 07/04
From: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Time: 2:21 PM
You perfectly articulated the reason for my disbelief, Ruth.
But, I'm with all of you on the quality of this
book...definitely a life interrupter. Barb
=============== Reply 10 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 07/08
From: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Time: 5:16 PM
I saw the the suicide as selfish and cowardly, the same
emotions, along with others, that would drive a rapist.
When his daddy couldn't free him, Frank got mad and decided
suicide would be the easiest way to go out and humiliate his
brother in the process. So the suicide worked just fine for
me.
Sorry this is late..couldn't get on here for quite a while.
Sherry, I will be starting WHITE CROSSES tomorrow, but don't
have much time to read right now. Hope I'm not too late to
join the talk about it. Adele, with primer and paint
everywhere.
=============== Reply 11 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Date: 07/08
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 5:23 PM
Dear Adele,
No problem. I'll be joining your primer and paint with my
wallpaper remover solution and scraper.
There hasn't been any discussion of WHITE CROSSES yet. I'm
the only one here who's read it so far. I'm looking forward
to your take on it.
Sherry
=============== Reply 12 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 07/13
From: AHBR34A RON DILLON Time: 8:13 PM
I was a little disappointed in Frank's suicide. Watson did
little to give you any insight into how Frank thought and
what would prompt him to take such a drastic step. One can
only assume that Frank couldn't "face the music" when daddy
failed to free him. Or maybe he was just trying to embarass
or get even with his younger brother.
I wish Larry Watson had given Frank's wife a bigger part.
Perhaps that would have given us some insight into Frank's
motivation.
That's my 2 cents.
=============== Reply 13 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: AHBR34A RON DILLON Date: 07/13
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 9:16 PM
That was the only part of the book that didn't ring true to
me, either, Ron. Seems that Frank was WAY too self-centered
to even realize what damage he had done.
Ruth
=============== Reply 14 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: AHBR34A RON DILLON Date: 07/14
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 8:29 AM
Dear Ron,
Welcome to Constant Reader. I hope you take part in other
discussions as well. I thought the suicide was in character,
even if you have to extrapolate a bit. We only see Frank's
character through the eyes of others, and although he is
indeed very self-centered, I think suicide is very
self-centered. I certainly don't think his suicide was
caused by his belated belief that he actually did anything
wrong. I think it was caused by his agony at not being on
top. Of course he knows what he did is wrong, but he doesn't
care, and for his whole life, no one else has cared either.
Now he's caught and he can't stand it. He's trapped in his
brother's basement--his brother who he's spent a lifetime
being better than, glorifying in being better than, and this
brother is responsible in his mind for his downfall. He's
angry as hell. He's trapped and he can't do anything except
break jars. And when breaking things gets no reaction, he
realizes that he has lost. And he can't stand it. He breaks
himself. It's the only thing left to break.
That's my two cents.
Sherry
=============== Reply 15 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: AHBR34A RON DILLON Date: 07/14
From: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Time: 9:19 AM
Great to hear your two cents, Ron. I think maybe your
point about Frank facing the music when Daddy didn't come
through immediately might have been Watson's viewpoint.
That doesn't make sense to me either though because he
hadn't given him much time, though time may seem a little
different in a root cellar. I just found Frank far too
sure of his own superiority to end up in suicide.
The development of Frank's wife would've been interesting.
Watson seemed to be implying that she knew nothing of what
he was doing with the Indian women and that seems
impossible to me. Or, maybe he meant that she accepted the
same double standard.
I haven't seen you before on CR. Tell us a little bit
about yourself, what you're reading and some of your
all-time favorites. Please? Barb
=============== Reply 16 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 07/14
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 11:28 AM
Great note, Sherry. You almost talked me over to your point
of view.
Ruth
=============== Reply 17 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 07/14
From: AHBR34A RON DILLON Time: 8:35 PM
Barb,
I am an avid reader. Right now I am reading London by Edward
Rutherford. I enjoy historical fiction, science fiction,
classics, history and novels. I tend to read just about
anything.
=============== Reply 18 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: AHBR34A RON DILLON Date: 07/15
From: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Time: 8:33 AM
Oh Ron, have you found the right place! If you're
interested, Sherry Keller has a list of the books we read
and discuss together at intervals. Do you have that
already? And, have you been around here before and I've
just missed you? Also, it's amazing to me how often I've
posted a note about a book I've been reading and have found
interest from others here. Please stick around and post
your impressions. In addition, there's CR Salon for
non-book related talk. And, last but definitely not least,
please check out Classics Corner. We're currently talking
about OF HUMAN BONDAGE and will be discussing THE HOUSE OF
MIRTH by Edith Wharton next month.
I don't know anything about LONDON. Is it fiction?
Barb
=============== Reply 19 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: AHBR34A RON DILLON Date: 07/15
From: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Time: 5:16 PM
Ron, seems to me you'd be a perfect fit for Constant Reader.
Welcome aboard!
Adele
=============== Reply 20 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 07/15
From: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Time: 5:24 PM
Regarding Frank's suicide, I wonder if he would have done
the same thing had his brother followed normal procedures
and put Frank in jail. Frank's brother was trying to save
face a little for Frank (whether or not he deserved
face-saving is another matter), but inadvertently made
things worse instead of better, and not just for Frank.
As to Frank's wife, I thought that her not knowing--or
wanting to know--what Frank was doing was quite plausible.
Remember this was back in the 50-60's (wasn't it?) when
being a Mrs. Dr. anyone was enough for many women. Adele
=============== Reply 21 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Date: 07/15
From: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Time: 5:29 PM
Adele: What an interesting post. Much food for thought.
And BTW, if *you* don't use your so-very-cogent phrase
MRS. DR. ANYONE as the title of a piece of fiction, I will.
>>Dale in Ala.
=============== Reply 22 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Date: 07/15
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 5:40 PM
Dear Adele,
I thought of that too. I worried that putting Frank in the
house was a big mistake. As it turned out, it was a mistake
in a different direction than the one I anticipated.
Sherry
=============== Reply 23 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 07/15
From: VMMN97A FELIX MILLER Time: 9:08 PM
Sherry,
I think you are exactly right-"[Himself] is the only thing
left to break." Great summation of Frank's attitude.
Regards from the mountain,
Felix Niller
=============== Reply 24 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: VMMN97A FELIX MILLER Date: 07/15
From: KXBZ24A ANNE WILFONG Time: 10:28 PM
It's been a few years since I read this, but I remember
feeling that the suicide didn't ring true. People don't kill
themselves out of anger (as in after throwing all those jars
& venting that anger--that's actually healthy!) Suicide
generally follows a deep depression, when there's absolute
despair, when there's no way out of this pit. And it's when
this curtain of depression begins to lift that one finds the
energy to commit this totally selfish act. I never felt the
guy had it in him. Now I guess I should reread to see if
that's still my take.
Anne, with too much to read already!
=============== Reply 25 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KXBZ24A ANNE WILFONG Date: 07/16
From: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Time: 5:06 PM
I am determined to convince at least a few of you skeptics
that Frank's suicide was plausible .
Suicide is an act of cowardice. Isn't a rapist a kind of
coward--a violent, childish, selfish one? I think it is a
mistake to assume a maturity in Frank that just wasn't
there, despite his age and education. Neither has anything
to do with maturity. And from what we know about Frank's
life--the way his father doted on and rescued him--it would
be almost impossible for Frank to have developed any level
of adult maturity.
Assuming that Frank had an overblown self-esteem which would
have prevented him from committing suicide I think is also a
mistake. Self-esteem comes from deserved pride in true
accomplishment and responsibility, not from parental
ego-boosting, stroking, and undeserved hero-worship.
So, if we take away the assumptions of maturity and too-high
self-esteem, then it becomes plausible, even likely, that
Frank assumed that he could "get away" with the
suicide--that is, he was pretty much incapable of foreseeing
and acknowledging the consequences, even to himself, in his
childish snit over what his brother had done to him.
I think Frank's suicide was an act of impulse by a coddled,
overgrown 2-year-old, not a calculated maneuver, or the
result of any depression or attack of conscience/guilt.
Now, does anyone want to address what made this book so
masculine to me? The smell of Old Spice practically wafted
off the pages! Is this a genre with which I should be more
familiar, or is this as unusual as I thought?
Adele, who made it to page 21 of WHITE CROSSES last night.
=============== Reply 26 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Date: 07/16
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 5:53 PM
Adele,
What a good post! But then of course I agree with you .
Can't wait to discuss WHITE CROSSES with you. I hope I still
remember some of it. And yes, very masculine indeed. I think
that's one reason I really liked it.
Sherry
=============== Reply 27 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 07/16
From: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Time: 9:16 PM
So Sherry, what made M1948 so darned masculine and manly?
I've never experienced anything quite like that in a book.
Wonder if I've ever experienced a feminine story, but
overlooked it because it was too familiar, or something
I am slogging through WHITE CROSSES. Thus far it has not
grabbed me like 1948, in many ways seems strikingly
opposite. Wordy. I know more about the sheriff than I want
to already. But perhaps this will make sense down the road.
Hard to read with the pounding going on in the kitchen this
week. (Workers are here replacing floor and countertops.)
Adele in HOT Columbus, Ohio
=============== Reply 28 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Date: 07/16
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 10:23 PM
Gee, Adele and Sherry, I didn't catch the overwhelming aura
of the Y chromosome in M1948 like you two apparently did.
Yes, it was a story about men. But what I liked about it
was that unlike some stories about men, it dealt with
emotions and characters, rather than action. Maybe I'm
reading you wrong when you say "a man's book", but I think
of that phrase as something indicating action and
heroes/badguys and maybe some violence. There was some of
that here, but I didn't see it as the focus of the boo. It
seemed to me to be dedicated to "inner" things rather than
the "outer". Can you explain to me what you two mean?
Ruth
=============== Reply 29 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 07/17
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 8:01 AM
Ruth,
That's the point. It told the story of the inner workings of
a man. I also liked Larry Brown's ON FIRE for the same
reasons. Lots of books I like have been written by men, of
course, but this point of view is one I find refreshing --
sort of blue collar intellectual.
Sherry in windy Milwaukee
=============== Reply 30 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 07/17
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 11:12 AM
Okay, Sherry, if that's what you mean, I'll buy it. It's
one reason why I enjoyed the book, too.
Ruth
=============== Reply 31 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 07/17
From: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Time: 4:47 PM
Yes, "blue collar intellectual." Good phrase, Sherry.
If could explain this, I guess I'd understand it. You're
right that ON FIRE is another example of this phenomemon.
Hmmm. Also perhaps "regular guy intellectual" ? A certain
simplicity of outlook for sure. But still, all male.
I'm about 100 pages into Watson's WHITE CROSSES, and it
does not have this same element for me.
Adele, with the kitchen coming along.
=============== Reply 32 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Date: 07/18
From: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Time: 1:22 PM
Well, Adele and Sherry...you're slowing inching me along
toward belief in this suicide. Actually, Adele, your
view of it as a childish snit that he could "get away with"
is the most convincing for me. I agree that what Frank had
was not true self-esteem, but I couldn't buy in him the
kind of despair that I usually associate with suicide.
I agree absolutely that suicide is an ultimately selfish
act though I don't really condemn it depending on how it is
carried out. However, the selfishness alone was not enough
to make it seem real in Frank's case. Inability to fully
realize consequences does fit.
And, (gosh, I feel like I'm being disagreeable these
days), I really don't see this book as a representative
of either gender. It's one of those wonderful books that
seems simply human. However, it is very nice to have a
book written about men that conveys so many inner feelings
without self-consciousness. Barb
=============== Reply 33 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 07/18
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 5:59 PM
You make a good case, Sherry and Adele, and you, too Barb.
And I'm willing to concede that Frank's suicide was a
selfish act. It usually is. But I also felt that Frank was
the type that would go on bending the facts to suit his
vision of reality all his life, and therefore would never be
so desparate as to kill himself. I think if Watson had
developed Frank's character a little more, had perhaps made
him a little less of a walking ego, I would have accepted
this end better. I needed to know Frank a little better.
Ruth
=============== Reply 34 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 07/19
From: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Time: 3:50 PM
Barbara: I gave MONTANA 1948 to a friend who's a
publications writer/editor of the highest order, and while
she maintains the viewpoint is obviously male (*nice* male,
but still) she's also fallen in love with Watson's
writing style and is pointing out facets of it I didn't
recognize the first time through.
For instance, Melanie has "always loved parentheses," and
thinks Watson uses them with genius--often setting up the
surface, or "approved," or community viewpoint in one of his
long, graceful sentences and then, in her words, "telling
the truth inside the parentheses." Perceptive woman, this.
Makes me want to read it again... >>Dale in Ala.
=============== Reply 35 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Date: 07/19
From: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Time: 5:34 PM
That's interesting, Dale. I have to confess that I didn't
even notice his use of parenthesis which must say something
for his subtlety of using them...or my total fog. I
*am* going to skim through the book a bit and look for them
now. Do you mind sharing anything else that she pointed
out? Barb
=============== Reply 36 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 07/19
From: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Time: 5:34 PM
I agree, Ruth...I find myself doing a lot of fence
straddling here, but, gut-level, it still doesn't quite fit
for me. Barb
=============== Reply 37 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 07/19
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 8:13 PM
If you're in a fog, Barb, then I am, too. I never noticed
the parentheses either. I got this one out of the library,
so I can't check back and look. If you do, I'd love to see
an example.
Ruth
=============== Reply 38 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 07/19
From: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Time: 11:33 PM
Barb--I guess if you read it BOT style, you wouldn't notice
the parentheses. That's one little disadvantange of BOTs.
Ruth--I may not remember, but did Frank actually deny that
he was fooling around on the reservation? My (quite
possibly faulty) recollection is that he just didn't think
there was much wrong with it and why would anyone care if he
was.
Adele, who read it twice and doesn't remember the use of
parentheses either
=============== Reply 39 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Date: 07/20
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 1:11 AM
My recollection coincides with yours, Adele. It seems to me
that Frank was the kind of person who couldn't see anything
wrong in whatever he chose to do.
Ruth
=============== Reply 40 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 07/20
From: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Time: 9:08 AM
Adele,
Do you think this is part of the fog or evidence that the
bot was simply very well-done? How embarrassing! I had
totally forgotten that I listened to this book on tape.
Somehow, I visualized it sitting on my book shelf.
Ahem...well, I will check out those parenthesis at the
library.... Barb
=============== Reply 41 of Note 2 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Date: 07/20
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 12:25 PM
Barbara, when you said you'd forgotten you listened to this
on tape instead of reading it, I laughed. That is, until I
remembered that I often have trouble remembering whether
I've seen a particular piece of art "in person" or only in
reproduction.
Ruth
=============== Note 67 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: ALL Date: 06/29/97
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 5:03 PM
WHITE CROSSES by Larry Watson
This is an engrossing book. I didn't like it as much as
MONTANA 1948, but it is a different kind of book
and examines different issues. The main character is the
sheriff of Bentrock, Montana, the locale of
M1948. Some of the themes are similar, but looked at from a
very different angle. Two people are killed
in a car wreck. One is the principal of the high school and
the other is a teenage girl who just graduated.
The sheriff feels an enormous sense of responsibility for
keeping the truth hidden from the town. He
manages to convince everyone that the principal's son was
the one running away with the girl and that the
principal was only helping him out. Watson gets us deep
inside the sheriff's head. So much so, that we
get to hear just about everything he thinks to himself as
the book progresses. This is an interesting
technique. In the process we hear his fantasies, his fears,
his desires, his hopes. Since the sheriff mulls
things over quite a bit, we are witness to a lot of this
mulling, some of which seems superfluous to plot.
But this is not so much a plot-driven book, although there
is lots of plot, and especially around midway
you really want to know what is going to happen.
Adele, were you going to read this with me?
Sherry up in the North Woods
=============== Reply 1 of Note 67 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 06/29
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 6:32 PM
I like a book that sticks to one POV, really gets inside one
person's skin. This sounds promising, Sherry. I'm going to
check to see if my library has it.
Ruth
=============== Reply 2 of Note 67 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 06/30
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 0:19 AM
Dear Ruth,
I'll be interested to see what you think of it. It's not as
short or as concise as M1948.
Sherry
=============== Reply 3 of Note 67 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 06/30
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 0:28 AM
I loved M1948. Checked the library and they do have WHITE
CROSSES, but it's out until July 11. I wish we could do
reserves by computer.
Ruth
=============== Reply 4 of Note 67 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 06/30
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 9:34 AM
Dear Ruth,
I think my fuzzy brain can retain enough to have a
discussion after July 11. Adele said she would read it too.
Are you there Adele? I haven't been able to find any reviews
of it on the web. Watson teaches at Univ. of Wisconsin at
Stevens Point. I go right past SP every time I go back and
forth from the cabin. If I were like gail I would look him
up.
Sherry listening to birdsong after a thunderstorm
=============== Note 15 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: ALL Date: 08/05
From: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Time: 6:50 PM
WHITE CROSSES by Larry Watson. Sherry and other CR's. Has
anyone read this latest one by the author of our much-loved-
and-discussed MONTANA 1948? I'm embarrassed to admit how
long it took me to get through this one. In many ways like
M1948, but in other ways a complete departure. So many
things going on here, it took me a month to read this! In
fact, if I hadn't admired M1948 so much, I probably would
have given up on WHITE CROSSES way before halfway. For me,
it got better--or at least more interesting--toward the end.
What did you think? My gut reaction is what a paranoid,
self-righteous, self-absorbed guy. He got what he deserved.
But there was probably more here than I was able to take
in, given my long pauses and my own distraction level, which
is higher than I would like...
Adele, who unfortunately now appears like a long-shot for
Denver. My good friend and boss was diagnosed with lymphoma
last Friday, and that means it is unlikely that I will be
able to get the 2 days off work (the first week of school
for us!) I would need. Arrrrrrgh! But, I am sitting tight,
resisting the urge to ask my good friend, "just when do you
think you will be starting this chemo? Do you think you
could cover for me on your first day off of the year?" She
has her first oncologist appointment on August 28. I
really want to come; please do not count me out yet.
=============== Reply 1 of Note 15 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Date: 08/05
From: YCVW72A JULIANN PHILLIPS Time: 9:01 PM
Adele - jsut finished WHITE CROSSES - was looking forward to
it after waiting 3 months for my hold at the libray and
having read MONTANA 1948 in one afternoon. I plunged in,
ready to be mesmerized. I have to say I enjoyed the book
but would be hard pressed to recommend it to anyone for fear
they would be overwhelmed by the sheriff - how did he ever
get any work done with all the INTERNAL THINKING!!! It took
me longer to finish than I expected. I agree - he got his
just desserts. It must be hard to turn out a book after
such a beauty as M1948. Juliann - a book fiend in Seattle
=============== Reply 2 of Note 15 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: YCVW72A JULIANN PHILLIPS Date: 08/05
From: KGXC73A GAIL SINGER GROSS Time: 10:39 PM
greetings JULIANN..
kindly meet me in the salon..
gail..hp..a p r
=============== Reply 3 of Note 15 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Date: 08/05
From: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Time: 11:21 PM
Adele, hang in there for your boss the way you hung in there
fore me. Having been hit with a nasty diagnosis, I know
what it's like.
Ruth, also hoping she can see you in Denver.
=============== Reply 4 of Note 15 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KDEX08B RUTH BAVETTA Date: 08/06
From: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Time: 8:22 AM
Thanks Ruth, I will. I am still reeling from her
diagnosis--she's been wheezing since this spring--everyone
thought she'd developed an allergy. Lymphoma was just about
the last thing on anyone's mind... I still may find a way
to get to Denver, but for me it's scheduled at a bad time
(the weekend after our first week, and the weekend before a
huge event that we've been planning for 3 years--sponsoring
a professional workshop for 200-300 given by Bev Bos of
Sacramento, CA. We consider Bev the spirit of early
childhood education. Barb Moors--have you seen/heard of
her?) Adele, sorry to have moved this away from WHITE
CROSSES, still hoping Sherry will pipe in about that...
=============== Reply 5 of Note 15 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Date: 08/06
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 9:14 PM
Dear Adele,
I've just gotten caught up with all the notes since I
returned from my extended trip to Maine & Boston. I will
reply to your note about WHITE CROSSES when I can gather my
thoughts. Stay tuned.
Sherry who is back in Milwaukee
=============== Reply 6 of Note 15 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Date: 08/08
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 4:20 PM
Anything I say about WHITE CROSSES is filtered through about
a month of traveling (by car, plane and minivan) and kids
being home from college and two dogs vying for top banana
and having my house painted and my kitchen renovated---so
memory may fail me.
I read WC because I loved M'48, and they are totally
different. WC seems like an experiment that at times may
not have succeeded, but to my mind, as a whole succeeded
very well. We are in the unique position of being in the
sheriff's mind all the time--and in no other mind. If you
are the kind of reader who is able to surrender to this sort
of focus, both intense, and at times trying, then I'm sure
you will like this book better than if you like to have a
more omniscient or balanced look at things.
The sheriff is easy-going and likes to keep things simple
and likes to protect. He digs himself a hole when he
orchestrates an enormous lie that is supposed to protect the
town. The events, unforeseen circumstances, unforeseen
characters with unpredictable natures, serve to turn his lie
into a giant whirlwind that he can't handle. He doesn't want
to admit failure, he doesn't want to give up control, he
doesn't want people to know that he orchestrated the lie, so
he keeps digging further out and deeper down. I don't think
he deserved what he got; I liked him. I don't think I could
have read this whole book, staying inside his head for this
long, without becoming a bit attached. I was quite
surprised by the end actually. I did want to knock him
upside the head and tell him he was screwing up, and to let
the town take its licks, but he just wouldn't have listened,
I know. He was quite stubborn.
Coincidentally, I bought the book right after a trip to
Montana, and there ARE white crosses marking places all
along the roads. Very sobering.
=============== Reply 7 of Note 15 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: PKHF06A ADELE STRATTON Date: 08/11
From: NCSH82B BARBARA MOORS Time: 6:03 PM
Adele,
Meet me in the salon...I want to know more about Bev Bos.
Barb...who would love to read
WHITE CROSSES....
=============== Reply 27 of Note 14 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KGXC73A GAIL SINGER GROSS Date: 12/22/97
=============== Reply 53 of Note 14 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: KGXC73A GAIL SINGER GROSS Date: 01/01
From: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Time: 11:49 AM
These are the 12 books (decided not to acquiesce to base-10
prejudice) that I have read this year which have the highest
Enjoyment/Value ratio. Some books not on the list have a
very high Enjoyment number, but in the scheme of things I
felt that they didn't have enough meat to make the final
cut. There were some books with all meat (or gristle to
stretch a point), and not enough enjoyment. And one was just
too long to sustain the correct E/V balance--you will not be
surprised to know that the author is Dickens and its
initials are BH).
So here is my ever-changing list, not including rereads
(such as BONE PEOPLE). If you ask me the question next week,
the list may very well change.
In no particular order:
MONTANA 1948, Larry Watson
UNDER THE FROG, Tibor Fischer
ALIAS GRACE, Margaret Atwood
THINGS FALL APART, Chinua Achebe
CRAZY IN ALABAMA, Mark Childress
MADAME BOVARY, Gustav Flaubert
TREE OF HEAVEN, R.C. Binstock
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANYS (all 3 stories), Truman Capote
COLD MOUNTAIN, Charles Frazier
STRAIGHT MAN, Richard Russo
MAGICIAN'S ASSISTANT, Ann Patchett
TOWARD THE END OF TIME, John Updike
An eclectic year--on to the next one.
Sherry in sunny cold Milwaukee
=============== Reply 54 of Note 14 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: WSRF10B SHERRY KELLER Date: 01/01
From: KGXC73A GAIL SINGER GROSS Time: 11:59 AM
greetings to all in our UNIQUE COMMUNITY OF CR'S..
i am sitting here devising my list and i realize many of the
books ..i read last year..such as ANGELA'S ASHES...BONE
PEOPLE.. a few years ago.. MONTANA...alias grace... ALL
SUPERB recommendations and indeed good considerations for
BEST BOOKS OF 1997... so before i list mine i just want to
add that these books would have been on my list also!!!
tbc.... still doing a little mulling..
gail..hp..a p r..dashing off to film..but will return! thank
you SENSATIONAL SHERRY for your list!!!love reading 'em!
=============== Reply 20 of Note 42 =================
Board: BOOKS & WRITING
Topic: BOOKS/FICTION
Subject: CONSTANT READER
To: FXBS39A WILLIAM BRIGODE Date: 02/03
From: REZG40D KARIN HANCHER Time: 10:55 PM
I'm so glad you started this thread...at some time I was
going to post a thank you to the CR regulars for the great
reads I had in 1997. December marked a whole year of
lurking (with minimal postings!) for me. Especially
memorable reads were LAST ORDERS, THE SPARROW, A FINE
BALANCE, THE COMMITMENTS, A GOOD SCENT FROM A STRANGE
MOUNTAIN, LATECOMERS, MONTANA 1948, PATRON SAINT OF LIARS,
CRAZY IN ALABAMA, READING IN THE DARK, and WHITE PEOPLE.
Many thanks!
I do need a bit of encouragement to finish DEBT TO
PLEASURE...it didn't yell out at me so I quit on p. 75...is
it just me? Karin in VA
From: MXDD10A DALE SHORT Time: 9:32 AM
gail & All: I couldn't hold my '97 Top 10 to 10 without a
lot more thoughtful deliberating, which is hard to do this
time of year, so here's my Top 13 in no particular order...
--THE BONE PEOPLE, Keri Hulme
--TREE OF HEAVEN, R.C. Binstock
--FIRST LOVE, Ivan Turgenev
--TABLOID DREAMS, Robert Olen Butler
--ALIAS GRACE, Margaret Atwood
--MONTANA 1948, Larry Watson
--THE GREAT FIRES (poetry), Jack Gilbert
--THINGS FALL APART, Chinua Achebe
--NAKED, David Sedaris
--THE LAST HOTEL FOR WOMEN, Vicki Covington
--ORANGES ARE NOT THE ONLY FRUIT, Jeanette Winterson
--THE HORSE WHISPERER, Nicholas Evans
--HOSTILE WITNESS, William Lashner
***
It's been my pleasure to read several of these in concert
with CRs, which always makes a book better.
Two explanatory notes: I had my gripes about HORSE
WHISPERER, including some clunky writing and a few brushes
with melodrama, but the story's so strong I find it stays
with me. Also, HOSTILE WITNESS is a book I ran across by
chance at the library. I haven't heard or seen it or the
author mentioned anywhere else, but it's one of the most
solid and entertaining courtroom thrillers I've ever read.
Leagues above Grisham, a quirky sense of humor that's
distinctively Lashner, and writing-wise almost up there with
Scott Turow. Would make a great beach read, but don't wait
till then if you can help it.
>>Dale in Ala.
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