Vermont Books

Best novel I've read; and best novelist.

Okay, so I'm only half-way through the first chapter right now, but I just have to pipe in because I find it very odd that the man who wrote the great "Art of Fiction" could have so dramatically contradicted his own thesis of storytelling as a "vivid and continuous dream": starting with the second sentence, Gardner immediately delves into exposition and flashback for the next twelve pages!

In this New Directions edition (with a very fine introduction by Tom Bissell; more on that later) Gardner constantly interrupts "the action" by these flashbacks. I didn't even realize the old man was talking to his grandson (or in front of him, more accurately, insofar as the young boy has no idea what's eating gramps) until twelve pages later -- the old man just reminiscences for paragraphs and pages, only occasionally checking back in to the present, and those memories span days and weeks and years. It's all very well-told, as far as the language is concerned: the similes are interesting, funny, and oftentimes philosophically profound; but I do wonder whether it's wise to start things this way. I mean, imagine if you're watching a movie ("vivid and continuous dream") and it starts off with some old guy sitting in a rocking chair for five seconds, and then the camera jumps to another scene, and then another, and yet another, and still another, and it's only half an hour later, after all those flashbacks, when you return to the opening scene of the old guy in his chair and you realize he's been muttering to himself in front of his grandson. While not a sin per se, it seems an awkward way of starting things.

The book opens in the immediate aftermath of James having chased his sister Sally up to her room and locking her in it. Then, apparently, he's settled in front of his fireplace, with his confused but quiet and rather obliging young grandson. But none of this was evident for me until about page twelve, so lost was I in the flashback exposition. Again, the narrative itself is well-told, but in terms of "strategy" I certainly wasn't in the "vivid and continuous" fictional dream Gardner advises in his manual on writing fiction. He is masterful enough in keeping me interested, but that damned flashback technique seems much too cheap. I had the same problem with this in his "Nickel Mountain," but his employment of it is especially bad here, right from the second sentence.

On the other hand, the narrative voice is rather like that of a yarn-spinner out of Mark Twain, almost, so it's charming and amusing and does much to alleviate my annoyance at having to piece together the action myself, as it were, from the few sentences scattered through twelve pages which concern the present situation, as opposed to its exposition.

Anyway, one last thing: the introduction by Tom Bissell was very interesting for me. It didn't just do some silly synopsis of the story (like Charles Johnson shockingly did in his introduction for "The Sunlight Dialogues," another Gardner re-issue from New Directions Publishing, which was mostly a summary of that novel!); no, Bissell actually delved into a bit of "Gardner criticism" ("criticism" in the sense of literary criticism) and even related "the Gardner mystique" to his own life -- something with which I too can identify, having once thought Gardner a god (but he's still a hero to me). I was particularly struck by Bissell's observation that Gardner is essentially "a young person's writer." I wish his introduction had been longer, since there were so many interesting points of Gardner's works and literary theories that were raised, not to mention a bit of "history" of that time in American letters.

Anyway, like Bissell, who's now "over" Gardner (though still very respectful of him), the more I read Gardner the more I also get over him, insofar as he does the annoying constant flashback thing that the cheap dime fiction he deplores also routinely employs. Quite distracting, for all Gardner's otherwise seductive talents.

BTW, New Directions will be issuing his "Nickel Mountain" this fall, and "Mickelsson's Ghosts" next fall. Depending on sales, "The Art of Living" may be next, in 2009. I wonder if New Directions will include the illustrations accompanying "Nickel Mountain" in their edition? (I wonder if there were any in the original "October Light," for that matter -- there aren't any in this edition.) Gardner was famous for insisting on illustrations with many of his works, and though the plates for "Nickel Mountain" didn't seem very interesting to me in an original hardback edition at the local library, I think they should still be included in another reprinting, in keeping with authorial intent.

Anyway, I'm very glad some of Gardner is back in print again! Thank you, New Directions. =)

This is a complex, somewhat clumsy, thick, odd, and eventually wonderful novel. James Page is a crusty old Vermonter who blasts his TV with a shotgun and locks his 80-year old sister, Sally, in her bedroom. While imprisoned there, she finds and reads a cheap paperback thriller about marijuana smugglers in Mexico (actually written by Gardner and his first wife, Joan). The two stories are then woven together with considerable leaps of time and missing pages in the thriller. At times, Gardner wanders around in philosophy la-la land, while at other times he can write the most surreal and beautiful poetic prose about nature, and at still other times he can portray the emotional torture endured by James and eventual redemption of his humane spirit. The introduction, by Tom Bissell, a Gardner admirer, is excellent. We will never know why Gardner had to die at age 49, or whether he willed it; but this novel stands as one of his very best. My own favorite, however, is Nickel Mountain, a much earlier work.

How did the gurus at Modern Library miss October Light in their ranking of the 100 greatest English language books of the 20th Century? The comparison of Russo to Gardner is apt, but Empire Falls -- Pulitzer worthy, yes -- remains October Light Lite.

On the surface, nothing much happens in October Light. Crusty Vermont farmer James Page chases his older sister upstairs and locks her in her bedroom. Subsisting on apples and the trashy novel she finds on her nightstand, Sally refuses to come out until their argument gets resolved. Ultimately, it does. Yet within these narrow confines, the novel encompasses the play of nature on the senses, the politics of change, and the ways in which memory, loss and guilt light up the synapses until they wink like fireflies on a soft June evening.

Sally and James are feuding over Sally's autonomy. She's moved into James' house because she's outlived her money and has nowhere to go. It's the mid seventies, and James has holed up in his tumbledown farmhouse to fight a rear guard action against trashy modernity and moral relativism. Sally's more progressive. She watches TV (until James blasts it to smithereens with his shotgun) and seriously believes that Democrats are people too. Sally won't be enslaved by James' rigidity and rages, and won't come down until he agrees to give her breathing room.

The book Sally reads in her room is called Smugglers of Lost Souls' Rock. This novel within a novel takes up about a quarter of October Light. It's a tale of marijuana smugglers off the coast of California; it's chock full of orgies, flying saucers and more barroom philosophizing about man's fate than any novel can bear. Fortunately some pages are missing, so we're spared some of the existential exegeses, but not enough. Gardner uses Sally's reaction to Smugglers of Lost Soul's Rock, to tackle what constitutes truth in a work of fiction; the faux novel also serves as a brilliant, hilarious send up of the seventies' version of truthiness.

October Light builds skillfully towards a quiet but satisfying resolution. We learn why James is so angry, and over time see that the struggle between brother and sister has widened to encompass a universal dilemma: which changes are worth embracing? Resisting? How can we tell the difference? When do we have no choice? James and Sally's struggle perfectly captures the cultural dilemmas of Americans in the mid-seventies. The novel also contains some beautifully written scenes, the best being an old farmer, now dying, talking about the way he experiences the changing of the seasons in Vermont. It's one of the most moving passages I've ever read in a novel.

John Gardner is underrated as a novelist. Part of this is self-inflicted, since he took potshots at many of his peers. Like a master carpenter, what Gardner builds is solid, elegant and clever in its joins. Sometimes curmudgeonly in his opinions, he nevertheless comes to his characters with an open heart. In his post World War II novelist cohort, only Saul Bellow ranks above him, mainly because Bellow was slicker about folding big ideas into the plots of his novels. If you like this book, treat yourself to Nickel Mountain, Grendel, The Sunlight Dialogues, and his last, largely unread book, Mickelsson's Ghosts, which is a great American novel.

I'm sorry to disagree with all these glowing reviews, but the writing of this perfectly good storyline is so bad, my friends passed it around, reading the worst portions of it out loud and laughing until tears ruined our mascara. The author keeps using the same descriptive words over and over and over and over and over and over and (you get the idea) until you could SCREAM. The characters are either grossly underdeveloped or simplistic. The dialogue is desperately corny. I could not for the life of me understand how something so sophomorically written made it past a non-catatonic publisher/editor. It is truly, truly awful and almost a joke. The plot is flawed because we are asked to believe that a police officer is covering up her knowledge of a murder she witnessed as a child, all because she promised as a tiny girl never to tell who the murderer was because he might kill her. As a police officer, obviously, she is in a position to pursue and arrest him and would no longer keep the secret. The author backs this up when the character who asked her to promise is shocked that she is still keeping the secret. We are also asked to believe that screaming nightmares have kept her sleepless for 20 years but she is blithely accepted on the police force as emotionally sound and mentally normal. The plot is just a mess. At least it matches the writing. But still, the author is so sincere in her desire to write, I'm glad the rest of you found this literary travesty captivating.

This has been the best book that I have ever read. In fact I have bought copies for all my relatives for Christmas this year. It is the type of book that you can't put down until the end. The author is truly talented and brings the story to life. I can't wait for her next book to be ready. Keep up the great work!

I found myself glued to the novel right away. What a fantastic plot! The characters really come alive and grip you throughout the advanture. Prepare yourself to forget everything else but immersing yourself in the small New England town of Sawyer's Crossing. It was truely a really good read!

What a wonderful novel! I couldn't put it down till I had read it from cover to cover. I suggest you start reading it on the weekend. That way you won't coming to work looking like something the cat drag in! It was great that Kelly was someone that I could relate to. Finally a woman that has a brain and wasn't afraid to use it! Can't wait to read her next novel, Sugar Creek Inn!!

I loved this book! I read Christian books all the time and this was the best one I have ever read! I thought the plot was great and the characters were heart warming. You get so attacked to the story and the characters, you won't want to put this book down. I stayed up all night to read it!!I can't wait for the next book in this New England Novel Series!!

Bill McKibben comes through again. This time it's "a walk in his woods," a three week hike connecting upstate Vermont with the Adirondacks.

When you travel with Bill, it's a journey of body, a journey of mind and a journey of spirit, all rolled into one. You'll meet other folks along the way, people who have something to say to Bill and to you. You travel easy with Bill. This Bill is not as funny as Bill Bryson but he's more thoughtful. And he'll get you thinking.

This book is a book about a place and about the history of that place. Having hiked in both areas, I especially enjoyed the subtle distinctions Bill is able to discern in landscape, flora and in the character of people between what he sees in the gentle hills of Vermont and the rougher landscape and terrain of the Adirondacks.

Take this trip with Bill McKibben. You'll be glad you did.

I have spent much of my recreational time in the two places Bill McKibben writes about in this book -- The Adirondacks of New York and the Champlain Valley of Vermont. They both offer some of the most beautiful, pastoral scenery in the US. From Lake Champlain itself you can see the Green Mountains of Vermont on one side and the Adirondack Mountains of New York on the other. As Mr. KcKibben points out, while they may look similar and proximate from afar, each is quite different from the other. The Champlain Valley is more pastoral, bucolic and New England-like. The Adirondacks are much more rugged, wilderness-like and rough around the edges. Both can call to you in a way that becomes a lifetime's pursuit.

This book is an easy and short read. It is engaging, paints wonderful pictures with words and gets you to think about the tension between a simpler life closer to the natural world and modern society and progress/development. He is fair in his assessment of the joys and the struggles associated with a simpler life closer to nature. I don't know who would enjoy this book more - the person who has enjoyed this simpler life or one who can only imagine it through books like this one. I highly recommend this book for people who love this part of the world or who have thought about getting closer to the land and living a simpler life.

Bill McKibben describes a walk through place and community. The community is bound by a geographic region but the displaced reader is imperceptibly drawn into the mind-set of McKibben and his guests. You are introduced to a group who love the land on the Vermont/New York border and recognise it as one of the few "wild" places left in America. It is their passion to preserve and conserve that comes through and it is infectious. The book inspires the reader to analyse their relationship to place and modes of behaviour driven by place. The antithesis of economic consumption exists in all of us, however repressed. Bill brings it to the fore. The effect on the distant reader is such that you will join the community despite being so far way. Bravo Bill !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bill McKibben walks for sixteen days through the Adirondack Mountains to share his love of the land with his readers but what makes the book so special are the people Bill introduces, walks with, and talks with (and about...) along his journey. I was a Travel Agent for five years and was lucky enough to be sent to some of the best, first class places in America and this journey that Bill McKibben takes us on with his words is more meaningful than many of those places I went to which include the Grand Canyon & Scottsdale, AZ; the San Francisco Bay Area; Paradise Island & Nassau, Bahamas; Manhattan; the Sierra-Nevada Mountains (by train); and New Orleans & Mississippi River Cruise!

Each authentic and real person that McKibben joins on his trek lends a hand in telling the story. The book is as much about the beauty of the people as it is of the land. I grew up twenty miles away from the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania, and presently I am a steward and guardian of 400 acres of land in central PA with my husband, his uncle, and my husband's brother and I share and appreciate Bill McKibben's deep love for the power of nature, the wild, and the people. I found John Davis (owns a bicycle, no car) as one of the most interesting characters in the book. I also like the stories of Chris Shaw, who has the good sense of memorializing the people who have passed on but that once lived in the Adirondacks and give the book historical authenticity. My favorite stories in the book are from Donald Armstrong and especially Armstrong's memory he shares with McKibben (and us) about Don's wife, Velda and a fly-fishing event. I laughed so hard I cried! It is a funny moment, but this husband-wife story is so cute and sweet, and gives one a feeling of nostalgia. (The church steeple is a cool part, too.) This is a gem of a story and Wandering Home is a gem of a book.

I am a people person and for the first few chapters of Wandering Home I'm thinking that it is too bad Bill McKibben spends all this passion on the Adirondacks. I imagine what his passion could do to improve the lives of the infirm or impoverished people. Much to my chagrin, in the last few chapters McKibben admits this deficit with charm and honesty. He admits he should spend more time helping the less fortunate, and then justifies his love and preservation of the Adirondacks as his way of giving something back to people. And, I agree that he has. Furthermore, he explains that he tries not to be a drain on the planet. If only we could all think this way, maybe our global warming and environmental problems would vanish. For the first time in my life, I realize the full extent of the impact that people have had and still have on our surroundings and I am saddened and sickened by it. (I imagine a sunrise or a sunset over a mountain, or an ocean breeze I thank God there are still a few areas left in this world that man / woman hasn't been able to get his / her hands on.)

I do have one eco-criticism of Wandering Home. Bill writes that he and John Davis climb to the top of Owl's Head on page 93 of his book. Owl's Head is a considerable distance away from Bristol, and is not included in the path outlined on the inside covers of his book. But, every author has to create mystery in some way, right? Judging by the description of Owl's Head I can see why McKibben would include it in his "walk" since Owl's Head sounds like a stunning place with it's 390 degree view of the Adirondack mountains. On my map, Owl's Head is about sixty miles north of Lake Placid one way, as the crow flies.

Dr. Robert Bernard Hass (English Professor, poet, writer, and Robert Frost expert at Edinboro University) and I got into a discussion about hyper-individualism in class one day. Dr. Hass told me about his friend named Bill McKibben and how McKibben writes about hyper-individualism and that a good place to start on the subject would be Wandering Home. I am grateful that Hass recommended the book to me. It was a book that I was sad to see end, but a journey I will always remember in more ways than one. I was so inspired that I am planning on a short family vacation to the Adirondacks for this summer. I will do my best to demonstrate a sense of forest preservation and protection while I'm there, visiting the wild of the Adirondacks.

This book is thin. I mean literally. It is really just a somewhat longish essay. I was disappointed that there was not more depth, more history, more "more."

This is the story of McKibben's amble from Vermont to the central Adirondacks, with a crossing by row boat of Lake Champlain. McKibben is a good writer and he loves this landscape and is very concerned about it and its place in the global environment, but I could not help comparing him and this book to another Bill-namely Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. Bryson is a much more energetic writer. In my opinion, he is funnier and deeper than McKibben. A Walk in the Woods is a great book, Wandering Home is light weight by comparison.

McKibben has some very good thoughts on environmental issues and expresses an admirable moderation in this book. He is especially sensitive to the complexity of many environmental issues and actively criticizes the "knee-jerk" environmentalists for over-simplifying the issues in many cases. On the other hand, McKibben is something of a romantic airhead. Often his ruminations are fatuous and patronizing; for example, his dogma that those simple Vermont farmers and old Adirondack loggers that he's met are more "authentic" than you or I (McKibben makes this claim more than once in Wandering Home).

Nevertheless, I liked this book and enjoyed reading it. McKibben loves the Adirondacks and so do I. In this short book he's managed to capture something of the flavor of the hidden Adirondacks, that fortunately so few people know. The Adirondack Park of New York is the most beautiful sylvan landscape in the world. McKibben's book raises, but barely starts to answer, such questions as why and how to protect and preserve the Adirondacks and other similarly blessed places.

This book is a reminder of all the problems..... that anyone of color, anyone who was poorly educated, anyone dealing with poverty, anyone who was different in any way from their neighbor; faced in the years of the Depression, in the North.
You cannot help but admire the characters Samuel, his parents, Elizabeth, Jehiel, and Frenchy, as they struggle to deal with complex issues and their stories are a reminder that racial hatred was not confined to the South, nor is some of the pap that we were fed in history class, true.
There was much ugliness everywhere, yet in the midst of all of this turbulence, love manages to survive, dispute the reminder that Hitler is coming into power, and our country is struggling to find it's moral balance. It will be may years before racial issues will be addressed by our nation, yet the fine writing of Mr. Heffernan, and the clarity of his story rings true, despite the times in which the characters lived.It is easy to visualize the events that occurred in those years; as Hitler is the death of everything good and pure, so is the hatred, gossip, and mob control, the beginning of everything that will bring death and destruction to Beulah Hill. There is some offensive material in this book, with good reason; but what you are offended by reflects your character, as a person and reader.The story is well told; a good read....worthy of any book club discussion......
I am looking forward to reading more of his writing....

I picked it out of my library at random and was pretty much blown away. very beautiful writing, completely different and interesting subject. A wonderful book that should be read by lots of people. i've never really read a book like it. i loved the writing.

Mr. Heffernan's tale hinges on an arcane Vermont racial law that stipulates a person is "white" after three generations of intermarrying. It is informally called "bleached." This describes the narrator, Samuel.

A white man, gruesomely murdered, is found on [the] Hill, which sets the stage for the tragic events that follow. The town does not "divide" on racial lines; it seems unanimously convinced that the Negroes living on the Hill are guilty. Violence begets more violence in spite of the efforts of Constable Samuel and Sheriff Frenchy LeMay. The climax is a blood bath on the Hill.

Mr. Heffernan is obviously a craftsman at setting mood and sparkling descriptions. He handles dialogue like a master. However, I found the unremitting phonetic spelling of the so-called back woods accent tiresome. In spite of the dark theme, Frenchy and larger-than-life Jehiel Flood both display a marvelous sense of humor. Some readers might well be offended at some of the scatological language; however, it rings true and reaffirms the escalating hatreds. The names conferred on many of the characters are priceless. I particularly liked Perserved Firman (the name, not the character. He is the arch-villain.)

My main problem was with the narrator, Samuel. The novel is written in the first person so Samuel is your window to the world. Samuel is nothing if not complex, but I found him unreliable and basically unlikable. He is self-absorbed to the extent that he only sees himself through what he perceives as the constant scrutiny of others. There is no question he suffered hardships and vilification, yet I was fundamentally unmoved. The lyrical, italicized erotic passages seemed somehow out of place. I questioned how an entire town could line up in support of an obviously vicious, obscene, mad dog Perserved Firman. The mysterious Elizabeth remained just that to me-mysterious.

I will read another by Mr. Heffernan. His talent is unmistakable and perhaps I will enjoy it to the fullest in another type of novel.

Beulah Hill involves a racially motivated murder in a Vermont town in 1933 and the ramifications it has on the backwoods community. This premise is interestng and Heffernan succeeds pretty well in creating some believable characters and setting the right mood and tone of the area and time in which the story takes place. Overall, however, I felt the story dragged on too long after the initial murder occurred and the not very surprising conclusion was reached. I think Beulah Hill would have made an excellent short story, but as a novel, it is just an okay read. If you decide to read Beulah Hill I don't think you'll be dissatisfied. However, I also think you'll find that your time would have been better spent reading something else.

This book by Mr. Heffernan takes place in the early 1930's in Jerusalem's Landing, Vermont. A white man is found on Beulah Hill murdered by multiple stabbings from a pitchfork. Jehiel Flood who is one of the black families left in the county owns Beulah Hill. Samuel Bradley is the local constable in charge of the investigation and he is considered bleached instead of white by law. This is making the townspeople angry because they have made up their mind that it was the black folks on the Hill that killed Royal Fermin and don't think that Samuel Bradley is the man to do the investigation. They think he could be prejudiced against the white folks in the community and will not find the real killer of Royal Fermin.

Samuel has had to enlist the help of Frenchy LeMay to help in determining who might have caused the death of young Royal and also to take some the heat off him because the white folks are saying Constable Bradley might be favoring the Negroes. In their quest to find the killer a lot of unrest is taking place between the whites and the blacks of Jerusalem Landing.

Also in this mix is a Negro woman by the name of Elizabeth, that is the local schoolteacher, and Samuel has been in love with her since he was a young boy. I believe the mystery is secondary to the story of Samuel discovering whether he is white or black and what that means to him.

This was a very gripping story and I loved the characters and was very saddened that this could have been the way of life in the 1930's during the depression when like was already tough on everyone. I will be looking for other books by Mr. Heffernan because he writes descriptively and I could actually feel and see Beulah Hill. This is definitely a five star book.

One thing you must realize about Annie Proulx--she pulls no punches. Heart Songs and Other Stories is absolutely no exception to the rule.

In this collection of short stories, Proulx give us characters that are not terribly intelligent, sophisticated, attractive, or even likable. But, what they are is real. We've all met at least one of the characters in this book, and that's the magic of Proulx's writing. She's not interested in creating a romantic hero; she's interested in telling real stories about real people ... who happen to be fictional. And, like so many of us, they have moments that aren't exactly shining.

I've read quite a bit of Proulx, and this book is one of her earlier efforts. It's not quite as stylistically refined as her later work, but it is still a magnificent read. The fact she is absolutely so willing to spit in beauty's face makes her no-nonsense stories and rough and tumble characters all the more beautiful.

If you haven't read any Proulx yet, you really should.

~Scott William Foley, author of The Imagination's Provocation: Volume II: A Collection of Short Stories

Nothing will ever top Annie Proulx's THE SHIPPING NEWS, but everything this
talented woman writes is a jewel. Her short story collections are just
riveting. The stories stay with me long after I've read them. Her characters
are rich and real. Many people have said they reread her sentences because
they are so dazzling and breathtaking. It's true. I look forward to anything she
she writes, as her fiction is the best.

Along with the use of active voice, something else jumped out at me the moment I had read a few pages of Proulx. She's loaded with images. Her images come mostly from apt and surprising similes. (That's not email "smilies.") As we learned in school, a simile is a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds--usually formed with 'like' or 'as.'

Her similes bring to life her descriptions of people and enhance the concrete "feel" of things and places in her stories. The first sentence of the book has two of them, maybe not the best she has to offer, but two that immediately create images that pile up as she goes along: "Hawkheel's face was as finely wrinkled as grass-dried linen, his thin back bent like a branch weighted with snow." Another reviewer (Library Journal) has pointed out how she refers to a character as "thin as a folded dollar bill, her hand as narrow and cold as a trout." Maybe these images account for some of the appeal her style has for many readers. I for one find them satisfying and stimulating, here in the short stories even more than in Shipping News.

If you want to read short stories about mad, cantakerous and passionate characters, read this collection of short stories. Annie Proulx astonished us with her remakable and refreshingly original novel, "The Shipping News," and while she has stated that she is not as proficient in writing short stories as in writing novels, I disagree. I could not put down these stories of the brutal and grotesque rural landscape, and none of the stories disappoints. I look forward to reading her other collections, "Close Range: Wyoming Stories" and "Bad Dirt: Wyoming Stories 2." Ms. Proulx is fast becoming one of America's leading authors of fiction.

Excellent collection of short stories by one of the very best short story writers, set in a rural community where poor country folk struggle to eke out a living. Tough, gritty stories with a deep-rooted connection to the land that give full play to the author's gift for capturing rugged, rural landscape in all its moods. Hunting and fishing provides an unusual backdrop for some of the human dramas played out: revenge, ill-will, greed, infidelity, passion and jealously, violence and death are all strong presences in these stringent stories so don't be misled by the tame hunting and fishing reference. Annie Proulx creates a cast of vivid characters - eccentric, downtrodden, down and out, malicious and conniving - bringing them alive in the space of a striking image or phrase.

A strong theme threading through several stories is the clash of values of two very different worlds: the world of wealthy outsiders from the city with their flash guns, flash hunting gear, flash cars, flash houses and unwelcome improvements impinging on the land, customs and traditions of the poor rural community, the actions of the outsiders often appearing naive, clumsy, even foolish. My personal favourite is Stone City: a hunter stumbles on a remote, derelict farm high up on the snow-covered wooded hillsides but senses an atmosphere of evil pervading the abandoned ruin, Stone City, once owned by the Stone family, old man Stone and his brood of wild, unruly offspring. Gradually, more shocking revelations about the Stones and the grim past of Stone City come to light. Try also Annie Proulx's other superb short story collection of Wyoming stories, Close Range. Both books highly recommended!

I reccommend you read Jewel by this author instead. It was a much better book.

A friend who had read this book back in college recommended it to me based on my love for good old-fashioned literature. It did not disappoint. The story isn't unique -- a young man skulks out of his marriage when the going gets tough and throws himself into his career, where he discovers his loneliness -- but the telling is simultaneously refreshing and familiar. I suggest this book to anyone who loved To Kill a Mockingbird, and books of that genre.

This review is for the first Washington Square Press trade paperback printing, May 1988. Bret Lott has published story collections, a memoir, non-fiction and at least seven novels. His novels are about insights into the journeys of ordinary people with difficulties that are about as traumatic as are own experiences. THE MAN WHO OWNED VERMONT is Bret Lott's first published novel.

This is a novel about marriages. Cal, Carla and Rose's marriages have failed due to infidelities large or small. But those rifts are peripheral. The story is about Rick Wheeler, the first person narrator and protagonist. Rick's marriage is in trouble because he flushed the toilet. I understand why he flushed that toilet, someone had too, eventually. But Rick should have talked about it first. As in many marriages, Rick's problem is his inability to talk about his feelings. Cal, Carla and Rose could not help Rick, except to remind him how much he still loved his wife. It took Lonny, who was never married, to show Rick what he had to do while hunting frightened deer. You see, Lonny is an old plumber, a fellow who knows a great deal about toilets.

Bret Lott loads this novel with mundane, descriptive details. When Rick makes a sandwich, the author tells about every item Rick takes from the refrigerator, and its color. If a metaphor, it escaped me. In the men's room, Rick unzips, Cal comes in and unzips, and then Rick zips and rinses his hands. There is dialogue, which I can't recall, but the zips I remember, wondering if Cal forgot. A more selective treatment of detail, sensuous rather than mundane, would make this a better read. Still, it's a good story.

Once again Oprah turned me onto a great author. Having read Jewel and being impressed, I looked into Lott's other works. This is the first on my list. I enjoyed the book, even though reading something from 1987 can often be disapppointing. I enjoyed the characters of Rick, his friends and Paige. The only thing I'd change is add a little more rememberences of Rick's and Paige's relationship. I'd like to get to know Paige a little better. I recommend giving this book a shot!

This is one of the most underrated novels in the past decade. Not only was it entertaining but it reshaped my own life as well. The story had a surrealism to it that cannot be described. Even though I read the book about five years ago I still think about the characters and wonder if their marriage is still holding up. You know you read something great when memories of the book still arise from time to time.

"The Surrogate Thief" offers a more introspective look into the life of Joe Gunther. By using a cold case Gunther had been following early in his career, Mayor allows the reader to see how Joe has grown as a man and investigator. While there are no knock down, drag-out fights landing Joe in the hospital, we are treated to a fascinating puzzle and psychological exploration. In previous books, Joe's late wife is usually mentioned at least once, but this is the first book to discuss their relationship and her death in any detail. Mayor ties Joe's emotional backstory to his current relationship with Gail Zigman in a moving, genuine manner and still provides a page turner of a mystery.

I got this book for my son who lives in northern Vermont, but, after reading just a few pages as a preview to see if he might like it, I couldn't stop and enjoyed this fast-paced mystery very much. It is just like actually being in Vermont; it conveys the scenery, the atmosphere and the personality types of the people. Joe Gunther, the main character, is someone the reader can identify with and understand what "makes him tick." This is part of a series, and I believe that the first books are out of print. I will be looking at old book sales and trying to get the early books so that my son can start at the beginning--a much better place to start a series that with one of the most recent offerings. I'm sure that my son will enjoy this book...it should make him feel right at home.

I find it difficult to cull out the quality books in the mystery/thriller genre, so I rely on other people's recommendations and amazon reviews to facilitate the process - for every one I enjoy, I probably toss three. So, I will recommend this title because it is very well written with considerable dialogue and just enough description to create the picture. The plot is not exactly gripping and concludes without any real bang, but the characters are engagingly drawn and give the book interesting interactions to ponder. And if you love New England/Vermont, the setting will enhance your pleasure. I plan to pass the book along to a friend, my ultimate evaluation.

More introspective then previous books, you finally get to know Joe and understand the character in more depth. It's also a very good procedural as Joe is able to investigate an old crime using new technologies. Mayor is an excellent writer whose books are always a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.

A domestic call gone bad deals Vermont's Bureau of Investigation agent Joe Gunther a second chance from the past. The gun involved in the domestic turns out to be one used in the unsolved fatal pistol whipping of a shopkeeper 30 years earlier. Gunther's young wife had been dying of cancer at the time and he's always felt he dropped the ball.

This new evidence allows him to reopen the case and Gunther's painstaking, canny sleuthing is a pleasure to follow as he pursues each lead into the past and around New England. Not that this is any quiet cozy. Not once witnesses begin turning up dead faster than Gunther can track them down. On the personal side, his longtime love, Gail, is running for state senator and Gunther dislikes everything about the political arena and its effect on her. Well-plotted and character driven, this thoughtful series keeps getting better.

- Portsmouth Herald

A slow read, but I always enjoy anything written about this area and by this author as he is very acurate in his geography.

I wish that Don Bredes wrote more frequently. It has been a number of years since his excellent COLD COMFORT was published; the wait between that and THE FIFTH SEASON, his new novel, was almost excruciating. Still, I am reminded while reading THE FIFTH SEASON that good, even wonderful, things come to those who wait, and who wait with patience. Fair enough.

THE FIFTH SEASON heralds the return of Hector Bellevance, ensconced in his job as the town constable of Tipton, Vermont, a post that at times seems to carry more ceremony than actual authority. Bellevance is adjusting to the aftermath of the events in COLD COMFORT, which saw him leave his position as a Boston policeman under a cloud, while his wife left him as well, confessing a longstanding affair and leaving him in doubt of the paternity of the child he thought was his. Bellevance's time since then has been quietly but satisfyingly filled by going about his assigned law enforcement duties, growing vegetables to sell at a farmer's market to supplement his income, and dating Wilma Strong, the star reporter for the local paper.

But this semi-idyllic existence is shattered when Marcel Boisvert, an eccentric and contrary town father, apparently goes berserk when served a peace order sworn out by his wife Shirley. The county sheriff and town clerk are murdered in the aftermath and it is left to Bellevance, with the aid of the county sheriff's department, to find Boisvert and protect Shirley, who seems to be his ultimate target. But Boisvert has seemingly vanished without a trace, and it becomes the opinion of at least some of the investigators that Bellevance, among a literal host of others, should be a suspect in the killings.

Bredes's plotting in this regard, particularly in the final two thirds of the book, is so brilliant that it might well bring tears to your eyes. As law enforcement, including Bellevance, stumble through the possibilities, the reader is left with the sensation that the murderer could well be literally anyone. This creates a level of tension that builds, slowly but surely and exquisitely, throughout THE FIFTH SEASON, without strain or drain. There are legitimate reasons to suspect everyone, and when all is ultimately revealed and long simmering grudges and quiet feuds are revealed to the light of day, the ultimate culprit is a plausible one as well.

Bellevance may not be the smartest cop in fiction, that largest of precincts, but he is certainly one of the most quietly likable and believable. He makes mistakes --- at one point he tromps, albeit unknowingly, in his stocking feet through a pool of blood, and occasionally he is afflicted with tunnel vision --- but his innate and deep sense of decency as well as his doggedness ultimately hold him true. His romantic life is a bit of a mess --- but whose isn't? --- and by the end of THE FIFTH SEASON it appears that more changes are in store for him.

Hopefully we will not have to wait several years for Bredes's next effort. If we do, however, it no doubt will be worth it. This is a highly recommended work by an author who is woefully under-appreciated.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

This book should be made into a movie. I've lived in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont (the setting for this story) for the past year, and the cinematography alone would make this explode on the big screen. But the book has so much more: it's entertaining to say the least, but it also gave me pause to think about my own values and how I interact with others. Can't ask much more of a book than that.

Bredes does a terrific job of providing thorough introductions to his many intriguing characters, concurrently giving us an intimate description of each setting - and amazingly, he does this while keeping up the intense pace that kept me glued to each page. And what characters! You don't have to live in the NEK to recognize some of the peculiarities of these folk, but it helps. And if you find yourself wondering how people can behave this way, consider the movie "Fargo" a few years ago - similar setting, similar quirky personalities. And always, something in just about every character that makes you smile and nod.

He does mystery well; things are seldom what we think they are in this story, just as in real life. I frequently found myself identifying with the characters, being drawn down the same paths as they were, and then being as surprised as they were at how events unfolded.

I'm a mystery fan and I read this book in less than 24 hours. I started on a Friday night, and was so into the spookiness of it and so cognizant of the setting, that at one point I did a double take - I thought I saw someone moving past my window!

This book is the second of two (so far) featuring the same setting and characters - the first is "Cold Comfort". But don't feel you have to read that one first - I didn't, and I never had the feeling that I did not have enough information. This story is complete in itself. On the other hand, I'm eager to read the prequel - just because I had such a good time with this one.

Do yourself a favor - wrap yourself around this book ASAP. And write to your favorite producer. This story begs for a film adaptation.

This book was hard to put down. There's a special sense of violation when multiple murders blast a peaceful Vermont village, but as the wise and awful depths of this fast-moving story show us, the seeds of angry violence are always there, here, hiding and waiting to bloom.

Constable Hector Bellevance is a big quiet guy who grows organic tomatoes and throws a mean right. He's a one-time Harvard basketball player and short-time Boston cop who just wants to be a nice guy with a pick-up truck and a girlfriend, but he keeps stepping in blood.

Through concise vivid details of daily life, Bredes puts the reader swiftly in his reluctant hero's shoes. A few pages into the book I found myself with a couple of victims on my hands and the threat of being killed by my wife because I couldn't get out of The Fifth Season to do my pruning and window-cleaning. A few pages from the end of the book I was sorry it was going to end. When's volume three in the Bellevance saga coming?

When I can read a novel straight through in one or two sittings, something special is going on. I usually like to savor literature, sleep on it, come back to it. But there are novels that simply demand a lot of attention and are worth of every minute of it. THE FIFTH SEASON is one of those novels.

As other reviewers have pointed out, Hector Bellevance is really the heart and soul of the book, which is great, since he brings a clear, well-defined, and imminently likeable voice to the narrative. Alongside Bellevance is a cast of characters who are at points quirky, caring, brutal and treacherous-but always human. Bredes skillfully weaves the stories of these Vermonters into a tale that, as my bleary eyes can attest to, pulled me along to its powerfully realized, but devastating, conclusion.

That is not to say that FIFTH SEASON is not without its faults. Bellevance at times seems a little too precious, even for a Harvard graduate (did we really need to know about the morning cantaloupe?). Of course, Bredes adds these touches consciously, heightening the tension and contrast between Bellevance and his nemeses, who are decidedly more gritty.

In the end, Bredes is a skilled, canny writer, who has managed the rare feat of crafting a truly literary thriller. I look forward to watching Bellevance develop, and can't wait to see what sleepy Tipton has in store next.

The title refers to the legal theorum, "should a search or warrant prove to be obtained under false pretense, all subsequent findings are the 'fruit of a poisonous tree' and therefore inadmissible in a court of law'". When Joe's companion, Selectman Gail Zigman is brutally raped in the same bed they had made love in two hours prior, all hell breaks loose in Brattleboro.

For the rape crisis group that Gail works with, "Woman for Woman"; for the local State's Attorney (up for re-election in two weeks); for the members of the Brattleboro Police Department (for whom Gail is considered a family member); the case becomes a cause celebre, and everyone wants the 'perp' caught, tried and punished, as soon as possible. But for the same reason, the case has to be handled extra-carefully, to make sure that any proof against the 'alleged' perp is clean and not manufactured. There can be no cutting corners on this one.

As Joe and the Brattleboro PD follow the clues where they find them, a case begins to build against a three time (once convicted) rapist. All of the info that is painstakingly develop, point to the MO of Bob Vogel. When confronted, Vogel bolts and ends up pursued by Joe through the tunnels of a hydropower station, where Joe is knifed by Vogel. Joe almost dies from this wound, and ends up spending close to a month in the hospital. During this time, Vogel's case is brought to trial, but some- thing about the case gives Joe a bad feeling.

As Joe reassesses the case, it turns out that one of the 'original' witnesses has embellished his testimony and much of information developed for the case is thrown out by the Judge. As Joe and the Brattleboro PD review the case, Joe begins to have doubts as to the guilt of Vogel. Some of the proof seemed to 'perfect' and Joe feels like someone has been leading him around by the nose. So who is the rapist, it's almost impossible to guess, since Mayor hasn't given us any information about the 'perp' prior to the last fifty pages. The denouement is tight and well done and the ending is just a little less than satisfying.

Mr. Mayor has created a series that emphasizes atmosphere without sacrificing suspense and intrigue. His hero, Joe Gunther, is determined, intelligent, compassionate and yet flawed. Gunther is constrained by relationship and job pressures which contribute to his realistic quality. Of course, that makes him much easier to identify with than most other detective protagonists.

Detective Joe Gunther's girl friend has been raped. All clues point to convicted rapist Bob Vogel and Gunther leads the police in hunting Vogel down. But Gunther is almost killed by Vogel, and as Gunther recupurates from the near-fatal stabbing he takes a closer look at the evidence and begins to have doubts. Could it be that they've got the wrong man behind bars and the real rapist is still out there ready to strike again?

Like all of Mayor's Gunther novels the police work is believable as are the characters. The dialog is well done and Mr. Mayor has a way of grounding us in place in Brattelboro Vermont and shows us how a small town really works. If you like a good mystery and especially police procedurals this whole series is good with this book perhaps the pick of the litter.

All of Archer Mayor's books have a gripping story line. Although the stories are first class, the pictures drawn with words as the story unfolds are the best that I have ever encountered. The magnificent metaphors can create, in less than one sentence, images that may take other authors pages. Although each book is independent in and of itself, I enjoy reading the stories in sequence. There is a steady progression in character development and interpersonal relationships as we go from story to story.

If you are a mystery fan, I am sure that you will enjoy the entire series as much as I have. If you are a student taking a course in creative writing, I don't think that you will find a better word artist than Archer Mayor.

Archer Mayor is to be praised for his precise clarity. To make the average reader understand that a search warrant improperly executed makes everything found (up to and including murder weapons), null, void and inadmissible as evidence is a difficult concept, yet Mr. Mayor succeeds. His writing is so realistic; we are as disappointed as the police.

Brattleboro VT police detective Joe Gunther's very special lady friend of fifteen years (Joe is nothing if not a careful man), Gail is brutally raped over a three-hour period not long after Joe has left her house. Joe is enraged, guilt-stricken, and stunned. Gail is shattered, but fortunately is being taken care of by her highly experienced women's group. Though Gail can barely speak, she indicates she wants Joe in charge of the case. The majority of his fellow policemen and all of his superiors try to discourage him from attempting this dual role as clear-eyed, impartial cop and Gail's distraught comforter.

After some brilliant police work, a clear trail leads to a thoroughly despicable scumbag who has all the right credentials. A search of his house solidifies his guilt. An aborted arrest attempt leaves Joe in a coma after suffering abdominal stab wounds from the suspected man. To add to this unfortunate turn of events, it is found the warrant was improperly served and the assailant cannot be tried for the rape. (A silver lining, of course, is that he CAN be tried for attempted murder.) After Joe staggers back on duty, it begins to look as if the rapist must be someone else. Joe is further knocked about, bounced on his head, and shot, but justice is eventually served.

The book is very tightly and skillfully written. I had a few qualms about Joe and Gail. They were so lofty in their sentiments, understanding and goals, they seemed to me to belong on pedestals in the park rather than ordinary (if superior) people. I was as dubious as everyone else in Brattleboro about the propriety of Joe taking the lead in the investigation. Think a lot less mayhem would have ensued with Joe being left on the bench. Then there were Joe's remarkable recuperative abilities. I couldn't help but wince every time he tore his stitches out anew while grappling with the bad guys.

This is one hard-boiled mystery that I admire the craft more than the probability. Grade: B-

I have always been suspect of cookbooks that carry beautiful covers. Often the treats inside cannot live up to the magical picture the eye is first drawn to. This book has forever changed that suspicion. From page one I felt wrapped up in the honest, poetic style with which Amy Lyon has painted upon these pages. Suddenly I was not in Ohio experimenting with a recipe, I was in a small farmhouse smelling a robust meal that only Vermont could deliver. The recipes were easy enough for me to follow, but I still felt like I had created my own masterpiece after I was finished. I could write on and on, but the chill wind of November is urging me to retreat to the kitchen and visit Vermont with Amy Lyon!

This is by far the worst cookbook in my collection. I consider myself to be a decent cook, producing beautiful and delicious results from recipes in all of the other books in a rather large collection.

Every single item (save one) tested from "In a Vermont Kitchen" has been nothing but disaster! The "Cranberry Nut Pumpkin Bread" does NOT need to bake for 90 minutes. A Cranberry Nut Brick is what came out of my oven ten minutes short of that time. "Drunken Apple Chicken" is the only meal I have ever literally pitched into the trash and then reached for the phone to call the pizza man. "Maple Magic Mousse?" Not magical. The recipe doesn't tell you where to add in the gelatin, resulting in a little too much experimentation for my taste, not to mention a disappointing result. Cranberry Apple Conserve was satisfactory, but today's recipe was the last straw for this book. "Brie Pizza with Apple Onion Sauce" - the apple onion mixture is truly disgusting! After following the instructions to the letter, I have a limp and gross-looking mess that I would not want to feed to my dog, let alone put on a pizza shell for my guests later this evening...

I keep coming back to this book, not only finding new recipes each time but repeating favorites and varying ingredients for even more interesting dishes. There are a lot of favorites in here but the drunken apple chicken and the maple chicken are both excellent - hearty northeasterner meals. I highly recommend.

The recipes were easy to follow and the results were superb. Never have I had such "delicious" results with my cooking from the many recipes I tried in this cookbook. I particually enjoyed reading the narratives at the beginning of the recipes and learning about the backgrounds of the contributors of some of the local restaurant owners.

I bought this book in a local book store because of the title and because of the cover. I bought one for my mom as a birthday present and started reading it and could not put it down. I ended up buying another book for myself. I especially recomend the Chedder Sweet Potato and Bacon Chowder. This is a great book and I really recomend it!!!!