Montana Books

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. The author, a newspaperman, spends a year on a large ranch in western Montana, and his account of that year is the best book I've ever read on modern-day cattle ranching as told by a cowboy. McCumber, in fact, is not a cowboy and has to learn nearly everything there is to learn about it on the job. And the reader learns along with him.

His employer, Bill Galt, is a hard-driving man, leaving no room for error and no time to rest. The men on his ranch routinely put in 12-hour days, working seven days a week. They work in all kinds of weather, including long winter months of snow, wind, and bitter cold. McCumber's account of the year includes calving, branding, irrigation, fencing, haying, fire-fighting, trips to sale barns, moving cattle, and maintaining equipment of all kinds. Largely mechanized, working cattle in traditional ways ahorseback is a rarity.

Besides Galt, several of the men come to life on the page with particular vividness, especially Keith the foreman. A young cowboy, Jerry, who tries everyone's patience, is also memorable. This book is for anyone who has ever thought of leaving a tiresome job and working on a ranch. What it shows is that cowboying is hard, back-breaking, dangerous, exhausting, unending work, requiring countless skills. And you understand the measure of pride that men who choose this kind of work take in what they do.

In June 2001, I visited Birch Creek Ranch after picking up the book (The Cowboy Way)at a local chapters in Richmond Hill Ontario, Canada. After many arrangements, I travelled to White Sulphur Springs and met Bill Galt, his family and his crew.

I visited and worked with his wonderful crew (different visits)
(Dave, Kirk, Tyson, Mike, Russ, Terry, Don, Aaron,& Justin) throughout calving, haying, irrigating and branding, from which evolved some of the most memorable moments of my life to date.

I can tell you first hand that this book is a true account of the daily routines found on this working cattle ranch.

The honesty, integrity and vastness of the land and the people I was so fortunate to meet is indescribable!!!!

A.

What happens when a 44-year-old assistant newspaper editor becomes a working cowboy on a Montana ranch? This is an intensely personal account of 2 years spent in open country (although written as if it were one year)---a book that paints a colorful, insightful and humorous canvas of what cowboys on a working ranch really do (changing oil, riding ATV's, building irrigation dams, running loaders, feeding cattle... and yes, even a good old-fashioned roundup.)

Like many new jobs, he's expected to simply jump in and lend a hand his from his first few minutes on the job- which he does. Fortunately, he had admitted up front that he knew nothing about being a cowhand, which the owner (an incredibly hard-working guy named Bill Gault in the book) found refreshingly direct and honest. Over the course of two years, McCumber goes from a green newbie to a more experienced hand. He learns much about himself and others in the process. And he shares much of that insight with us in a refreshingly direct manner.

It's astounding what today's cowhand does. It's not easy work- in fact, it's some of the hardest work imaginable. From changing out truck engines to performing C-sections on pregnant cattle, to cleaning up sheds to cutting hay (and eating bull testicles) McCumber describes it all in great detail.

The book has insight, candor and humor. It's become one of my favorites.

David has a natural, easy way of describing such a difficult land. I have never been to Montana but long to go there, and this book makes my longing more profound.

David was fair to everyone in this book, to the cows who naturally were raised for food, to the ranch owner and manager and the many ranch hands he worked with. He even made me like ranchers even though I am more of an environmentalist.

The countryside, the skies, the sun, the weather, the winds, the mooing of the cows, all gets described so passionately in this book. And even though men of this genre tend to herofy themselves, David was more than honest with his readers and admitted weaknesses at many ranching skills. But we can forgive him because he rewarded us with a well-written, well-paced country-adventure involving obstinate cows, irate ranchers, aching muscles and dog-gone determination.

I liked that the author keeps his focus on the ranch and does not tell us much about his love life or his thoughts on politics. Just what he did at the ranch day by day, season by season. Hard to explain why, but it's fascinating. Especially after coming home from an office job. There is a lot about the people he works with and a little about the history of the ranch and environs. Great portraits of people and horses. I would have liked a map... also photos of the trucks, machines, horses, fields, culverts he mentions. If he had stayed on the ranch for another year, I would have been happy to keep reading.

I don't usually write reviews, but I just had to say something about this book. What a totally captivating, moving saga of love, adventure, joy, pain, ... I could go on and on. This novel is so rich in detail and depth that I could not put it down. Needless to say, there were many sleepless nights as I moved through this story with a cast of incredible characters. If you have every read The Voyager series and loved it -- you will love this one as well!

I recently re-read this exceptionally written tale about a women and the two Montana men she loves. If your looking for a romance where you can feel the sun and taste the dust due to the quality of writing, this is it. The many complex characters in the story add dimension to the plot as well as give insight into the main characters. While the hero and heroine don't get many pages together, in my opinion, the quality of their interactions make up for this.

Heart of the West is not your typical romance novel. It is more of an epic novel that spans more then 12 years in the 19th century. The central story is about an upper-middle-class Bostonian woman who agrees to marry a cowboy. The cowboy seems to be the man of her dreams and she is enticed to run away with him secretly in the middle of the night to escape her oppressive father, who is a prudish minister. But when she returns with the cowboy to his homestead as his wife, the heroine's choice are too little too late. Let's just say the cowboy has an intriguing brother.

There are many subplots that unfold--that do make for a very long novel, but the realistic detail and clever writing are terrific. And the central love story is one of the sexiest romances (and I don't mean trashy sex scenes, but rather compelling forbidden sexual attraction and tension, and beautiful love scenes) that I have ever read, and I have read over 150 romance novels!

If you only enjoy superficial light-hearted romance, than this may not be for you. I loved this book because it was real--the characters were courageous and fought against life tragedies and overcame hardships.

I REALLY enjoyed this one!

Penelope Williamson is my favorite writer and 'Heart of the West' for me comes second only after 'Once in a blue moon'. A lot of the reviews I glimpsed at, were focussing on the fact that a part of the book is completely of track. I somewhat agree with that but it would be greatly unfair to say that therefore the story is less beautiful. If you would skip trough those 'offending' pages (which by the way, is not a very big part of the book and is a beautifull story on its own), what's left is one of the most heartbreaking and gripping love-stories. Some reviewers didn't finish the book and that is a mistake. If you were captured by the first part of the book, you will certainly not be disappointed at the end.

Williamson's books stand out in the romance-category. I can't exactly put my finger on it but her best books always leave me feeling missing out on something in life. Her stories are never shallow and she makes plain people into such very special individuals who you will love in only a couple of pages. Clementine and Zach are such individuals. They are no noble offspring or other cliches. They are just people like you and me, the only difference being that we would give a lot to be that brave, witty and upright.

I don't usually cry over a book but this one made that happen several times. There where so many times my hart clenched in my chest and I really just wanted to weep aloud. Really, this book is a sure thing to make your heart bleed.

It's really not comparible to most romances. For instance, I truly love Judith McNaught's novels and they too make my heart pick up the beat. But with most of PW's books, I simply need some weeks to recover from the impact. WaltDisney romance for grown-ups.
I would advise you to buy all of her novels, especially Once in a blue Moon (they really just don't come any better...), this one, and Keeper of the dream.

This is not just a romance novel...it is not just a western novel....it's not just a tale of fiction...it is an epic novel that involves many characters, over a long period of time, coming to find themselves and each other in a very turbulant time and landscape. It is not "fast-food" romance. It is deep, enduring, long, involved, and emotionally taxing. It is a true "four-course meal" of a book.

There are no easy answers in this book. The characters are real with real problems. Relationships are complex, just like in real life. There are no unbelievable turns of event that allow the characters to avoid pain. Life takes unexpected turns and the characters, along with the reader, are forced to endure the challenges and realities of life.

Here are some of the dilemmas this book looks into.....A "religious" yet abusive father, a woman torn between the "safe" love she feels for her husband and the "passionate and all-consuming" love she feels for his brother, a woman who through life circumstances is forced to sell her body and her quest for freedom and love, a town filled with hate-filled people, a corrupt father-in-law, a mail-order Chinese bride and her journey from China and destructive cultural practices, and a disfigured tragic woman surviving the loss of a child.

I know it's a lot.....hence the length of the novel, but Williamson so wonderfully weaves this story together that each story line has it's own intensity and purpose for the overall effect this book has on it's readers.

The emotions this novel evokes are strong....it delves into the difficult and tragic events such as the death of a child, rape, and abuse. It also evokes positive emotions...love in it's many forms is clearly seen and experienced within the context of this story. The love between friends, the love between a parent and child, the love between a husband and a wife, and the love between a man and a woman (which in this novel you come to differentiate!). I was moved to deep wrenching sobs many times thorough out this book, a rarity for me.

This book will haunt me for weeks and stay with me for years to come. Take my advise...invest the time and read this book.

What a delightful book this was!

It is told in first person and is the story of Juanita Louis. A mother of three grown children who slowly sees her life passing her by. A nurse's aide, she becomes the inheritor of a library of paperback novels of a former patient. The books open up a whole new world for Juanita, a world of possibilities.

In a move that I have often wished I could do, Juanita quits her thankless job, packs her clothes, says good bye to her thankless children, looks at a map, picks a place at random and decides to travel there.

Landing in Paper Moon, Montana, Juanita pauses on her journey for a bite to eat. Finding a diner that serves only "new-velle" cuisine, Juanita is outraged that she can't get a simple plate of eggs and bacon for breakfast. So she gets up and cooks her own, much to the delights and secret longing on the other patrons in the diner.

What follows is a lovely story of a woman, a town, and people who interact in wonderful ways.

I read this book in one sitting and am eagerly looking forward to reading the sequel.

Simply, yes, if you let it touch you.

At a time in my life when I needed help, clarity of vision, and hope, this book opened my eyes and my heart in a way I needed it most. I first read this book in 2005, and have since come back to it, time and again for the pure pleasure of it.

The prose is well paced and refreshing, not so fast that you feel like you've been caught in a whirlwind, not so slow that you put it down and never finish. It's just right, gripping, inspiring and amazingly real and down to earth. It is, in so many ways, an escape for the reader that leads them right back to themselves. Almost a meditation on life, this book helped me see the forest for the trees, and step outside my own life long enough to inspire me to make the changes I needed to in my own.

This was my Greyhood to Papermoon Montana, and such a yummy, pleasurable read. Without question not to be missed I'd have to say this book, and it's sequel are brilliant! This book isn't about boundaries, it's about freedom and self respect for one's self in balance and a certain amount of harmony with the the rest of the world.

Why don't they make books like this one required reading in school? Had I read this twenty years ago who knows, I might not identify with Jaunita so much at this point in my life. This book is about vision, and truth, with ourselves.

I love it!

This book is a short, quick read but a great story of a middle aged woman with the courage to pack her bags, leave her grown butt kids and put herself first for once in her life. In the process she finds herself. Great story.

I loved it. If you ever thought about breaking away to a fresh start...read this book. Dancing on the Edge of the Roof takes hold of the reader and never lets go. You can't wait to see what Juanita gets into next. Ride along with her on each adventure and take a moment to enjoy nature the way Mother Nature intended. What a romance! The ending leaves you feeling completely satisfied, yet ironically waiting anxiously for a sequel. I highly recommend this book for the mature and exciting women of today.

[...]

I am sure many of us have heard this Dr. Phil-ism. I believe it is true in all its forms--self-fulfilling prophecies and such. DANCING ON THE EDGE OF THE ROOF is a simple, straight-forward book, and readers will benefit from its eloquence. Exaggerated, overblown writing may have its place, but Sheila Williams' first book will have a place in your spirit. Strip away the main character's (Jaunita Louis') skin color, occupation, neighborhood--all of the superficial things that can separate us from her story, and we will see ourselves. Facing the same challenges. On the same journey toward fulfillment.

What I got from DANCING ON THE EDGE OF THE ROOF was a lesson: Do everything you fear to do. Get locks or a long weave, if you must. Learn to merengue. Take a trip to northern China. Study at an institution for culinary arts or interior design. Take your vacation in Fiji. Have a baby at 40. Get your MBA at 54. Do it all, because this is the only life we get. Even those who believe in a second life cannot be sure, so we ought to make the best of this world, this life's opportunities.

I was reminded that I cannot blame anyone but me if I don't take those chances in life that will, in the end, make me the best form of myself that I can achieve.

Good For The Soul.

Hattie Big Sky is an engrossing, reader-friendly book. It gives an honest, non-sugar-coated view of the trials and tribulations of homesteading. I have a new admiration for the people who settled the West.

A really sweet story with twists and turns. The story is told through the eyes of an independent 16 year old girl. It made me appreciate homesteaders, Montana, and what Americans faced during WWI. Even though it will make you laugh AND cry, there is an ending of hope. I bought 2 more copies to give as gifts to friends who enjoy historical fiction. Good for all ages above 12 years.

I purchased this book without really knowing much about it. However, as I began reading the story I became thoroughly engrossed and just wanted to keep reading. I am not normally a fan of historical fiction, but the author did a wonderful job of taking the reader into the story, and making it feel like you were right there with Hattie as she struggled to find herself and to learn how to homestead. The author does a great job of painting a picture without overemphasizing any aspect or beleaguering points.

Some reviews have disparaged the way the author decided to end the story, saying that it wasn't true to her grandmother's story. However, I had the opportunity to meet and spend some time with Kirby Larson at a Childrens' Literature Conference and she explained that while the story was inspired by her grandmother...it was not her grandmother's story. Even without the author's explanation, I thought the ending was wonderful. A true happy ending that is was not unrealistic. I put the book down with a huge smile on my face and a realization that I had fallen in love with this book and the story. It is a must read and thoroughly deserves the awards it has received.

For upper elementary school children who are studying American history this gives a vivid picture of what Montana was like for homesteaders. The story is captivating yet eye opening. It is easy to forget the attitudes of early settlers toward Germans during WWI. The vocaulary is good, some new words, yet not too many.

I waited for a very long time until I finally found Hattie Big Sky at the library. Hearing some very good reviews and reading the general synopsis for the book, I was excited about reading this story. And now, once again, I'm going to veer from what everyone else has said and give my part.

Hattie Big Sky follows the story of Hattie, who catches some luck when her uncle, Chester Brooks, unexpectedly sends her a will deeming her the sole owner of some new land in Montana. This is particularly fortunate because Hattie, orphaned very young, was on the brink of having to work at a boarding house. The story basically follows her path and journey in making her home her own.
First of all, kudos to the author for keeping everything clean. I do greatly respect that.


Now, the bad part. Hattie is a little too perfect for my taste. I'm not saying I wanted her to break out and rob someone or anything, but like many stories I'm so tired of reading because of the protagonists' syrupy sweetness, this made her extremely dull. At several points in the story, Hattie makes a remark that if her aunt could only see her, she would have been disapproving. This made me flip back and go disapproving of what? One of the times, the author did make the source clear and the others were just kind of thrown in. So Hattie's constantly saying I'm doing things people won't like and none of the things she's doing really seem wrong at all. And I don't get the impression it was about her taking care of her home all alone...
Then of course there is Hattie's quicksilver change of feelings that I believe was a mistake on the author's part. She contradicts herself constantly, saying she feels a certain way and then two paragraphs later the author writes something going against that.
----SPOILER----
Hattie is asked to sell her land right after a kind of heat spell as if the person is too eager to wait until she isn't weak. Her first reaction is anger, and the author verifies this. "I fought down the hot anger boiling up in my stomach..." This one is not as contradictory as some others, but she quickly changes her feelings, going from anger to, oh, he's so right. She immediately, only a sentence later, begins to take on another thought process entirely. I should really be thankful he's doing this...yadayadayada...This was annoying.
----END SPOILER----
I think all characters should be rock solid in their development. Hattie seems too vacillating when it comes to her own choices and is too good, which I hate hearing and saying, but it's true.

Continuing on a note of characterization, I also found major problems with the character of Perilee, who quickly becomes friends with Hattie. I kind of felt like I was reading a Stepford Wives-Little House on the Prairie blending. Perilee is also too perfect, although her character remains one-dimensional the whole story. She mentions horrible things that happened in her past and stays absolutely, sickly pleasant about it all. Also, at times she seems overly kind and childish. I don't know why. She wasn't developed enough.

Perilee's husband (And I just knew they'd have something like this.), Karl, who just so happens to be a foreigner and living in Montana during World War I, is generically ostracized and is thrown through the usual torment of these types of characters, mainly there, I am beginning to think, to fill in the empty pages that needed filling. Everyone in the town refuses to help or even be seen with his family...blah, blah, blah. I'm so tired of this type of plotline that I didn't even care; plus, he wasn't very well written either.

My biggest problem with this story was the way everything flashes by so fast. Hattie mentions some major hurdles, like moving across several states just to reach Montana, having to learn, after living in the city, how to plant and care for all of the inherited land by herself, building a fence that reaches regulations, and farming her land. But each of these problems never lasts long and is quickly done away with. Hattie's journey to Montana is barely even mentioned; she arrives to a house that looks more like a shed and that fades away. She states that she knows nothing about farming, gets some manuals on the subject and only a paragraph later is an expert...Nothing is ever drawn out. Also, she has money problems which, like everything else, is resolved immediately. This became so annoying to me that I wanted to jump into the story and strangle the main character. Basically, following Kirby Larson's writing, homesteading seems very simple, more than simple, child's play...I say, if you're making a point of writing a story about a young girls' difficulty in surviving and raising her own land, there needs to be some evidence, not the miraculous sponge that Hattie turned out to be, reading and using her read knowledge with precision.
It sounds like I hated this book and after writing this review and reviewing the many issues, I almost do, but not quite. I am just very picky about everything, from plotlines to miniscule details. While Hattie's character was too nice, she was not unlikable, and while I didn't take too much of a shine to the story it was okay. I did feel like I wanted to keep reading although most of the time I was frustrated and wondering just where exactly I've heard this story before, finding familiar, overly-used elements that have been written much better over the years...

Overall: Okay read, nothing worth a Newbery, which I find incredibly hard to believe and almost impossible to believe; but the facts speak for themselves. I would not have read this if I knew beforehand what it would turn out to be like, nor would I recommend it. Waste of time.

Although I know nothing about hunting birds or hunting dogs I really enjoyed this book-I read it in just a few hours because It was so captivating...I first read about colter in the book DOG IS MY COPILOT and ordered this book after reading an excerpt in that book and I LOVED IT....Of course I cried but I will read anything about dogs and I highly recommend this book....

For any dog lover this is a great read. Bass is a very sensitive and descriptive writer. You will laugh and cry as you relate to this personal story.

For Rick Bass, the qualities of innocence, wonder, and vibrancy of life come together in the form of a brown pointer who runs with a smile and an inquisitiveness about the natural world that forms a wonderful, compelling narrative. This book is not really about hunting. Nor is it about dog training; it is much more.
Bass tells the reader about his idyllic life in an extremely remote section of Montana where September ushers in a pre-winter appearance of grouse and pheasants signaling the advent of a new hunting season. Other activities throughout the year seem merely a prelude to this time of year.
And into his life leaps Coulter, an energetic addition to his canine household of Homer and Ann, brought into a seemingly foreign land. Coulter is described as the "runt of the litter", the last one to be selected, and the most unlikely to ever achieve any mastery of seeking out pheasants.
What emerges is a dog that transcends bird hunting and lands smack dab into the heart and soul of his owner.
For anyone who has ever treasured the companionship of a dog-loved and lost them-- this book is a tribute. It is also a reminder of the pure things in life that school a person in the important elements of being alive.

First off, I'm a big fan of Rick Bass' writing. Clear, compelling, and crisp. "Colter" is definitely a story about a dog and his owner. But it transcends the heart-string pulls that might imply and manages to paint a picture of place, character, and neighborly interaction in the American West as well.

If you enjoyed Rick Bass' "Winter" or his later story collections, "Colter" might be a welcome read.

I originally picked up this book because of the cover. The darling GSP pup is hard to resist. However, the beautiful imagery within is what stays with me.

I am a confessed dog-lover and outdoor enthusiast. I responded to Bass's descriptions of Colter's hunting skills and of the natural world. I enjoyed Bass's humility and sense of humor. Mostly, I could just relate to how much he loves his dog. I feel the same. I could not put the book down and have reread certain passages upon finishing Colter.

A great choice for people who appreciate the magic of working dogs-dogs that live to hunt or herd or help. Also, anyone who loves the Montana wilderness would like Colter, as well.

An intriguing book on man's efforts, as the title says, to control nature. The question is, can or will man succeed. The book leaves it open to conjecture, but does an excellent, though sometimes wordy job, of describing man's efforts...

The Mississippi River chapter badly needed a map to help the reader udnerstand perspective and location. Imagine New Orleans high and dry with what is now the Mighty Mississippi as a meara creed passing the French Quarter. hard to imagine, but possible, even probable...

The image of men using water hoses to cool and direct lava is, at first, unbelievable and incomprehensible, but it worked...and the chapter on California debris (not mud) slides is extremely enlightening....a good book to learn about nature and things you woudn't normally think about...

Recommended.

I was disappointed after reading this book. The author uses 10,000 words to describe things/man-made structures that could be better described by adding a simple illustration. The writing is not organized in sections/chapters. A lot of unnecessary information is added that renders the book boring and unfocused. It will take me a while to read another book by this author...

As always, McPhee is a pleasure to read and a pleasure to review. In these chronicles, based both on narrative and on interviews, McPhee's big theme is ambition (a good thing), hubris (no problem, simple answer), and willful ignorance.
McPhee talks about three major `wars' against nature - the effort to keep the Mississippi River running through New Orleans, the semi-successful effort in Iceland to keep a volcano from filling in a critical harbor, and the ludicrous attempt to prevent fire and flooding from destroying the east side of Los Angeles. In each of these, the threats are portrayed as utterly real and frightening, the science is lucid without being boring or full of jargon, and the people speak for themselves.
If you ever wanted to change the inevitable force of geology by piling up sandbags, stop a lava flow by spraying water on it, or keep your house from being filled with boulders and sand (debris flow) - this book will be a lesson on fighting rear guard actions against enemies that will, eventually, win.

Mc Phee presents three well written, beautifully researched case studies, short term marvels of engineering skill and determination, doomed from the outset by humanity's ignorance and disregard of natural processes. This book examines an unstable river system in Southern Louisiana, unpredictable massive lava flows in Iceland, and episodic debris flows in Los Angeles mountain foothills. Each case presents the heroic bad judgement of short-lived humans in conflict with gradual natural processes, catastrophic at long intervals, by human measure, and ultimately inxorable, indifferent long-term to our futile efforts at intervention. He wastes few judgemental words on the human folly his stories chronicle, but lets them speak for themselves. He fills the shoes of both writer and teacher.

McPhee examines three recent attempts by man to alter natural changes on the surface of the planet. The first is the Corps of Engineers attempt to control of the flow and course of the Mississippi as it heads, with ever increasing power, toward New Orleans, or Texas if it had its way. And if you think that there was not some early warning of eventual problems in New Orleans, note that this book was written in 1989. The second is the partially successful effort by the Icelanders to use water from fire hoses to halt the flow of lava from a very destructive volcano. Finally, the third is the battle between Los Angeles and one of natures weapons of mass destruction, the debris flows coming down from the San Gabriel mountains that, with the Pacific, frame the city. McPhee has also written intriguing books about the geologic histories of Nevada (Basin and Range), Wyoming (Rising from the Plains), California (Assembling California) and about tectonic plates, ice and oil (In Suspect Terrain). In the process he has portrayed the important English pioneers in the discipline such as Hutton and Lyell, in addition to Agassiz and his fascination with glaciers.

The flow of the Mississippi with its enormous drainage extending from Western New York to Montana has been increasing with every newly paved Wal-Mart or football stadium parking lot in the Midwest. In the process it has carved out the sediment that forms the fan that extended the coast line of Louisiana over fifty miles into the Gulf in the last century. Historically its mouth has wandered for nearly two hundred miles along the Gulf coast between Mississippi and Texas, creating most of Louisiana. Its flow of sixty-five kilotons (two million cubic feet of water) per second in high years is now channeled by the levies, which are not without defects as demonstrated by recent hurricanes. But that doesn't mean upstream threats can be ignored. The Atchafalaya, with a much steeper drop and connected to the Mississippi by the Old River in Northern Louisiana, is constantly bidding for the Ohio and Missouri mud that gives the Mississippi its color. The saga of the construction efforts by the Corps to keep it as a safety valve to prevent the flooding of New Orleans, and not have it turn the lower Mississippi river basin (the "American Ruhr" as the locals call it) into a pasture or salt water lake, is McPhee's first war story. It has been a "close run thing" with a near disaster in 1973 when the Old River Control, an enormous weir, nearly failed. The proliferation of commissions, competing commercial interests and colorful characters overshadow the geology, but the movement of sediment is still the enemy and the story keeps it under "close surveillance".

The attempt by the Icelanders to control the flow of lava erupting from a volcano on one of their offshore islands is magisterial. This effort is a saga of human endurance, persistence and geological knowledge. He describes Iceland as one of the two most productive geologic hot spots on the planet (the other being Hawaii). However, while the Hawaiian Islands are moving with the Pacific plate, Iceland is being torn apart by the Mid-Atlantic ridge which runs directly beneath it. The 2000 degree (F.) magma under it came up, in 1973, to punch through the sixty mile thick plate of Vestmannaeyjar island "like a sewing machine needle punches through cloth." The offshore island has one of Iceland's main fishing harbors. Indeed, it is one of the most active in the North Atlantic and hence worth saving.

The lava spread in all directions from the volcano, covering most of the island and threatening its harbor. The government decided that it would try to save the harbor by cooling the lava and holding it back with fire and other large water hoses. An Icelandic physicist calculated that one cubic meter of water would change seven-tenths of a cubic meter of lava from red hot flow to hard rock. The water hoses were brought from Reykjavik, the capital, and the American air base nearby at Keflavik. They were trained on the ever encroaching lava day and night at the direction of the fire chief from the base who became known, not unaffectionately or undeservedly, as "Patton".

They succeeded, but not until three million cubic yards of tephra fell on the island's town (compared to only 500,000 cubic yards, which fell on Pompeii), and three hundred feet of basalt rose next to it. Nature gave in and the eruption stopped after five and a half months. It had increased the size of the island by twenty percent, and perhaps will press its case against the harbor at a later time. While the topography, characters and customs of The Big Easy and Tinseltown may be familiar to us, Iceland is not. Tidbits about the oldest democratic parliament, the Icelandic prohibition against selling beer in favor of "Norwegian Cough Drops" (shots of Johnny Walkersson and Jack Danielsson), the local learning on how to avoid volcanic bombs, etc., add the color. Pages turn.

His final example of man's attempts is the effort of the City of Los Angeles to keep the San Gabriel Mountains (three thousand feet higher than the Rockies from bottom to top) from sending debris into the foothills of the city and washing away houses in the process. Los Angeles has built more than 120 catch basins to arrest the debris. McPhee describes the effect of fire upon the chaparral in the mountains (it provides an impermeable cover which sends the water runoff in a large storm cascading down the valley) is impressive as one of those ideas that seemed good at the time. However, other than the effect of the angle of repose, this section is a bit of a filler in an otherwise very interesting book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy! It brought me back to the places I was familiar with when I lived in Montana.

Very well written book. Gave the reader a feel for the hardships, joys, and life of an immigrant. Beautifully describes the Montana scenery.
Book easily held the interest of the reader. In fact I had a hard time putting the book down. I would highly recommend this book to any age person who has a nominal interest in the life of our forefathers. Reading it, I could just feel the excitement and the beauty as well as the pain of life in the 1890's.

One reader compared Doig to Larry McMurtry...hmmm, maybe, but I think not. Dancing at the Rascal Fair is my first Doig novel, but not my last. I will be reading his other work, for sure. D at the RF is so well written, I am bonded to these fictional characters as if they were real. Am thinking of them, long after I've finished the last page. If you enjoy reading about land, early settlers, hardships and love - you'll enjoy this one.

What a beautiful book, yet tragic. As usual the writing is simply wonderful. If you love literature, this is a must. The story chronicles the migration of a couple of Scottish families to Montana and the trials and tribulations that they experience. The book is masterful. A must read.

a fantastic family saga of life on the montana prairie back in the day. everything one could want in a historical novel: realistic, interesting characters, a strong sense of narrative, and a grand presentation of a place in time. this is the 1st book i have read by this author, i now greatly anticipate reading more of his work. my highest recommendations.

The best book on bears. Anyone going into bear country has to read this, it's that good!!

After encountering several grizzlies in backcountry Alaska, I've spent a lot of time researching bears. I have a small library of bear books and this is by far the best one in that collection. I've read it no less than 5 times and find it to provide new insights each time I read it.
For anyone looking for a realistic, well-researched, and searching book on bears, this is the best you could hope for.

Every detail you could ever want to know about bears is in this book. The whole thing was fascinating and much of it scared the bejeebers out of me, which probably isn't fair because the author took such pains to help people not be afraid of bears. Perhaps because I'm a mother of three small children, I now worry more than I used to when visiting my father's place in New Hampshire at the height of berry season! Bears are to be respected and to be taken seriously. For anyone who thinks bears are just cute and nothing to worry about, I strongly recommend you read this book to get the real deal.

I've recreated in the vicinity of black bears my entire life. So far, no problems. Because I am not familiar with brown/grizzly bears, I recently purchased and read "Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance" in preparation for backpacking in Montana. I feel I now have a better understanding of these wonderful, large, and occasionally dangerous animals. Make no mistake about it, this is a worthwhile book. Why four stars? First, the book's organization seems a bit disjointed as the author moves between brown/grizzly information and black bear information. Second, there is an abundance of first-hand bear encounter accounts. The author uses these to flesh out what would otherwise be a fairly thin book. This isn't a bad thing...I just wish the accounts had been edited a little more tightly so the book would flow better. Bottom line: this is a good read for anyone who wants to enjoy bear country without undue fear.

I found the book to be interesting, but confusing. The author obviously is a scientist, and knows what he is talking about; however, he included a lot of facts and figures which, to me were not really necessary. Also, he seemed to vacillate back and forth in his descriptions of and solutions for bear attacks. I did not know whether I should run, play dead, fight, climb a tree, or intimidate the bear. I think that in the very few seconds before an attack, there would not be time to decide whether the bear was predatory, starving, or merely protecting its cubs. Not to worry, though, I don't plan to ever be near any bears, ever.

This is a very large book & not a light read. Sir Francis Burton is one of history's more interesting people but after reading this book I don't think he was someone that was easy to get along with. He was a brave & determined man & most people just wouldn't want to do the things he did. Also the things he did are incredible but the writing isn't as gripping as the things he did.

Richard Francis Burton was a very unique individual even when compared to the Victorian age when it seems Britain had an abundance of eccentric Englishman making world-shaking contributions for the benefit of their Empire or mankind. Burton had a knack for picking up other languages and dressing in native costume, so much so, that in a matter of months he could pass as a native. He exploited this gift throughout the Indian subcontinent and the Arabic speaking world. From an army to a Foreign Service diplomatic career, Burton did not spend his time idly. He led explorations in East and West Africa. Burton's name should be as famous as Stanley's or Livingston's except for happenstance. He explored various Arab speaking areas for the Royal Geographical Society and frequently passed himself off as a local by speaking Arabic fluently. He received Islamic religious training, enough to be the first or second Westerner to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca and obtain entrance into the Kabbkah. As an Author, his books of his exploits never sold well. The author of this book concludes because of the haphazard method of relating information to the reader. Burton was not good at organizing his expeditionary note, but they are full of curious facts that show his sharp scientific mind. The author of this book does an admirable job relating Burton's life to the reader. The book's quoting various diary entries and newspaper articles shows it was well researched, especially his turbulent public life. As Richard Francis Burton grew older he used his language skills to translate various books of Middle Eastern tales and poetry into English. He is perhaps best known for translating the classic A Thousand and One Nights.
This was a very rewarding book, This reader plans to read some of the books still in print by Richard Francis Burton.

I believe that I have read all of the Burton biographies - all of them available on Amazon, that is, except Rage to Live, which I am reading now. It started as a keen interest in the subject, and is now just a matter of completing the task. Rice's treatment not only seems to be very correct but is free from editorial. Many other authors feel the need to second-guess the history without the means to do so, or to make him a hero or a villain. For example, his pederastic forays in Hindustan are stated matter-of-factly, with the helpful insight that there is no suggestion he never went back to it. His portrayal of a certain negress royal harem slopping up banana beer, sow-like, on all fours as his own death sentence was imminent can only be called Burtonesque - complete with a lengthy quote from the master himself. If you can only read one, this is it.

I have never even heard of anyone like Richard Burton. He is one of those people that certainly took advantage of life. I often wonder how he had the time to accomplish all of those feats. This particular biography is a very balanced portrayal of Burton and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you want to be entertained then read this book.

Of the Burton biographies I have read, this is quite by far the best. The research is great, and for a history book, this is a true page turner. I found it fascintating, that while reading this work, I had to keep reminding myself that this guy, Sir Richard Burton, was a real person, and was not some figment of a writer's imagination. Richard Burton led a fascinating life during a fascinating time in our history. The author captures both the time and the man. I highly recommend you read this one, if at all interested in this man and his time and further recommend you add it to your library as you will probably want to give it more than one read.

This book is just as relevant now as it was in the age it was written. If you don't "get it" then it wasn't meant for you.

I found this book to be thoroughly enjoyable. Lenny Bruce is an interesting guy and I think it's very insightful just of life and society in general and of all their inconsistencies. Though today, I'm sure, is much different than Lenny's era, most of what he has to say still applies. He can be really funny at times, but I'd say its a darker humor. I remember thinking it dragged just a bit when he gets deep into his legal battle near the end of the book but overall it kept me entertained.

I first read this book at the tender age of fourteen, and even then it had an impact on my perceptions. Now, over thirty years later, it has remained one of the strongest influences of my life! I would not be the wise and compassionate Spiritual teacher that I am without having read about Lenny's life of pushing the boundaries and comedic concepts far ahead of his time. He was and still is the most profound comic Spiritual visionary America has ever seen...and most likely will ever see. Long live Saint Lenny!

You could be forgiven for thinking that this book is by Eric Bogosian. Although generally okay, the Fireside edition spends more time talking about Bogosian on the front cover than it does talking about Bruce himself.

Too bad. But luckily for the reader, this book is pure Lenny.

More readable than the transcripts of his performance (since he intended this to be read)-- How To Talk Dirty and Influence People is part autiobiography and part diatribe. Bruce explains, jokes, cajoles and convinces as he writes. This is the story of his life from his birth until 1963 when it was written.

Lenny Bruce is a very important figure in the histories of performance and free expression. This book is a little bit sketchy to be a final remembrance, but is still worth the time and effort that it takes to read. In particular, the beginning sections of the book are magical-- funny, wry and moral. It loses the thread a little bit towards the end, as Bruce is more and more obsessed with the legal wars that he was then fighting on every front. Certainly understandable, but the latter chapters are much less open for the reader and seem to have been written in a much bigger hurry than the rest of the book.

If you are interested in Bruce, this book is a must-read. The Fireside edition is bound with an introduction by the aforementioned Bogosian and with a preface by Kenneth Tynan.

You don't have to be a fan of Lenny Bruce to love this book, you don't have to really know who he is (I really only know him from a few recordings and by reputation). This book is funny. This book is still a valuable piece of social satire and criticism. This book is an interesting story. This book is a piece of history. This book is great. This book should be read.