Review/appreciation: Ivan Doig and The Last Bus to Wisdom

 

Title:  Last Bus to Wisdom

Author: Ivan Doig

Publisher: Riverhead Books, 2015. 464 pages.

Source: Library

Summary: 

In the summer of 1951, 11-year-old Donal Cameron lives with his grandmother on the Double-W ranch in Doig's favorite Two Medicine country. But when she needs to have an operation (for "female troubles" in the euphemism of the day), he is shipped off by Greyhound bus to the only relative they have--his great-aunt Kitty in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The bus ride is an education in itself, but Kitty is something else again. Stingy, bossy, and mean to Donal and her husband ("Herman the German") alike, in the end she throws the boy out. That's when he and Herman team up, and head out so Herman can experience the Wild West. 

Review:

It's pretty hard to do a real critical review of the last book of a favorite author. Ivan Doig died in April of this year, to my deep regret. It is clear, however, that unlike some cases where an author dies in the middle of working on a book and it's published as is, or finished up by someone else, Doig had in fact finished this book. The language is his usual brilliant and unique voice, and the story perhaps somewhat Gilbertian (that's as in Gilbert and Sullivan...), but with a stronger edge of harsh reality not far away. 

If Donal and Herman set off for a frolic to pass the summer, there are some very real consequences to it all: Herman has left his wife, and that turns out to be more problematic than it would be for most. And if reality catches up to Donal, he'll be sent to foster care or an orphanage--not fates he wants to face. If this is a coming-of-age novel (as some of Doig's later novels seem to be--I'm thinking of The Whistling Season and The Bartender's Tale in addition to this one), Donal grows up hard and fast and at a pretty tender age.

If I felt at times a bit at sea when the story left Doig's Montana, the land he can call to life in front of your eyes with his well-chosen words, so did Donal. Wisconsin lacks the same vivid reality Montana has for the reader, which I read at first as a flaw, but I'm not so sure it is, on reflection. Wisconsin is less vivid and real for Donal, as well. Some people shouldn't be taken from the place of their roots. Herman, on the other hand, seems to have his roots in a place he's never before been. The West of the pulp Western writer has his imagination in thrall, but he does okay when he meets the reality, too.

Recommendation:

I would recommend this and any of Doig's work to anyone who loves a well-turned phrase and an evocative landscape. 

Full Disclosure: I borrowed an electronic copy of Last Bus to Wisdom from my library, and received nothing from the author or the publisher in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."  

Mystery Monday: Double Duplicity

Today's review is part of a Great Escapes Blog tour. I received an electronic review copy, but the opinions expressed in my review are purely my own.


Title: Double Duplicity
Author: Paty Jager
Publisher: Windtree Press, 2015, 171 pages.
Source: Review copy

Publisher's Summary:
On the eve of the biggest art event at Huckleberry Mountain Resort, potter Shandra Higheagle finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. She’s ruled out as a suspect, but now it’s up to her to prove the friend she witnessed fleeing the scene was just as innocent. With help from her recently deceased Nez Perce grandmother, Shandra becomes more confused than ever but just as determined to discover the truth.

Detective Ryan Greer prides himself on solving crimes and refuses to ignore a single clue, including Shandra Higheagle’s visions. While Shandra is hesitant to trust her dreams, Ryan believes in them and believes in her.

Review:

This is a decently-constructed mystery, with likable main characters and a pleasantly unlikable corpse. I found the murder plot adequate, but definitely second to the romance plot. The latter was, I found, very nicely worked out, with a convincing mix of rapid progress and hesitations. As in many cozies, the romance is between the main female character and the main male law enforcement officer (this isn't a spoiler; it was obvious within moments of his arrival on the scene). Point of view alternates between the two, so that the reader is spared an excess of "does he or doesn't he" angst.

All of that said, I found that the story did work better as a romance than as a mystery. As is too often the case, the amateur detective gets away with more than she should, and in this case her motivation for investigating on her own felt inadequate after the first few chapters.

The story has an interesting setting, both in the physical sense (small Montana town just outside Glacier National Park), and in the sense that it deals with both the art world and to some degree Native American culture. I enjoyed reading it, despite some moment of irritation with the story development and with editing issues. (My loyal reader[s] know that I am easily annoyed by grammatical errors or ill-chosen words, far more than most readers). I found places where the tense wandered a bit, and at least one substitution of a near-homonym that jarred.

Recoomendation:

Although I probably won't continue with the series (though I admit I kind of want to see how the love story works out), I think that those who enjoy a good romance with a bit of mystery in a Western setting will like this book and want to follow the series.

Full Disclosure: I was given an electronic copy of Double Dublicity as a participant in the blog tour, and received nothing further from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

As part of the blog tour, there is a giveaway for this book--enter to win!

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Mystery Review: Bitter Creek, by Peter Bowen

I didn't expect to be posting on May 1, and if I did I suppose it ought to be a bit of fiction (did that on Tuesday).  I had a number of requests for reviews in early May, and I couldn't pass up this one when it was offered. Since the book's release date was April 28, I wanted to get it out as soon as possible.

Title: Bitter Creek (Series: Gabriel Du Pre)
Author: Peter Bowen
Publisher: Open Road Media, 2015. 187 pages.
Source: Electronic ARC from publisher

Publisher's Summary:
 When he awakes one morning to find a strange car parked across the street from the house where his girlfriend, Madelaine, lives, Gabriel Du Pré knows that trouble can’t be far behind. Lieutenant John Patchen has come to Montana to persuade Chappie, Madelaine’s son, to accept the Navy Cross. But first Du Pré and Patchen must find the wounded marine, who was last seen drinking heavily in the Toussaint Saloon. They locate him soon enough, disheveled and stinking of stale booze, but a sobering visit to a medicine man’s sweat lodge reveals a much greater mystery: the unsolved case of a band of Métis who were last seen fleeing from General Black Jack Pershing’s troops in 1910 before disappearing.

Strange voices within the sweat lodge speak of a place called Bitter Creek, where the Métis encountered their fate. To find it Du Pré tracks down the only living survivor of the massacre, a feisty old woman whose memories may not be as trustworthy as they seem. But when Amalie leads Du Pré to Pardoe, an out-of-the-way crossroads north of Helena, he senses that they are about to uncover long-buried secrets. Discouraged by the US military, their lives threatened by locals whose ancestors may have played a role in the murders, Chappie, Patchen, and Du Pré bravely pursue the truth so that the victims of a terrible injustice might finally rest in peace.

Review:
This series is full of profanity, characters who drink and smoke and drive fast, and lots of politically incorrect opinions--and I love it. Okay, I wish Du Pre would stop smoking, because those things are going to kill him, if the drinking and driving doesn't do it first, but it's a great ride in the meantime. Bowen creates a seductive mix of humor, mystery, suspense, and adrenaline that keeps me reading every time, and this one does not fail. 

In general I'm no fan of the supernatural, but again, the story is compelling and the mysticism of the mysterious Benetsee fits the setting and the culture. The voices heard in the sweat lodge start it all off, and a certain sensitivity to the historical ghosts help Du Pre find his way, but there is also a very real and modern murder to be solved through the exercise of the little grey cells. The threads that lead us to the killer are a little thin in my opinion, but with care I was able to track them back--so that is probably about right. I'm still not sure there wasn't at least one leap of faith required, but as that is followed up by some evidence and a confession, it does work.

This is a good and much-awaited addition to the Du Pre canon, though I wouldn't have minded a little more fiddle music beyond the one key song that provides the clue to the 1910 massacre. I do hope he's not losing his love of music. The author continues to weave the land and the culture into the heart of the story in a way that makes both come alive.

Recommendation:
Not for the easily offended, but for those who can handle some cussing and some hearty condemnation of values you may hold dear, the story is compelling and the characters engaging. I don't consider it the strongest of Bowen's mysteries, but it is a pleasure to have Du Pre back. If you like mysteries that have a strong and essential setting, read this series.

Full Disclosure: I was given an electronic ARC of Bitter Creek by the publisher, but received nothing further from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Book Review: English Creek, by Ivan Doig

Title: English Creek
Author: Ivan Doig, read by Scott Sowers
Publisher: originally Aetheneum Books, 1984 (339 pages); Audio by Recorded Books, 2010.
Source: Library digital collection

Publisher's Summary:
In this prizewinning portrait of a time and place -- Montana in the 1930s -- that at once inspires and fulfills a longing for an explicable past, Ivan Doig has created one of the most captivating families in American fiction, the McCaskills.

The witty and haunting narration, a masterpiece of vernacular in the tradition of Twain, follows the events of the Two Medicine country's summer: the tide of sheep moving into the high country, the capering Fourth of July rodeo and community dance, and an end-of-August forest fire high in the Rockies that brings the book, as well as the McCaskill family's struggle within itself, to a stunning climax. It is a season of escapade as well as drama, during which fourteen-year-old Jick comes of age. Through his eyes we see those nearest and dearest to him at a turning point -- "where all four of our lives made their bend" -- and discover along with him his own connection to the land, to history, and to the deep-fathomed mysteries of one's kin and one's self. 


Review: 
Really, after that summary, what could I add? This IS "a witty and haunting narration," and I will add engaging, humorous, and poignant. Doig manages to tell the story of a family and an entire region through the events of a single summer seen through the eyes of one 14-year-old boy. Admittedly, the narrator is looking back at it from his old age, so there is a strong filter of mature insight (which is why it is definitely an adult novel, not YA. It isn't that it has as much sex or swearing in it as many teen novels do, it's that the perspective is ultimately an adult one).

Doig's writing is, for want of a better word, lyrical. Or maybe I just mean that he seems always to light on the mot juste, and without effort (am I envious? Yeah, maybe a little!) (I am also aware that it is nothing like effortless from Doig's end. He's just good enough to make me feel it was inevitable when I read it).

I pulled out just one example that struck me at the time: Jick is reflecting on the sheepherders in the Two Medicine National Forest, and the ways in which they occupy themselves--reading, building pointless cairns, carving. But then he mentions the others, the ones who "couldn't be bothered with pastimes. They just lived in their heads, and that can get to be cramped quarters." And we know those are the ones who are more than a little crazy, and we understand why.

Mr. Sowers' narration lives up to the writing. He has just the right accent (Montana with just a hint of the Scots burr that Jick inherits from his parents), and develops each character clearly and distinctly. I had no trouble following--I couldn't turn it off!

Recommendation:
As always, for those who love historical fiction, Montana, the American West, and great writing. I can say that listening as well as reading a book like this is a good way to understand even better why the language works.

Full Disclosure: I checked English Creek out of my digital library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Audiobook Review: Dancing at the Rascal Fair, by Ivan Doig

 

I've included both the audiobook cover (which I didn't ever see, because I was listening to it!) and the original hardback cover, which is what we have on our shelf.

Title: Dancing at the Rascal Fair
Author:  Ivan Doig; narrated by Robert Ian MacKenzie
Publisher: Originally published by Atheneum in 1987 (384 pages). Audio book published by Recorded Books, Inc., in 2010.
Source: Library. I also own a copy of the hardback, which I read back along about 1996.

Summary:
First, I want to note that although this was the second book Doig wrote about the McCaskill family it is chronologically the first. He created the family in English Creek in 1984, his first novel set in the Gros Ventre area (the land Doig wrote about most often and refers to as "The Two Medicine country" after the river that runs through it), but went back a generation with Dancing at the Rascal Fair to explore how the family got there.


In 1889, Rob Barclay and Angus McCaskill leave Scotland, a pair of single young men in search of a new life in a new country--the mythical land of Montana where Rob's uncle Lucas lives.They are all of 19 years old, and in  Angus's words, "green as the cheese of the moon." Despite their blind naivete, they survive, locate Lucas, and homestead the north fork of English Creek.  Angus tells us of their lives for the next 30 years, as they grow older and grow families in "Scotch Heaven." As a narrator Angus is insightful and witty, at times addressing Rob or others in second person, at others narrating in a more conventional first-person voice, and always with Doig's inimitable language, visual and imaginative and with a touch of humor.

The story is by no means all joy, just as life never is. This is an adult novel in the best sense of the word, with love, loss, and deep feelings running all directions. And every word of it is amazing.

Robert Ian MacKenzie's narration in a lovely Scots voice adds a crowning touch to the story, and lured me on to sit and listen when I should have been doing other things!

As with virtually everything Doig has written, I give this an enthusiastic five stars, two thumbs up, and a cheer, as well as a few tears (because that's life). Long may Doig write.

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Full Disclosure: I checked Dancing at the Rascal Fair out of my library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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Absurd though it feels to mention my work on the same page as Doig's, I'll still encourage you to enter the drawing for a free electronic copy of my newest book, Halitor the Hero.

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Mystery Review: Ash Child, by Peter Bowen

For today's review, I bring you a very fast-moving mystery from an author I really enjoy (even though hints of his politics make me suspect that if we were locked in a room together I'd be tearing his hair out and kicking him in the shins).  So. . .

Title: Ash Child

Author: Peter Bowen

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2002.  256 pages.

Source: Library

Summary:

It's fire season in the Wolf Mountains of Montana, and Gabriel Du Pre is worried.  As if the high fire danger weren't enough, some people start turning up dead.  And then the mountains catch on fire.  Du Pre and the rest of the cast of colorful and unique characters have their work cut out for them.

Review:

Peter Bowen's Gabriel Du Pre mysteries are fast-moving, with a touch of humor that keeps the grimness from ever getting out of hand.  Bowen paints a vivid picture of Metis culture (I'm not competent to judge how accurate that picture is), and the linguistic quirks permeate the story.  The patios that Du Pre speaks is almost telegraphic, and that brevity and understatement carries over even into the narration.  It's contagious, too--I find myself imitating the style after I've been reading for a while.

The writing style makes this a much shorter book and faster read than the 256 pages would suggest, and the plot moves along and a brisk pace from crisis to crisis.  The insights and revelations about who did what and why are never overly explained, and there is a certain air of mysticism emanating from the shaman Benetsee and spreading to the whole narrative.

Bowen's work isn't to everyone's taste, I know.  But if you like mysteries that strongly evoke a western setting and have fully realized characters with unique lives, a touch of humor, and well-plotted puzzles, you may well enjoy Gabriel Du Pre.

Full Disclosure: I checked  Ash Child  out of my library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Review: Sweet Thunder, by Ivan Doig

Title: Sweet Thunder
Author:  Ivan Doig
Publisher: Riverhead Books, 2013.   305 pages.
Source: Library

Summary:
Doig has continued the saga of Morrie Morgan begun in The Whistling Season and Work Song, bringing us up to date on the exploits of the ever-inventive and often-in-hot-water Morrie.  Married now, he's been living high all over the globe, but is about to come crashing down when an offer they can't refuse bring them back to Butte, Montana and a job with the union-sympathizing and fair-wage-advocating newspaper, the Thunder.  

Review:  
Nothing ever runs in a straight line for Morrie Morgan, and Doig spins his stories with both creative turns of plot and brilliantly constructed wordcraft.  Just at first I wasn't sure this would rise to the level of some of Doig's other work in terms of grabbing my interest--maybe because it opened in San Francisco rather than Montana.  But within a chapter or so, I was fully caught in the story and the prose, and raced on to the end with that painful mixture of desire to linger and inability to stop reading that marks my reaction to really good books.  I think The Whistling Season remains my favorite of Doig's novels, but this is an excellent addition to the collection.

Recommendation:
Frankly, I'll recommend Ivan Doig to anyone who will stand still long enough to hear me.  But this is perhaps of extra interest (along with Work Song) to anyone who has an interest not only in Montana but also in the history of unions in the United States.  It's clear where Doig's sympathies lie, but he gets in a few digs at both sides, and some at Prohibition while he's at it.

Full Disclosure: I checked  Sweet Thunder out of my library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Book Review: The Bartender's Tale

The Bartender's Tale, by Ivan Doig.  Fiction; coming-of-age novel for adults.

I've reviewed Doig's work before, and confessed that I consider him to be one of the best.  I have always focused on Mr. Doig's use of language--which remains masterful.  But this book struck me, as well, with his ability to create twists of events which strike the reader, as they do the characters, as both utterly unexpected and yet somehow inevitable.  As I read, I think I see the unraveling coming from far back on the left, yet when it arrives it is sudden and around the corner on the right.  In fact, early on I thought Doig was going to disappoint me with a book that was too inevitable.

The Bartender's Tale, like many of Doig's books, is the first-person narrative of an adult recalling the pivotal time of his childhood--in this case, the summer when Rusty Harry, son of the legendary owner of the Medicine Wheel, the best bar in Montana, or certainly in Gros Ventre, is twelve.  The year is 1960 (a year which I am forced, however reluctantly, to admit makes this an historical novel), though 1960 in Gros Ventre, Montana, looks little like 1960 in New York or San Francisco.  Or even, as Rusty's new-found 21-year-old half-sister finds, like Reno.  The hippie era has not reached Montana.

Rusty and his father have worked out their own way of living from the time Rusty was six, and Tom Harry came and collected him from the aunt who had been raising him (in Phoenix; and the one really hard thing for me was figuring her as Tom's sister.  But there might be those who look at my brothers and me and wonder if we are really kin.  Lives take different tracks by middle age).  But into their peaceful existence come no end of disruptions: a friend for Rusty, a collector of "lost voices" from the Smithsonian, and above all a never-known daughter for Tom.

How it all works out, and Rusty and his father manage to come out sane, alive, and mostly on an even keel, is the result of the quiet brilliance of Doig's plotting.  That I can't pass the halfway point without becoming hopelessly hooked and unable to stop reading is the result of his even more brilliant twists of the language.

Del Robertson comes from the Smithsonian to try to capture the language of rural Montana before it is lost.  Ivan Doig has done the job for him, smoothly, convincingly, and without apparent effort.  I never know when I finish one of his books if I should be inspired to be a better writer, or should quietly pack away my pens, because I can never equal his mastery.

I found The Bartender's Tale excellent reading, but I'm in a dilemma--I didn't think it was quite as good as The Whistling Season.  That should mean a lower rating, but I think it still deserves five stars.  Call it 4.5, though it might be more reasonable to up WS to 5.5 and leave this its five stars.