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Liked It “Great combination of spirituality, nature and intellect. Deals with life's big issues, like death. Very good at portraying a realisitic view of the intricate network of human relations.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Great combination of spirituality, nature and intellect. Deals with life's big issues, like death. Very good at portraying a realisitic view of the intricate network of human relations.”
Hal wrote this review Sunday, October 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Another great novel by Harrison.”
mark clark wrote this review Tuesday, April 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Four strong voices emerge as they tell their stories focused on Donald, a Chippewa-Finnish man living with Lou Gehrig's disease.
Laura S wrote this review Tuesday, October 14 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Favorite quote from the book:
"The best thing about travel, though is that it's difficult to be consumed by the past against the backdrop of a fresh landscape." All the characters travel in this tale either spiritually, physically, or emotionally.”
“Told from multiple points of view, with differing perspectives on the same event (the death of a loved one), it has a strong sense of place and gives its characters great voice, but ultimately doesn't add up to much. It was an enjoyable read, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it.
Wad City wrote this review Monday, August 4 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
There are many books that ruminate upon life and death, and I never found this one to say much that hasn't been said before. The multiple POV aspect seems more interesting on its face than it reads, and for someone more interested in that, I'd recomend Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, a challenging and frustrating book that is far more adventurous with this kind of thing.
One last note: I picked this book up for my mom, because the main character is part Finnish, and I expected the book to make a bit more of the Finnish immigrant experience, which is different than some other nationalities. It didn't go into this very much, other than to set the main character as an outsider.
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“I picked up this book simply because the cover appealed to me, and was in love in about three pages. Harrison is a brilliant, clean, writer whose words are spare poetry.”
SuzieQ wrote this review Saturday, May 3 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I don't know how I managed to be reading two novels about half-Finnish people set in Michigan's UP, but I was reading Returning To Earth and Ursula Under simultaneously. There are similarities besides the setting. Each one looks at family relationships from various points of view. Overall, I preferred the shorter book by Jim Harrison. His books are quiet, introspective, very grounded in their setting. In this one Donald, who is half Finnish, half Chippewa, is dying of ALS. We read of his physical deterioration, but also of his plan to end his life on his own terms. That happens less than half way into the book, and the rest of the novel is told in the voices of his various family members, his wife, daughter, son. as they find a way to deal with Donald's death. ”
sthurner wrote this review Monday, November 3 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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