Wednesday smatterings
1.
Three chapters into the best book I’ve read in a year…a first novel from Jacqueline Baker (her previous book is a good collection of short stories called A Hard Witching) called The Horseman’s Graves.
The novel is set in the Sand Hills of Saskatchewan. I was there once and its a remarkable landscape. Prairies and scrub and suddenly just off the highway there is this narrow strip of sand dunes as far as the eye can see. And big Lawrence of Arabia sand dunes.
Anyhow, the book begins with the settling in of the misbegotten Krauss family in 1909 and the ongoing friction between the sadistic father and the neighbors and the lasting legacy of his mistreated children. The father is one of those characters that is so richly and truly drawn that you become upset by the trials of all those who must deal with him (not unlike the feelings that can arise from similar circumstances in David Adams Richards’ novels) but rather than distancing you from the book, it draws you in.
She’s an author from my neck of the woods though she lives in British Columbia now. I’ll post a fuller review once I finish the book.
2.
I sent this out to a number of people and everybody seemed to like it, and a few of us have watched more than once. And I thought I’d put it up here just to keep it handy. Its an appearance by Sarah Silverman, one of my heroines of political incorrectness, on Jimmy Kimmel. Discovered it on Ticklebooth.
Finally! Someone else understands how good The Horseman’s Graves is. I’ve been flogging it for months! I was mortified that it was overlooked for the prizes this year. Best thing I’ve read in ages. And if you like that, you should also check out Alissa York’s Effigy, which is almost as good. Similar in tone, and it has that whole Prairie Gothic thing going on. Touches on the Mountain Meadows massacre in Utah… really quite fascinating.
Comment by Nat — February 8, 2008 @ 10:37 am
Hallo, thank for the link. I changed domain, the new domain is http://www.mellart.com
I’ll be grateful at you if you could edit the link.
Thanks again, Marco M.
Comment by Marco Milone — February 8, 2008 @ 2:31 pm
You always surprise me with your eclectic literary tastes. If you like Baker, you might try ‘The Glass Castle’ by Jeanette Walls.
Comment by amuirin — February 8, 2008 @ 8:40 pm
It is a good book. So, amuirin, it made it down past the border then?
Comment by aos — February 8, 2008 @ 8:47 pm
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