To say that she should be 'horsewhipped' for her feeling of loss and homesickness reveals your own late 20th century cynicism for 19th century mores. The story of their love, loss and disappointment (as well as that of the author's) along with the huge backdrop of the exploitation of the American frontier, I found to be truly compelling. She mismatches with a western adventurer, miner, dreamer, etc. Not to mention her stable Quaker upbringing and Victorian femininity. One is a woman steeped in the culture of 19th century Northeastern America Emerson, Alcott James and on and on. The intent of the author is to unravel the starcrossed union of two late 19th century archtypes. This has been rated one of the 100 finest English language novels of the 20th century - and rightfully so. I consider this one of the finest books I've ever read. There is no law that a character has to be likable. Why is that a problem? Obviously Stegner meant her to be dislikable and was very successful at it.

You said the second problem you had with the book was how dislikable the main woman character is. I'd give this one an extremely qualified recommendation & suspect Meanwhile, she meddles in Oliver'sĬareer choices repeatedly & then agonizes over the dead ends that career Of the book madly in love with one of her girlfriends and then falls in Susan Burling Ward deserved to be horsewhipped. Is a function of writing in the early seventies, the great wasteland inĪmerican culture, but the lives, concerns and conversations of Lyman and The first is that I hated Lyman Ward, the narrator. I had two big problems with this book, which is essentially a dandified

Until disaster strikes the couple & essentially ends the marriage,Īlthough they stay together for another 50 years, having attained an 'Angle She came from the East in 1876 to be with her new husband

To his family homestead, Zodiac Cottage in Grass Valley, CA to write theīiography of his grandmother, Susan Burling Ward, a minor author and artist Of a leg and the flight of his wife of 25 years & now he's returned Of marriage of one of the couples who built the American West. This 1971 Pulitzer Prize Winner tells the story of the first 14 years

Wallace stegner's angle of repose