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Summary: Montana 1948
Review: Montana 1948 was a very exciting book. Reading about all of his horrible incidents that happened during his summer, makes me realize that my life if a lot easier compared to many people. The book's suspense always kept me reading, and I didn't want to ever put the book down.
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Summary: Utterly memsorizing, certainly a page turner
Review: Watson's critically acclaimed novel Montana 1948 caught my attention for the very start. The book cover's summary of the plot drew me into the story even before I began reading the pages. The novel is narrated by David Hayden, who on the first page of chapter one states: "From the summer of my twelfth year I carry a series of images more vivid and lasting that any others of my boyhood and indelible beyond all attempts the years make to erase or fade them..." This book has the action, drama and adventure that draws you into the plot for the very start. It has been a page turning adventure, almost like reading a mystery novel. Watson skillfully crafted the ideas of family loyalty and justice into the plot. The story is interesting and thought provoking, well written.
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Summary: Understated, underrated
Review: This is a fine novel, just excellent. The author's talent is employed sparingly, with no need to please the general public, just tell a story in skillful fashion. As eager as he might be to gain a wide following, Watson uses restraint in simply relating his simple story. If more novelists showed the restraint Watson does, we would have many more readable novels. I cannot recommend this highly enough.
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Summary: Crisp, straight-shooting prose/so-so story
Review: This could have been much more compelling as a short story or novella under 100 pages. I think the second half is especially drawn out unnecessarily. There's too much minute-by-minute descriptive detail of trivial actions (e.g. making coffee, walking in and out of the house, walking up and down stairs) and emotional reactions of the characters. This story also has a higher "telling" to "showing" ratio than I would prefer, but good descriptions that gave me vivid and memorable mental images of the settings and characters. I know there is a deeper meaning that we're supposed to get from this story concerning the mistreatment of Native Americans--and I think that's great--but the story itself could have used an extra shot of surprise or originality.
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Summary: Wow! A moving book with wonderful characters.
Review: As this story unfolds, the young David Hayden's views begin to change. He sees his Uncle Frank, whom he has forever looked up to, commit a horrible crime, and he sees his father, the sheriff, going through the pain of arresting his own brother. David must cope with two deathes in his own house and the knowledge of a terrible secret.
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Summary: Clerical Sexual Abuse: step back
Review: Clerical sexual abuse is a complicated topic with a lot of emotional content. This book is just enough on the topic to explore half a dozen issues and factors that merit consideration, and just enough off the topic to offer readers a healthy emotional detachment. I expect that book clubs (and clergy) will find it highly provocative.
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Summary: Montana is a great novel
Review: Before I started reading this book. I thought this would be another boring book I'd have to read as an assignment for my senior english class. Especially because of the title. It sounded very dry. But after I finished about a quarter of the book, I couldn't put it down. It gets mroe and more interesting as you read. This book is not predictable at all. I'd suggest this book for everyone to read.
This book is about a war hero doctor(who is also the town's sheriff's brother) going around raping and touching Native American girls in inappropriate places while he's doing check ups. One Native American girl who is the sheriff's house keeper was one of the many vicims who was sexually assaulted. One day she mysteriously dies and the sheriff's son reveals to him about the doctor leaving the sheriff's house that same afternoon when the native american had passed away. The sheriff arrested his brother and locked him up in the basement instead of the town prison. The docotor commits suicide and the sheriff's family packs up and leaves town
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Summary: Great book, easy to read.......
Review: First os all I have to say that I hate to read the books (maybe thats why i read only several of them in my 18y life), and when i took this novel and finisher first chapter (book contains of 3 chapters and epilogue) I wanted to read further to see what happens, I is like reading a detective book, when you read through you discover new evidence and true. This book is really easy to read (even with my 1,5 year of knowing english language i didn't have any problems with understanding its contents) and interesting.
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Summary: GOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES
Review: In 175 pages, Larry Watson packs more adventure, more turmoil, more gut-wrenching ethics, and more suspense than found in most novels doubled in size. Brilliantly, he tells the tale of a young boy witnessing the devastation of the family he loves. His uncle, the town doctor, is accused of molesting Native American women. His father, the town sheriff, must bring the uncle to justice. His grandfather, the richest land owner, wants it all to "disappear." The quagmire of events that ensue, keep you riveted to your chair. Exquisite writing of a morally horrifying tale, not answered with the pound of a gavel, suspends all outside activity until you have turned the final page. READ THIS BOOK!!!
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Summary: ANOTHER TAKE ON MONTANA 1948
Review: On the first read it's a good book about interrelationships under strain. Physician molests women patients, his brother the sheriff takes him into custody and so forth. But Watson, the author, is purposfully vague whenever the question of guilt come up. There's never the clear feeling that, "this guy did it!" An author like Watson who used words like Michaelangelo used a brush painted a good picture of a decent, loving husband and a trully professional physician, he also painted a very good picture of inuendo, malicious gossip and supposition, but no picture of a guy who would take advantage of helpless women. A sheriff, nagged by his wife, went to the Indian reservation where the physician was alleged to have raped and mosested to "seek evidence," and came back stating that he "found some women who would be willing to testify;" he didn't say he found anyone who had been "molested," or "raped," or even anyone who was a patient of the accused! Just "willing to testify!" What's going on here? Doesn't this sound more like a scurrilous prosecutor railroading a suspect than someone who's trying to get at the truth? Watson paints a picture of two women at a kitchen table conspiratorially whispering tid-bits of gossip and innuendo, "some people say he's not on the up-and-up . . only women though;" a boy thinking that his uncle is "a pervert," after hearing his mother telling his father that she heard from someone who heard from someone else . . . . . Reading the book from the "Let's Crucify The Guy" point of view makes makes a much more interesting read and gives you a real classic here.
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