Montana 1948

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Summary: Montana 1948: Interesting and SHORT!
Review: I picked Montana 1948 off a readers' list for my English class. This was in efforts of finding the shortest one there for my book report. Anyway, the story is fast reading and holds your interest. I reccommend it to anyone looking for a "quick read"!

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Summary: This is a real life issue that deals with loyalty to family
Review: This is a real life situation where you would have to chose between loyalty of your family and loyalty to the justice system. A family member;David Haydens uncle, is accused of rape. Davids father is the sheriff and the rapists brother. He has to chose loyalty or justice.

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Summary: Elegant and Quick
Review: One of the quickest books I have read. The length is superb. The story is kept confined to the one subject which I did not like. Nevertheless the book puts you in Davids shoes. Thus an interesting novel

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Summary: history as individual stories
Review: Reminiscent of "To Kill a Mockingbird," this small but poetic and fascinating novel reveals a riveting coming of age story. It is morally very complex, and the idea of real history as a series of mostly untold individual stories is compelling.

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Summary: Wonderful story of man's struggle with honor & justice
Review: This book moves quickly and holds the reader's interest with fast paced writing, a gripping story, and a timeless theme of man's struggle with honor, justice, and courage. Another issue is the young boy's view of his father's moral dilemma and the boy's growth and maturity as he watches his dad wrestle with a difficult decision. Also, we see the grandfather's shallow response to the brother's horrible acts, and this contrast adds to the impact of the father's dilemma. Read the book to learn how the dad resolves this tangled web - did he do the expedient, acqiescing to his family's pleading, or does he uphold justice? We can all learn from this book - lessons of courage and what it means (or should mean) to be a real man.

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Summary: Fascinating! Watson ranks right up there with Doig.
Review: Watson not only keeps you reading, but his description of Montana, the times, and the prejudices give you a glimpse into how his events could occur.

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Summary: An okay book!
Review: I found this book to be dull, and boring. Even though I have read this book I did not like the book. Especially the part where The Uncle is accused of sexual abuse, when his family was forced to make a choice between loyalty and pure justice. Even though their is a powerful message of morality an praises himself. The plot I found was hard to find. I did not understand the book at all. In this plot I do not have any more to say about it. The characters overall were very well describe, talking about the backgrounds of the characters is a plus to this book. And the variations on the plot was well done. The setting was not done quite well I felt that it could have been done better. I also think that the setting was rounded not straight and to the point. The theme was quite boring I did not like the them I would rather have read a book about sci-fic. Than a book about the past. I also did not like this type of past setting, their needed to be at least several wars, or battles needed to take place. Overall I give this book about a six (6) because I did not like the book all that much and it did however have its good points.

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Summary: Touching novel reaches this readers heart
Review: Montana 1948 was an excellent read written by Larry Watson. I would rate Watson's novel a definite 8 on the scale due to his tremendous writing style. His voice and clarity were outstanding in this sequel to Justice. This novel offers an excellent narrative by the main character, David. I thoroughly enjoyed Montana 1948 and would recommend it to any one who is interested in a good novel. It was very heartwarming and will leave a picture in my mind forever.

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Summary: Interesting...Teaser...Montana 1948 left me wondering.
Review: The whole time I read the book I was waiting for the climaxes that would get built up, but that never really happened. It was a good way of keeping the reader involved, but it was irritating. I would get just enough satisfaction to keep reading hoping the next would be better. The only problem was that it never got better. Yes, the end of the book came as a surprise, but the suicide left the book open ended because it didn't solve anything. I guess you could compare the book to a soap oera on television. The episodes are left open ended to get the viewer to watch again. The book doesn't have a sequel does it? Montana 1948 didn't ever really provide a satisfying ending to make up for the rest of the annoyance of the book (Note, I am not one to enjoy watching soaps either). This irritation distracted me from the good parts of the book. The insight that the author, Larry Watson, was trying to give into the discrimination that happened in 1948 against the Native Americans didn't bear as much weight as I think he was intending. It was almost as if he had broken a trust level with me in making me think something to meet his climaxes was going to happen and let me down when I didn't feel satisfied. With that broken trust, I didn't know whether to get into the book enough to believe that I should learn from the book or regard it as fiction. History tells us the people that came from Europe to the U.S. over-ran the Native Americans and terrible discrimination has been a result, and I know that is true. It's just that the mental image of exactly how this discrimination has played out didn't seem real and that was disappointing.

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Summary: Once in a lifetime experience.
Review: Montana 1948 is the best book that I have read in a long time. As I turned each page I became more engrossed in the story of David Hayden and all of the events that he went through in the small town of Bentrock. The beginning of the book was not quite as interesting as the rest of the book. It began slowly and I assumed that it would be dull and boring and that the story line would drag on forever. I realized quickly, how misguided my assumptions had been. I found that the book is not about cowboys, horses and guns, it is about a family that I will never forget. It became very interesting and throughout the rest of the book I found myself guessing what would happen next. You become wrapped into the story of a well-known and respected family in a small part of the west. The events in this book seem so real, that you can imagine them happening in your own town or city. The characters are part of what makes the plot move along with suspense. The main character, Davy is twelve years old and beginning the transition from boy to adulthood. He is curious to know what the grown-ups are talking about and that is what leads him to find out some stunning information about his uncle Frank. The more you get into the book the more curious you become, just like Davy. I recommend that you read Montana 1948 as soon as you find the time. You won't regret taking a few hours to learn about the story of Davy and his family. And hopefully you will be as excited as I am to read another one of Larry Watson's books, such as In a Dark Time or Leaving Dakota.