The Weed and the Winter Solstice

Rating:
Summary: Little-known masterpiece
Review: "A luminously dark tale of and for our times"--Jose Arguelles; a novel set in the mid 20th century in the Great Smoky Mountains of Southern Appalachia, with a brief throwback to the legend of an 1830 murder incident, many modern incidents and fleshed-out characters. A very interesting book; at one point the scope reminded me of les Miserables. I found it more gripping than even Cold Mountain.

Rating:
Summary: Little-known masterpiece
Review: "A luminously dark tale of and for our times"--Jose Arguelles; a novel set in the mid 20th century in the Great Smoky Mountains of Southern Appalachia, with a brief throwback to the legend of an 1830 murder incident, many modern incidents and fleshed-out characters. A very interesting book; at one point the scope reminded me of les Miserables. I found it more gripping than even Cold Mountain.

Rating:
Summary: Another masterpiece from the South.
Review: This revised edition of THE WEED & THE WINTER SOLSTICE corrects 104 printer's errors in the Limited First Edition, which is now our of print. If you are lucky enough to own a copy of that 1st edition and would like to make a handsome profit on it try offering it on bibliofind.com at 5 times what you paid for it. SWIFTER THAN EAGLES, the author's nonfiction novel, was recently offer there at 6 times the original price; it did not stay there long. Since the reviews for this revised edition of THE WEED & THE WINTER SOLSTICE are not in, as of this date, we quote here some reviews of the Limited First Edition. Jose Arguelles summed it up neatly, calling it simply "A luminously dark tale of and for our time." WEST COST REVIEW OF BOOKS said this: "Author Howard Cook presents several profound themes that beg to be noticed and analyzed. Lovers of allegory will be in heaven." Those 2 reviews concentrate on the literary qualities of THE WEED & THE WINTER SOLSTICE. Other reviewers read it simply as entertainment: "The novel has all the elements of an absorbing thriller and prime time TV show," said one; "Whatever you want, whatever you may be looking for, you'll find in this one," said another. THE MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, which placed it "on the fiction shelf with the works of Steinbeck and Bellow," wrote this: "A welcome addition to the library of outstanding fiction, THE WEED & THE WINTER SOLSTICE was featured and highly recommended in our TV special publicizing some of the best books available." Five stars for another masterpiece from the South.