craftandsugarcoat

In this frame narrative, author Stegner subtly illustrates his thorough knowledge of the turn-of-the century American West with his masterful storytelling. Lyman Ward, crippled and abandoned by his wife, secludes himself at the home of his grandparents and decides to research and write the biography of his grandmother, Susan Ward (the second narrative). While I found Susan Ward's story the most compelling, Lyman Ward's narrative is reminiscent of the style of Stegner's novel Crossing to Safety which I very much enjoyed. Stegner's prose is magnificent, his characters rich, and the story alternates between charming, hopeful, and heartbreaking, but is always honest (sometimes awkwardly so). I would be cautious in my recommendation because it can be at times very raw, but for the mature reader it is, I think, well worth reading.

2022-11-14 16:51