| Welcome to My Book Buddies. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| Montana 1948 by Larry Watson; March BOTM | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 25 2010, 03:01 PM (3,190 Views) | |
| mary024 | Feb 25 2010, 03:01 PM Post #1 |
![]()
Head Honcho. Gyeah!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Montana 1948 by Larry Watson Synopsis A young Sioux woman tossing with fever on a cot; a father begging his wife for help; a mother standing uncertainly in her kitchen with a 12-gauge shotgun: from these fragments of memory, evoked by the narrator as the novel opens, Watson builds a simple but powerful tale. It is Montana in 1948, and young David Hayden's father, Wesley, is sheriff of their small town--a position he inherited from his domineering father. Wesley is overshadowed by his older brother, Frank, a war hero who is now the town doctor. When Marie, the Sioux woman who works for the Haydens, fall ill, she adamantly resists being examined by Frank. Some probing reveals that Frank has been molesting the Indian women in his care. Wesley's dilemma--should he turn in his own brother?--is intensified when Marie is found dead and David confesses that he saw his uncle near the house before she died. The moral issues, and the consequences of following one's conscience, are made painfully evident here. Watson is to be congratulated for the honesty of his writing and the purity of his prose. This book is available in our MBB Bookstore |
![]() |
|
| burgandykat | Mar 4 2010, 01:14 PM Post #2 |
|
The Golden Chaise
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Picked up a copy from the library yesterday. |
![]() |
|
| mary024 | Mar 4 2010, 01:27 PM Post #3 |
![]()
Head Honcho. Gyeah!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Should be done with it in a day or 2. So far so good! |
![]() |
|
| mary024 | Mar 5 2010, 02:11 PM Post #4 |
![]()
Head Honcho. Gyeah!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I finished up the book yesterday. It was good, not extraordinary. The story was simple and direct. I actually thought the story would have benefited from more character or historical development. I walked away wanting to know more about the characters, more about the town and get a stronger feeling of the time and place. I was pleased with what we were given. You got glimpses of the divide within the society - and the grittiness of the time. I really liked David's father. He surprised me. He was in no way a perfect man. He had his prejudices, but he was inherently good. And I loved that he stuck with his core values even facing up against his parents. David too, was a great character. I thought he was written very realistically. I thought the author did a fabulous job of getting us into the mind of a boy. David was intuitive, intelligent and emotional. One of my favorite parts was when he came to the realization that his family was viewed as the "elite" of the community, and that his family's actions affected him in a very profound way. I was fascinated by that being that he was young and oblivious to that fact. It read more like a short story than a novel - which did have it's benefits. I was able to make it through the story because it was so direct and straightforward. We moved through the novel, step by step with very little diversion in between. I also read this in audio format, read by Beau Bridges. It ended up being one of my favorite audio books because it felt authentic. Beau Bridges really brought the characters to life for me and give the story an originality to it. |
![]() |
|
| burgandykat | Mar 12 2010, 12:39 PM Post #5 |
|
The Golden Chaise
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Finished yesterday. Overall it was just ok. Have to get my thoughts written organized (for The Book Thief too). Hopefully this weekend I'll be back to expand on things. |
![]() |
|
| Vikks14 | Mar 14 2010, 08:02 PM Post #6 |
Comfy chair
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Finished it today. Actually, started it today too. lol. I really enjoyed it. I know I am the one who suggested this book, and yet I was still reluctant to start reading it — something about the cover made me think of it as required high school reading. Don't know why. Also, I read Mary's first graf about what she felt about the book (didn't read the whole thing to avoid spoilers!) and thought, oh no, I picked a dud! But, as per usual for me, after a dozen or so pages into the book, I was wondering why it took me so long to read it. There are benefits to a story told through the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy: I liked the clear, to-the-point narrative and appreciated that the author did not bog me down with flowery or long-winded descriptions of architecture, nature, scenery, character background etc. I usually end up skimming over those types of passages anyway in my readings, as they have a tendency to bore me. The storytelling reminded me very much of Western-style books I've read when I was younger (i.e., Shane, The Virginian), but whereas I enjoyed those stories without ever connecting to the characters, in this one I immediately connected. I was intrigued by the dilemna in which the father found himself: having to choose between what's right and family/community and his own prejudices. (I couldn't imagine having to turn against my own brother. But, then again, I couldn't imagine my brother committing such disgusting acts as rape and molestation.) The stakes were high for him, and I was pleasantly surprised to see him making the right choices; although he was a little slow to act at first, I expected much more resistance from him. I was especially happy when, even when his wife gave up and decided keeping her family safe was more important, he stuck to his guns. I was impressed with the mother. From the son's first description of her — wanting the father to be a lawyer and not a sheriff, not liking the father's family or the town much, religiously devoted and concerned for her son's values — I was anticipating that she would be a strict, possibly stoic, and maybe even a narrow-minded character. I was not expecting her to be the heroine who discovered the abuse and acted on it, thus putting the story into motion. And the boy, David. Again I was impressed that at age 12 in 1948, as soon as he overheard his mother's words, he immediately made his decision about his uncle being a bad guy. Poor kid had more to work out for himself after that, but his mother (if she would have known) definitely had no reason to worry about his values. It was a good story, and in a somewhat dark way, I was amused at the kid's satisfaction over the uncle's suicide — at his thought process that OK, Dad doesn't have to arrest his brother, Uncle Frank can do no more harm, and everything can go back to normal. In so many ways he acted so wisely, but there were moments in the book — like this one — when I remembered, he's just 12. I was expecting something horrible to happen near the end of the book. And was again pleasantly surprised that the right people emerged from the drama fairly unscathed. My only question is, at the end, with David grown up and married, when his wife mentioned those events, why was this the father's angry reaction? "Don't blame Montana! Don't ever blame Montana!" Anybody care to answer? Edited by Vikks14, Mar 14 2010, 08:13 PM.
|
![]() |
|
| Deb64 | Mar 15 2010, 07:28 AM Post #7 |
|
Deb
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Hi Vikks, I haven't gotten to this one yet -- but hopefully I'll get it done by this weekend. I didn't read all of you post (in case of spoilers), but will as soon as I finish reading. Deb (aka Luckie) |
![]() |
|
| Vikks14 | Mar 15 2010, 07:45 AM Post #8 |
Comfy chair
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I hope you like it! |
![]() |
|
| mary024 | Mar 15 2010, 10:04 AM Post #9 |
![]()
Head Honcho. Gyeah!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The story definitely had an very honest, real quality about it. David's reaction to the suicide was on point for me. With kids, there isn't a lot of gray. So for him to feel that kind of relief stayed true to his age and character. And both of his parents were a pleasant surprise for me. And ITA about the mom Vikks. It was wonderful to see her care about the welfare of a woman, ANY woman. And she stuck with it with her husband. She made sure he understood exactly what she knew without minimizing it. For the both of them to stick to their guns, rise above prejudice and racism....very, very good people. I've gotta look at your question Vikks. I want to read that section to read it in it's context. I don't remember it well right now.
|
![]() |
|
| Deb64 | Mar 16 2010, 06:16 AM Post #10 |
|
Deb
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Started this last night & stayed up late to finish. It hooked me right away. I like that it was told from David's point of view. I think the author did a good job with all the characters. I didn't much care for David's dad at first, but, boy, when he even stood up to his wife at the end (about letting Frank free), I respected him so much more: Frank admitted to murder, and he wasn't letting him get away with murder. I think they were all realistically drawn, human -- not perfect. I ended up liking Len, too. I was a little surprised that Frank killed himself. He seemed so full of himself, and he had a feeling of entitlement -- that he should have whatever, and whomever, he wanted, any way he wanted -- maybe because of his war record, the fact that he was a doctor, & because of who his father was. That he would kill himself instead of trying to weasel out of the charges surprised me a little bit. And why would someone like Frank become a doctor? He was so "wild" as a boy / young man...I can't seem him hunkering down to study medicine. What led him to choose that particular profession? I would have liked to known more about what made him tick. Why on earth didn't Wesley just take Frank to jail instead of the basement? I understand he wanted to save his family's reputaion...but yikes...well, times were different...small town, 1948. I hated that it all got covered up in the end anyway (although, a lot of people knew about Frank's crimes even before the situation with Maria, so how much was really covered up). I didn't understand the "Don't blame Montana" reaction either. And why would David let his wife question his dad like that anyway? Why would he want to bring up old, painful memories? Sorry, my thoughts are scattered this morning -- went to bed late, got up early - not my best combo ;-) Enjoyed the book -- good pick!
|
![]() |
|
| Vikks14 | Mar 17 2010, 08:21 AM Post #11 |
Comfy chair
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I think David said at the end that he didn't tell his wife not to bring it up because he wanted to see his parents' reaction. I THINK this was something that he had never discussed with his parents, and that they never knew exactly how much he knew. But her not knowing how much it really affected them, I think, caused her to ask in a very flippant way that I am sure did not set well with the father. I wonder if what he said had to do with her chalking it all up to the Wild West and not to individual people who caused all the strife? <shrug> |
![]() |
|
| elite | Mar 21 2010, 05:48 AM Post #12 |
|
Always ready for the next book
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
UGH! I went to the library to pick up the book only to realize they only have it in French! I had no idea since Montana 1948 is Montana 1948 in French too! LOL So unfortunately, I won't be able to read this book - unless I find it super cheap somewhere..... |
![]() |
|
| burgandykat | Mar 25 2010, 11:14 AM Post #13 |
|
The Golden Chaise
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I finished this a couple weeks ago, I'm just slow at getting a review written up. Thought I'd better get something posted before April rolled around. Over all I thought it was ok. Nothing spectacular. Simple story, simple writing - very much befitting a story told from a 12 yr old boy's pov. David's father was probably my favorite character. I could feel the struggle he went through, weighing his options. The law that he swore to uphold vs his family. The truth vs what he wanted to believe (or didn't want to), Even the struggle of what to tell or not tell David. However, I felt disconnected from most of the story. like I was standing outside watching everything through the windows in the living room. While David's immediate family were fairly well drawn, the rest of the characters needed more. The why's of the book were really thin. I couldn't find a reason to care one way or another about Frank. As Luckie said, what made him tick? Ok he was a war vet, a doctor and the older brother (and obviously favored son). But what were the whys? After hearing some of Wesley's stories, why did Frank go with Medicine? And why after all the defiance and foot stomping did he choose to kill himself? David certainly wouldn't have known all the why's, but I thought some clues could have been added through the adult conversations or whatever. I think it was the final pages - the "Don't blame Montana!" part that hurt the book in my eyes. I didn't get it. David wife mentioned Montana, how wild the west probably was. She didn't say anything else - not about the town, David's childhood antics, the Hayden family, etc. For all Wesley could have known, David's wife could have been referring to some Saturday afternoon adventure David had with his friends way back when. So why did he jump to the conclusion that it was about Frank - something Wesley had never spoken to his son about? The exclamation felt like it was just tacked on to the end. Like the author had a dream or something - whatever gave him the story idea - and he was adamant that exclamation would be on the final page, whether it flowed or not. In this instance it didn't, at least not for me. |
![]() |
|
| Vikks14 | Mar 26 2010, 09:14 AM Post #14 |
Comfy chair
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Yeah, as you can tell, I didn't get the don't blame Montana bit either. I would have to look at the book again, but I did THINK David's wife said enough for the parents to know exactly what she was talking about. As for Frank, to me he was not so much a character as a complication that the main characters had to come to terms with, and then deal with. I didn't really care about what made him tick. He was a rapist and a molester and that's all I needed to know. Given the prejudice of the time and area, he probably didn't even consider the Indian girls as full-fledged human beings deserving of the respect he would give white women. He took advantage of his position in society, as well as of his victims' lack of voice in his society. I guess I didn't even care as to why he committed suicide. I was more interested in the boy's story, and whether the parents were going to stand their ground and do the right thing, or buckle under the pressure and let him get away with his crimes. I do know what you mean about the disconnect, BK. I've felt that with most older "Western" books that I've read (I believe I mentioned Shane and The Virginian in an earlier post), though I must admit, I did not feel it so much with this book. And a lot of times, when I read those types of books, I don't mind the disconnect, because it lets me enjoy the story as more of an impartial observer, if that makes sense. I can read and appreciate without getting emotionally involved. (Maybe I am weird, but I like books that allow me to do that!) I certainly can't say that this book has made it to my favorites list, but I did enjoy it. And I do plan on asking the friend who recommended it why she loves this book so much. She's a HS English teacher, so she will probably give me an essay-worthy explanation! If she presents any enlightening info about it, I will certainly pass it on! |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| « Previous Topic · 2010 · Next Topic » |










5:39 PM Jul 10