By: Jim Harrison Publisher: Grove Press Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 288 Publication Date: September 10, 2007 Studio: Grove Press
In the universally-praised Returning to Earth, Jim Harrison has delivered a masterpieceâa tender, profound, and magnificent novel about life, death, and the possibility of finding redemption in unlikely places. Donald is a middle-aged Chippewa-Finnish man slowly dying of Lou Gehrigâs disease. His condition deteriorating, he realizes no one will be able to pass on to his children their family history once he is gone. He begins dictating to his wife, Cynthia, stories he has never shared with anyoneâas around him, his family struggles to lay him to rest with the same dignity with which he has lived. Over the course of the year following Donaldâs death, his daughter begins studying Chippewa ideas of death for clues about her fatherâs religion, while Cynthia, bereft of the family she created to escape the malevolent influence of her own father, finds that redeeming the past is not a lost cause. Returning to Earth is a deeply moving book about origins and endings, making sense of loss, and living with honor for the dead. It is among the finest novels of Harrisonâs long, storied career, and confirms his standing as one of the most important American writers now working.
Great Memories ^ A good book for a trip through memories. A little too dry reading for my style but I enjoyed seeing all the places where I grew up.
Not without good points, though not my cup of tea. ^ If I had known that this book centered around the death of a loved one, I would not have picked it up. As it was, I only chose it because it was the only thing on the shelf by Harrison and I was looking for "Legends of the Fall." The book is about Donald's death and the way it affects the lives of his wife, daughter, and other family members. For me, it was beyond mundane at some points. I mean, I know death has every day repercussions, but some of it was just a bit too tedious for me. There were other parts that I would have liked more details about (IE Donald's father-in-law's death) that were left a mystery. While the book is told from 4 viewpoints, the only voice I found truly unique was Donald's. The other 3 were only slightly different from each other, which made it harder for me to keep track of who was talking. One thing I did appreciate was that there were not a lot of chronological jumps that aren't super obvious. I tend to get lost in those kinds of things, but I did not have trouble figuring out what happened when. I liked the way it ended, though it was the way I had hoped it would end. Overall, a leisurely read, not completely without pleasure, sad though it was.
Wonderful characters, occasionally slow ^ In the end, I enjoyed this book immensely, almost exclusively on the strength of the characters. The pacing is slow at times, and the writing unremarkable.
serious stuff ^ I read this book immediately after True North and it seemed like the second half of that book. I'm not sure how it would have read on it's own. It is a very serious book, about death mostly, but very beautiful. It helped me with some of my feelings after the recent death of my own friend.
Can't believe this book got published ... and read ^ Thank goodness I got my book from the library and it didn't cost me any money. I got interested in reading the book because I discovered that Harrison and I went to rival high schools, at about the same time. It was nostalgic for me to read about towns and culture that very few others know of. My grandfather had lived and died in the copper mines he writes about in the "U.P.". And I had just finished reading a Faulkner book (Absalom, Absalom) but certainly do NOT compare Harrison to Faulkner, as stated in a review. And I've read Gabriel García Márquez books, in English and Spanish, and would NOT compare the two at all, as has someone else. Harrison just goes on and on (not worthy to be classified magical realism) until he finally ends and then sends it off as a book to get published and collects the money. I hope it doesn't become a movie too. Or perhaps it was an autobiography.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
