This is an interesting novella that describes the hardscrabble life of a man living out west in a time long since past. The various vignettes made me feel as if I was actually witnessing the protagonist's experiences. The author's writing style is generally straightforward, and he certainly has a skill for painting a picture of days gone by.

To me, the work teaches that most people's lives are hardly easy -the protagonist's was certainly much more difficult than most. Still, each of us must carry on when difficult times, even tragedy, strike.

My only criticisms are the book was a bit disjointed at times, and actually may have been a better as a full-length novel. Also, I found the superstitious elements unnecessary. To me, they devalued his work somewhat. ( )

Beautiful prose to illuminate a life of bleak tragedy.
Episodic, but as others have said, written as epic in miniature. A whole life boiled down to a few short scenes, almost all solitary, focused on Robert Grainier.

I read this trying to recall where I had previously read something of such seemingly simple storytelling about the American wilderness. Perhaps something like Cormac McCarthy edited like Raymond Carver. I am also reminded of Sebastian Barry’s Days without End, which also combines the harsh environment of the American West with poetic language. ( )

I remember reading this one, even have a false memory of reviewing it, but now years later I can't recall what Johnson wrote. ( )

A Novel which deserves the adjective "classic". A story of the XXth century which talks about men and nature in an authentic, soulful and magic way. Written with the simple, austere and perfect prose of the real classics. ( )

This is a short story that is well written, but for me it was boring. ( )