No comments about The Horse Whisperer.

5 comments about The Divide.

1. Nicholas Evans knows how to write family drama. A solid story about the relationships of a family. The story begins in the present with a gruesome discovery and then the reader is taken back to the past where the main story unfolds leading up to the present again and solving the mystery of the earlier discovery. We get to know each family member intimately and share their desires and anxieties. In my option, the story lacks some of the rugged energy of the author's previous books, but it is still a good read.



2. I think this is one of my top ten books. It is fantastic. It has everything in it without the mushy stuff.



3. This is one of the best books i've ever read. I couldn't put it down.



4. How good is this novel? I absolutely loved it, devoured every page in fact. Evans writes extraordinarily well about emotions, conflict and redemption, particularly from a female point of view. It is something that has always blown me away about his books. His female characterisations are always superb and I can totally relate to them, something that puts his books several notches above many by his contemporaries.
   
   The novel's plotline of the disintegrating marriage of wealthy Long Island couple Sarah and Ben Cooper, the fallout from their separation and its disastrous effect on their young adult daughter, Abbie, is fascinating. Fuelled partly by her searing anger at her father for leaving their family and as an in-yer-face rebellion against him, Abbie falls under the spell of the sinister Rolf, a member of the Environmental Liberation Front, a domestic eco-terrorist group. Amongst other activities, Rolf torches SUV dealerships as a protest against "bourgeois capitalist pigs". Abbie, awed by the older man and angry at the world in general, starts to accompany Rolf on his torching missions. When one in Denver goes disastrously wrong, resulting in the death of a young man, Abbie and Rolf have to go on the run as they are wanted for murder. The resulting impact on her family and friends is devastating and Evans writes about this beautifully and in a way that is so sympathetic that I felt their pain with them. Interestingly, the story is told in reverse, a plot device that is remarkably effective.
   
   I highly recommend "The Divide" to one and all and I have awarded it five stars. The novel is a triumph, and I look forward to more novels from this gifted writer.



5. After a bit of a slow start (too much detail about the initial discovery, I think), this one is a real page-turner, and I could not put it down. I love Evans' descriptive style and his plot is rich and well-developed.
   
   I was particularly impressed by how he got into Sarah's head in terms of her reaction to the breakup of her marriage. I've been through a similar experience, and trust me, her rage and hurt is right on the money. I was also impressed by the development of the Abbie storyline.
   
   Wonderful book, albeit somewhat depressing. I like that he didn't completely sell out with a happy ending - rather, he left the reader with the sense that these people will eventually be all right.

5 comments about The Loop.

1. Nicholas Evans has more than redeemed himself with this novel as I hated the Horse Whisperer. This book involves a likeable protagonist in Helen Ross who is a wolf biologist that gets called by her exboyfriend to help him save endangered wolves in Hope, Montana, and she finds more adventure and danger than she'd ever anticipated in her wildest dreams.
   
   A wolf has killed a labrador retriever on Clyde Hicks' property, probably never intending to hurt his baby son, but it starts a community war in the destroying or preservation of all the wolves in the area. More threatening than Clyde is his father-in-law, politically active and philandering egotist Buck Calder. He and his friends are as passionate to destroy the wolves over things their guilt can't be proven as Helen is to save them from the local ranchers' ignorance. Meanwhile, Helen also becomes involved with Calder's son Luke, who has a stuttering problem, but proves himself to be ten times the man his father is.
   
   This time, Evans' female protagonist Helen is smart, empathetic, resourceful, witty, and extremely likeable as is young, gentle Luke who falls for her. Calder's long suffering wife Eleanor and his mistress Ruth, who become good friends, are very likeable characters as well.
   
   There are many layers and stories inside the main story, all told with acute sensitivity and rapturous, if sometimes violent, beauty. This time I'm also pleased to see Evans give lots of attention and detail to the wolves and their real behavior as opposed to the ranchers' superstitious beliefs. He often discribes some brutal scenes, but they are always factual rather than gored up or painted over with pleasant colors. Highly and emotionally charged, this is a book that will change your views about wolves and also about human nature. I cried a few times, and that doesn't happen very often when I read a book, save for Roseanne Bittner's Song of the Wolf. From the beginning, I couldn't put this one down and, if you like very well written books of this style, neither will you. This one is now a new favorite!



2. This is a must-read, and also I found it very educational as well about the lives of wolves.
   
   The story begins with Helen Ross, just turning 29 years old and is a wolf biologist. She has a sister Celia who is married, and Helen herself is on the verge of a big break-up with Joel, her current lover. Her father who is divorced from her mom, is 56-years-old, and fell madly in love with a young woman of only 25 years of age. Helen is livid about this whole situation, and can't see having a stepmom younger than she is.
   
   When Helen's new assignment comes up, of traveling to Montana to tag and collar the wolves, she gladly accepts it along with her colleague Dan Prior. She is assigned to stay in a cabin while completing her assignment of tracking the wolves, and there on that ranch meets up with Buck Calder, of whom is nothing but a womanizer and anxious to get rid of the wolves, along with Abe Harding, a very sadistic man, and Lovelace, who created what is called, the "loop," where the wolves are trapped by a method of ensnaring them so that they die. This is against the law in Montana. But since the ranchers are tired of these wolves killing their farm animals, they will stop at nothing to put an end to it-and even the collared ones-which when killed leave a track back to Helen. There are neighborhood fights over this during the whole book, and Abe Harding gets sentenced to jail for a long time. Lovelace hasn't yet been discovered-at least not until later on.
   
   Buck Calder is very sadistic-especially with Luke, his 18-year-old-son with a severe stuttering problem. He and his wife Eleanor tragically lost his favored son Henry in a car accident with his grandfather, and Henry always came up on the short end of the stick. Buck is also having affairs with Ruth, Helen's friend, along with other women. Eleanor knows about this secretly.
   
   Helen and Luke form a very special bond in the story, and the two actually fall in love. But of course, since Luke is only 18, this is cause for a lot of talk within their community there. He is her partner in wolving, and reguardless of what anyone else says, their relationship continues. Luke's father though, confronts him with it at the supper table one night, and Luke stands up to his dad for the first time ever. He is kicked out of the house, but then at that point, Eleanor is sick and tired of Buck's abuse and unfaithfulness, and leaves with her son too. Eleanor is totally on Luke's side, and though there is a difference in age of course between Helen and Luke, she completely supports their romantic intentions.
   
   I highly recommend this book, and found it hard to lay down.



3. Helen Ross is a wolf biologist that is called in to track and tag several wolves near an area of Hope, Montana. Dealing with her own inner demons (dumped by her boyfriend who ran away to volunteer in Africa, torn that her father is marrying a younger woman)
   
   Evans brings a great cast of characters into the world of Hope. Anti-wolf rancher (and aged romantic rogue) Buck Calder and his introverted 18 year old stuttering Luke.
   
   These characters are set against the current controversy about reintroducing wolves into the West.
   
   I could *feel* the Montana wilderness in Evans prose. The characters all had depth, even the 'villans.' Scenes are well detailed and pictured.
   
   You will get lost in this book. I have already lent it out.
   
   Highly recommended.



4. This is a good book but so sad. Almost sad enough to say that I didn't like it. But I did like it but being a wolf lover it was so hard to read. It's so sad to know that there are people that would really want to destroy wolves.



5. This is interesting, especially now that Bush has stated a desire to once again kill off wolves that have been reintroduced. This book gives me a desire to visit this area. Living in the Northeast the ranching world is so different from what I am used to.
   
   This book was not very deep but it was interesting and I got involved in the story.

5 comments about The Horse Whisperer.

1. I can honestly say, this is the worst book I have ever read. Not only is the writing flowery and annoying, the "put all genres into the story" reads more like a spoof Saturday Night Live piece, except this story isn't humorous, only laughable (if Evans was writing it today, he would have added some CSI blood and forensics to boot). Whoops, I am sorry, I don't recall any shooting guns; only the colors of Annie's various dresses (that list comes after her self-gratification, but basically around the time of her selfless act on her husband). I stuck it out till the end, which made me equally upset at myself as I was at Evans and everyone under the influence who rated this higher than a ONE. I can't summarize it any better than another reviewer, who states "The fact that this many people actually liked it says something about our morality as well as our literary sense."



2. This book was received and is in excellent condition. It is a paperback which actually looks like it was never opened. I was totally delighted with my purchase from the seller.



3. I thought that the book was very good. I really liked it because i train horses too. I think that you all should read it if you haven't already it really inspires you.



4. When thirteen-year-old Grace decides to go for an early winter morning horse ride with her friend Judith in upstate New York, she expects it to be a refreshing way to start the day. Instead, they are victims of a horrible accident, when they lose control and their horses slide down an ice-covered slope just under the truck, whose brakes also give way in the slippery snow.
   Judith and her horse are killed. Grace and her horse, Pilgrim, save their lives, but Grace loses her leg, and Pilgrim loses his sanity.
   Grace's mother, Annie, an editor of the prestigious magazine, is in her Manhattan office, when she gets a call from her husband Robert with the horrible news. Annie, who is completely absorbed in her work, ambitious, selfish and distanced from family life, seeing her daughter in the stupor and her gentle husband being helpless, experiences guilt, grief and desire to help her daughter. She realizes she can help Grace only by helping Pilgrim - and she sets out to do so. After library research she decides to employ a horse whisperer - and the one whose reputation catches her attention is Tom Booker. After lots of persuasion and effort on Annie's side, Tom finally agrees to work with Pilgrim and the long period of changes for the whole family begins...
   
   Indeed, "The Horse Whisperer" is not an example of great literature. It does not aspire to be. This novel is a fine specimen of the popular fiction genre -there is a good story, uncomplicated plot with a moral message, describing and evoking powerful emotions in unsophisticated style. How to cope with grief and child's tragedy, how to reinvent yourself and get connected with the people close to you, how to feel more than the power of money and career and how to get out of the vicious circle of modern life guided by commercials - this is what this book was about for me. Very basic, perhaps banal, but true and honest. I read it with interest, very fast and thought about it for a while. There are some artificial situations, the best example being Tom changing his mind about treating Pilgrim. The ending is definitely the weakest point of this novel, it is improbable, unbelievable and looks like the author has run of ideas. I think that Evans could not get out of the tangle he created with Annie, Tom, Grace and Robert and because of this he decided to end the book in this fashion, but it is weak. Anyway, it is a better ending than the alternative offered by the movie, which is horrendous. The movie, although it made the book famous, is much worse, mainly because of Robert Redford, who should not have cast himself as Tom (Scarlett Johansson as Grace is very good and Kristin Scott Thomas as Annie - passable, but Tom is a disaster). If you wonder what to choose, read the book. It is a good pastime.



5. I can easily see why "The Horse Whisperer" became a bestseller. It is a poignant story of tragedy and healing, one that moves at a quick pace, manages to be both predictable in its overarching story, yet surprising in its details, and is told in clear - though somewhat bland - prose. It is by no means great literature, but as a holiday or `cold winter night' read, it fits the bill.
   
   Thirteen-year old Grace Mclean is the victim of a horrific horse-riding accident (involving ice, a truck and two panicked horses) that claims the life of her friend and leaves her with an amputated leg. Damaged almost beyond repair, her horse Pilgrim is deranged with terror and pain - but Grace's mother Annie refuses to put the animal down, instinctively feeling that her daughter's ability to heal her body and soul is somehow connected to that of her horse.
   
   Finding no support from any of the local vets, Annie tracks down a man named Tom Booker who is renowned throughout Montana for his skills as a "horse whisperer," a man who seems to instinctively understand and heal damaged horses. When Tom initially refuses to help, believing it to be too late for Pilgrim already, Annie (a business woman who is not used to getting no for an answer) packs up the horse and her daughter, and makes the drive to the Booker Ranch to demand the help that her entire family desperately needs.
   
   It's an intriguing premise, and Nicholas Evans expertly creates the loving but tentative bonds between Annie, her husband Robert and their insightful, but rather sullen daughter Grace. Likewise, the disintegrating relationship between mother and daughter (which was never particularly strong to begin with) is poignantly portrayed as both Annie and Grace attempt to define, and then grasp what they each want from one another. Paralleling this internal struggle is Tom's work on Pilgrim, as he gradually leads the creature back to sanity, with Grace looking on in wonder. Added to the mix is the rest of the Booker family: Tom's brother Frank and his wife Diane, and their three children. Of these three, twelve-year old Joe (who would appear to be more Tom's son than Frank's) forms a sweet bond with Grace and coaxes her back into the saddle.
   
   Out of all the characters, it is Grace that comes across the strongest and most sympathetic. Surviving her traumatic ordeal, the young teen struggles with the burden of her new body and the inevitable change in the way other people treat her. Determined never to ride again, she is furious when her mother drags her across the country in the attempt to save Pilgrim, and it is a very rewarding reading experience to find this young woman find herself again. It is surprising that a male writer can capture the nuances of a teenage girl so well, but I'll vouch for the consistency of her character since I was her age when I first read this book!
   
   The book is at its strongest when dealing with this slow emergence of self-worth, love and redemption between mother, daughter and horse, but unfortunately Evans looses control of his own story when he introduces a love affair between Tom and Annie. In short, it just doesn't quite work. There is no sense of a lead-up to their sudden attraction to one another, and when it does come, it feels more like lust than any sort of meaningful romance. Likewise, some of the prose used in their love scenes is downright cringe-worthy: "To have her so close and yet so inaccessible was like some exquisite form of torture." Yeesh.
   
   This also puts an even more traumatic spin on Grace's recovery. For two adults to act so irresponsibility when a child is involved erases all sense of sympathy I might have felt for their attraction, not to mention the fact that Annie is committing adultery. And since Robert is portrayed as nothing but a good, decent man, the whole thing becomes even more incomprehensible. The forced love-affair would have worked better had Annie and Tom reigned in their emotions (which interestingly enough, is what happens in the movie adaptation) - or if the whole relationship had simply been based on a platonic growth of mutual respect between them.
   
   When the truth inevitably comes out, the resulting chaos is too abrupt and then just as quickly brushed under the rug again. It would be wrong to give away the ending, but it takes only a glance at the other reviews to see that it feels like Evans has taken the easy-way out of a difficult situation. It disregards the feelings of several characters (especially Grace's) and an "epilogue" set several months later tries too hard to convince us that everyone is coping just fine with the upheaval in their lives. There is a phrase that Tom uses during his healing sessions with Pilgrim: that the darkness comes right before the dawn. In the telling of this story, Evans seems to leave us in the darkness, before quickly reassuring us that the dawn did indeed come - without precisely *showing* us.
   
   Evans is sincere in the messages of hope, healing and the worthiness of life that he captures throughout the course of the novel, and despite the unsatisfactory conclusion, there is enough here to recommend "The Horse Whisperer." It's certainly not a book that will change your life, but it is memorable and the characters and their situation are compelling enough to hold your interest throughout.

5 comments about The Smoke Jumper.

1. Connor Ford is a beautiful loner with an enchanting talent for photography.
   
   Ed Tully is an exburent musician with dreams of fame and fortune.
   
   They're best friends and every summer they smoke jump with an elite group from Missoula,Montana. This one summer shall be one that either of them won't forget.
   
   I loved the book so much. I felt like I was really seeing Montana,Bosnia,and the many reaches of Africa. Nicholas Evans used so much imagery that I actually felt like I was seeing the suffering that Connor photographed. All of the characters were well written and I felt that I was friends with them as well. I could almost hear Ed's laughter and bad jokes,see into Connor's pale blue eyes,and see the determination across Julia's face. The one thing that bothered me was the death of Ed. Why did he have to die? Every scene he was in almost made me laugh out loud. I loved him so much but I had a huge crush on Connor. I loved this book and I highly recommend it.



2. I enjoyed this book from the first page until the last of it. Ed, Connor, and Julia were the three musketeers that made up the story. Ed met Julia early on in the book, and the two fell in love and planned to marry. Julia was a child psychologist, and Ed a musician. Ed always had serious diabetes problems, and throughout this book events will change their lives. Connor was a photographer, and interestingly, when he and Julia meet after she and Ed travel to Missoula Montana, Connor and Julia find an instant attraction to one another.
   
   One of the saddest events of this book was about a child, Skye McReedie, who is lost, and her stepdad is very abusive to her. So she is a runaway, and gets into trouble with the law. Skye is then placed into a program called the WAY, for disturbed youngsters, or those that have been in trouble. Julia runs this group and does wonders with these kids. Skye is a bitter angry person, but Julia is finally able to reach out to her. Then something happens with one of the boys there on the campsite and Skye, and this frightens Skye and makes her run away again. But not without danger. A big fire starts there on a hot day in the campsite, and Julia tries to run after Skye and rescue her, knowing she is in danger with the fire. And unfortunately, as she tried to rescue her, or herself, Skye burns away. This was about the saddest part of the story, and Julia carries the guilt forever.
   
   Life goes on though of course with the three of them, and Ed is sadly blinded after this horrible fire takes place. But that is not all coincidental; his diabetes played a big role in this. In spite of his blindness though, Ed is a happy man. He and Julia want a child of theirs after this happens with Ed, but of course, he is unable to biologically be a father. This is where Connor steps in, and after much careful thought, they have him be the sperm donor for their child. Julia finds herself pregnant shortly, and 9 months later she has Amy, a beautiful girl.
   
   Amy is a delightful child who brings them a lot of joy, and loves Ed dearly. Ed's health continues declining as he goes into kidney failure and needs dialysis. This continues through the story.
   
   Connor withdraws more and more, especially after making Amy possible, as he feels like he doesn't want to interfere and is not comfortable. So the friendship with he and Ed falls apart there. Connor goes over to Africa to be a smoke jumper there, mainly rescuing kids that were injured and held hostage there.
   
   Sadly, Ed has a major heart attack, and he dies later in the story. Julia has an ambition to travel to Africa, so after she finds work there as a teacher for underprivleged children, she and Amy leave. They know Connor is there, and he doesn't even realize that Ed has passed on. her real motive is to try and find him there, which she does. And it is in the middle of a huge fire that they cross paths again. Connor rescues many people there, but unfortunately many die.
   
   Julia and Amy along with Connor return to the states. Amy is traumatized for many months. Julia and Connor try to pick up the pieces and move on, which in time they do, and have the romance that was so meant to be.
   
   This book would make a great movie no doubt. It is one of the best books I have read to date.



3. I read this book over 2 years ago. It is by far the best book I have ever read. I can still think back on the book as if it was a movie. If anyone is considering reading this book, I urge you to do so.
   
   This is the kind of book that you will never forget!



4. The Smoke Jumper is another one by this author that keeps you on the edge of your chair, wondering how it will end. Its another stay up until 2 a.m. to finish it-type book. I have read 2 of his other books and really liked them as well.



5. As many other readers have noted, the beginning of the story had great potential. I loved Evans's details of Missoula; having been there two summers ago on a cross-country bike trip, it was exciting (for me) to know exactly where the Smokejumper Visitor Center is, and to have my own story about hiking to the "M" on the mountain behind Univ. of Montana. Ed & Julia's meeting scene made me laugh. And despite Skye's rough beginnings, I sympathized with her character and her development, albeit a short one. The only criticism I have of Part I was the whole "Hearts of Fire" routine between Connor & Ed. A little sappy, but I'd have been willing to accept it if it weren't for the rest.
   
   The remainder of the book read quickly, but it was annoying. Here's the summary: Boy wants his best friend's girl, she chooses the crippled one, who later admits that he knew all along that she should have chosen the other boy, the Unchosen Boy spends the rest of the book sulking until he gets what he wants, then all is happiness and light in the land of milk and honey (and they build their own house to boot. How cute.)
   
   The boys are juxtaposed with textbook clarity: Ed is an extrovert while Connor is more reserved. One is photographically inclined, the other is blind. One travels the world, the other is stuck at home. One is melancholy to the point that I'd like to smack him in the face, and the other is so cheerful so much of the time that...I'd like to smack him in the face (even after he brushes his teeth with hair remover).
   
   I gave the book two stars because Evans's hook at the beginning was strong, and he was still able to keep my interest long enough to finish the book, despite how little I liked any of the characters by the end.