Arriving in a small Tennessee town at the end of World War I, European Paul Alexander finds himself drawn into the life of the town, encountering industry man Moreland Pinkerton and his arch-rival Brian Ledbetter.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
"We're in the wrong world. We're bluebirds in the snow.":
Sensitively portraying the aftereffects of World War I on the people of Bourbonville, Tennessee, this robust, dramatic novel is a triumphant celebration of the power of writing to create whole worlds and then lead the reader in exploring them. Spanning the years from 1890 - 1930, the novel moves back and forth in time, leisurely building detail upon detail until an entire community, several generations of its important families, its important businesses, and its religious and social organizations spring to... more info
A beautifully written and complex story:
This is one of the finest books I have read in some time. The book traces the life of Paul Alexander, a Greek by birth who fought as a member of the Belgian army during World War I. Wounded during the war, he comes to America and obtains employment as a chemist for a railroad car manufacturer in the small town of Bourbonville, Tennessee. In Bourbonville, he progresses from being the town curiousity to being a friend, father, business leader and farmer as he mentally recovers from his shattering war... more info
Well written, but emotionally flat:
This is a serious book, and well written, yet it fails to move me. It lacks an intelligence that cares about what is going on, if not the narrator, then the narrator's creator. Marius's narrator is such a dull, immature, self-centered character that it is difficult to get interested in what happens to him. He doesn't care. He doesn't care about what happens in his own life. He doesn't care about his mother and sister in Greece. He just wants to sit in his little room daydreaming about his college chums.... more info
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