This greathearted novel is the finale of Ivan Doig's passionate and authentic trilogy about the McCaskill family and their alluring Two Medicine country along the hem of the northern Rockies.
Jick McCaskill, the illustrious narrator of English Creek, returns as the witty and moving voice in this classic encounter with the American road and all the rewards and travails it can bring. Jick faces his family's -- and his state's -- legacy of loss and perseverance from the vantage point of Montana's centennial in 1989 when his daughter Mariah enlists him as Winnebago chauffeur to her and her ex-husband, the magnificently ornery and eloquent columnist Riley Wright, when their news-paper dispatches them to dig up stories of the "real Montana." Just as the centennial is a cause for reflection as well as jubilation, the exuberant travels of this trio bring on encounters with the past in "memory storms" that become occasions for reassessment and necessary accommodations of the heart.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Third in the McCaskill trilogy:
I recommend that you read "Dancing at the Rascal Fair" first, before "English Creek," which was written first, and follow with "Ride with Me, Mariah Montana." Great storytelling -- plotting, dialogue first-rate, crisp, and smart. "Dancing" is sort of a late 20th century American Thomas Hardy novel, big, rich, colorful, and in important respects old-fashioned in its aversion to irony and meta-fiction; the three interrelated novels each stand alone, but are greatly strengthened by the connected narrative... more info
Nothing but a travelogue:
This book was a great disappointment after Dancing at the Rascal Fair. Ride with Me was nothing but an excuse for Doig to make a little money from all he knows about Montana, a state whose geography holds no interest for me. The characters were unpleasant, and the plot was thin. The old man is nasty and cantankerous without justification. The lovers end up exactly where they began, so all that happens between them during the novel cancels out. The hours the characters spent driving around in that truck... more info
The last installment in the Montana trilogy,:
"Ride With Me, Mariah Montana" fits perfectly with "Dancing at the Rascal Fair" and "English Creek". The emphasis on well-developed characters and beautiful landscape descriptions continue to be foremeost. Beyond those, there is a story here, a complete story of a family. There are issues of grief, of loss, of love, and of reconciliation that are as real as day-to-day living. Fans of Wallace Stegner and Norman Maclean will find these works every bit as rewarding.
Utterly charming...read the whole series if you can!:
As a young American Studies major, I read _English Creek_ , the second book about the McCaskill family, for a class about the American West. I was enchanted. Then I read the first, _Dancing at the Rascal Fair_ (the first in the series) which enchanted me again. Close to ten years after I read my first Doig book, _Ride with Me, Mariah Montana_ yet again entertained and beguiled me. Doig is a gift to us readers.
There is not a single dud in this series. Even if you don't like "western" novels (and I... more info
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