A Shooting Star

I took a chance on this novel, having read Angle and Crossing. I have not been disappointed. This man had to be born to write, it flows and the pages turn and time is well spent. I am surprised there is not more on this book here. Stegner is a master at dialogue, fleshing out characters who become so real, creating scenes and places that become just as real. The novel could have taken a touch of editing down and it's plot is not fast and furious as some readers need. For me he is about my favorite writer, it's a joy reading this. From here I'm moving on to 3 other Stegner books. Stunningly great writing.

After Zora Neale Hurston's,Their Eyes Were Watching God, this book is my next favorite. Wallace Stegner is a genius, a truly literary giant, equal to the likes of Tolstoy, Jane Austen, Balzac, and so on. The characters in this book are entirely real, in that they are great and not so great. But perhaps the best thing about the book is the beautiful writing. Just taking almost any sentence alone is a lesson in how to write. So original, so eloquent and so beautiful, it almost doesn't matter what the book is about. However, the book is also substantively great...about life and what it means to live it fully and genuinely. A great book.