Jump-Off Creek

Finally, a Western that does not sugar-coat frontier life or turn it into a non-stop/action-packed gun fight! This novel is a refreshing, well researched, trip back to the frontier days of the Pacific Northwest. Gloss presents us with characters that feel very real and very ordinary, but somehow adds a rare grace to their lives. The flow of her writing is delightful (as always) and I found myself very disappointed to reach the end of this novel--I didn't want to stop reading! I should add, though, that this is not a novel for those who require books to be jam-packed with action--you will not find much adrenalin in this story! On the other hand, if you are looking for a really good historical fiction read, this is a great book for a rainy afternoon.

I probably shouldn't be reading Molly Gloss. I'm a guy, after all. But maybe, at 64, some of the nastiness of being a guy has finally worn off. Because I love the way this woman writes. The Hearts of Horses hooked me, Wild Life wowed me, and now, this earlier absolute gem of a novel just blew me away. How does she do this thing where the essence of the story lies in what is not said? Lydia Sanderson, Tim Whiteaker, Blue Odell. None of them say very much of any real significance. All are stoic and uncomplaining of the "narrow circumstances" life has dealt them. In fact they are nearly inarticulate; yet all these feelings - of yearning and loneliness, of sorrow and regret, they are all somehow laid bare in the pauses. The descriptions, the gestures, the sidelong glances, the facial expressions - all become muted dialogue. Even the one character who seems unabashedly bad, the angry bigoted boy that is Harley Osgood, has an element of humanity in him that doesn't quite let you hate him. There are no simple black-and-white characters in Gloss's fiction. There are, instead, infinite shades of gray, and an attention to descriptive detail that makes you understand implicitly much of what is left unsaid. The years-long friendship between the two cowboys Whiteaker and Odell is perhaps one of the best portrayals of love between men that fiction has to offer. And I'm not talking about any "Brokeback Mountain" kinda stuff here either. These are just two men who have stuck together through thick and thin, mostly the latter, and a bond has formed that is stronger than most marriages. Enough said. This is simply a superb story. There oughta be a ten-star rating for books of this caliber. And by the way, what a wonderful film for thinking adults this could be. Thanks again, Molly. I'll be watching for the next book, so please, Write on! - Tim Bazzett, author of ReedCityBoy

An incredibly poignant novel that reads and feels as sharp and clear as a freezing cold running stream.The author writes crisply, economically and precisely to reflect the times and circumstances of the lifestyle of Lydia Sanderson. Lydia is widowed and decides to purchase what remains of a forsaken homestead in the Blue Mountains. The challenges that she must face up to are great, being a woman, even greater, still. The work she must do is brutal, the weather a force to break men's souls, the physical labor more demanding than anything she knows. Yet she accepts this completely.In brilliant detail the author portrays how this woman lived alone and prospered. It is a fascinating accounting of her lifestyle; the items she has in her possession, what she eats and how she transports herself and her animals. All of this is told conservatively as her journal recounts the challenges that unfold before her.In contrast to her personal life, the reader is introduced to the folk that live nearest to her. These are strong and beautiful characters, tough and tender, strong and bending. In very difficult times, they came together and helped each other. Their spirit is reflected through the accounting of Lydia's story.

This story felt like I was living there...feeling, tasting, sweating, right along with the characters. I would have sworn Gloss was taking this word for word from the woman's diary. Being thrilled by such everyday struggles like getting a mule down the hill..now thats what I call virtual reality. I was so enthralled by the "cowboys"...kept thinking I never would have dreamed I'de love a book like this so much...but it was so true and delicious. Thanks for taking me to Oregon in the 1890's. It was a thrilling, amazing adventure. The struggle's the pioneers endured were incredible...so much more so for a woman, and a woman alone at that!

Molly Gloss has written an incredible tale of a pioneer woman who settles in the wilds of the Oregon frontier. To classify this book as a 'western' is to diminish not only the story but the excellent prose that Ms Gloss has given to the reader. Lydia Sanderson,the heroine of this story, is an example of the thousands of women who settled the western United States,surmounting extreme conditions, with or without a man. This story is told from the thoughts and perspectives of human beings in a time when words were important and not just 'bantied about' without thought.The book gives one, in this high tech day and age, a sense of the real and important, in daily living. It puts ones feet back on the ground and gives a new perspective to our lives. Thank you Molly Gloss for this heroic woman and the encouragement she is to women today.