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Morrie Morgan #3
Sweet Thunder
A beloved character brings the power of the press to 1920s Butte, Montana, in this latest from the best storyteller of the West
In the winter of 1920, a quirky bequest draws Morrie Morgan back to Butte, Montana, from a year-long honeymoon with his bride, Grace. But the mansion bestowed by a former boss upon the itinerant charmer, who debuted in Doig’s bestselling The Whistling Season, promises to be less windfall than money pit. And the town itself, with its polyglot army of miners struggling to extricate themselves from the stranglehold of the ruthless Anaconda Copper Mining Company, seems—like the couple’s fast-diminishing finances—on the verge of implosion.
These twin dilemmas catapult Morrie into his new career as editorialist for the Thunder, the fledgling union newspaper that dares to play David to Anaconda’s Goliath. Amid the clatter of typewriters, the rumble of the printing presses, and a cast of unforgettable characters, Morrie puts his gift for word-slinging to work. As he pursues victory for the miners, he discovers that he is enmeshed in a deeply personal battle as well—the struggle to win lasting love for himself.
Brilliantly capturing an America roaring into a new age, Sweet Thunder is another great tale from a classic American novelist.
In the winter of 1920, a quirky bequest draws Morrie Morgan back to Butte, Montana, from a year-long honeymoon with his bride, Grace. But the mansion bestowed by a former boss upon the itinerant charmer, who debuted in Doig’s bestselling The Whistling Season, promises to be less windfall than money pit. And the town itself, with its polyglot army of miners struggling to extricate themselves from the stranglehold of the ruthless Anaconda Copper Mining Company, seems—like the couple’s fast-diminishing finances—on the verge of implosion.
These twin dilemmas catapult Morrie into his new career as editorialist for the Thunder, the fledgling union newspaper that dares to play David to Anaconda’s Goliath. Amid the clatter of typewriters, the rumble of the printing presses, and a cast of unforgettable characters, Morrie puts his gift for word-slinging to work. As he pursues victory for the miners, he discovers that he is enmeshed in a deeply personal battle as well—the struggle to win lasting love for himself.
Brilliantly capturing an America roaring into a new age, Sweet Thunder is another great tale from a classic American novelist.
370 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
277 people are currently reading
1794 people want to read
About the author
Ivan Doig
39 books787 followersIvan Doig was born in White Sulphur Springs, Montana to a family of homesteaders and ranch hands. After the death of his mother Berneta, on his sixth birthday, he was raised by his father Charles "Charlie" Doig and his grandmother Elizabeth "Bessie" Ringer. After several stints on ranches, they moved to Dupuyer, Pondera County, Montana in the north to herd sheep close to the Rocky Mountain Front.
After his graduation from Valier high school, Doig attended Northwestern University, where he received a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in journalism. He later earned a Ph.D. in American history at the University of Washington, writing his dissertation about John J. McGilvra (1827-1903). He lived with his wife Carol Doig, née Muller, a university professor of English, in Seattle, Washington.
Before Ivan Doig became a novelist, he wrote for newspapers and magazines as a free-lancer and worked for the United States Forest Service.
Much of his fiction is set in the Montana country of his youth. His major theme is family life in the past, mixing personal memory and regional history. As the western landscape and people play an important role in his fiction, he has been hailed as the new dean of western literature, a worthy successor to Wallace Stegner.
Bibliography
His works includes both fictional and non-fictional writings. They can be divided into four groups:
Early Works
News: A Consumer's Guide (1972) - a media textbook coauthored by Carol Doig
Streets We Have Come Down: Literature of the City (1975) - an anthology edited by Ivan Doig
Utopian America: Dreams and Realities (1976) - an anthology edited by Ivan Doig
Autobiographical Books
This House of Sky: Landscapes of a Western Mind (1979) - memoirs based on the author's life with his father and grandmother (nominated for National Book Award)
Heart Earth (1993) - memoirs based on his mother's letters to her brother Wally
Regional Works
Winter Brothers: A Season at the Edge of America (1980) - an essayistic dialog with James G. Swan
The Sea Runners (1982) - an adventure novel about four Swedes escaping from New Archangel, today's Sitka, Alaska
Historical Novels
English Creek (1984)
Dancing at the Rascal Fair (1987)
Ride with Me, Mariah Montana (1990)
Bucking the Sun: A Novel (1996)
Mountain Time: A Novel (1999)
Prairie Nocturne: A Novel (2003)
The Whistling Season: A Novel (2006)
The Eleventh Man: A Novel (2008)
The first three Montana novels form the so-called McCaskill trilogy, covering the first centennial of Montana's statehood from 1889 to 1989.
from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Doig"
After his graduation from Valier high school, Doig attended Northwestern University, where he received a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in journalism. He later earned a Ph.D. in American history at the University of Washington, writing his dissertation about John J. McGilvra (1827-1903). He lived with his wife Carol Doig, née Muller, a university professor of English, in Seattle, Washington.
Before Ivan Doig became a novelist, he wrote for newspapers and magazines as a free-lancer and worked for the United States Forest Service.
Much of his fiction is set in the Montana country of his youth. His major theme is family life in the past, mixing personal memory and regional history. As the western landscape and people play an important role in his fiction, he has been hailed as the new dean of western literature, a worthy successor to Wallace Stegner.
Bibliography
His works includes both fictional and non-fictional writings. They can be divided into four groups:
Early Works
News: A Consumer's Guide (1972) - a media textbook coauthored by Carol Doig
Streets We Have Come Down: Literature of the City (1975) - an anthology edited by Ivan Doig
Utopian America: Dreams and Realities (1976) - an anthology edited by Ivan Doig
Autobiographical Books
This House of Sky: Landscapes of a Western Mind (1979) - memoirs based on the author's life with his father and grandmother (nominated for National Book Award)
Heart Earth (1993) - memoirs based on his mother's letters to her brother Wally
Regional Works
Winter Brothers: A Season at the Edge of America (1980) - an essayistic dialog with James G. Swan
The Sea Runners (1982) - an adventure novel about four Swedes escaping from New Archangel, today's Sitka, Alaska
Historical Novels
English Creek (1984)
Dancing at the Rascal Fair (1987)
Ride with Me, Mariah Montana (1990)
Bucking the Sun: A Novel (1996)
Mountain Time: A Novel (1999)
Prairie Nocturne: A Novel (2003)
The Whistling Season: A Novel (2006)
The Eleventh Man: A Novel (2008)
The first three Montana novels form the so-called McCaskill trilogy, covering the first centennial of Montana's statehood from 1889 to 1989.
from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Doig"
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 426 reviews
December 2, 2018
By turns witty and wise, filled with non-stop action flowing over an undercurrent of humour, this is a peach of a novel. Reading this novel was, for me, more entertaining than any movie film, its characters tugged at my heartstrings and I was completely invested in the story and its outcome. Ivan Doig is indeed an extraordinarily good storyteller – and the man can write!
Based on an actual copper mine company, the Anaconda Copper Mining Company in Butte, Montana, this story takes place in the early 1920’s. There are conflicts between Anaconda and the miners and their union. There are bottleggers, newspaper wars, political corruption and its counterpart, organized crime, and enough other conflicts of the time to dazzle any reader right back in time.
Morris Morgan and his new wife return to Butte from a long honeymoon trip to find her boarding house well looked after by the two elderly retired miners she left in charge. They are also greeted by the news of a windfall – a large mansion in one of the richest areas of the city has been signed over to them. The ‘catch’ is that they now have a boarder – Samuel Sundison – the previous owner of the house and Morris’ previous boss.
How Morris ends up in a journalistic writing war with a hired crackerjack journalist imported from Chicago is just one of the many coils in this magnificently engaging spiral of a story. Each time we were inched further up the spiral, when we looked across at the next coil we could see one thing – and when we arrived there, we saw another altogether.
This is a fascinating (and have I mentioned entertaining?) story that weaves historical facts throughout a strong plot with multiple sub-plots and characters I fell in love with. In fact, I grew fond of all of the characters I met in this story – good guys, bad guys, or neutral – each one had their role to play and they played me so well I felt I was right there in the middle of the action.
I highly recommend this novel to readers who love good, strong storylines placed in another era and peopled with characters that I, personally, will never forget.
Based on an actual copper mine company, the Anaconda Copper Mining Company in Butte, Montana, this story takes place in the early 1920’s. There are conflicts between Anaconda and the miners and their union. There are bottleggers, newspaper wars, political corruption and its counterpart, organized crime, and enough other conflicts of the time to dazzle any reader right back in time.
Morris Morgan and his new wife return to Butte from a long honeymoon trip to find her boarding house well looked after by the two elderly retired miners she left in charge. They are also greeted by the news of a windfall – a large mansion in one of the richest areas of the city has been signed over to them. The ‘catch’ is that they now have a boarder – Samuel Sundison – the previous owner of the house and Morris’ previous boss.
How Morris ends up in a journalistic writing war with a hired crackerjack journalist imported from Chicago is just one of the many coils in this magnificently engaging spiral of a story. Each time we were inched further up the spiral, when we looked across at the next coil we could see one thing – and when we arrived there, we saw another altogether.
This is a fascinating (and have I mentioned entertaining?) story that weaves historical facts throughout a strong plot with multiple sub-plots and characters I fell in love with. In fact, I grew fond of all of the characters I met in this story – good guys, bad guys, or neutral – each one had their role to play and they played me so well I felt I was right there in the middle of the action.
I highly recommend this novel to readers who love good, strong storylines placed in another era and peopled with characters that I, personally, will never forget.
January 2, 2018
I can’t rightly say that I’ve forgotten, but it’s always a welcome reminder each time I open one of Ivan Doig’s books, just how enchantingly he writes. It’s the feeling of coming home. I’ve always found his stories in general to be wholesome and thematic, and this one is no different.
I love to read about people who love to read – what could be better? And Morrie Morgan loves to read, loves books, loves knowledge. This particular tale finds Morrie, his wife Grace, and the lovable pair of old miners, Griff and Hoop, living together in a home filled to the rafters with books.
Here is a passage I was particularly tickled with!
Worry etched in his face, Hoop looked deep into mine and husked: “Do Huck and Jim make it?”
I blinked that in. “Both of them, I mean,” he went on anxiously. “Because if they catch that Jim and do to him—“
“Hoop, you’ve been reading, haven’t you.”
“A person can’t help it in this place.” He gestured helplessly. “Every time you turn around, there’s books fit for a king. Pick one up just for a look, and next thing you know, you can’t quit.” Indeed, there were fatigue marks under his eyes testifying to late nights in the company of open pages. “Griff’s got his nose in Kipling poems. Probably safer.” He looked at me fretfully. “If the two of them don’t get to New Orleans on that raft—“
I laid a hand on the bowed shoulder. “Rest assured, Mark Twain will not let you down.”
In all transparency, this third installment about Morrie is not the best of them (see The Whistling Season for that), but it was nonetheless a much-needed escape and fully recommended if you’re fan of Doig.
I love to read about people who love to read – what could be better? And Morrie Morgan loves to read, loves books, loves knowledge. This particular tale finds Morrie, his wife Grace, and the lovable pair of old miners, Griff and Hoop, living together in a home filled to the rafters with books.
Here is a passage I was particularly tickled with!
Worry etched in his face, Hoop looked deep into mine and husked: “Do Huck and Jim make it?”
I blinked that in. “Both of them, I mean,” he went on anxiously. “Because if they catch that Jim and do to him—“
“Hoop, you’ve been reading, haven’t you.”
“A person can’t help it in this place.” He gestured helplessly. “Every time you turn around, there’s books fit for a king. Pick one up just for a look, and next thing you know, you can’t quit.” Indeed, there were fatigue marks under his eyes testifying to late nights in the company of open pages. “Griff’s got his nose in Kipling poems. Probably safer.” He looked at me fretfully. “If the two of them don’t get to New Orleans on that raft—“
I laid a hand on the bowed shoulder. “Rest assured, Mark Twain will not let you down.”
In all transparency, this third installment about Morrie is not the best of them (see The Whistling Season for that), but it was nonetheless a much-needed escape and fully recommended if you’re fan of Doig.
September 6, 2020
Must admit, I am surprised by my reaction to this book. I have been enchanted by every Doig title I have read since I first discovered his work, but even though Sweet Thunder finished off the "Morrie Morgan trilogy', it was not as magical or even as interesting as the first two. Let me see if I can work out why.
The reader first meets Morrie Morgan in The Whistling Season, and gets to know him better in Work Song. But in this book, Morrie has only a few flashes of the brilliance his character showed in the other two volumes. He felt less than he really was, at least to me. So I did not connect with him in these pages.
Okay, that was one issue. Another problem I had with Sweet Thunder is the way Doig spent a great part of the first six chapters reviewing the story that had unfolded in the other two books that had featured Morrie. And not in the slowly built subtle way he managed the same sort of reviewing in his Two Medicine Trilogy which I recently read. No, here, everything stops while the narrator (Morrie) reminds us all of his past adventures. And, by the way, reveals plot details of the first two books that will spoil them completely if you read this book without first reading the others. This book simply did not have that smooth Doig touch that I have gotten used to and have grown to love.
So that is the second issue. The third strike against this book for me was that the topic was not really all that compelling. I know it was an important time in Montana's history, what with the tensions between workmen (in this case miners) and management (the giant copper corporation that owned Butte at the time). This is a struggle as old as the hills and still has not been resolved properly in our era, let alone in the 1920's of Sweet Thunder. But somehow I could never get excited about the great editorial war between the two Butte newspapers, the Post and the Thunder. We see the continuation of the struggle for fair pay and safe working conditions that began in Work Song, but the whole problem, like Morrie himself, seems distant, out of reach, less personal than before. I wondered at times how much longer the whole thing would go on, and that is definitely not a feeling I ever expected to have while reading this author.
The three books in this 'trilogy' were written in 2006, 2010, and 2013. Doig had just one book published after Sweet Thunder, a novel that came out in 2015, the year he died of multiple myeloma (a cancer of the plasma cells, per wiki).
I can understand now why his writing here did not have quite the same spark as in earlier books. My
rating is three stars for the book itself and that fourth one for Ivan Doig. I think he earned it.
The reader first meets Morrie Morgan in The Whistling Season, and gets to know him better in Work Song. But in this book, Morrie has only a few flashes of the brilliance his character showed in the other two volumes. He felt less than he really was, at least to me. So I did not connect with him in these pages.
Okay, that was one issue. Another problem I had with Sweet Thunder is the way Doig spent a great part of the first six chapters reviewing the story that had unfolded in the other two books that had featured Morrie. And not in the slowly built subtle way he managed the same sort of reviewing in his Two Medicine Trilogy which I recently read. No, here, everything stops while the narrator (Morrie) reminds us all of his past adventures. And, by the way, reveals plot details of the first two books that will spoil them completely if you read this book without first reading the others. This book simply did not have that smooth Doig touch that I have gotten used to and have grown to love.
So that is the second issue. The third strike against this book for me was that the topic was not really all that compelling. I know it was an important time in Montana's history, what with the tensions between workmen (in this case miners) and management (the giant copper corporation that owned Butte at the time). This is a struggle as old as the hills and still has not been resolved properly in our era, let alone in the 1920's of Sweet Thunder. But somehow I could never get excited about the great editorial war between the two Butte newspapers, the Post and the Thunder. We see the continuation of the struggle for fair pay and safe working conditions that began in Work Song, but the whole problem, like Morrie himself, seems distant, out of reach, less personal than before. I wondered at times how much longer the whole thing would go on, and that is definitely not a feeling I ever expected to have while reading this author.
The three books in this 'trilogy' were written in 2006, 2010, and 2013. Doig had just one book published after Sweet Thunder, a novel that came out in 2015, the year he died of multiple myeloma (a cancer of the plasma cells, per wiki).
I can understand now why his writing here did not have quite the same spark as in earlier books. My
rating is three stars for the book itself and that fourth one for Ivan Doig. I think he earned it.
March 17, 2024
I was delighted to discover that this book follows on directly from the previous one and features more goings on in the mine and the library and includes favorite characters also.
Favorite quotes:
"Tam-o-shanters perched on their bald heads like tea cozies."
"Would you believe the heavens sent the old romantic scamp of a poet a present on his birthday, a resplendent full moon, the night on a silver platter."
"My introduction to the Bute Public Library and to Samuel Sandison and so much else had taken place in this very room when I requested the Latin edition of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. My own copy a victim of the luggage devouring railroad and realized from the tanned leather cover and exquisitely sewn binding that I was in a literary treasure house."
"What a wealth we are granted in the books that carry the best in us through time."
Favorite quotes:
"Tam-o-shanters perched on their bald heads like tea cozies."
"Would you believe the heavens sent the old romantic scamp of a poet a present on his birthday, a resplendent full moon, the night on a silver platter."
"My introduction to the Bute Public Library and to Samuel Sandison and so much else had taken place in this very room when I requested the Latin edition of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. My own copy a victim of the luggage devouring railroad and realized from the tanned leather cover and exquisitely sewn binding that I was in a literary treasure house."
"What a wealth we are granted in the books that carry the best in us through time."
October 14, 2013
As always, I love how Doig transports you to a different time and place. This time it's 1920s prohibition-era, copper mining town Butte. The characters of "Sandy" Sandison and Morrie Morgan are brought back from earlier books. I loved Morgan's character in Whistling Season, but this and last story he starred in aren't as memorable. The premise of the story is around Morgan working as an editor for a union supporting paper, while maintaining Sandison's mansion, and trying to win back his wife's trust. There's attempts at excitement in the form of bootlegging and threats of Morgan's Chicago gambling past, but it feels forced and empty, and often too coincidental. The complicated word choice was at times poetic and entertaining, but often went into the range of superfluous, flowery, and over the top. I'll keep returning to Doig's prose as long as he continues to publish it since about every third book is a real gem. Unfortunately, this isn't one of them.
September 3, 2017
I have enjoyed 4 of Ivan Doig's books. He captures a era gone by. However, in this novel, I found it lacking the essential things that made his works so entertaining.
The marriage of Grace and Morgan, separates, and he is too busy trying to rescue the town of miners to give her what she needs to win her back. Took a carefree attitude after a few feeble attempts/
I didn't care for some of the passages that were [prolonged. I felt my mind gravitating to other things which to me is a signal.
Alas, maybe the next book I read of his will bring back the magic.
The marriage of Grace and Morgan, separates, and he is too busy trying to rescue the town of miners to give her what she needs to win her back. Took a carefree attitude after a few feeble attempts/
I didn't care for some of the passages that were [prolonged. I felt my mind gravitating to other things which to me is a signal.
Alas, maybe the next book I read of his will bring back the magic.
February 3, 2023
Doig's conclusion to the Morrie Morgan trilogy has more twists, turns and jumps than a parade horse with its tail alight.
Morrie and new bride, Grace, have returned to Butte after a honeymoon year. He takes up the everlasting fight against the evil Anaconda Copper Company. It's an age-old battle where miners are nothing but expendable expenses that cut into the overlords' profits.
Morrie is an editorialist for a new independent newspaper providing small jabs on a daily basis. It is a one-sided affair until the company-owned paper hires a heavyweight counterpart. Butte's personality once again features large in the story, as do attempted assassinations, a school of juvenile delinquent boys, bootleggers and a contingent of soldier's from Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders, so, typical Butte.
Morrie and new bride, Grace, have returned to Butte after a honeymoon year. He takes up the everlasting fight against the evil Anaconda Copper Company. It's an age-old battle where miners are nothing but expendable expenses that cut into the overlords' profits.
Morrie is an editorialist for a new independent newspaper providing small jabs on a daily basis. It is a one-sided affair until the company-owned paper hires a heavyweight counterpart. Butte's personality once again features large in the story, as do attempted assassinations, a school of juvenile delinquent boys, bootleggers and a contingent of soldier's from Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders, so, typical Butte.
January 15, 2014
I didn’t know when I recently read “Work Song” that author Ivan Doig had already published a third in the Morrie Morgan series, namely “Sweet Thunder.” I found the latter soon enough on the library shelves and finished out the trilogy.
I gave “The Whistling Season” 5 stars, the next book 4 stars, and for this last one I can only manage 3 stars. Maybe it’s because I was on Morrie overload by midway through “Sweet Thunder.” The story seemed to drag on and on with Morrie running into one obstacle after another, if not causing complications himself. By the time the story ended, there were a few too many loose ends tied up a bit too neatly and quickly for my taste.
Still, the Morrie series is entertaining light reading, and Doig’s writing is captivating. I kept wishing I could construct beautiful, tight, and descriptive sentences like he does.
In “Sweet Thunder” Morrie and his new wife Grace return to Butte, MT, the scene of “Work Song,” after a fabulous year-long honeymoon. Most of the characters from “Work Song” play major roles in this novel too, and much of what occurred in “Work Song” is referenced here. Fine by me, but I wondered how those who hadn’t read the previous book fared with all those allusions.
Morrie’s latest occupation -- after teacher and library assistant -- is editorial writer for the union-supported Butte newspaper, “Thunder.” It’s not an innocuous position, for Morrie’s anti-mining company rants attract dangerous attention and just increase the number of enemies he has cultivated with his various schemes. Foes, or so it would appear in 1920, never drop the intention of revenge, no matter how long ago the perceived slights took place. This causes suspense for the reader (not to mention aggravation for Grace) but eventually becomes tiring -- especially since some of the threats have continued through three novels.
Two characters shine in “Sweet Thunder”: Sandy Sandison, the Butte librarian who hired Morrie in the last installment, and Armbrister, the mince-no-words editor of “Thunder.” I rejoiced each time Sandy or Armbrister appeared on the page.
One last comment: I’ve never felt any attraction to Butte, but after reading these two novels featuring the “Richest Hill on Earth,” I’d really like to see the place for myself -- especially the library made famous by Doig, should it actually exist, that is!
I gave “The Whistling Season” 5 stars, the next book 4 stars, and for this last one I can only manage 3 stars. Maybe it’s because I was on Morrie overload by midway through “Sweet Thunder.” The story seemed to drag on and on with Morrie running into one obstacle after another, if not causing complications himself. By the time the story ended, there were a few too many loose ends tied up a bit too neatly and quickly for my taste.
Still, the Morrie series is entertaining light reading, and Doig’s writing is captivating. I kept wishing I could construct beautiful, tight, and descriptive sentences like he does.
In “Sweet Thunder” Morrie and his new wife Grace return to Butte, MT, the scene of “Work Song,” after a fabulous year-long honeymoon. Most of the characters from “Work Song” play major roles in this novel too, and much of what occurred in “Work Song” is referenced here. Fine by me, but I wondered how those who hadn’t read the previous book fared with all those allusions.
Morrie’s latest occupation -- after teacher and library assistant -- is editorial writer for the union-supported Butte newspaper, “Thunder.” It’s not an innocuous position, for Morrie’s anti-mining company rants attract dangerous attention and just increase the number of enemies he has cultivated with his various schemes. Foes, or so it would appear in 1920, never drop the intention of revenge, no matter how long ago the perceived slights took place. This causes suspense for the reader (not to mention aggravation for Grace) but eventually becomes tiring -- especially since some of the threats have continued through three novels.
Two characters shine in “Sweet Thunder”: Sandy Sandison, the Butte librarian who hired Morrie in the last installment, and Armbrister, the mince-no-words editor of “Thunder.” I rejoiced each time Sandy or Armbrister appeared on the page.
One last comment: I’ve never felt any attraction to Butte, but after reading these two novels featuring the “Richest Hill on Earth,” I’d really like to see the place for myself -- especially the library made famous by Doig, should it actually exist, that is!
August 13, 2013
In the first few sentences of this novel, before I realized I met Morrie in The Whistling Season, my impression is that his scruples were a bit off-base but I was going to like him anyway. I wasn't wrong.
Morrie has had to reinvent himself again, a chameleon on a barber pole, and there are consequences. Of course. But he has a wonderful bride, a mansion to maintain, and is fighting the good fight to protect Butte, Montana miners whose lives are controlled by the Anaconda Copper Mining Company.
As with Doig's earlier works, the characters are rich, the writing is straightforward and beautiful, and the story is engrossing. I read The Whistling Season shortly before I read this one, not realizing that Work Song was the second in the trilogy. While I want to read Work Song, I wasn't lost in this story by skipping that one; this one can be read as a self-contained novel that is enhanced by reading the others. Still, I recommend reading them in order.
While I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and give it a four-star rating, especially in comparison to most books of the genre, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I enjoyed The Whistling Season. That one was really special, while this one is a good read and well above average, but didn't affect me as much as the earlier book.
I was given an advance copy of the book for review.
Morrie has had to reinvent himself again, a chameleon on a barber pole, and there are consequences. Of course. But he has a wonderful bride, a mansion to maintain, and is fighting the good fight to protect Butte, Montana miners whose lives are controlled by the Anaconda Copper Mining Company.
As with Doig's earlier works, the characters are rich, the writing is straightforward and beautiful, and the story is engrossing. I read The Whistling Season shortly before I read this one, not realizing that Work Song was the second in the trilogy. While I want to read Work Song, I wasn't lost in this story by skipping that one; this one can be read as a self-contained novel that is enhanced by reading the others. Still, I recommend reading them in order.
While I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and give it a four-star rating, especially in comparison to most books of the genre, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I enjoyed The Whistling Season. That one was really special, while this one is a good read and well above average, but didn't affect me as much as the earlier book.
I was given an advance copy of the book for review.
September 11, 2013
A fun read with quirky characters (how can you go wrong with a skinny orphan named Russian Famine?), a surprising and well-connected plot, and a good presentation of the battles between Anaconda and the miners in 1920's Butte, Montana. My problem with the book was that you have to savor these separately: the characters don't seem appropriate for their roles, the fictional action seems improbably related to the historical setting, and much of the story revolves around a confusion of persons that is Shakespearean in its improbability.
Still, you have to love a story where a librarian is one of the heroes (however improbably):
"Samel Sandison himself was nearly geographic, the great sloping body ascending from an avalanche of midriff to a snowy sunmmit of beard and cowlick. Glacial blue eyes seemed to see past a person into the shadows of life. Attired as ever in a suit that had gone out of fashion when the last century did, and boots long since polished by sagebrush and horsehide, he appeared to be resisting time in every stitch of his being. Description struggled when it came to his mark on history, cattle king turned vigilante turned bookman and city librarian." (p. 11)
Still, you have to love a story where a librarian is one of the heroes (however improbably):
"Samel Sandison himself was nearly geographic, the great sloping body ascending from an avalanche of midriff to a snowy sunmmit of beard and cowlick. Glacial blue eyes seemed to see past a person into the shadows of life. Attired as ever in a suit that had gone out of fashion when the last century did, and boots long since polished by sagebrush and horsehide, he appeared to be resisting time in every stitch of his being. Description struggled when it came to his mark on history, cattle king turned vigilante turned bookman and city librarian." (p. 11)
December 2, 2015
Nov 2015: I had completely forgotten the big mystery at the end so it was like brand new! Such a fun story and just as good in audio the second time around.
Sept 2013: Ah, Morrie, you don't disappoint. This book begins a year after the action in "Work Song", and although you could read this one without reading "The Whistling Season", (but you should definitely not miss it!), this one definitely is a sequel to "Work Song" and continues with the characters. Knowing their past will definitely help understand this continuation of the fight between the mine workers' union and the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. Morrie becomes the editorialist at the new union newspaper which is sniping at Anaconda with increasing vitriol. He becomes entangled in funny situations and mistaken identities, and it's just a really fun read. Doig continues his lovely phrasing and portrays these working people in Butte with heart as they struggle to make a living wage.
Sept 2013: Ah, Morrie, you don't disappoint. This book begins a year after the action in "Work Song", and although you could read this one without reading "The Whistling Season", (but you should definitely not miss it!), this one definitely is a sequel to "Work Song" and continues with the characters. Knowing their past will definitely help understand this continuation of the fight between the mine workers' union and the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. Morrie becomes the editorialist at the new union newspaper which is sniping at Anaconda with increasing vitriol. He becomes entangled in funny situations and mistaken identities, and it's just a really fun read. Doig continues his lovely phrasing and portrays these working people in Butte with heart as they struggle to make a living wage.
November 23, 2014
I like Ivan Doig a lot, but this wasn't one of his best. In this book we get to check in again with Morrie Morgan from "The Whistling Season" (best of the three) and "Work Song." Morrie has returned to Butte, Montana after a year of honeymoon travel. The miners of Butte are still struggling with the Anaconda Copper Mining Company over wages and safety and Morrie quickly gets entangled in their cause. As usual that is not the only trouble that catches up with him and the story proceeds in a slightly cartoonish fashion. However, even a "B" novel from Doig can be a fun read, and I am not sorry I spent a little time with it.
August 24, 2015
This is the 3rd book in a trilogy and it's very much recommended that you read the previous books if you want to read this one. The first book whistling season was a definite 5 star, the last book 4 and even though I can see why the story might not be as appealing as the previous ones his writing is so amazing and the characters are so well developed. This book was a satisfying wrap up to the story set.
April 28, 2016
Ivan Doig brings Morrie Morgan full circle in a sense as Morrie's past catches up with him. Mingling once more with the delightful collection of characters from Work Song, Morrie uses all his literary skills, and a few others, to continue the struggle against the Anaconda Copper Mining Company and to hold the demons of his past at bay. Doig guides a story full of twists and turns to a most satisfactory conclusion - not a spoiler if you have read other novels by Doig.
August 30, 2018
I was SO disappointed in Doig with this book. I have enjoyed so many of his previous books, but this was a real snoozer. I don't know how I even finished it. The last 15% of the story was pretty good, but most of it was so SLOW. Usually Doig's writing will get me through a slow spot, but the story line was very repetitive with nothing to "hook" me. Don't waste your time.
June 23, 2015
Ivan Doig has been one of my favorite writers. He tried to be funny in this one. He isn't funny.
September 19, 2022
If I read this one, it was before I discovered GoodReads. I had that sneaking hunch I knew what was going to happen that plagues an eldering memory . . . but maybe it was just Doig's superb foreshadowing. The Morgan character, who started out, I think, in Work Song, is a wonderful, wise, witty narrator of his own story. Across the board, the characterizations are well wrought, believable, and just the kind of folks I'd like to share a beer with. I have finished my second pass through the Doig Oeuvre -- darn!
August 8, 2021
Love these historical fiction books. This one tells a story that we’re all too familiar with: a large corporation leverages its power to take advantage of a blue collar town to increase profits and control.
January 6, 2024
Doig is one of my favorite authors. Great stories and characters. This one takes place in Butte, Montana around 1920. The Anaconda copper mine is at its peak and brings difficulties to the town’s economy and people. I love Doig’s humor.
July 21, 2021
I do not typically read books in a series. I do not necessarily dislike them, but there are so many authors and books out there for me to read. Doig is definitely an exception. It was such fun to have "friends" from the first two books be reintroduced. Doig is so clever in his way with words and his characters ring true. From the very beginning, I was chuckling - 5* for sure; however, the ending left me disappointed. Everything worked out fine, but it concluded too quickly and conveniently.
“It took so much arm-twisting that half the legislature look like pretzels.”
“. . . the hallowed goal of journalism, to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”
Btw, Sweet Thunder was the name of boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, born in 1921.
“It took so much arm-twisting that half the legislature look like pretzels.”
“. . . the hallowed goal of journalism, to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”
Btw, Sweet Thunder was the name of boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, born in 1921.
November 6, 2021
For the most part I found this to be an enjoyable read. What kept me from giving it five stars was the improbability of some of the events in the story. Nonetheless, I would recommend it.
August 4, 2024
Riveting, smart story about labor movement, unrelenting capitalists, politics, newspersons, and scandal and relationships in the harsh landscape of “big city” eastern Montana mine country.
November 28, 2019
Light hearted, whimsical and often very funny with great characters. Loved this trilogy.
August 8, 2023
I did not check to make sure, but it seems likely that this story was preceded by at least one other about the same protagonist. Background was explained well and not too obviously, but there certainly was a lot of past history having an impact on the present. Morrie Morgan is an intelligent and likeable, if imperfect character, who has crossed paths with some quite shady characters and put himself in danger by his history of gambling. The current events take place in Butte, Montana in the 1920s, and he has married the love of his life, but has not revealed to her much of his secret past. He has been talked into taking a position as editorialist at the brand-new union-backed newspaper, where he battles the opinion pieces of the long-term Butte newspaper, which is backed by the wealthy mining company. It's an interesting plot with some very intellectual content on which the editorials are based. I enjoyed it, but not quite as much as "Last Bus to Wisdom."
January 19, 2019
Who doesn’t like a charming and lovable rascal? A character who is as bewitching and bemusing to readers as he is puzzling and slightly flawed. Among all of Ivan Doig’s memorable and delightful fictional creations, Morrie Morgan stands out as one of the best. He is a perplexing combination of deep and vast erudition, endearing humor, and a questionable and slightly shady history. But he is honest as the day is long and strives always to do the right thing.
In Sweet Thunder, Morrie returns to Butte, Montana where, a year ago, his heart fused with Grace’s and, after marriage, they indulged in a year-long honeymoon. What draws them back is an unusual bequest from Samuel Sandison, a larger-than-life former rancher who meted out swift justice to cattle rustlers and horse thieves. But Sandison has long since traded in his spurs and ready noose to indulge his unlikely passion as book collector of fine and rare editions. Sandy, as he is known, is also the benefactor of the Butte Public Library.
The other key player in this fast-paced novel is the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, a ruthless organization with monopolistic tendencies. Since it is the area’s largest employer, it is also inclined to play fast and loose with people’s livelihoods motivated solely by a profit-making urge. Inevitably, Morrie is drawn reluctantly into the town’s conflict with a desire to right the wrongs of the Anaconda Company. His only weapon is a fledgling newspaper called Sweet Thunder in which he takes on the role of editorialist with the by-line of Pluvius.
Apart from Sandy, along for the rollercoaster ride are a host of endearing and enduring “good guys”: a young, somewhat idealistic novice politician, his schoolteacher wife (whom herself was taught by Morrie years ago—see reviewer note below), a thundering chief editor, a couple of dwarf-like handymen named Griff and Hoop, and an acrobatic, teenage orphan nicknamed Russian Famine. Naturally, for every good guy there is a bad: these take the shape of every Anaconda official, a rival newspaper called The Post, and of course, a nemesis editor for Morrie named Cutlass Cartwright. There are even some nonmalignant crooks, such as the Highliner, a seasoned bootlegger boss who transports his illegal wares in egg delivery trucks…and who also happens to be a Morrie look-alike!
The stage is set for a rough ride for Morrie. There is intrigue, sadness and disappointment, happiness and triumph, losses, gains, enemies, allies, and high humor. And all the while, Morrie is constantly under the threat of his dubious past catching up with him. In fact, his delightful but high-principled bride, Grace, hears enough to keep her distance from him. How Morrie fights and wins battles—and wins back Grace’s heart—is Ivan Doig at his best. Readers will feel Doig’s enjoyment as he spins this story. Sweet Thunder is almost a caper-like novel, with enough twists and turns to keep readers flipping the pages.
As in all his novels, Doig’s deep love for his home state of Montana shines through his writing. He is a gifted and master storyteller, and though lightly-plotted, Doig’s simple writing belies its subtle sophistication. Read any one of Doig’s thirteen novels—not one of them will disappoint!
[Reviewer note: If Morrie Morgan intrigues readers enough, they may read about his previous exploits in The Whistling Season and Work Song.]
In Sweet Thunder, Morrie returns to Butte, Montana where, a year ago, his heart fused with Grace’s and, after marriage, they indulged in a year-long honeymoon. What draws them back is an unusual bequest from Samuel Sandison, a larger-than-life former rancher who meted out swift justice to cattle rustlers and horse thieves. But Sandison has long since traded in his spurs and ready noose to indulge his unlikely passion as book collector of fine and rare editions. Sandy, as he is known, is also the benefactor of the Butte Public Library.
The other key player in this fast-paced novel is the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, a ruthless organization with monopolistic tendencies. Since it is the area’s largest employer, it is also inclined to play fast and loose with people’s livelihoods motivated solely by a profit-making urge. Inevitably, Morrie is drawn reluctantly into the town’s conflict with a desire to right the wrongs of the Anaconda Company. His only weapon is a fledgling newspaper called Sweet Thunder in which he takes on the role of editorialist with the by-line of Pluvius.
Apart from Sandy, along for the rollercoaster ride are a host of endearing and enduring “good guys”: a young, somewhat idealistic novice politician, his schoolteacher wife (whom herself was taught by Morrie years ago—see reviewer note below), a thundering chief editor, a couple of dwarf-like handymen named Griff and Hoop, and an acrobatic, teenage orphan nicknamed Russian Famine. Naturally, for every good guy there is a bad: these take the shape of every Anaconda official, a rival newspaper called The Post, and of course, a nemesis editor for Morrie named Cutlass Cartwright. There are even some nonmalignant crooks, such as the Highliner, a seasoned bootlegger boss who transports his illegal wares in egg delivery trucks…and who also happens to be a Morrie look-alike!
The stage is set for a rough ride for Morrie. There is intrigue, sadness and disappointment, happiness and triumph, losses, gains, enemies, allies, and high humor. And all the while, Morrie is constantly under the threat of his dubious past catching up with him. In fact, his delightful but high-principled bride, Grace, hears enough to keep her distance from him. How Morrie fights and wins battles—and wins back Grace’s heart—is Ivan Doig at his best. Readers will feel Doig’s enjoyment as he spins this story. Sweet Thunder is almost a caper-like novel, with enough twists and turns to keep readers flipping the pages.
As in all his novels, Doig’s deep love for his home state of Montana shines through his writing. He is a gifted and master storyteller, and though lightly-plotted, Doig’s simple writing belies its subtle sophistication. Read any one of Doig’s thirteen novels—not one of them will disappoint!
[Reviewer note: If Morrie Morgan intrigues readers enough, they may read about his previous exploits in The Whistling Season and Work Song.]
October 13, 2017
Ivan Doig is the staunch torchbearer of the Walter Stegner-style of Western writing. In "Sweet Thunder," Doig's prose transports the reader to 1920's Butte, Montana during the peak of copper mining while continuing the story of characters first introduced in "The Whistling Season" (my favorite Doig novel). Doig has a gift for creating a strong sense of place and time with perspective carefully curated to highlight elements essential to draw the reader in without any extraneous details. For me, it's the same feeling I get when viewing an Albert Bierstadt painting--as if you can step back into a simpler place and time.
"Sweet Thunder" wouldn't be a great place to start with Doig's writing. I had to reach back into my memory to pick up the threads of the storyline and the character development for "Sweet Thunder"'s chief protagonist, Morrie Morgan, who finds himself caught up in a class warfare struggle between mine workers and capitalist interests. The struggle plays out primarily in dueling newspaper editorials. Morrie Morgan is a little bit of a Clark Kent, a bibliophile who quotes Latin, wields a mighty pen but keeps a set of brass knuckles in his pocket and knows a thing or two about boxing. I love a good underdog tale but at times found the pacing of "Sweet Thunder" to be off and the narrative thread a little jagged. Three stars as I know Doig was writing this, his second to last novel, while sick with the cancer to which he ultimately succumbed, and I appreciate one more tale of beloved characters from "The Whistling Season."
"Sweet Thunder" wouldn't be a great place to start with Doig's writing. I had to reach back into my memory to pick up the threads of the storyline and the character development for "Sweet Thunder"'s chief protagonist, Morrie Morgan, who finds himself caught up in a class warfare struggle between mine workers and capitalist interests. The struggle plays out primarily in dueling newspaper editorials. Morrie Morgan is a little bit of a Clark Kent, a bibliophile who quotes Latin, wields a mighty pen but keeps a set of brass knuckles in his pocket and knows a thing or two about boxing. I love a good underdog tale but at times found the pacing of "Sweet Thunder" to be off and the narrative thread a little jagged. Three stars as I know Doig was writing this, his second to last novel, while sick with the cancer to which he ultimately succumbed, and I appreciate one more tale of beloved characters from "The Whistling Season."
October 15, 2013
I'll be honest, historical fiction set in the semi-Wild West isn't quite my thing. No gunslingers here, we're in the 20th century with Prohibition and mining strikes and newspapers being the tool of the Big Bad Company, which moved this up to a three-star. Morrie Morrigan, the star of previous Doig books, is back, this time as the "inheritor" of a mansion (except that he's inherited it from a living man who still stays in the house) and a new role as a semi-anonymous op-ed writer going after the Big Bad Mining Company. And.... action!
Many of us in the East haven't really learned about (or paid attention to) the mining wars, so this book was an interesting way to learn some of that history. My problem was that I didn't care as much as I possibly could have about Morrie, or Sandy Sandison, or the Robert Burns festival or the whole Chicago Black Sox problem (which may have played a role in the earlier book. The antics he employs to get away from his persecutors just didn't grab me, possibly because there was a little too much going on - take away the newspaper, or the Mob, or Sandy, or something. There was some short shrifting going on, which prevented this from moving beyond a three.
Many of us in the East haven't really learned about (or paid attention to) the mining wars, so this book was an interesting way to learn some of that history. My problem was that I didn't care as much as I possibly could have about Morrie, or Sandy Sandison, or the Robert Burns festival or the whole Chicago Black Sox problem (which may have played a role in the earlier book. The antics he employs to get away from his persecutors just didn't grab me, possibly because there was a little too much going on - take away the newspaper, or the Mob, or Sandy, or something. There was some short shrifting going on, which prevented this from moving beyond a three.
January 31, 2016
I love Ivan Doig's writing and the way he can change styles completely from one novel to the next. This one had such a dry wit, that you knew you missed a lot of it at times. But about three-quarters of the way through, I got very tired of it and it was a slog to the end. There's not much plot here, so it's one of those books you read primarily for the writing. Could and should have been shorter.
August 12, 2013
Doig always hits the mark when writing about times in history and the people who lived in those times. Sweet Thunder is no exception. The seriousness of the poor treatment of miners by the mine owners is shown here with proper respect, but not overdone. And being mistaken for an infamous bootlegger and living to tell the tale is actually believable. It was great to see Hoop & Griff back too.
July 4, 2022
Not up to my expectations
Having read several of his other novels which I thoroughly enjoyed I was very disappointed. The plot development was excruciatingly slow and just not that interesting. It was a struggle to finish it.
Having read several of his other novels which I thoroughly enjoyed I was very disappointed. The plot development was excruciatingly slow and just not that interesting. It was a struggle to finish it.
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