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The Telling Distance
Winner of the 1990 Western States Book Award for Creative Nonfiction, The Telling Distance evokes the yearning expanses of our southwestern deserts and finds them full of sensuous marvels, erratic life forms, eccentric fellow travelers, dry humor, and surprise. In prose that revels in paradox, it reveals desert distances to be doubly they both magnify our spirit and have incomparable tales to tell.
243 pages, paperback
First published January 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 5, 2007
From Library Journal:
Many of these essays have appeared in various publications, not all of them nature-oriented, and are thus quite diverse. The introduction, even if one accepts the description of deserts as emptiness, is too obscure to tempt the reader. The essays themselves, however, combine to form an eccentric volume of philosophical musings and observations about the desert, camping, and living. The overall effect leaves one rather bemused and wondering what it was all about. Given that the manuscript for this book won the 1990 Western States Book Award for Creative Nonfiction, however, there may be some demand for it.
Me: If you read this book out camping under the stars, the "obscure"ity defuses.
Ian Bailey: An excellent collection of short stories about the Southwest--its history, its fauna and flora, its people, and just a little about where it may be going if suburbia continues to encroach.
At its best, Bruce's writing style verges on poetry, refining the imagery into a few well chosen lines that beg to be read and read again. The very short story about the Metaphysical Tent is one the best short pieces I have read.
Many of these essays have appeared in various publications, not all of them nature-oriented, and are thus quite diverse. The introduction, even if one accepts the description of deserts as emptiness, is too obscure to tempt the reader. The essays themselves, however, combine to form an eccentric volume of philosophical musings and observations about the desert, camping, and living. The overall effect leaves one rather bemused and wondering what it was all about. Given that the manuscript for this book won the 1990 Western States Book Award for Creative Nonfiction, however, there may be some demand for it.
Me: If you read this book out camping under the stars, the "obscure"ity defuses.
Ian Bailey: An excellent collection of short stories about the Southwest--its history, its fauna and flora, its people, and just a little about where it may be going if suburbia continues to encroach.
At its best, Bruce's writing style verges on poetry, refining the imagery into a few well chosen lines that beg to be read and read again. The very short story about the Metaphysical Tent is one the best short pieces I have read.
March 1, 2014
Has a generally meditative feel and nicely crafted language throughout. Though it's a little settled in the 80s and 90s, it is great to hear appreciation of the desert.
November 6, 2017
Awesome!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews