29

by Mary Sojourner

Nell Walker and Monkey Burnett have nothing in common—except an impossible longing for each other, their huge and volatile minds, and a bone-deep love for a tiny hardscrabble desert town.

When corporate greed and shortsightedness threaten the fragile Mojave Desert around their homes in Twentynine Palms, California, with devastatingly huge solar and wind power farms, Nell and Monkey join forces with their Chemehuevi and Anglo neighbors to protect an ancient sacred trail and the birds and wildlife that live along it. Through love and work, Nell finds her own near-hidden trail, a pathway that carries her towards a reunion with the mother she tried to forget.

As transcendent as the spare Mojave itself, 29 is a blade-sharp novel of the searing heart of the forbidden desire.

Genres: Fiction, Westerns, Suspense

287 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 21, 2014

Reviews

[Braden Hepner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whip-crack wit, clever dialogue, and spare, effective prose. A welcome dose of humor within characters, conversation, and tragicomic occurrence. 29 carries a vital message for our times: development, commercial gain, avarice, and expansion should not be placed above the preservation and conservation of the natural earth, with all its inherent rhythms, ecological importance, and its capacity to provoke wonder, awe, and reverence, its capacity to make us purer and better beings.

[Candice Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Mary's work. And now I want to live in the desert.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book started off with Nell running away from life. I should have stopped reading but nope, I plunged on into the never ending Nell find herself saga story. I am all for so many things in this book,
a couple examples, the fight for a simple life and protecting earth and wildlife. The rest of the forbidden love story, just could not get into nor the constant complaint of the cost of things. To many mixed messages in the book for me. I could go on more of why I did not like the book but I don't want to give away to much to others who might like or enjoy the book. It just was not for me.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

29
By Mary Sojourner
Introduction:

Several poignant and realistic moments resonated with me. The protagonist could have been any woman forced to evaluate her achievements and to decide her next steps. The promise to the reader in my opinion; is a journey into self-awareness and reflection. The author skillfully, takes the reader on an internal ebb & flow of emotions. Not wanting to give anything away, I can only recommend that you buy this book and prepare to be entertained as well as educated.

Genre: Novel
Main Characters:
Nell, Monkey, Keno, Jackie, Connie, and Diamond

The author’s successful use of imagery and description is wonderful. Set in the California desert one can visualize the hot sun-drenched days and almost feel the dry heat. Her description of reservation life is compelling and informative.

Overall, I was both entertained and educated. I laughed and cried as I delved deeper into the psyche of Nell. Be prepared to have a moment or two of self-reflection.

[Edie Luther · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I would like this book because I go to the desert at least every year to visit my "snow bird" parents and have been to 29 Palms and Joshua Tree. I thought the book was too slow moving. What man would ever be named Monkey? Although I liked the concept of characters using emails to communicate, I didn't really like their conversations and I couldn't understand their attractions for each other. Although I liked the environmental aspect, I came to dread reading this book and only read it before sleep. The meetings between the townspeople and the Native Americans could have been a little more interesting. The book had potential, I will say that for it.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former marketing exec finds a simple life in the desert to be more fulfilling.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

It isn't perfect, but Sojourner's writing still feels like a beginning for me somehow, and her politics and her characters are messy enough to be interesting.

[Karen Barden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange but good ending.

[Irina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book for my honest review. At first, I really disliked Nell's character. She was weak, selfish, indecisive, and extremely annoying, but as she started gaining her strength and discovering who she was, my feelings changed dramatically. Even though she had less material things I felt she became more in-tuned with herself. She made connections with other people and developed friendships throughout. I was really impressed with her final transformation at the end.

At times I felt somewhat alienated from Nell and Monkey's banter and email exchanges. There were a lot of music references that were unfamiliar to me and it was hard to follow. Although I didn't understand it at times, it felt as though they had a real connection despite the dysfunctional nature of their relationship. I really liked the concept of the Salt Song Trail and the mysticism associated with it, but I had many unanswered questions by the end that were left open. It would have been rewarding to see the characters "win" a small battle against the solar company. Who was responsible for Keno's "situation"? Why was Monkey's wife so forgiving of his relationship with Nell? Why were the people attacked in the dessert? Why was Monkey going into trances? Why was the Leafy talking to Nell?

Aside from the million questions I have, I would recommend this book to others, as it has a different perspective on human relationships, our relationship with nature and the desert.

[Tuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

sojourner is fearless and entertaining and smart. this set in sw deserts of usa, and a LA executive chucks it all to move to desert, first to kill herself, but then to help her mother earth, her brother desert.
another reviewer put it well, sojourner's themes revolve around the deadend of avaricious usa capitalism and the pressing need to quit fooling around and figure this shit out.
here is succinct, good review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


i liked sojourner's novel of ghosts and indians and usaers in the desert a bit better, but reader cannot go wrong with her Going Through Ghosts

[Eric Susak · Rating 3 out of 5]

29 gets better as you read it. Mary Sojourner's beautiful language draws a connection between the struggles of humans and the landscape in which they inhabit. Her adoration for the desert is apparent in the mysticism and history of the land. The problem, though, is that the descriptive language holds down the story for the first 100 pages, during which nothing really happens, and the main characters don't make choices. If it wasn't for the strength of the sentences, I would have stopped reading after 30 pages. Ultimately, I'm glad I did continue reading, but it felt bogged down at times.

[Sheila Garry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pulled this off the shelf with no knowledge of author or book. Would give it 31/2 stars. Great sense of place, Mojave Desert. Story interesting and based on facts about siting solar and wind turbines over sacred Indian grounds. Great interplay between 2 main characters, but it was spoiled, IMHO, by spiritual/mystical occurrences that were poorly explained. I thought it weakened an otherwise good book.

[Rebecca Garcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

sharp dialog, nailed the setting, fair enough characters. reading the epilogue PRIOR to reading the book would have helped me enjoy it more I think. will influence and deeply enhance my next journeying thru the Mojave that's for sure. enjoyed the ending tremendously so i'm glad I stayed with it til then.

[Aline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a somewhat troubling exploration into difficult lives, Sojourner is quite the author. I did not love the book, but I also found that I did not want to put it down.

[Sandy Bielenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the first two chapters I nearly put this book down. I am glad I didn't. Sojourner is a fine writer.