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True North #2
Returning to Earth
Hailed by The New York Times Book Review as “a master … who makes the ordinary extraordinary, the unnamable unforgettable,” beloved author Jim Harrison returns with a masterpiece—a tender, profound, and magnificent novel about life, death, and finding redemption in unlikely places. Slowly dying of Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Donald, a middle-aged Chippewa-Finnish man, begins dictating family stories he has never shared with anyone, hoping to preserve history for his children. The dignity of Donald’s death and his legacy encourages his loved ones to find a way to redeem—and let go of—the past, whether through his daughter’s emersion in Chippewa religious ideas or his mourning wife’s attempt to escape the malevolent influence of her own father. A deeply moving book about origins and endings, and how to live with honor for the dead, Returning to Earth is one of the finest novels of Harrison’s long, storied career, and will confirm his standing as one of the most important American writers now working.
280 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
244 people are currently reading
2074 people want to read
About the author
Jim Harrison
184 books1,493 followersJim Harrison was born in Grayling, Michigan, to Winfield Sprague Harrison, a county agricultural agent, and Norma Olivia (Wahlgren) Harrison, both avid readers. He married Linda King in 1959 with whom he has two daughters.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
His awards include National Academy of Arts grants (1967, 68, 69), a Guggenheim Fellowship (1969-70), the Spirit of the West Award from the Mountain & Plains Booksellers Association, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2007).
Much of Harrison's writing depicts sparsely populated regions of North America with many stories set in places such as Nebraska's Sand Hills, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Montana's mountains, and along the Arizona-Mexico border.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
His awards include National Academy of Arts grants (1967, 68, 69), a Guggenheim Fellowship (1969-70), the Spirit of the West Award from the Mountain & Plains Booksellers Association, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2007).
Much of Harrison's writing depicts sparsely populated regions of North America with many stories set in places such as Nebraska's Sand Hills, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Montana's mountains, and along the Arizona-Mexico border.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 250 reviews
February 9, 2017
A very satisfying read of an extended family in the Michigan Upper Peninsula finding their way through woods of life. Harrison is among a handful of American novelists I most appreciate for a capacity to elucidate the interplay of the individual and collective sources of meaning in existence. Likely many potential readers have encountered Harrison through the movie version of his novella “Legends of the Fall”. Common elements here include a big focus on evoking a sense of a particular place and our relationship to nature, a family saga that has an almost Biblical concern with addressing “the sins of the fathers”, and a realistic portrayal of how we strive to balance love, ambition, and integrity with mortality and human limitations.
The narrative unfolds in four sections from the perspective of different characters, each compelling real. Donald leads with a journal of his life for his kids as he prepares to die from ALS in his 40s. He is half Chippewa (Anishinabe) and for strength harks back to his time living with an aunt who infused him with tribal traditions. His memories move back and forth in a collage. A three-day fast in the Canadian boonies brings visions that confirm his place in nature and a special affinity with bears. This sacred place is where he wants to be buried.
The second section is from K, a young man who was Donald’s true friend and fishing companion, the lover of his daughter, and one who secretly loves Cynthia. He recognizes that his oddities include treating life as a movie to be reviewed and edited. Yet he is reliable in helping Donald the most with his plans for his death and burial.
The third section is the story of David Burkitt, Cynthia’s brother and the main character in the previous novel on the family, True North. He is the conscience for the family, one who seeks to expiate the greed of his ancestors and his father in stripping resources through logging and mining. He spent many years writing a history of his family’s sins in the UI and now spends half his life in Mexico working to reduce the dangers and mortality experienced by illegals crossing the border. The loss of Donald shakes him up, leading him to conclude that Death gives us a shove into a new sort of landscape. Donald’s passing seems to motivate him to resolve unfinished emotional business surrounding a horrendous crime of his father three decades before, the drunken rape of a 12-year old Mexican girl visiting their family (a key event in the prior book and summarized in the first few pages of this book).
In the final piece, Donald's wife Cynthia, works through memories of her life with Donald, starting with early love for him at 14 and her eventual escape from her shattered family by eloping with him. In working out her grief at his loss, she finds a boon in the support from her children. Her balance is shaky in the face of her adult daughter’s obsession with the possibility of Donald’s spirit being in a bear.
Harrison is well respected as a poet, and his special way of building emotional resonance with a spare use of adjectives is evident in his prose here. For example, here is part of Donald’s account of his sojourn in the wilderness:
In my three days I was able to see how creatures including insects looked at me rather than just how I saw them. I became a garter snake that tested the air beside my left knee and the two chickadees that landed on my head. I was lucky enough to have my body fly over the countries of earth and also walk the bottom of oceans, which I’d always been curious about. I was scared at one point when I descended into the earth and when I came up I was no longer there.
David lives this potent thought: One of the truest things I’ve ever heard is that the evil men do lives after them. Donald and Cynthia come to suspect that the evils of Burkitt senior had a lot to do with the evils of his war experiences in the defense of the Philippines in World War 2. In contrast, David’s moral path is to hold to the kernel: There are no damaged goods when everyone is damaged goods.
Harrison obviously loves his characters, as he breathes such life in them and nutures their development. I thought the ending to this bittersweet collage especially rewarding, as each of the main characters takes the next steps toward ever renewing life. I’ve read eight other Harrison novels and rank this pair of novels second only to Dalva.
The narrative unfolds in four sections from the perspective of different characters, each compelling real. Donald leads with a journal of his life for his kids as he prepares to die from ALS in his 40s. He is half Chippewa (Anishinabe) and for strength harks back to his time living with an aunt who infused him with tribal traditions. His memories move back and forth in a collage. A three-day fast in the Canadian boonies brings visions that confirm his place in nature and a special affinity with bears. This sacred place is where he wants to be buried.
The second section is from K, a young man who was Donald’s true friend and fishing companion, the lover of his daughter, and one who secretly loves Cynthia. He recognizes that his oddities include treating life as a movie to be reviewed and edited. Yet he is reliable in helping Donald the most with his plans for his death and burial.
The third section is the story of David Burkitt, Cynthia’s brother and the main character in the previous novel on the family, True North. He is the conscience for the family, one who seeks to expiate the greed of his ancestors and his father in stripping resources through logging and mining. He spent many years writing a history of his family’s sins in the UI and now spends half his life in Mexico working to reduce the dangers and mortality experienced by illegals crossing the border. The loss of Donald shakes him up, leading him to conclude that Death gives us a shove into a new sort of landscape. Donald’s passing seems to motivate him to resolve unfinished emotional business surrounding a horrendous crime of his father three decades before, the drunken rape of a 12-year old Mexican girl visiting their family (a key event in the prior book and summarized in the first few pages of this book).
In the final piece, Donald's wife Cynthia, works through memories of her life with Donald, starting with early love for him at 14 and her eventual escape from her shattered family by eloping with him. In working out her grief at his loss, she finds a boon in the support from her children. Her balance is shaky in the face of her adult daughter’s obsession with the possibility of Donald’s spirit being in a bear.
Harrison is well respected as a poet, and his special way of building emotional resonance with a spare use of adjectives is evident in his prose here. For example, here is part of Donald’s account of his sojourn in the wilderness:
In my three days I was able to see how creatures including insects looked at me rather than just how I saw them. I became a garter snake that tested the air beside my left knee and the two chickadees that landed on my head. I was lucky enough to have my body fly over the countries of earth and also walk the bottom of oceans, which I’d always been curious about. I was scared at one point when I descended into the earth and when I came up I was no longer there.
David lives this potent thought: One of the truest things I’ve ever heard is that the evil men do lives after them. Donald and Cynthia come to suspect that the evils of Burkitt senior had a lot to do with the evils of his war experiences in the defense of the Philippines in World War 2. In contrast, David’s moral path is to hold to the kernel: There are no damaged goods when everyone is damaged goods.
Harrison obviously loves his characters, as he breathes such life in them and nutures their development. I thought the ending to this bittersweet collage especially rewarding, as each of the main characters takes the next steps toward ever renewing life. I’ve read eight other Harrison novels and rank this pair of novels second only to Dalva.
December 12, 2008
Middle-aged man dying of Lou Gehrig's disease wants his family to help him end his life. The consequences of that decision for his family and assorted relatives take up most of the book. Broken into four sections, the novel reads like a series of linked novellas (not surprising, given Harrison's great success with that form). Though lyrically written and poignant at times, overall I found this book to be somewhat disappointing. I've read several other of Harrison's books -- Farmer, Warlock, Legends of the Fall, Woman Lit by Fireflies (the title novella seems to be a kind of prequel to the novel) and Julip -- and this one just seemed a notch or two below his best work. In typical Harrison fashion, he doesn't create a strong plot line; rather, in reflecting on their own experiences, past and present, as related to the dying man, each character segues, digresses, meanders into various anecdotes and dramatic memories. Harrison is adept at moving seamlessly in and out of these sub-plots, creating a kind of flowing collage of experiences that deepen in significance as the characters return to or extend them. These memories and tales never end in a traditional climax or even with an impressionistic epiphany; insead, they just continue. In that regard, H's purpose seems to be to capture the ebb and flow of one's life, echoing Heraclitus' famous axiom, "You can never step in the same river twice." Some of these experiences, usually revolving around love and loss, are revealing and moving, but some come off as just self-absorbed fretting (not quite whining). Some feints at presenting elements of Indian lore and spirituality are tantalizing but ulitmately frustrating as H. doesn't do enough with them to make the final image stir the reader as much as I think he intended.
If you've not read Harrison, this book is a good enough, though not great, starting place, but if you're a long-time Harrison fan, I think it will evoke more quiet nods and than enthusiastic applause.
If you've not read Harrison, this book is a good enough, though not great, starting place, but if you're a long-time Harrison fan, I think it will evoke more quiet nods and than enthusiastic applause.
December 14, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2013
The more I think about this book, the more I like it. Ever since my Mom passed away last year I consistently hear comments like, "she's looking down and smiling," which I can't stand. It's so refreshing to read a novel that has a non-Christian view of grief. As it turns out, being part of a family is as amorphous as grief, and Harrison's stream-of-consciousness writing style allowed the characters to shape their stories one mosaic tile at a time. There are plenty of well-written passages, and I especially liked K and Cynthia's parts of the book. I love what H did with the characteristics of each person in the book, for example, some can cook well, and some are terrible. Some are intellectuals, and others are more physical and attune to the earth. H structured the arch of the book magnificently; he knows that death isn't the final stage in the grieving process, but the middle. Returning to Earth is such a perfect title.
October 13, 2007
I just finished this book and so many different thoughts are racing through my mind. My first action will be to pick it up and read it again. At the crux of the book is a character, Donald, who is dying and trying to depart his story on to his future generations. It is told in four parts each by a different charachter and this only adds to the depth and vision of the circumstances of Donald's life. It is a poignant reminder that we do not live on the earth alone and with joy comes pain but it is worth it. At one point, a statement is made about Donald that says: they aren't men like that anymore. While this is more specific in the book, it defines a message I believe the author was trying to relay, that each human is an individual but a better one and a richer one for standing together with other humans. But it is up to the human to become that uniquely defined person. His stories weaves through generations but the stories of loyalty, friendship and the unique ability to conciously choose one's direction remain constant.
I enjoyed and struggled with Harrison's writing style. He was able to capsulate the conversational and casual tone of his characters and while sometimes I has to reread to understand exactly what was being said, it made it richer and easier to see the personalities emerge. There are beautiful capsulations of life wisdom sprinkled judiciously throught the story, that serve as pinpoints and markers.
On a very basic level, it is an interesting look into the struggle between indian wilderness and white development in the Great Lakes region over history and into modern times.
Now that I am going to read it again, I am going to do it with a highlighter.
I enjoyed and struggled with Harrison's writing style. He was able to capsulate the conversational and casual tone of his characters and while sometimes I has to reread to understand exactly what was being said, it made it richer and easier to see the personalities emerge. There are beautiful capsulations of life wisdom sprinkled judiciously throught the story, that serve as pinpoints and markers.
On a very basic level, it is an interesting look into the struggle between indian wilderness and white development in the Great Lakes region over history and into modern times.
Now that I am going to read it again, I am going to do it with a highlighter.
January 30, 2022
OK, as much as I absolutely HATE doing this, I'm moving this one to the DNF file and giving up. It is not my style at all. The stream-of-consciousness writing is the book's most off-putting quality, but it's compounded by being from multiple viewpoints. Both the characters and the cultures lack endearing or even interesting points. The blurb made it sound like just my cup of tea: life, death, finding redemption in unlikely places, family stories and secrets from past generations. In the 34% I've managed to read, the Finnish culture has barely been mentioned, and the Chippewa in the 3 generations we've been introduced to could be the lives of any poor person of the era. Everything is tedious, and feels like something assigned/required in school that you're content to barely skim to get your grade of C because it's such torture to force yourself to read it. I like me too much to submit to that. But it might be something you'd like.
April 11, 2022
Jim Harrison has returned to his beloved earth, he looked like earth turned over a time too many those last years, but he lived 'em hard like most of his hero's/heroine's and those are always a mashup of himself. This book echos those usuals plus ravens/crows/bears in Anishinaabe lore from the rowdy UP/Michigan in a more subdued and memento mori tale all told from tetra perspective and wrapping with an existential sendoff. Transmigration of souls you ol' scamp what a narly bear you'd make stuffing yer gob w/fresh caught fish or just killed venison. Pure Harrison heaven!
April 8, 2017
Lyrical and at times dark. I put this book aside a few times just to let the story gel a bit, then I'd resume it. Harrison was a gift to readers. I will keep this one in my library for a long time.
June 20, 2021
Almost five stars. Shattering prose. Great "voice." I am a sucker for setting and this book is set in the UP of Michigan, where I finished the last half of the book. Marquette, Munising, Houghton, Au Train. The Big Two Hearted River. Authentic. My only quibble, and honestly, this is mostly my fault, but i had a hard time keeping the relationship of the characters straight. It's about a pair of siblings and their spouse/ex-spouse, but it's also intergenerational and I got lost a bit. Writing reminded me a bit of Wallage Stegner. I also didn't know this was a sequel of sorts, but I'm also glad because now i have a bunch more books to read by an amazing writer.
Donald: "So K drove me up to Baraga last August so I could kick Floyd to death like he did to my puppy. Nothing about the day was what I expected. First of all it was real hot with a south wind and I had imagined killing Floyd on a cool day."
K: "At the cabin we turned loose and had a party. We drank, ate, and danced, and then drank, ate, and danced some more. I'm unsure what we had in mind, mostly nothing except the impulses children have toward play. For instance, it's raining in July and a tiny creek through a vacant lot is gathering water so four kids bust their asses building a dam until they are exhausted, filthy, and wet, but also delighted. That kind of thing, notwithstanding the peerless icon of death that hovered over us, and everyone else on earth for that matter."
Donald: "So K drove me up to Baraga last August so I could kick Floyd to death like he did to my puppy. Nothing about the day was what I expected. First of all it was real hot with a south wind and I had imagined killing Floyd on a cool day."
K: "At the cabin we turned loose and had a party. We drank, ate, and danced, and then drank, ate, and danced some more. I'm unsure what we had in mind, mostly nothing except the impulses children have toward play. For instance, it's raining in July and a tiny creek through a vacant lot is gathering water so four kids bust their asses building a dam until they are exhausted, filthy, and wet, but also delighted. That kind of thing, notwithstanding the peerless icon of death that hovered over us, and everyone else on earth for that matter."
August 10, 2021
One of the best books I've read in a while, and a satisfying sequel to "True North." In fact, I enjoyed it more than the earlier book as it answered many questions about the fates of the characters from the earlier novel. It might have helped that I started reading it while on a trip in the Upper Peninsula and am familiar with most of the many places that are mentioned in the story.
I have been late to "discover" Jim Harrison even though I have known about him and his Michigan connections for a long time and will have to go exploring the shelves of the local library to see what other of his works I can find there.
I have been late to "discover" Jim Harrison even though I have known about him and his Michigan connections for a long time and will have to go exploring the shelves of the local library to see what other of his works I can find there.
June 28, 2010
A passionate earthy man orchestrates his own poetic death. The first half of the book is perfect. A character named Flower is barely part of the story yet her shrewd, mystical, semi-feral lifestyle haunts my imagination.
September 24, 2015
Sometimes the right book falls into your hands at the right time. This book is one long musing on death. One of the characters (I hesitate to call him the main character, though his spirit dominates), dies from a terminal illness. His family deals with the loss, but in not necessarily typical ways. I also have a family member who has a terminal illness - I hesitated to read this. Glad I did. The straightforward approach to death and the possibilities of an after life were refreshing. As always, Harrison's characters eat, drink, and read their way through any struggle, together.
The feature I always dislike about Harrison novels is also present here. I know this is fiction, and Harrison can put his characters in any situation he wants. He always makes them independently wealthy. The characters never have need to work, nor worry of how to pay for anything. I simply do not have the time to spend days communing with nature considering death -- because I have to go to work and pay the bills. But since i don't have the time, I guess its good that Harrison has done it for me.
The feature I always dislike about Harrison novels is also present here. I know this is fiction, and Harrison can put his characters in any situation he wants. He always makes them independently wealthy. The characters never have need to work, nor worry of how to pay for anything. I simply do not have the time to spend days communing with nature considering death -- because I have to go to work and pay the bills. But since i don't have the time, I guess its good that Harrison has done it for me.
June 17, 2016
I've heretofore been skeptical of authors writing more than one novel with the same set of characters, but no longer. That's what Jim Harrison does sometimes. This time included.
'Returning to Earth' is sublime. It is in four parts, each part narrated from a different perspective. At the end of each part, you strongly regret leaving the character who is narrating, and 10 pages into the next part, you have forgotten all about it. Most writers can't come up with one attractive and realistic voice per book--Harrison provides four.
I have to say that I believe I would have enjoyed this book had I not read 'True North,' which involves many of the same characters, though at different times in their life. But, to put it vaguely, if you have read 'True North' you will get a special bonus prize when you read 'Returning to Earth.' A real doozy.
A finely composed, outstandingly voiced, forcefully moving novel. With an excellent last line.
'Returning to Earth' is sublime. It is in four parts, each part narrated from a different perspective. At the end of each part, you strongly regret leaving the character who is narrating, and 10 pages into the next part, you have forgotten all about it. Most writers can't come up with one attractive and realistic voice per book--Harrison provides four.
I have to say that I believe I would have enjoyed this book had I not read 'True North,' which involves many of the same characters, though at different times in their life. But, to put it vaguely, if you have read 'True North' you will get a special bonus prize when you read 'Returning to Earth.' A real doozy.
A finely composed, outstandingly voiced, forcefully moving novel. With an excellent last line.
December 14, 2008
This was the first read of my recent vacation, and while it's not exactly a beach read for sure, as the novel centers around the assisted suicide of a man suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease, the quirky characters kept me interested enough to stay engrossed despite the soft sand and blue skies and water. (Wait, is this a review of the book or of my fabulous vacation? ;-) The novel is told from the inside perspective of 4 characters--the dying man, his nephew, his brother-in-law and finally, his widow and chock full of . Each of their journeys through this event and their lives in general is expertly described; you understand them and their unique struggles as they each come to the realization that life goes on.
September 18, 2007
This book wasn't life-changing, but was a great, quick read. The writing style was different (very stream-of-consciousness) and I enjoyed it. I grew to love the family in the book and didn't want to leave them at the end!
September 18, 2016
Wonderful. Another classic from the great Jim Harrison.
December 23, 2017
Wonderful and made me sad that Jim Harrison is no longer with us writing books that are seemingly simple but majestic and filled with "truths".
February 5, 2025
Tells the tale of a man (Donald) as he is slowly dying of Lou Gehrig's disease. Harrison tackles the subject with grace and humor through the perspective of Donald and his close family members' perspective. Set in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, sense-of-place is persistent and powerful throughout. The way Harrison interweaves between grief and humor is masterful. A story of Beginning's & Ending's colored with the nuance of everything in between: family, love, sex, good steaks, forests, rivers, bears and the great-gosh-damn-it-of-it-all.
September 5, 2024
The book was not that bad in the end, it deals with very concerning topics and the way the loved ones should behave but it goes over the simple topic and deals with instinctive reaction more than the expected one
June 15, 2022
What is life? What is death? Who the hell knows. This was a good story about trying to move between the two with some dignity.
July 14, 2020
Well … hmm.
I was really drawn into the interesting story line. Donald, a man in his 40’s, contracts Lou Gherig’s disease (ALS) while living in the UP of Michigan, and makes the decision to end his life. He chooses a specific location to where he wants his family to help him cross over, and where he wants to be buried. This spot has a special meaning to him due to a vision he had in his early years, and is not far from his home, but is on the other side of the US/Canada border. Donald’s family steps up to the very difficult and emotional task of helping him accomplish his end of life wishes.
The book is written in four parts, each part told in the first person by four main characters, beginning with Donald. I liked the structure of the book and thought it was a really cool way to tell the story. Donald and some of the other characters are Native American/First Nations, and there are some neat cultural and spiritual references in the book. There are also loads of Great Lakes/UP references and a little history.
That being said, I found all four of the main character voices to be very similar and rambling. There were subtle differences between them, but for the most part I did not enjoy the storytelling or the style of writing. Someone else may love this, but it just wasn’t for me.
I was really drawn into the interesting story line. Donald, a man in his 40’s, contracts Lou Gherig’s disease (ALS) while living in the UP of Michigan, and makes the decision to end his life. He chooses a specific location to where he wants his family to help him cross over, and where he wants to be buried. This spot has a special meaning to him due to a vision he had in his early years, and is not far from his home, but is on the other side of the US/Canada border. Donald’s family steps up to the very difficult and emotional task of helping him accomplish his end of life wishes.
The book is written in four parts, each part told in the first person by four main characters, beginning with Donald. I liked the structure of the book and thought it was a really cool way to tell the story. Donald and some of the other characters are Native American/First Nations, and there are some neat cultural and spiritual references in the book. There are also loads of Great Lakes/UP references and a little history.
That being said, I found all four of the main character voices to be very similar and rambling. There were subtle differences between them, but for the most part I did not enjoy the storytelling or the style of writing. Someone else may love this, but it just wasn’t for me.
August 29, 2009
If I had known that this book centered around the death of a loved one, I would not have picked it up. As it was, I only chose it because it was the only thing on the shelf by Harrison and I was looking for "Legends of the Fall." The book is about Donald's death and the way it affects the lives of his wife, daughter, and other family members. For me, it was beyond mundane at some points. I mean, I know death has every day repercussions, but some of it was just a bit too tedious for me. There were other parts that I would have liked more details about (IE Donald's father-in-law's death) that were left a mystery. While the book is told from 4 viewpoints, the only voice I found truly unique was Donald's. The other 3 were only slightly different from each other, which made it harder for me to keep track of who was talking. One thing I did appreciate was that there were not a lot of chronological jumps that aren't super obvious. I tend to get lost in those kinds of things, but I did not have trouble figuring out what happened when. I liked the way it ended, though it was the way I had hoped it would end. Overall, a leisurely read, not completely without pleasure, sad though it was.
June 15, 2021
I waffled a bit on whether or not this was a 3 or 4 star book. The prose was beautiful, the characters were fascinating, and the plot and themes complimented each other nicely.
This is a book about death. A man dying of ALS writes down the family history for his children before choosing when/where/how he wants to die. There is a slow sadness in this book- things break down and fall apart. It sits in your chest while you are reading. Decay is natural and inevitable. Goodbyes are hard and sad.
This is also a book about life, all those little stories that make up who a person is and what they will become. It is about the way we are all connected to one another.
The prose is beautiful and the writing matches the jumpy, rambling way people think. I felt that the style perfectly matched the ideas the author was expressing about people and their inner worlds.
That being said, the middle parts of this book really start to drag in some places. There were times when I was bored with what I was reading. These sections went on for far too long which is why I ultimately went with the lower rating.
This is a book about death. A man dying of ALS writes down the family history for his children before choosing when/where/how he wants to die. There is a slow sadness in this book- things break down and fall apart. It sits in your chest while you are reading. Decay is natural and inevitable. Goodbyes are hard and sad.
This is also a book about life, all those little stories that make up who a person is and what they will become. It is about the way we are all connected to one another.
The prose is beautiful and the writing matches the jumpy, rambling way people think. I felt that the style perfectly matched the ideas the author was expressing about people and their inner worlds.
That being said, the middle parts of this book really start to drag in some places. There were times when I was bored with what I was reading. These sections went on for far too long which is why I ultimately went with the lower rating.
March 20, 2008
okay, i'm going to come clean about a very un-PC trait of mine: i have an aesthetic aversion to native american culture. it just rubs me the wrong way in film, book, what have you. i'm officially sorry. and, officially, i can't help it.
that made this book all the more surprising. this sensitive and absorbing story of a father's death and the impact it has on those close to him is ingeniously told from the point of view of five of the story's characters in separate, discrete sections that move the story along sequentially in spite of the change of narrators.
this is a (mixed) native american family, and their culture is interwoven throughout the story so organically that it becomes an added layer of richness and fascination rather than a self-important focal point. i enjoyed spending time with this family, and witnessing how the world appears differently to different hearts.
that made this book all the more surprising. this sensitive and absorbing story of a father's death and the impact it has on those close to him is ingeniously told from the point of view of five of the story's characters in separate, discrete sections that move the story along sequentially in spite of the change of narrators.
this is a (mixed) native american family, and their culture is interwoven throughout the story so organically that it becomes an added layer of richness and fascination rather than a self-important focal point. i enjoyed spending time with this family, and witnessing how the world appears differently to different hearts.
July 29, 2024
I read this book before reading anything about Jim Harrison and his life— if I I know nothing about an author before starting a book I try to keep it that way. After finishing and reading the foreword of his posthumous poetry collection I learned about his sexual harassment and bullying of so many of the women that he came in contact with. By all accounts he consistently overstepped boundaries and used his accomplishments as an artist to manipulate. And yet Jim Harrison is a good writer. His prose in Returning to Earth bounces effortlessly between academic and lyrical and down-to-earth, his characters rendered thoughtfully. I felt like I was reading the work of someone with empathy and wisdom, which made it all the more shocking to hear that he was in fact a little shitbird
July 25, 2007
This book got a glowing review in the New York Times book review, so I didn't think I could go too far wrong. Once I started it I almost abandoned it, but since it was summer and I had the time, I finished it. I respect this book but I didn't like it. Can't say exactly what was off--it just didn't sing.
April 17, 2009
This is the second story in a two part saga about the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Patterson has a great affection for Native Americans and a clear grasp of the dynamics of well to do dysfunctional families. He intertwines these themes expertly in this work
August 19, 2009
Audio was a little hard to follow, so I got the hard copy to read along. I don't think I would have made it through the hard copy without the audio either, but an interesting book I'm glad to have read.
February 3, 2021
I read this after True North (which I LOVED) having no idea that it would feature some of the characters from TN. This one is more uneven but packed with humor, beauty, and Harrison's knack as a writer of appetites. Maybe not the one to start with but if you love Harrison, you'll enjoy.
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August 31, 2008Author Rick Bass recomended this book as part of the Rocky Mountain Land Library's "A Reading List For the President Elect: A Western Primer for the Next Administration."
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