Finding Grand

by Tim Holsten, Glenn Jones (Illustrator), Lisa Adlam (Editor)

Observe visitors’ eyes as they pause at the rim of the Grand Canyon and it is obvious they are looking for more than just nature’s awe-inspiring example of patient erosion. They are seeking meaning, hoping to use the big void to fill holes in their own lives, and contemplating what they are truly capable of when something so beautiful can be created out of rock. Locals call this finding grand. In the summer of 1979, the last year of a decade disco-dancing its way from counterculture to conservatism, Kevin and Mae, two adrift youths, meet in the canyon while in search of this meaning. Over three days, they discover the canyon’s danger can exceed its beauty, that love and faith, like rock, are vulnerable to erosion, and that a life spent together might be grand. But, can a three-day romance in the Grand Canyon be deep enough to last a lifetime—or, at least, longer than disco?

242 pages, Paperback

First published August 13, 2015

Reviews

[Nicole Sherman Brewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of Holsten's writing. His stories are funny, entertaining and clever. Finding Grand does not disappoint. It explores love relationships, old and new friendships and how the lives of four people intersect and evolve over the course of a three day trek through the Grand Canyon. It has a bit of the same flavor as that Ethan Hawke flick from 20 years (or so) back, Before Sunrise, where boy meets girl, there's a connection, lots of passion, a lot of baggage and then what? I flew through these pages wanting to know what next? I appreciated the character development in this book and that Holsten didn't make it just an easy love story but something relatable. There were some spots that were a bit corny and somewhat far fetched, but it really gave the book a bit of charm and provided an element of comic relief to the story. All in all, I am rating this as 4 stars because I enjoyed it so much I gobbled it up in a matter of 3 days. Fun read!