Forty Crows

by David Stevenson

Eddie McGrath is a reluctant graduate student at loose ends after the nearly simultaneous death of his father and almost certain release from the threat of being drafted to serve in Viet Nam. Having been captivated by the Rivera Murals in his native Detroit he finds himself traveling to Mexico City to research the great muralists and extend his no longer necessary student draft status. Far out of his comfort zone, Eddie is drawn by the inscrutable beauty Ursula into a rag-tag group of would-be student revolutionaries, living in the shadow of the Tlateloco massacre of 1968. Torn between his blue -collared urban midwestern upbringing and the urgent roiling world of Mexico City, Eddie must negotiate both before he can become himself in either.

Praise for the author’s earlier work including Letters from Chamonix, winner of the Banff Mountain Book "Stevenson accomplishes what every narrative writer should aspire to, fiction or making readers forget where they actually are. The written reality overpowers the outside world." ~ Craig Childs, in Cirque

With Letters from Chamonix, Stevenson demonstrates his ability as one of the great prose stylists of modern climbing literature. His words reflect that shift in vision that arrives at the most intense and quiet moments . . . ~ Katie Ives, Alpinist

It’s in these ethereal interstices of the stories that Stevenson explores the heady themes we all experience . . . isolation, solitude, joy, danger, pain, death. ~ Cameron M. Burns in The American Alpine Journal

There are only a handful of writers that exhibit Stevenson's mastery of tenderness with such harsh and heavy subjects. Of those writers, not one of them is as vulnerable or bleeds as much humility. ~ Nicholas Dighiera, www.wordsworthing.com

396 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 24, 2018

About the author

David Stevenson is Professor Emeritus of Scottish History at the University of St Andrews.

Stevenson was born in Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland and studied in Dublin and Glasgow. He was a lecturer (1970-1980), senior lecturer (1980-1984), and reader Scotland, (1984-1990) at the University of Aberdeen. He was Professor of Scottish History at the University St. Andrews, Scotland (1991-1994), and has been honorary professor Scotland, since 1994. He was Chairman of the Company of Scottish History, 1991-1994.

He was a Member of the Scottish Records Advisory Council, Scotland, 1989-1994.

Reviews

[Chris Kalman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book and it's midnight which, if you knew me, would tell you something about how good it was. Read the last 100 pages or so in one unblinking vigil. Guess the story was kind of like a boxing match... maybe something Ali woulda fought... and you're just kind of coasting along, wondering when its gonna happen, and then BOOM! TKO.

Anyway, I've never written a review on this website before, but then again, I've never felt moved to. Not that I haven't read great books. I have. Lots of them. But they are almost all already spoken for and about and available in airports and the like. So what's the point?

I guess the point of this is just to say: YOU, whoever YOU are, however YOU ended up here... this book is for you. Go buy it. You'll be glad you did.

[Shelby Raebeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent novel. Builds steam as it goes. Part intellectual journey, part personal quest, part noir mystery. Stevenson masterfully recreates a Mexico City filled with memorable characters and surprising plot twists, while methodically developing the protagonist's search--for clues as to how he got to where he is, and who he is. This is both an intellectual journey and down-to-earth coming of age story.