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The Lives of Edie Pritchard
From acclaimed novelist Larry Watson, a multigenerational story of the West told through the history of one woman trying to navigate life on her own terms.
Edie—smart, self‑assured, beautiful—always worked hard. She worked as a teller at a bank, she worked to save her first marriage, and later, she worked to raise her daughter even as her second marriage came apart. Really, Edie just wanted a good life, but everywhere she turned, her looks defined her. Two brothers fought over her. Her second husband became unreasonably possessive and jealous. Her daughter resented her. And now, as a grandmother, Edie finds herself harassed by a younger man. It’s been a lifetime of proving that she is allowed to exist in her own sphere. The Lives of Edie Pritchard tells the story of one woman just trying to be herself, even as multiple men attempt to categorize and own her.
Triumphant, engaging, and perceptive, Watson’s novel examines a woman both aware of her physical power and constrained by it, and how perceptions of someone in a small town can shape her life through the decades.
Edie—smart, self‑assured, beautiful—always worked hard. She worked as a teller at a bank, she worked to save her first marriage, and later, she worked to raise her daughter even as her second marriage came apart. Really, Edie just wanted a good life, but everywhere she turned, her looks defined her. Two brothers fought over her. Her second husband became unreasonably possessive and jealous. Her daughter resented her. And now, as a grandmother, Edie finds herself harassed by a younger man. It’s been a lifetime of proving that she is allowed to exist in her own sphere. The Lives of Edie Pritchard tells the story of one woman just trying to be herself, even as multiple men attempt to categorize and own her.
Triumphant, engaging, and perceptive, Watson’s novel examines a woman both aware of her physical power and constrained by it, and how perceptions of someone in a small town can shape her life through the decades.
360 pages, Hardcover
First published July 21, 2020
190 people are currently reading
3541 people want to read
About the author
Larry Watson
32 books445 followersLarry Watson was born in 1947 in Rugby, North Dakota. He grew up in Bismarck, North Dakota, and was educated in its public schools. Larry married his high school sweetheart, Susan Gibbons, in 1967. He received his BA and MA from the University of North Dakota, his Ph.D. from the creative writing program at the University of Utah, and an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Ripon College. Watson has received grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (1987, 2004) and the Wisconsin Arts Board.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
January 8, 2021
The Lives of Edie Pritchard by Larry Watson is a 2020 Algonquin Books publication.
Magnificent character study- great writing!
Montana- 1967
Edie is a beautiful woman, married, but feeling unfulfilled. Her husband is bland, and jealous, but his twin brother, Ray is standing by, hoping for a chance with Edie, himself. Life takes an unusual turn, which gives Edie a nudge, and the perfect opportunity to take her leave.
From there we catch up with Edie at various turning points in her life. In each segment, Edie must make decisions to save herself from the machinations or obsessions of the men in her life- her attractiveness working against her as she struggles to be seen as a person, not an object to owned.
This is a fascinating character study. Edie is a sympathetic character, overall, although she is not perfect. One can feel her palpable feelings of suffocation, and her burning need to live life on her own terms.
She does rise to the occasion, despite the hurdles blocking her path, when necessary, although she is usually forced to unravel a bad situation before any real progress can be made.
The story covers three generations- skipping over decades of Edie’s life at a time, only checking in with her when she faces a hurdle large enough to prompt a complete do-over. In my opinion, there were people who may have been collateral damage in Edie’s pursuit of independence, tragically so, and at other times, Edie was forced to cut her losses.
What stands out, is the sparse prose and the moody atmosphere, which is quite effective. I was riveted to the pages, deeply involved in Edie’s world.
I can’t say this is the type of novel I’m normally drawn to, or that I got from it everything the author intended. The last portion of the book is slightly melancholy, and maybe a little contrived, too. Yet, it is Edie’s strength and resilience that makes the story a triumph.
Because I am still pondering Edie’s choices, and the events that spurred them, I would say the novel did what it set out to do. This is, to my knowledge, my first book by this author. I'm very keen to read more of his work.
4 stars
Magnificent character study- great writing!
Montana- 1967
Edie is a beautiful woman, married, but feeling unfulfilled. Her husband is bland, and jealous, but his twin brother, Ray is standing by, hoping for a chance with Edie, himself. Life takes an unusual turn, which gives Edie a nudge, and the perfect opportunity to take her leave.
From there we catch up with Edie at various turning points in her life. In each segment, Edie must make decisions to save herself from the machinations or obsessions of the men in her life- her attractiveness working against her as she struggles to be seen as a person, not an object to owned.
This is a fascinating character study. Edie is a sympathetic character, overall, although she is not perfect. One can feel her palpable feelings of suffocation, and her burning need to live life on her own terms.
She does rise to the occasion, despite the hurdles blocking her path, when necessary, although she is usually forced to unravel a bad situation before any real progress can be made.
The story covers three generations- skipping over decades of Edie’s life at a time, only checking in with her when she faces a hurdle large enough to prompt a complete do-over. In my opinion, there were people who may have been collateral damage in Edie’s pursuit of independence, tragically so, and at other times, Edie was forced to cut her losses.
What stands out, is the sparse prose and the moody atmosphere, which is quite effective. I was riveted to the pages, deeply involved in Edie’s world.
I can’t say this is the type of novel I’m normally drawn to, or that I got from it everything the author intended. The last portion of the book is slightly melancholy, and maybe a little contrived, too. Yet, it is Edie’s strength and resilience that makes the story a triumph.
Because I am still pondering Edie’s choices, and the events that spurred them, I would say the novel did what it set out to do. This is, to my knowledge, my first book by this author. I'm very keen to read more of his work.
4 stars
March 28, 2020
"I mean, all of us are someone else in the eyes of others. And for all I know, maybe that other is as true, as real, as the person we believe we are."
Meet Edie, a young woman who married Dean, one of a set of fraternal twins. Problem is his brother, his twin also has feelings for Edie and is not too subtle in his interactions with his brother's wife. This effects all three of them in not so healthy a way.
We next meet Edie twenty years later and in a different place, in a different situation. Edie is still searching for her true self, her own life.
The last section shows an Edie that has accomplished much, has finally found her own personal space and a measure of peace. But as always in life, fate throws us a curve and how we meet the challenge can define the person we think we have become.
Watson has such a insight into families, mothers, daughters and their sometimes contentious relationship. As hard as we try we cannot always keep those we love from making the same mistakes we did.
Unresolved feelings and the face we show the world can sometimes define who we are, how we act.
This is such a relateable story and I'm betting many readers will see parts of themselves in Edie. I did.
ARC from Netgalley.
Meet Edie, a young woman who married Dean, one of a set of fraternal twins. Problem is his brother, his twin also has feelings for Edie and is not too subtle in his interactions with his brother's wife. This effects all three of them in not so healthy a way.
We next meet Edie twenty years later and in a different place, in a different situation. Edie is still searching for her true self, her own life.
The last section shows an Edie that has accomplished much, has finally found her own personal space and a measure of peace. But as always in life, fate throws us a curve and how we meet the challenge can define the person we think we have become.
Watson has such a insight into families, mothers, daughters and their sometimes contentious relationship. As hard as we try we cannot always keep those we love from making the same mistakes we did.
Unresolved feelings and the face we show the world can sometimes define who we are, how we act.
This is such a relateable story and I'm betting many readers will see parts of themselves in Edie. I did.
ARC from Netgalley.
July 22, 2020
The Lives of Edie Pritchard is the story of a strong independent Montana woman. She is beautiful but refuses to let this define her. The book is divided into three parts: Edie is first a wife and a bank teller, later a mom and wife again, and eventually, a grandmother.
I liked all three timelines, the first which did a great job of introducing Edie and the Linderman brothers, one of whom was her husband, Dean, the other, his twin, Roy. I appreciated seeing Edie grow as a person over time and enjoyed her interactions with her granddaughter, Lauren.
The characters are well-written as are the family dynamics, small town vibes, and other relationships in this multigenerational story. The vivid descriptions of western life in Montana were also fitting. The Lives of Edie Pritchard is my first Larry Watson book and it won’t be my last!
Thank you to Algonquin Books for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
I liked all three timelines, the first which did a great job of introducing Edie and the Linderman brothers, one of whom was her husband, Dean, the other, his twin, Roy. I appreciated seeing Edie grow as a person over time and enjoyed her interactions with her granddaughter, Lauren.
The characters are well-written as are the family dynamics, small town vibes, and other relationships in this multigenerational story. The vivid descriptions of western life in Montana were also fitting. The Lives of Edie Pritchard is my first Larry Watson book and it won’t be my last!
Thank you to Algonquin Books for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 21, 2020
!! NOW AVAILABLE !!
4.5 Stars
’It might not seem like much, this country. A few bare hills, each seeming to rise out of the shadow of the one behind it. Miles of empty prairie, and all of it, hill and plain, the color of paper left out in the sun. You might be out here alone someday with what you thought would be your life. And a gust of wind might blow your heart open like a screen door. And slam it just as fast.’
This story begins in the late 1960’s, in an ordinary small town in Montana, a woman, Edie, riding as a passenger in a car driven by her brother-in-law, Roy Linderman, who is the twin brother to Edie’s husband, Dean. They’re on their way to bid on a 1951 GMC half ton that’s up for auction, with Edie along so she can drive Roy’s Chevy Impala back home. In the meantime, Roy spends the time making comments about how she looks, or the miniskirts she wears to her job as a bank teller, knowing how uncomfortable it will make her. She knows he has feelings for her, as well as Dean does, and while neither one welcomes it, Dean – most of the time – acts like he is oblivious.
Edie is beautiful, which is all that most people seem to see, but she’s also smart, not afraid of hard work, and confident of her abilities. She wants nothing more than a good life, a life where she is appreciated for who she is and her contributions more than how she looks. But the thing about living in a small town is perceptions and attitudes, once formed, are hard to change, until pretty soon you feel unseen and unknown and it feels like nothing you can say or do will change that.
The second part of this story takes place in the late 1980’s, Edie and Dean divorced years ago, she’s remarried, her husband’s name is Gary and they have a teenage daughter, Jennifer. When Edie gets a phone call from Roy telling her that Dean asked him to call her, that Dean wants to see her one more time, and for him, time is fleeting. As the third part begins, it’s 2007, and Edie is in her mid-60’s, a grandmother, living in an apartment on her own until her granddaughter arrives, having recently graduated High School, along with her boyfriend and his brother.
Mothers and daughters, the battles and quarrels between them during those years of seeking independence, to be seen as a complete person on your own, to never being seen for who you truly are – but a culmination of all of the mistakes made, the mothers dreams for their daughters unfulfilled. The people who have known you since childhood, also never truly seeing you for who you really are. And in this story, maybe also in life, that is especially true, with some men only seeing what they want to see and creating their own story based on who they want you to be.
Pub Date: 21 July 2020
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Algonquin Books #TheLivesofEdiePritchard #NetGalley
4.5 Stars
’It might not seem like much, this country. A few bare hills, each seeming to rise out of the shadow of the one behind it. Miles of empty prairie, and all of it, hill and plain, the color of paper left out in the sun. You might be out here alone someday with what you thought would be your life. And a gust of wind might blow your heart open like a screen door. And slam it just as fast.’
This story begins in the late 1960’s, in an ordinary small town in Montana, a woman, Edie, riding as a passenger in a car driven by her brother-in-law, Roy Linderman, who is the twin brother to Edie’s husband, Dean. They’re on their way to bid on a 1951 GMC half ton that’s up for auction, with Edie along so she can drive Roy’s Chevy Impala back home. In the meantime, Roy spends the time making comments about how she looks, or the miniskirts she wears to her job as a bank teller, knowing how uncomfortable it will make her. She knows he has feelings for her, as well as Dean does, and while neither one welcomes it, Dean – most of the time – acts like he is oblivious.
Edie is beautiful, which is all that most people seem to see, but she’s also smart, not afraid of hard work, and confident of her abilities. She wants nothing more than a good life, a life where she is appreciated for who she is and her contributions more than how she looks. But the thing about living in a small town is perceptions and attitudes, once formed, are hard to change, until pretty soon you feel unseen and unknown and it feels like nothing you can say or do will change that.
The second part of this story takes place in the late 1980’s, Edie and Dean divorced years ago, she’s remarried, her husband’s name is Gary and they have a teenage daughter, Jennifer. When Edie gets a phone call from Roy telling her that Dean asked him to call her, that Dean wants to see her one more time, and for him, time is fleeting. As the third part begins, it’s 2007, and Edie is in her mid-60’s, a grandmother, living in an apartment on her own until her granddaughter arrives, having recently graduated High School, along with her boyfriend and his brother.
Mothers and daughters, the battles and quarrels between them during those years of seeking independence, to be seen as a complete person on your own, to never being seen for who you truly are – but a culmination of all of the mistakes made, the mothers dreams for their daughters unfulfilled. The people who have known you since childhood, also never truly seeing you for who you really are. And in this story, maybe also in life, that is especially true, with some men only seeing what they want to see and creating their own story based on who they want you to be.
Pub Date: 21 July 2020
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Algonquin Books #TheLivesofEdiePritchard #NetGalley
August 30, 2020
Edie wants what all of us want; to be left alone to live her best life surrounded by the people she loves. The problem with that is that other people want her to live their own version of who they think she is. Especially the men in her life. She's blessed/cursed with good looks and a a good body. She's also willing to take extreme measures to get what she needs and has the courage to make a decision and follow through. That's what ultimately makes the men in her life unhappy. She refuses to be controlled.
This novel is divided into three sections. Edie's youth and first marriage, middle age and second marriage, which also included motherhood, and as a 64 year old grandmother. Relationships change, sour, continue over the years, become stronger or disappear entirely, but through it all Edie does her best to hold on to her true self.
Larry Watson can certainly tell a story, and knows all about the messiness of life. His portrayal of teenagers, girls and boys, must mean that he has a first hand knowledge of how difficult and frustrating they can be to deal with.
I've only read two of his other books so far, Montana, 1948 ( which is briefly referenced in this one) and Justice. He certainly knows and loves small town Montana, but this was a bit different from those two. Writing from a woman's viewpoint is a big challenge for a male author, but Larry Watson has done an admirable job of that. Like I said, he knows how to tell a story.
This novel is divided into three sections. Edie's youth and first marriage, middle age and second marriage, which also included motherhood, and as a 64 year old grandmother. Relationships change, sour, continue over the years, become stronger or disappear entirely, but through it all Edie does her best to hold on to her true self.
Larry Watson can certainly tell a story, and knows all about the messiness of life. His portrayal of teenagers, girls and boys, must mean that he has a first hand knowledge of how difficult and frustrating they can be to deal with.
I've only read two of his other books so far, Montana, 1948 ( which is briefly referenced in this one) and Justice. He certainly knows and loves small town Montana, but this was a bit different from those two. Writing from a woman's viewpoint is a big challenge for a male author, but Larry Watson has done an admirable job of that. Like I said, he knows how to tell a story.
September 29, 2020
4.5 Stars rounded to 5
June 27, 2020
One fact is beyond dispute: Larry Watson is a born storyteller. For readers like me who have read just about everything he’s ever written, the publication of a new book is a thing of joy.
Why? Let me count the ways. His dialogue is pitch-perfect: there is not one inauthentic note or one word out of place. His characters leap off the page. His ability to create and hold tension is just about unsurpassed. And there’s always a plainspoken quality that manages to reveal simple truths without a lot of unnecessary pyrotechnics.
In The Lives of Edie Pritchard, he provides one more reason to love his writing: he is that rare male author who can truly get inside the head of a female main character. Edie Pritchard is that character and we meet her at three crucial phases of her life: as Edie Linderman, a 20-something wife of Dean, whose twin brother Roy possesses a deep and unholy attraction to her.
We catch up with her 20 years later when she has left that marriage and become Edie Dunn, married to a possessive and jealous husband and the mother of a teenage girl. Again, 20 years after that, we cross her path when she is single and has reclaimed her birth name—Edie Pritchard—and in some ways, is watching history repeat itself.
From the start, Edie is defined as a beautiful woman who unwittingly (and sometimes willingly) attracts men like a magnet. But at what price? At one point, she confides, “…it just seems like every time I run into someone who knew me then, I feel like a part of me vanishes….I mean, all of us are someone else in the eyes of others. And for all I know, maybe that other is as true, as real, as the person we believe we are. But the thing is, when you’re back home, you never have a chance to be someone other than who you were then. Even if you never were that person.”
So at the end of the day, this book is about understanding and reclaiming who you are without allowing yourself to be shaped or defined by others. But along the way, Larry Watson grips the readers with his storytelling skills that keep us eagerly turning pages. I loved this book and as soon as I knew it was coming out, I had to be an early reader. Thank you to Algonquin Publishers for making that wish come true in exchange for an honest review.
Why? Let me count the ways. His dialogue is pitch-perfect: there is not one inauthentic note or one word out of place. His characters leap off the page. His ability to create and hold tension is just about unsurpassed. And there’s always a plainspoken quality that manages to reveal simple truths without a lot of unnecessary pyrotechnics.
In The Lives of Edie Pritchard, he provides one more reason to love his writing: he is that rare male author who can truly get inside the head of a female main character. Edie Pritchard is that character and we meet her at three crucial phases of her life: as Edie Linderman, a 20-something wife of Dean, whose twin brother Roy possesses a deep and unholy attraction to her.
We catch up with her 20 years later when she has left that marriage and become Edie Dunn, married to a possessive and jealous husband and the mother of a teenage girl. Again, 20 years after that, we cross her path when she is single and has reclaimed her birth name—Edie Pritchard—and in some ways, is watching history repeat itself.
From the start, Edie is defined as a beautiful woman who unwittingly (and sometimes willingly) attracts men like a magnet. But at what price? At one point, she confides, “…it just seems like every time I run into someone who knew me then, I feel like a part of me vanishes….I mean, all of us are someone else in the eyes of others. And for all I know, maybe that other is as true, as real, as the person we believe we are. But the thing is, when you’re back home, you never have a chance to be someone other than who you were then. Even if you never were that person.”
So at the end of the day, this book is about understanding and reclaiming who you are without allowing yourself to be shaped or defined by others. But along the way, Larry Watson grips the readers with his storytelling skills that keep us eagerly turning pages. I loved this book and as soon as I knew it was coming out, I had to be an early reader. Thank you to Algonquin Publishers for making that wish come true in exchange for an honest review.
August 24, 2020
An interesting character study with the beautiful Edna Pritchard front and center. Someone who lives in a small town all her life yet it seems no one really knows what she is like, only what she looks like.
"[The point is] that when she remembers me she doesn't remember me. I mean all of us are someone else in the eyes of others. And for all I know, maybe that other is as true, as real, as the person we believe we are. But the thing is, when you're back home you never have a chance to be someone other than who you were then. Even if you never were that person."*
We get to know her at age 24, married to Dean Linderman, supposedly happily, but not enough to stay with him. Part of the problem is that Dean's twin, Roy, has a thing for Edna and he's not shy about letting her know.
Next she is 44 and unhappily married to Gary Dunn and, again, she takes a road trip, this time with her 18 year old daughter. Finally in 2007, at age 64, it is her granddaughter visiting her with two teenage boys who definitely appear to be up to no good. Roy makes another appearance and his feelings for Edna haven't changed.
I think most everyone will find something to like about Edna. Many will identify with how the male/female relationship hasn't evolved much over these decades. For me, Gloria Gaynor's song "I Will Survive" kept running through my head, as Edie was nothing if not a survivor.
Thank you to LibraryThing and Algonquin Books for an ARC copy. 4.25 stars
*Quotation may be changed in final publication.
"[The point is] that when she remembers me she doesn't remember me. I mean all of us are someone else in the eyes of others. And for all I know, maybe that other is as true, as real, as the person we believe we are. But the thing is, when you're back home you never have a chance to be someone other than who you were then. Even if you never were that person."*
We get to know her at age 24, married to Dean Linderman, supposedly happily, but not enough to stay with him. Part of the problem is that Dean's twin, Roy, has a thing for Edna and he's not shy about letting her know.
Next she is 44 and unhappily married to Gary Dunn and, again, she takes a road trip, this time with her 18 year old daughter. Finally in 2007, at age 64, it is her granddaughter visiting her with two teenage boys who definitely appear to be up to no good. Roy makes another appearance and his feelings for Edna haven't changed.
I think most everyone will find something to like about Edna. Many will identify with how the male/female relationship hasn't evolved much over these decades. For me, Gloria Gaynor's song "I Will Survive" kept running through my head, as Edie was nothing if not a survivor.
Thank you to LibraryThing and Algonquin Books for an ARC copy. 4.25 stars
*Quotation may be changed in final publication.
July 18, 2020
Edie Pritchard is meant to be a character that people will invest in. Each section of the book follows a different portion of her adult life living in Montana. We’re meant to identify with Edie’s struggles in each of her complicated marriages with even more complicated men. The reader is supposed to envision Edie’s incredible beauty (which is mentioned in nearly every single interaction she has with someone in the book) and want to discover more about her. However, nearly everything about this character rang false to me. It’s fine when I don’t agree with a character’s choices – as long as it sounds realistically like something the character would do, the author has achieved his or her goal. But pretty much every decision Edie makes in the novel feels confusing and pointless.
I have to say that it felt really clear to me that Edie was a character written by a man. Normally, I’m not someone who puts a lot of stock into who the author is when I’m reading a book. But it seemed so evident to me that she was the embodiment of how men think about women (irrational, unable to make sound decisions, never satisfied, and only valued because of her looks) rather than how multifaceted women really are. Because of this falseness, I felt so detached from the whole book and in anything that was happening with Edie.
The novel doesn’t have a lot in terms of plot points, but when it does, these parts of the story feel unrealistic and frustrating. One major relationship in the book is Edie’s connection to her first husband’s twin brother, Roy Linderman. Their interactions are supposed to be filled with chemistry, but I just couldn’t figure out why either of them cared about the other one at all (especially as decades passed). There were several moments in the story where I was sure there would be some high-charged action – but these never developed into anything that made me want to anxiously keep reading. Also, Watson decided to include perspectives from other characters throughout the book – this just continued to distract me and made me think that if the character of Edie was strong enough, he wouldn’t have needed to include irrelevant side stories at all.
And then we come to the ending of the story. There’s absolutely no resolution, leaving the ending of the book as maddening as the character of Edie herself. Overall, Watson does have a beautiful way with words when he’s describing the Montana scenery. But this wasn’t enough for me to feel like I would recommend this to anyone else or read another of his novels in the future.
*Free ARC provided by Algonquin Books in exchange for an honest review*
I have to say that it felt really clear to me that Edie was a character written by a man. Normally, I’m not someone who puts a lot of stock into who the author is when I’m reading a book. But it seemed so evident to me that she was the embodiment of how men think about women (irrational, unable to make sound decisions, never satisfied, and only valued because of her looks) rather than how multifaceted women really are. Because of this falseness, I felt so detached from the whole book and in anything that was happening with Edie.
The novel doesn’t have a lot in terms of plot points, but when it does, these parts of the story feel unrealistic and frustrating. One major relationship in the book is Edie’s connection to her first husband’s twin brother, Roy Linderman. Their interactions are supposed to be filled with chemistry, but I just couldn’t figure out why either of them cared about the other one at all (especially as decades passed). There were several moments in the story where I was sure there would be some high-charged action – but these never developed into anything that made me want to anxiously keep reading. Also, Watson decided to include perspectives from other characters throughout the book – this just continued to distract me and made me think that if the character of Edie was strong enough, he wouldn’t have needed to include irrelevant side stories at all.
And then we come to the ending of the story. There’s absolutely no resolution, leaving the ending of the book as maddening as the character of Edie herself. Overall, Watson does have a beautiful way with words when he’s describing the Montana scenery. But this wasn’t enough for me to feel like I would recommend this to anyone else or read another of his novels in the future.
*Free ARC provided by Algonquin Books in exchange for an honest review*
July 30, 2020
“I don’t want a new identity. I want to figure out the old one.”
As the lyric from the regrettable Charlene song from the late 1970s goes, Edie Pritchard has “never been to me.” Unlike the character in that song, however, Edie hasn’t been undressed by kings or sipped champagne on a yacht, and she’s certainly never moved like Harlow in Monte Carlo. In fact, Edie has rarely left eastern Montana in her 64 years of life. But still, her identity and choices have been defined and circumscribed by the men in her life.
Larry Watson gives us three of Edie’s lives: at ages 24, 44, and 64. Edie has seen herself through the eyes of men all her life, and she’s always struggled to understand herself, to be herself. At one point, Edie recounts watching home movies with her husband and daughter and when she walks in front of the projector the scenes of her life are literally played out on her body as screen. “It was what people -- men especially -- had been doing all my life. They’d seen what they projected on me. And now when I look at myself I wonder if that’s what I’m doing too -- just seeing someone else’s movie.”
Edie grows wiser and more contemplative over the years, but at 64 she’s still struggling to come to terms with who she is and what she wants from life. As much as she wants to put her past lives behind her, it isn’t so easy. “Why is it I keep remembering what I’d just as soon forget?”
There’s an old joke that goes something like this:
Q: Why is Missoula the best place on earth?
A: Because you only have to drive 10 miles in any direction to get to Montana.
I love the forested, hip, college-town vibe of Missoula, but there’s truth in the joke. Edie’s life unfolds in the other Montana: the arid, hardscrabble, rural, eastern part of the state. It seems a world away from Missoula and, well, from anywhere. It’s a vast and mostly empty landscape. It’s a tough place populated by tough people, and Watson nails it.
Watson’s sense of place and geography is terrific. “Any low hill they climb affords a view so far into the distance it seems as though reaching any destination is now possible. Yet after an hour of unvarying miles, nothing seems closer. To drive this road is to feel that humans are meant to travel yet never arrive.” The landscape is almost a character itself, defining the lives of the people who carve out lives there.
Watson also gets the claustrophobic tightness of small-town life just right. He knows this world. Everyone is in everyone’s business, there’s no place to hide, and it’s hard to escape. When Edie returns at age 44 to the town she grew up in but left for years, she asks an old friend who never left their home town: “How can you stand it? To be remembered for who you were in the fourth grade.”
With Edie, Watson has to work a delicate balancing act. If none of the other characters really “gets” Edie for who she truly is, and if Edie is a mystery even to herself, it’s a tricky thing for Watson to make us believe in her as a fully fleshed-out character. We never get much of Edie’s interior life, and she always remains a bit of a cipher to us. But mostly I think Watson pulls it off, and I couldn’t help liking Edie. She’s courageous and vulnerable, and she just gets on with it, one way or another.
Some of the other characters and storylines weren’t entirely successful. Edie’s relationship with her brother-in-law Roy over the course of the book was not entirely believable to me, and frequently downright irritating. Plot developments felt contrived in the last third of the book, which was my least favorite section.
On balance, THE LIVES OF EDIE PRITCHARD is honest, enjoyable fiction. I like Watson’s direct prose style and his wry sense of humor. It’s a generous and warm-hearted novel, and it’s clear how much affection he has for these people and this place. Let's call it 3.5 stars, rounded up.
I hadn’t read Watson since two of his early novels -- MONTANA 1948 and JUSTICE -- more than 25 years ago. I’m glad to have picked up his trail again after all these years and to return to his Montana with him.
(Thanks to Algonquin Books for an advance copy and the opportunity to participate in the book’s blog tour.)
As the lyric from the regrettable Charlene song from the late 1970s goes, Edie Pritchard has “never been to me.” Unlike the character in that song, however, Edie hasn’t been undressed by kings or sipped champagne on a yacht, and she’s certainly never moved like Harlow in Monte Carlo. In fact, Edie has rarely left eastern Montana in her 64 years of life. But still, her identity and choices have been defined and circumscribed by the men in her life.
Larry Watson gives us three of Edie’s lives: at ages 24, 44, and 64. Edie has seen herself through the eyes of men all her life, and she’s always struggled to understand herself, to be herself. At one point, Edie recounts watching home movies with her husband and daughter and when she walks in front of the projector the scenes of her life are literally played out on her body as screen. “It was what people -- men especially -- had been doing all my life. They’d seen what they projected on me. And now when I look at myself I wonder if that’s what I’m doing too -- just seeing someone else’s movie.”
Edie grows wiser and more contemplative over the years, but at 64 she’s still struggling to come to terms with who she is and what she wants from life. As much as she wants to put her past lives behind her, it isn’t so easy. “Why is it I keep remembering what I’d just as soon forget?”
There’s an old joke that goes something like this:
Q: Why is Missoula the best place on earth?
A: Because you only have to drive 10 miles in any direction to get to Montana.
I love the forested, hip, college-town vibe of Missoula, but there’s truth in the joke. Edie’s life unfolds in the other Montana: the arid, hardscrabble, rural, eastern part of the state. It seems a world away from Missoula and, well, from anywhere. It’s a vast and mostly empty landscape. It’s a tough place populated by tough people, and Watson nails it.
Watson’s sense of place and geography is terrific. “Any low hill they climb affords a view so far into the distance it seems as though reaching any destination is now possible. Yet after an hour of unvarying miles, nothing seems closer. To drive this road is to feel that humans are meant to travel yet never arrive.” The landscape is almost a character itself, defining the lives of the people who carve out lives there.
Watson also gets the claustrophobic tightness of small-town life just right. He knows this world. Everyone is in everyone’s business, there’s no place to hide, and it’s hard to escape. When Edie returns at age 44 to the town she grew up in but left for years, she asks an old friend who never left their home town: “How can you stand it? To be remembered for who you were in the fourth grade.”
With Edie, Watson has to work a delicate balancing act. If none of the other characters really “gets” Edie for who she truly is, and if Edie is a mystery even to herself, it’s a tricky thing for Watson to make us believe in her as a fully fleshed-out character. We never get much of Edie’s interior life, and she always remains a bit of a cipher to us. But mostly I think Watson pulls it off, and I couldn’t help liking Edie. She’s courageous and vulnerable, and she just gets on with it, one way or another.
Some of the other characters and storylines weren’t entirely successful. Edie’s relationship with her brother-in-law Roy over the course of the book was not entirely believable to me, and frequently downright irritating. Plot developments felt contrived in the last third of the book, which was my least favorite section.
On balance, THE LIVES OF EDIE PRITCHARD is honest, enjoyable fiction. I like Watson’s direct prose style and his wry sense of humor. It’s a generous and warm-hearted novel, and it’s clear how much affection he has for these people and this place. Let's call it 3.5 stars, rounded up.
I hadn’t read Watson since two of his early novels -- MONTANA 1948 and JUSTICE -- more than 25 years ago. I’m glad to have picked up his trail again after all these years and to return to his Montana with him.
(Thanks to Algonquin Books for an advance copy and the opportunity to participate in the book’s blog tour.)
July 25, 2020
3.5 stars
The Lives of Edie Pritchard follows our heroine through three major periods of her life: during her twenties while she is married to her high school sweetheart, in the midst of her forties as she contemplates leaving her second marriage, and in her senior years as she tries to impart her wisdom to her granddaughter. Edie is an indelible character at any age and over the course of her lifetime we see how she holds onto her sense of self despite what others try to project on to her.
When I picked up this book I was curious how a man would handle the headspace of a woman. Would he understand the nuances of a woman navigating her way through a male dominated society? Would the novel address feminine sentiment in a way that was respectful and honest and true? Does Larry Watson get "it"? Although I do not think he entirely gets us, I did not find myself offended. Perhaps because I expected the book to be through a male lens, I was grateful that he showed her development over time. Watson's writing is simply stated; cognizant of this woman's singularity and sense of purpose.
One scene that really made an impression on me was where Edie is talking to Lauren and Roy about how girls in middle school perceive themselves and how their self esteem goes down just about the same time they start getting attention from boys. She asks them why they think this is the case and finally Roy has to admit that "It must be something about the way we look at you."
This scene takes place when Edie is in her sixties and has come full circle. She has come to accept that people may have their own perceptions of you, that this sense of identity may be caused by false memory or long held views of what they think you should represent. But she is no longer bound to what other people need or want her to be.
When she was in her twenties an offhand comment from a little girl would have prompted her to examine her features and double check that she is not wearing too much makeup and contemplating her hairstyle. A plea to help make a car sale might have her unbuttoning her blouse. In each of these cases she self corrects, disgusted with herself for allowing others to impose their views on her.
By the time she reaches her forties she knows that with her beauty comes expectations from men -- including her husband. Even though she wants change in her life, she does not want to forsake her identity to get it.
As a mature woman she is not only self aware, but she also has come to realize that we cannot control what others think of us:
Like Watson's other novels The Lives of Edie Pritchard is reminiscent of place. Small town Americana comes alive in the form of Gladstone, Montana and is its own character in the book.
Special thanks to Sara Winston from Algonquin Books for bringing this book to my attention.
The Lives of Edie Pritchard follows our heroine through three major periods of her life: during her twenties while she is married to her high school sweetheart, in the midst of her forties as she contemplates leaving her second marriage, and in her senior years as she tries to impart her wisdom to her granddaughter. Edie is an indelible character at any age and over the course of her lifetime we see how she holds onto her sense of self despite what others try to project on to her.
When I picked up this book I was curious how a man would handle the headspace of a woman. Would he understand the nuances of a woman navigating her way through a male dominated society? Would the novel address feminine sentiment in a way that was respectful and honest and true? Does Larry Watson get "it"? Although I do not think he entirely gets us, I did not find myself offended. Perhaps because I expected the book to be through a male lens, I was grateful that he showed her development over time. Watson's writing is simply stated; cognizant of this woman's singularity and sense of purpose.
One scene that really made an impression on me was where Edie is talking to Lauren and Roy about how girls in middle school perceive themselves and how their self esteem goes down just about the same time they start getting attention from boys. She asks them why they think this is the case and finally Roy has to admit that "It must be something about the way we look at you."
This scene takes place when Edie is in her sixties and has come full circle. She has come to accept that people may have their own perceptions of you, that this sense of identity may be caused by false memory or long held views of what they think you should represent. But she is no longer bound to what other people need or want her to be.
When she was in her twenties an offhand comment from a little girl would have prompted her to examine her features and double check that she is not wearing too much makeup and contemplating her hairstyle. A plea to help make a car sale might have her unbuttoning her blouse. In each of these cases she self corrects, disgusted with herself for allowing others to impose their views on her.
By the time she reaches her forties she knows that with her beauty comes expectations from men -- including her husband. Even though she wants change in her life, she does not want to forsake her identity to get it.
As a mature woman she is not only self aware, but she also has come to realize that we cannot control what others think of us:
"All of us are someone else in the eyes of others. And for all I know, maybe that other is as true, as real, as the person we believe we are. But the thing is, when you're back home, you never have a chance to be someone other than who you were then. Even if you never were that person."
Like Watson's other novels The Lives of Edie Pritchard is reminiscent of place. Small town Americana comes alive in the form of Gladstone, Montana and is its own character in the book.
"It might not seem like much, this country. A few bare hills, each seeming to rise out of the shadow of the one behind it. Miles of empty prairie, and all of it, hill and plain, the color of paper left out in the sun. You might be out here alone someday with what you thought would be your life. And a gust of wind might blow your heart open like a screen door. And slam it just as fast."
Special thanks to Sara Winston from Algonquin Books for bringing this book to my attention.
March 15, 2023
I had twin uncles. They were identical in appearance. One joined the navy. The other worked in an auto factory and built a cabin. When one died, his twin divorced his wife and married his brother's widow.
It was more complicated than that, of course. But the gist of their story was that, in the end, they both loved the same woman.
In The Lives of Edie Pritchard by Larry Watson, Edie is loved by twin brothers. Her story is revealed through three road trips across Montana.
She leaves home to become her own person; then returns home to confront her past escape her present; and last of all, she goes on a quest to save her granddaughter.
Dean Linderman was unsure that Edie had meant to marry him and not his twin brother Roy. Roy was the hunk, the chick magnet. Dean was quiet, introspective. Why would the most beautiful girl in town choose to marry him when she could have had his brother?
Dean was jealous but passive, even knowing that Roy still carried a torch for his wife. Edie pleaded to move away, hoping to separate the brothers to save her marriage. They needed a fresh start.
Dean assumes that Edie wants to move so she won't fall into bed with Roy. No, Edie replies, "What I'm afraid of is that you'll end up with him."
Edie Pritchard did not ask for the attention of men. She resented their unwanted attentions. Her first marriage ends because Dean's repressed jealousy came between their love. Her second marriage ended because Gary didn't truly love her; he only wanted to possess her.
She's done with complications. She's done with men, including the nice guy who stalks her at work, and especially the younger men who come on to her. It seems that no sees or care about who she is, just their projections they create based on her beauty. No one ever asked Edie what she wanted.
Edie knows she failed as a mom to her and Gary's daughter, Jennifer. Jennifer's teenage daughter Lauren shows up with her boyfriend Billy and his best friend Jessie, escaping her unhappy home. Jessie is deeply insinuated into Lauren's relationship with Billy. No one understands better than Edie that when a couple is a threesome, there is trouble ahead. And Jessie is trouble. One more complication has entered Edie's life.
Lauren moves on with the men, later sending a cry for help. Roy shows up to help Edie rescue Lauren, still insisting it was always and only her that he loved.
In a climatic scene, Edie makes a dramatic stand, hoping to save her granddaughter from the men who would use her.
Watson's book explores the boxes men put women into, the compromises women make, and what it takes for a woman to live authentically. Easy to read, with detailed descriptions of the past and the landscape and great characterizations, I loved this story of Edie Pritchard and her individuation quest for self-realization.
I received a free ebook from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
It was more complicated than that, of course. But the gist of their story was that, in the end, they both loved the same woman.
In The Lives of Edie Pritchard by Larry Watson, Edie is loved by twin brothers. Her story is revealed through three road trips across Montana.
She leaves home to become her own person; then returns home to confront her past escape her present; and last of all, she goes on a quest to save her granddaughter.
Dean Linderman was unsure that Edie had meant to marry him and not his twin brother Roy. Roy was the hunk, the chick magnet. Dean was quiet, introspective. Why would the most beautiful girl in town choose to marry him when she could have had his brother?
Dean was jealous but passive, even knowing that Roy still carried a torch for his wife. Edie pleaded to move away, hoping to separate the brothers to save her marriage. They needed a fresh start.
Dean assumes that Edie wants to move so she won't fall into bed with Roy. No, Edie replies, "What I'm afraid of is that you'll end up with him."
Edie Pritchard did not ask for the attention of men. She resented their unwanted attentions. Her first marriage ends because Dean's repressed jealousy came between their love. Her second marriage ended because Gary didn't truly love her; he only wanted to possess her.
She's done with complications. She's done with men, including the nice guy who stalks her at work, and especially the younger men who come on to her. It seems that no sees or care about who she is, just their projections they create based on her beauty. No one ever asked Edie what she wanted.
Edie knows she failed as a mom to her and Gary's daughter, Jennifer. Jennifer's teenage daughter Lauren shows up with her boyfriend Billy and his best friend Jessie, escaping her unhappy home. Jessie is deeply insinuated into Lauren's relationship with Billy. No one understands better than Edie that when a couple is a threesome, there is trouble ahead. And Jessie is trouble. One more complication has entered Edie's life.
Lauren moves on with the men, later sending a cry for help. Roy shows up to help Edie rescue Lauren, still insisting it was always and only her that he loved.
In a climatic scene, Edie makes a dramatic stand, hoping to save her granddaughter from the men who would use her.
Watson's book explores the boxes men put women into, the compromises women make, and what it takes for a woman to live authentically. Easy to read, with detailed descriptions of the past and the landscape and great characterizations, I loved this story of Edie Pritchard and her individuation quest for self-realization.
I received a free ebook from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
July 21, 2020
Four stars plus. It’s not often that a male writer gets it the way that Larry Watson does. My thanks go to Net Galley and Algonquin for the invitation to read and review as well as the gorgeous hardcover copy. This book will be available to the public tomorrow, July 21, 2020.
Edie’s story is divided into three periods. When we first meet her, she is a young adult, married to Dean. Twenty years later, we find her in a different marriage. The last third finds her a senior citizen. When I saw how the first and second parts were structured, I thought I spotted a formula and that I knew more or less what the last third would look like. I’m delighted to say I was incorrect.
The style in which it’s written is unusual. There’s almost no inner monologue; everything is either action or dialogue. There’s no shifting point of view, either. It’s straight forward and linear. The author takes his time establishing character and setting, and so for a long time, there’s no noticeable plot curve. At about the point where I begin to be nervous, that perhaps I’ve agreed to read and review a book that isn’t very good, it wakes up. I’m not generally a fan of spare prose writing, but this is different.
Edie has married Dean Linderman, whom she dated in high school. He’s a nice guy, but his twin brother Roy is a player. Where Dean is introverted and reflective, Roy is extroverted and aggressive; and one of the ways Roy shows aggression is in trying to seduce his brother’s wife. It never stops. Every single time they are alone together, even for a few minutes, he starts in on her. And every stinking time, she tells him no. Stop it, Roy, I am married to your brother. I love Dean, not you. But getting the guy out of her hair is like trying to herd mosquitoes. And yet, a couple of times I see Edie do or say something that, while not openly encouraging, sends mixed signals, and I think, Aha. Maybe that’s why Roy keeps trying.
Watson uses nuance and subtlety in a way not many authors do. It makes Edie come alive, because I don’t know what she’s thinking, and Watson isn’t going to take it apart in front of me. I am left to wonder…now why the heck would Edie do such a thing? And while I read, I wonder. And when I am no longer reading, I’m still wondering.
Twenty years later, we find Edie Dunn. She’s married to someone else, and she has a teenage daughter. Like Dean before him, Gary doesn’t spend a lot of time worrying about what Edie wants. Edie is his wife, and she should do what he wants her to do. And I won’t give any more of this bit away, but once more, Edie surprises me.
Within the last section, Edie’s teenage granddaughter is going to move in with her. Edie’s companion who’s in the car with her asks if she isn’t out of practice with teenagers. Edie says, “It’s like riding a bicycle. Once you’ve fucked up as a parent, you never forget how to fuck up again.” I love this.
When I am sent a physical book to review, as opposed to digital or audio, the book goes into the bathroom. I know that I am hooked if the book comes back out of the bathroom with me at some point. Edie came out at about the sixty percent mark, and after that she didn’t get left alone unless I had to sleep.
The thing about this story that may get in the way of good reviews here is exactly the thing that makes it so good. The way that Roy—and later, other men—follow Edie around and pester her, trying to control her and later, her granddaughter, is repetitious and maddening, and that. Is. The. Point. Though it’s conveyed subtly, we know that Edie is very attractive. And again—I love that we don’t hear constantly about her clothes, her figure, and so on; rather, we know she’s gorgeous by what others say about her, and how they respond to her. And not one living male takes her seriously. They see her, and then they want her, not because they care about her or even know her, but because it would stoke the fires of their self-esteem. And all along, Edie tries, initially, to explain what she wants instead, and not a damn one of them will listen to her. But she does what she has to do, and by the end of the book, I like Edie a great deal.
Those that enjoy strong feminist fiction should get this book and read it.
Edie’s story is divided into three periods. When we first meet her, she is a young adult, married to Dean. Twenty years later, we find her in a different marriage. The last third finds her a senior citizen. When I saw how the first and second parts were structured, I thought I spotted a formula and that I knew more or less what the last third would look like. I’m delighted to say I was incorrect.
The style in which it’s written is unusual. There’s almost no inner monologue; everything is either action or dialogue. There’s no shifting point of view, either. It’s straight forward and linear. The author takes his time establishing character and setting, and so for a long time, there’s no noticeable plot curve. At about the point where I begin to be nervous, that perhaps I’ve agreed to read and review a book that isn’t very good, it wakes up. I’m not generally a fan of spare prose writing, but this is different.
Edie has married Dean Linderman, whom she dated in high school. He’s a nice guy, but his twin brother Roy is a player. Where Dean is introverted and reflective, Roy is extroverted and aggressive; and one of the ways Roy shows aggression is in trying to seduce his brother’s wife. It never stops. Every single time they are alone together, even for a few minutes, he starts in on her. And every stinking time, she tells him no. Stop it, Roy, I am married to your brother. I love Dean, not you. But getting the guy out of her hair is like trying to herd mosquitoes. And yet, a couple of times I see Edie do or say something that, while not openly encouraging, sends mixed signals, and I think, Aha. Maybe that’s why Roy keeps trying.
Watson uses nuance and subtlety in a way not many authors do. It makes Edie come alive, because I don’t know what she’s thinking, and Watson isn’t going to take it apart in front of me. I am left to wonder…now why the heck would Edie do such a thing? And while I read, I wonder. And when I am no longer reading, I’m still wondering.
Twenty years later, we find Edie Dunn. She’s married to someone else, and she has a teenage daughter. Like Dean before him, Gary doesn’t spend a lot of time worrying about what Edie wants. Edie is his wife, and she should do what he wants her to do. And I won’t give any more of this bit away, but once more, Edie surprises me.
Within the last section, Edie’s teenage granddaughter is going to move in with her. Edie’s companion who’s in the car with her asks if she isn’t out of practice with teenagers. Edie says, “It’s like riding a bicycle. Once you’ve fucked up as a parent, you never forget how to fuck up again.” I love this.
When I am sent a physical book to review, as opposed to digital or audio, the book goes into the bathroom. I know that I am hooked if the book comes back out of the bathroom with me at some point. Edie came out at about the sixty percent mark, and after that she didn’t get left alone unless I had to sleep.
The thing about this story that may get in the way of good reviews here is exactly the thing that makes it so good. The way that Roy—and later, other men—follow Edie around and pester her, trying to control her and later, her granddaughter, is repetitious and maddening, and that. Is. The. Point. Though it’s conveyed subtly, we know that Edie is very attractive. And again—I love that we don’t hear constantly about her clothes, her figure, and so on; rather, we know she’s gorgeous by what others say about her, and how they respond to her. And not one living male takes her seriously. They see her, and then they want her, not because they care about her or even know her, but because it would stoke the fires of their self-esteem. And all along, Edie tries, initially, to explain what she wants instead, and not a damn one of them will listen to her. But she does what she has to do, and by the end of the book, I like Edie a great deal.
Those that enjoy strong feminist fiction should get this book and read it.
July 27, 2020
This book was slow going for me.
I didn’t relate with any of the characters except Edie a strong and hard worker but that’s it.
This was a book for me.
Thank you NetGalley, Algonquin Books and Larry Watson for this arc in exchange of an honest review .
I didn’t relate with any of the characters except Edie a strong and hard worker but that’s it.
This was a book for me.
Thank you NetGalley, Algonquin Books and Larry Watson for this arc in exchange of an honest review .
August 22, 2020
I am usually not one to start books without finishing them, but after 100 pages of this book, I had to stop. From the get-go, it was blatantly obvious that Edie was the result of the male gaze. Her character is filtered through the lens of the male characters and the author’s seemingly limited view of women, as one-dimensional beings whose sole purpose is to please men by their appearance and their actions. Edie is not concerned with anything beyond Dean and Roy, and it’s not representative of the female experience at all. I felt no connection or empathy toward any of the characters, least of all Edie, who is easily flustered and is characterized as having no opinions or thoughts autonomous from her husband and brother-in-law.
Additionally, I counted at least 50 instances in the first 100 pages where the author used frivolous comparatives. For example, he would write something like “Edie’s face puckered as if she were tasting the bitterness of a lemon rind.” These comparisons were distracting, added no merit to the plot, and were used too often. He also used the phrases “it seemed as though,” and “it was as if” on every page, which took away from the strength of the sentences. I don’t want to know what the setting or character’s expression was like, I want to see it, hear it, feel it, smell it, etc. I kept hearing my professor’s voice in my head saying “Show us, don’t tell us,” and I wanted to express those sentiments to the author.
100 pages was more than enough of the pervasive misogyny and shoddy writing style for me. I wanted to push myself to finish it, but it wasn’t worth the frustration this book, particularly the writing and the characterization of females, created for me.
Additionally, I counted at least 50 instances in the first 100 pages where the author used frivolous comparatives. For example, he would write something like “Edie’s face puckered as if she were tasting the bitterness of a lemon rind.” These comparisons were distracting, added no merit to the plot, and were used too often. He also used the phrases “it seemed as though,” and “it was as if” on every page, which took away from the strength of the sentences. I don’t want to know what the setting or character’s expression was like, I want to see it, hear it, feel it, smell it, etc. I kept hearing my professor’s voice in my head saying “Show us, don’t tell us,” and I wanted to express those sentiments to the author.
100 pages was more than enough of the pervasive misogyny and shoddy writing style for me. I wanted to push myself to finish it, but it wasn’t worth the frustration this book, particularly the writing and the characterization of females, created for me.
March 21, 2020
Everyone in this book is an ordinary person, people you can recognize and relate to easily. The first part takes place in the world of the late 1960's and that era is faultlessly portrayed in a way that I instantly recognized. That was us, back then. She's pretty and popular, but she passes on the football players and class presidents and chooses a quiet, gentle man to love. They marry young, right out of high school. Problem is, his brother, a fraternal twin, loves Edie, too, and always has. He's always after Edie, in subtle and not so subtle ways. The twins are very close, and Edie's husband doesn't seem to notice his charming brother's ongoing campaign to get Edie into his bed.
The novel is divided into three parts. The second part takes place in the late 80's at the end of Edie's second marriage. She's torn between providing a stable life for her teenage daughter and escaping a husband who has turned possessive and violent. In the third part we see Edie as a grandmother in her 60's, contentedly living on her own, until her granddaughter shows up with her boyfriend and his brother, all broke and needing a place to stay.
There are two concurrent themes. The first is Edie's struggle to find herself as a complete person, not just the vision men see and want from her. The second theme is the never ending conflict between mothers and daughters. We can never live up to what our mother wants for us. And we can never prevent our daughters from repeating our own mistakes.
The novel is divided into three parts. The second part takes place in the late 80's at the end of Edie's second marriage. She's torn between providing a stable life for her teenage daughter and escaping a husband who has turned possessive and violent. In the third part we see Edie as a grandmother in her 60's, contentedly living on her own, until her granddaughter shows up with her boyfriend and his brother, all broke and needing a place to stay.
There are two concurrent themes. The first is Edie's struggle to find herself as a complete person, not just the vision men see and want from her. The second theme is the never ending conflict between mothers and daughters. We can never live up to what our mother wants for us. And we can never prevent our daughters from repeating our own mistakes.
September 2, 2020
I have not read any book set in Montana so “The Lives of Edie Pritchard” was a great traveling experience. I got to travel with Edie Pritchard through small towns and also through Edie’s life as she navigated many challenges to find happiness and protect her independence. Larry Watson’s prose is vivid, it transported me deep into the landscape and people’s lives, so that I could see myself becoming one of the characters. The novel’s plot is fast moving and this book did not take me long to read. I liked the dialogues and the imagery. Now that I have read “The Lives of Edie Pritchard”, I must visit Montana very soon.
December 8, 2020
This is the story of one woman's life in three acts. We meet Edie in 1967 when she is twenty-four, living in the small eastern Montana town she grew up in, working in a bank and married to Dean Linderman, a fraternal twin to Roy. The twins could not be more different and Roy is constantly teasing and pressuring Edie about how much he loves her. This sets up the main premise of this book - seems everyone wants something from Edie, everyone sees her differently, everyone wants Edie to be their version of her and Edie just wants to be left alone to be herself. But then this is 1967 and women were raised to be what the men in their life wanted them to be (speaking from experience :)). But also since this is 1967, it is a tipping point for women in society, when women were just starting to be encouraged to "find" themselves and become more truly who they are.
We meet Edie in act two in 1987 and again in 2007, when at 64 she meets her late teens granddaughter whom she hasn't seen since she was a toddler. Guess what? Edie still just wants to be herself, but is still grappling with other peoples' expectation of her and with being herself. The Lives of Edie Pritchard felt true-to-life, portraying the experience that I imagine many can relate to, especially those of us who became adults at that crucial point in the mid-twentieth century.
I love books that show the sweep of history through one person's life. I'm looking at you The Heart's Invisible Furies and Fair and Tender Ladies! This book did not quite have the WOW! factor of those two books, two of my all time favorites. Also not quite as good as the brilliant, compact Montana 1948 by Watson. (I love the sly reference early in this book to the story in Montana 1948.) With all that said, The Lives of Edie Pritchard was a beautifully written, engrossing, page-turning read for me, and her story has stayed on my mind in the week since I finished it.
Recommended!
Why I'm reading this: I loved Watson's Montana 1948, so when I saw this, his latest, earlier this year I put it on hold at the library. Just came in!
We meet Edie in act two in 1987 and again in 2007, when at 64 she meets her late teens granddaughter whom she hasn't seen since she was a toddler. Guess what? Edie still just wants to be herself, but is still grappling with other peoples' expectation of her and with being herself. The Lives of Edie Pritchard felt true-to-life, portraying the experience that I imagine many can relate to, especially those of us who became adults at that crucial point in the mid-twentieth century.
I love books that show the sweep of history through one person's life. I'm looking at you The Heart's Invisible Furies and Fair and Tender Ladies! This book did not quite have the WOW! factor of those two books, two of my all time favorites. Also not quite as good as the brilliant, compact Montana 1948 by Watson. (I love the sly reference early in this book to the story in Montana 1948.) With all that said, The Lives of Edie Pritchard was a beautifully written, engrossing, page-turning read for me, and her story has stayed on my mind in the week since I finished it.
Recommended!
Why I'm reading this: I loved Watson's Montana 1948, so when I saw this, his latest, earlier this year I put it on hold at the library. Just came in!
August 28, 2020
The book is broken into three different sections of Edie Pritchard's life. All her life, she has been put into different types of boxes by the men in her life and she continually strives to break free and just be herself. Rough language which usually turns me off but engrossing story and main character. Highly recommended.
June 23, 2020
This novel has an old-fashioned feel, in the best possible way. It's a thoughtful character study of a woman in Montana, beginning during her first marriage in the 1960s. Larry Watson knows what he's doing and knows how to write a sentence and the entire novel was a delight to read. Edie marries the quieter twin brother and deals with both her husband's insecurity and her brother-in-law's constant attempts to win her over. As the years pass, Edie develops from a woman who had a contentious relationship with her own daughter to one who is willing to go to bat for her granddaughter, and from a woman who runs away from a bad situation to one who is willing to stand up and speak her mind clearly.
Edie is a wonderful character who does her best to be a good wife and who is also willing to leave when the situation becomes intolerable, something she'll have to do more than once in her life. Edie feels constrained by life in a Montana town and yet she returns to it. She's pursued by men, but refuses to allow that to determine her life's path. This novel is an excellent character study of a woman who grows more secure in herself and less willing to compromise to meet the needs of men, as well as an evocative picture of rural Montana in the second half of the last century.
Edie is a wonderful character who does her best to be a good wife and who is also willing to leave when the situation becomes intolerable, something she'll have to do more than once in her life. Edie feels constrained by life in a Montana town and yet she returns to it. She's pursued by men, but refuses to allow that to determine her life's path. This novel is an excellent character study of a woman who grows more secure in herself and less willing to compromise to meet the needs of men, as well as an evocative picture of rural Montana in the second half of the last century.
December 26, 2019
I'm sure this will be interesting to many, but the characters and life they lived simply did not hold my interest. I quit at 15%.
I appreciate this ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I appreciate this ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
May 4, 2021
The Lives of Edie Pritchard
by Larry Watson
I started this book maybe a year ago.. but didn’t have time to complete it and give it the appropriate level of attention it needed. Being a woman of a certain age, I can completely understand the plight of Edie… as she tries to work through her life being only her. In a world pre now… it was a completely different world and I noted that Edie had one of the few good jobs set aside for women in that time period ….. bank teller.
I love character-driven multigenerational stories about families, so this one was a hit with me. Edie’s life is marked by her looks and discounted by her intelligence and hard work both in making a living and a success of her life. This book will make you cry and laugh, but mostly marvel at how perspectives can take the place of reality.
5 stars
Happy Reading!
by Larry Watson
I started this book maybe a year ago.. but didn’t have time to complete it and give it the appropriate level of attention it needed. Being a woman of a certain age, I can completely understand the plight of Edie… as she tries to work through her life being only her. In a world pre now… it was a completely different world and I noted that Edie had one of the few good jobs set aside for women in that time period ….. bank teller.
I love character-driven multigenerational stories about families, so this one was a hit with me. Edie’s life is marked by her looks and discounted by her intelligence and hard work both in making a living and a success of her life. This book will make you cry and laugh, but mostly marvel at how perspectives can take the place of reality.
5 stars
Happy Reading!
August 8, 2020
4.5 IMO, Larry Watson is a terrifically talented writer
November 8, 2020
Having never been to Montana I can’t say for sure that Watson’s descriptions of its land and its people are perfect, but they feel that way. Edie is a heroine at once familiar (tough, victimized, seeking, strong) and wholly unique - particularly in her independence.
I appreciate the way this book is broken into three segments, each separated by twenty years. Each could stand alone as a novella, but together they form something rich and complex and very satisfying.
I appreciate the way this book is broken into three segments, each separated by twenty years. Each could stand alone as a novella, but together they form something rich and complex and very satisfying.
August 8, 2020
Larry Watson is a master storyteller, and one of my favorite authors. Like many others, I was hooked with the impressive Montana 1948. This book is no exception to his writing skills. Edie's life is told in three riveting sections. The characters are all very well developed, and small-town Montana figures prominently. Edie Pritchard Linderman Dunn wants to be valued for more than her looks and strives to achieve that.
I am grateful to LibraryThing and the publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC.
I am grateful to LibraryThing and the publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC.
February 26, 2021
Just a great book. Had read Montana 48 by same author - a novella - and wanted to see how he did with more pages. This book will not disappoint. We touch Edie’s life 3 times, each separated by about 20 years. Although her circumstances have changed, Edie is still trying to be the master of her life in each segment, and the men in her life are challenging that goal. Always amazed when a male author can write so well about a woman who struggles with her beauty, her expectations for life and dealing with the men who surround her. Highly recommend this book.
August 2, 2025
A book written by a man about a woman who feels oppressed by men…enough said
July 29, 2020
Larry Watson tells the story of the ordinary and mundane. These characters are normal and real, and the main character, in particular, is well written and relatable. I found her a very believable woman.
The Lives of Edie Pritchard is about one woman in Montana, whose story is revealed to us over three time periods of her life. When we first meet her we realize that she is married to Dean, but his fraternal twin brother is also in love with her. The relationship with Dean is not what it should be, and eventually she leaves. We meet her again twenty years later, and unfortunately Edie is still searching for her own identity. This woman is strong-minded and yet confused. Independent and yet seeking the comfort of others. She is just like you and me.
"I mean, all of us are someone else in the eyes of others. And for all I know, maybe that other is as true, as real, as the person we believe we are."
And the last section of the book is my favorite. Edie is now a grandmother to a young woman. She has settled into her own life and skin, finding some comfort and peace. The twins come back into her life and the story comes to a resolution, of course, but the part I liked best is seeing how one person can struggle and fight through life but find themselves in the ordinary course of time.
This is a character portrait book. Watson created a character who makes the reader think about what our relationships mean to us. We must think about how we define (and act towards) family, and what we want from the people we surround ourselves with. I saw parts of myself in Edie. I saw aspects of the women in my life in her. She angered me at times. I was frustrated with her. But, I liked her, felt compassion for her, and cared about her. She is relatable.
The Lives of Edie Pritchard is about one woman in Montana, whose story is revealed to us over three time periods of her life. When we first meet her we realize that she is married to Dean, but his fraternal twin brother is also in love with her. The relationship with Dean is not what it should be, and eventually she leaves. We meet her again twenty years later, and unfortunately Edie is still searching for her own identity. This woman is strong-minded and yet confused. Independent and yet seeking the comfort of others. She is just like you and me.
"I mean, all of us are someone else in the eyes of others. And for all I know, maybe that other is as true, as real, as the person we believe we are."
And the last section of the book is my favorite. Edie is now a grandmother to a young woman. She has settled into her own life and skin, finding some comfort and peace. The twins come back into her life and the story comes to a resolution, of course, but the part I liked best is seeing how one person can struggle and fight through life but find themselves in the ordinary course of time.
This is a character portrait book. Watson created a character who makes the reader think about what our relationships mean to us. We must think about how we define (and act towards) family, and what we want from the people we surround ourselves with. I saw parts of myself in Edie. I saw aspects of the women in my life in her. She angered me at times. I was frustrated with her. But, I liked her, felt compassion for her, and cared about her. She is relatable.
June 15, 2020
Edie Pritchard is just trying to live her life in small town Montana during the 1969’s. The first third of the story takes place during the 1960’s during Edie’s marriage to Dean Linderman. Dean’s distance combined with her brother-in-law Roy’s desire for her leads Edie to one day divorce Dean. The second third of the novel takes place in the 80’s, Edie’s on her second marriage with 17 year old daughter Jennifer and Dean is dying of cancer. The final third of the novel takes place in Edie’s sixties and explores her relationship with her granddaughter, Lauren who shows up with her boyfriend and his brother in tow, mirroring Edie’s own throuple. The last part of this novel took me STRAIGHT back to high school when I was with my boyfriend Jordan and his best friend Frankie. Frankie came EVERYWHERE and he was 😬. I was definitely captivated by this novel, even if the depositions of Edie were a little eye roll inducing. Seriously, she’s got great big tits and that makes her automatically gorgeous, we GET it. 🙄 Still, I think if you enjoy a good “What if...” type romance, you need to give this a try.
August 11, 2020
This one just didn’t do it for me. I hated all the characters, but *especially* Roy, who is naturally the only one besides Edie who appears in all 3 sections of the book.
The back jacket copy of my book says “all Edie wanted to do was to make her own way,” but we never really see what that is. What we see here is Edie, through the eyes of all the men in her life. She has no personality and no inner life. By the end, she’s trying to exert herself, but her main goal seems to be frying an egg for dinner and going to bed early. This is very much a portrait of a woman through a male lens, the male gaze. Even when it’s just women in a scene, all they talk about is men. Edie complains about this, but makes no effort to offer any alternative.
The writing is lovely, but the content was so seriously lacking. Ugh.
The back jacket copy of my book says “all Edie wanted to do was to make her own way,” but we never really see what that is. What we see here is Edie, through the eyes of all the men in her life. She has no personality and no inner life. By the end, she’s trying to exert herself, but her main goal seems to be frying an egg for dinner and going to bed early. This is very much a portrait of a woman through a male lens, the male gaze. Even when it’s just women in a scene, all they talk about is men. Edie complains about this, but makes no effort to offer any alternative.
The writing is lovely, but the content was so seriously lacking. Ugh.
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