Uranium Daughter

by Chinle Miller

It’s 1961, the height of the Cold War and a young archaeologist sets foot into the wild canyons of southeast Utah, searching for a rock-art panel that may hold the answer to the disappearance of the Anasazi. She is accompanied by her dog, Buddy Blue, and a mysterious sometime-companion she calls Mr. Yellowjacket.
Here, in her recently discovered journals, Chinle Miller records her quest for the elusive Bird Panel, as well as her journey through an inner landscape, seeking peace from betrayal by one of the great rascals of the era, Charlie Dundee, the Uranium King. Over 350 pages of adventure in a landscape like nowhere else on Earth, as well as an inner landscape that will touch both your heart and life.

Genres: Historical Fiction

374 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 13, 2008

Reviews

[Heidi Agner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fine fiction set in Utah's Green River area.

Thu
Is book isn't as fun as Chinle's Bud Shumway Cafe mystery series.That said it is still a wonderful read. Miller writes about Utah's nature and natural history in a way that really lets the reader see and experience thus desert region from the comfort of an easy chair. We follow an archeologist, named Chinle Miller in 1961 as she searches for the ultimate set of petroglyphs and for escape from memory of a failed first live relationship.

[Morris Nelms · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found it slow going at first, but then I caught on to what the author was doing (or at least I think I did). I felt the author wanted us to ingest every sentence rather than breeze through anything, reflecting the timeless quality the desert has. I would give this book 5 stars. While this is a work of fiction, it may not be much of one. I found it very creative to create a novel where you are the main character even though it is set in an earlier time.
I loved the writing. She’s a poet. When I’m in the presence of a silver-tongued wordsmith I’ll let them lead me anywhere. Some of this undoubtedly comes from my background as a musician. She’s a bit like Pynchon in this respect. The time switching or “trippy” parts of the book were actually some of my favorite parts of the book, and were, to me, incredibly eloquent writing.
I feel the main character was working her way through abuse and was suicidal, but when push came to shove, she fought for her life. I loved that.
I loved the story about the story telling gas station attendant and the story about the drunk Indian who ran over the dog. Both were laugh out loud funny. Highly recommended if you are interested in the Southwestern USA.

[Steven Howes · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is so much going on in this book I am not sure where to start. While a work of fiction, there is much in this book based on fact and on actual locations in SW Utah. The story takes place in the early 1960's at the tail end of the uranium boom. The main character (supposedly the author) is an archeology graduate student searching for a long-lost panel of native American rock art. She is also trying to move on from a failed relationship with her friend/uranium miner. The actual story is fairly predictable. What made the book special for me was the author's descriptions of the desert landscapes, geology, history, flora, and fauna. At times, I was reminded of Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire. The other important point for me was the willingness of certain individuals (including the government) to destroy landscapes that had taken millennia to create for money; and for a substance that could be used to destroy the entire planet. Throw in a little bit of Navajo spirituality and you have a book that will maintain your interest throughout.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adventure and fun mixed in with some southwest lore and history - What a fun book this was! I enjoyed the story and recall having vivid dreams of a canyon that I had never visited before while reading Chinle's novel.

[Alison]

free today on kindle

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary book, difficult to review. There is not a plot as such, but a tale of the search of a woman for herself, beautifully and at times poetically written.

[V.P. Chandler · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing isn't bad. I just couldn't finish it because it didn't hold my interest.