Challenge Corner discussion

A stunning novel about love, work, and marriage that asks how far one family and one community will go to protect their future.

Colleen and Rich Gundersen are raising their young son, Chub, on the rugged California coast. It’s 1977, and life in this Pacific Northwest logging town isn’t what it used to be. For generations, the community has lived and breathed timber; now that way of life is threatened.

Colleen is an amateur midwife. Rich is a tree-topper. It’s a dangerous job that requires him to scale trees hundreds of feet tall—a job that both his father and grandfather died doing. Colleen and Rich want a better life for their son—and they take steps to assure their future. Rich secretly spends their savings on a swath of ancient Redwoods. Colleen, desperate to have a second baby, challenges the logging company’s use of herbicides that she believes are responsible for the many miscarriages in the community—including her own. Colleen and Rich find themselves on opposite sides of a budding conflict that threatens the very thing they are trying to protect: their family.

Told in prose as clear as a spring-fed creek, Damnation Spring is an intimate, compassionate portrait of a family whose bonds are tested and a community clinging to a vanishing way of life. An extraordinary story of the transcendent, enduring power of love—between husband and wife, mother and child, and longtime neighbors. An essential novel for our times.

through Part 1 Summer

I got (view spoiler)[ a bad feeling about all these nosebleeds and miscarriages and stillbirths
even the animals aren't carrying babies to term - that's a real bad sign

I think Daniel might be on to something (hide spoiler)]

and (view spoiler)[ I really like Rich and Colleen.
but I'm a bit nervous we have a POV of Chub. Makes me wonder. . .why when he's just a little boy (hide spoiler)]

Through Part 2 Fall

Just keep (view spoiler)[ plugging along like she didn't cheat on him. can't help but think that might come back to bite her

a little nervous about her going and dropping off the testing but I also don't blame her

but that threat from Merle was ugly. I hope Rich is able to figure this out

worried that they are the only ones drinking that water. glad she got some kind of filter.. . (hide spoiler)]

Through Winter

Oh no(view spoiler)[ how could they do it? how could anyone kill Scout? he was such a good dog, he loved Rich so so much
Ugh.

the worst part is, Daniel and all them are right and we know that now
but they didn't really give them another way of making money in the town, another way to survive and make money. . . (hide spoiler)]

and I"m done

what a beautiful, gut-wrenching story

(view spoiler)[ ugh, I thought Chub would be the one taken - I knew it was a bad sign they were giving us a 5 year old's POV but. . .for Rich to be the one taken, right then, right as everything was about to settle for them

I can't believe how awful Eugene was. who torches houses? and plants fake skulls?

and Wyatt was an awful bully. I'm glad Chub was okay. . .

this one was so good (hide spoiler)]

Guess I am behind again but I'll get to this one either tomorrow or Friday. I'm so glad you loved it!

Trisha wrote: "through Part 1 Summer

I got a bad feeling about all these nosebleeds and miscarriages and stillbirths
even the animals aren't carrying babies to term - that's a real bad sign

I think Daniel migh..."

I have to agree with you about Chub (view spoiler)[because when do you ever see a child have their own POV unless something awful is going to happen to him or it sees him through adulthood and his childhood POV is important for the reader's understanding. So I'm with you...rather nervous (hide spoiler)]

Through Part 1 Summer

I can't believe how much I am enjoying this one! There is so much detail/description about the woods, trees, lumbering, tree-topping etc. and yet I'm thoroughly loving it all!

Daniel (view spoiler)[ is kind of putting her in the middle because she obviously wants to help him but at the same time doesn't want to betray or feel like she's betraying her husband. (hide spoiler)]

And with the way that Daniel kept (view spoiler)[saying things to her, I had a feeling they might have an affair. Her husband needs to pay more attention to her and realize that she's hurting still and by his not making love with her I think she easily fell into Daniel's arms. (hide spoiler)]



And I like both of them too. I think Rich's size makes him perfect for being a tree-topper! lol

I guess that answers my question about them! lol

I forgot to mention how wrong I think it is that (view spoiler)[Rich took all that money and invested without consulting Colleen. That's too much money to spend without talking with her first. (hide spoiler)]

Through Part 2 Fall

I can't believe the way that Colleen (view spoiler)[found out about Rich buying the land! That was the wrong way for him to finally tell her!

And yeah, she's in a bad predicament. I hate that she not only cheated on Rich but that she's probably pregnant. (hide spoiler)]

A blast from the past ... (view spoiler)[Woolworth's? I don't know if they were even still in existence when you were born but I still remember them. lol (hide spoiler)]

Through Winter

(view spoiler)[OMG! I am a HUGE dog lover and that upset me so much! A defenseless dog? Grrr... (hide spoiler)]

Yeah, with all of the (view spoiler)[deaths of animals and fish, miscarriages, strange births, I knew it was bad. I thought they'd figure out what was going on a lot sooner. (hide spoiler)]

isn't this one sooo good. it was hard to put down, I was so glad I finished it all in one day. Ugh, so so good

Yes! It's one of those books that when you give it 5 stars, you know you haven't just been too generous. lol I'm getting back to it now. Yesterday I was watching grandkids and today hubby is off. He's transplanting a couple palms to different containers and keeps asking me to come help him. When he is off I never know how much I can read. lol

Side note: we got our first nectarine off our new tree we planted last year (I think) and it was ripe but only about twice the size of a cherry but OH SO GOOD! We're excited to have a lot of fruit next year, we hope!

I know in my heart that something bad is going to happen to (view spoiler)[Chub. Wyatt is so mean and a bully, so I have a feeling that Wyatt will be involved if something bad does happen to him. (hide spoiler)]

Finished

OMG! I knew that (view spoiler)[Eugene was a total jerk, but my gosh...he's Colleen's brother and Rich's bro-in-law! Ugh...no wonder Wyatt is such a bully. I was super worried about Chub so I'm glad he's okay too. (hide spoiler)]

Such a beautifully written, gut-wrenching story as you said but I loved it...probably one of my favorites this year and likely my favorite!