Customer Reviews

Choiring Of The Trees

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This may be the most intimate, for me, of Harington's novels. TAOTAO was the first, and is the spine of all my Harington reading - but this one is easily the one my *girlish* heart loved most. It is the best balance of Harington's wild fancy and his talent for character development, and it is the book that feels like he must have had the same breezes in his fingers that live in Nail's trees. Merely seeing this title makes little hairs on my neck stand up a bit, this story is so affecting.

I want to go read it once more, and cry and smile as it carries me again.

I read 75-80 novels a year and this was hands down the best read of 2002. Moving, thought provoking, a wonderful historical characterization of a time and era, absolutely vivid characters, and surprises throughout. I always choose a top read of the year and this is the second time Mr Harington has topped the list for me. Not many novels make you feel you're there; this one does.

I have so much to say about this novel; however, you should not be reading this review. Your time is much better spent reading this book and introducing yourself to the world of Stay More, Arkansas.

It is one of the most unforgettable books of all time, and the story will stay with you forever.

Harington is indeed one of our very best writers.

Brilliant, romantic, moving, just wonderful

This is my favorite of the Harington books. Donald Harington, sadly, died a few weeks ago. It has been said that he is one of the greatest undiscovered American authors.

Donald Harington doesn't write bad novels, but this one is amazingly good. This novel made me feel such aching pain, sadness, laughter and redemption that even though I haven't re-read it in 5 or 6 years I still feel a lump in my chest seeing it for sale here. It is a beautiful love story, wrapped up in Harington's uncomfortably sad and humorous style. I hope you buy it, I have to go re-read it now...

CHOIRING OF THE TREES resonates with memorable aspects. Harrington develops the setting of this story in masterful detail, capturing the essence of life in a remote, turn-of-the-century Ozark community called Stay More, Arkansas. Rich with lore and colloquial expressions, this novel is particularly poignant as regional fiction, but excellent literature by anyone's standard. The story includes a few actual people from Arkansas history and it graphically portrays the brutality of the Arkansas prison system as it was prior to World War I. CHOIRING. . . is an interesting exploration of justice as well as a touching love story, but most importantly, it is a compelling read. Harrington develops convincing and lovable characters who are hard to abandon when the story is finished, and remarkably, he accomplishes all of this in the voice of a female narrator.

In January, I read bestselling COLD MOUNTAIN by Charles Frazier, and I admired it greatly. CHOIRING OF THE TREE! S, also an odyssey, is in my estimation even better.

This novel is intricate and unforgettable. The now common phrase Dead Man Walking does not begin to capture the tense, sensitive life of an unfairly doomed man and a woman who takes such chances to love him. Challenges all our ideas about bearing fair witness, justice, and goes on for years. Rich character development, rich writing. A rare find.

I loved this book, as well as all of Mr. Harington's books. I was lucky enough to have him as a professor in college...

Donald Harington is my favorite author and this book is probably his best. Although it is not the first of his books from a cronological, time period or published date I think it is a great book to introduce readers to his work. I have over the years purchased many copies of this book to send friends as a gift that usually starts them on their journey through time, Arkansas, Newton County and of course Staymore. Donald Harington paints pictures with words that put you in the place, emotion and frame of mind of these rich characters. He has created a world that intersects what you know and places you have been in such a way that the surprise can startle and excite you all at once. And of course as you read the next book and the next book you realize that this world was imagined all at once and he (Harington) choses which story to tell, when to tell it and how it intersects this imagined and magical world. If you are buying this book get ready for the rest of them as I doubt it will be your last Harington novel. The final paqe of Choiring of the Tree's is the best page I have ever read and may push you to more of his books. Strongly suggest "Lightning Bug" and "When Angels Rest" as well but for perspective you have to go to Architechture of the Ozarks.
Having just finished his final book "Enduring" will take a rest but know I will eventually take another trip to Staymore. I am sure I missed something along the way.