Clear Heart [Paperback]

Joe Cottonwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 20, 2008

Clear heart is a grade of lumber - and a state of mind. In this joyful, down-to-earth novel, Wally and Juke seek clarity and good wood while building a mansion for a dot-com multimillionaire in California. As the dot-com's stock keeps rising, the size of the house - and the owner's ego - keep growing. Wally and Juke may be into something that's over their heads. Meanwhile, Wally and Juke meet women who have remodeling designs of their own - on them. Laying a good foundation, then building plumb and true, what could be more clear? But decisions backfire. Plans change. Ideals are tested. Relationships grow - or need repair. When carpenters work for bigshots - and fall for strong-minded women - who gets nailed? Romance, lifelong buddies, coming-of-age, bedrock values, all join in the warm, thoughtful, character-driven storytelling of Clear Heart. From demolishing concrete to racing belt sanders, from love of tools to falling in love, each house is a miracle.

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (November 20, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439211027
• ISBN-13: 978-1439211021
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,514,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, explicit, and life-affirming, November 25, 2008

By 

voxsusanna (SF East Bay) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clear Heart (Paperback)

"Clear Heart" opens dramatically on a construction site and then winds through the lives, hands, and hearts of its characters like a two-lane mountain road: head-long down the straight-aways, carefully through the shade-dappled curves, and gently around slippery, leaf-covered hairpins. I loved the ride.

The plot in "Clear Heart" emerges from its clearly drawn and convincing characters in the San Francisco Bay area: construction workers, high-tech entrepreneurs, Hells Angels, engineers, immigrants, students, and suburbanites. Will Wally, main character and home-builder, survive -- physically, emotionally, and financially -- his construction of a multimillionaire's custom home in the hills above Silicon Valley? His clients, family, construction crew, and love-interest Opal support and sabotage him all the way to the last page.

The characters are portrayed with humor and respect, and I enjoyed watching all of them work through their own problems. Every one of them is believable, from 2-year-old Ronny to 55-year-old Wally and everybody in between. There's emotional suspense, from teen pregnancy to middle-age romance; moral predicament, from financial sabotage to marital infidelity; and physical danger, from accident to assault.

Through it all, "Clear Heart" is as textured and real and carefully crafted as a handmade wooden jewelry box. The book is honest and built to last, just as Wally would want it.

Author Joe Cottonwood's home town of La Honda, California -- just over the western hills from Santa Clara Valley -- is better known as the former home of counter-culture novelist Ken Kesey. Cottonwood's experience as a carpenter and home-builder in the area, and as author of seven previously published novels, helps him make the book deliciously detailed and convincing. It must be his own heart that makes it so fun and satisfying.

(Note that there's some strong language and explicit action in this book. Cottonwood has written novels for youngsters, but this one is VERY adult.)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I [heart] Clear Heart!, May 27, 2009

By 

Kari A. Hultman (Lemoyne, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clear Heart (Paperback)

Clear Heart is about a 55 year old ex-hippy carpenter named Wally--his bond with his workmen, love for his work, respect for wood, relationship with a "perky Presbyterian" and her kids, Job-like patience, and determination to build the perfect house, despite seemingly insurmountable odds.

But more than that--it's about the connection and interaction between men who are true craftsmen, their good-natured joking, routines and habits (like sometimes getting too friendly with female clients), temperaments, and respect for one another's capabilities. It's male bonding at its finest.

And it's filled with endearing characters like Juke, FrogGirl, Abe, Opal, and fast-paced, nail-biting mishaps.

It's about second chances, belief in the things that truly matter, mentoring, teaching, and friendship.

And it made me want to ask Wally: "You hiring?"

Kari Hultman
http://villagecarpenter.blogspot.com

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great American Novel, August 26, 2011

By 

Brian B. Kelly - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clear Heart (Paperback)

Set in California, Joe Cottonwood's Clear Heart constantly turns and evolves, as its warm-hearted, socially conscious, carefully wrought story captures the spirit of America at its present age. Ever intriguing, hard to put down, like a new friend that you long to see more of, it brings you home to your own country, while you can't stop thinking about its myriad characters and wondering what they're going to do next. Then, once you've realized you don't want it to end and after it does so quite satisfyingly, you are happily surprised to find that its fascinating people stay with you to remind you what it is to be human, and to want a better world for those you love. It's a great read, and clever, and wise.