Customer Reviews

Clearcut

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Clearcut is a pitch-perfect evocation of a time and place -- a great time, the early 1970s, and a great place, the Pacific Northwest -- that tells a big, three-hearted American tall tale. Even Sam Shepard and Peter Coyote would envy the rugged nobility and lone-wolf manliness of Earley Ritter, the Paul Bunyan of hippie "shake-rats," who has the courage to enter into a previously unthinkable menage a trois while still maintaining his deeply ingrained notions of decency and loyalty. But as fresh and torrential as the sex is, and as crackling and indelible as the characters are, the inspired descriptions of America's last wilderness are even better -- Shengold writes with a sinewy lyricism of cloud and mountain and forest, elk and trout and clam, that would bring a smile to the mossy lips of John Muir. This is the best possible book to take with you on a weekend trek through the backwoods-preferably to a remote cabin with a hot tub full of literate nymphs and astute satyrs.

Nina Shengold manages to do something magical in this novel: evoking a time recently past while propelling you into the thick of an atmosphere so immediate you won't be able to shake it off easily after finishing reading.

Yes, there once was a time when life-choices had a broader range of erotic and economic possibilities, making for interpersonal confusions, adventures, victories, and sad losses. Nina's characters ring true. She has a remarkable able to imagine the erotic imagination and physical experiences of a man, while clinging to the female version of eroticism at the same time. This is unique and, simply, a gift.

There are times where the book gets bogged down in some detail (usually about logging practices in the Northwest) and I found the beginning a little slow-moving. I was afraid it was going to tread over much-trodden-upon ground with its plot. It didn't.

The second half of the book MOVES; it is hard to put down and it haunts you.

Strong on atmosphere, gifted in its erotic atmospherics and complexity, this book is a keeper. You will find yourself recommending it to anyone with a well-developed brain, love of the erotic, and love of contemporary literature.

I am enormously impressed.

I don't read a lot of contemporary fiction, but this was recommended by a good friend. It's a beautiful and compelling story of three characters who form an odd sort of boy-girl-boy romantic triangle that challenges each of them in unexpected ways. Although there is clearly a "main character" each story comes through clearly. She really takes us inside their head in a way that never relies on easy conventions. The story is funny, sad, moving and Shengold's talent in drawing us into the lives of these three wayward people lost in their search for happiness kept me wanting to know more about them. There is an exciting edginess in the emotional twists and turns of the book that feels, all to sadly, very much like that thing called "life"

There's only one thing you need to know about this book: it's a terrific read. A friend handed it to me and said, "I'm not telling you anything about this novel. Just read it." It's the best advice I can give. The only problem comes when you have to put it down (to continue with your life). Earley is such a haunting character: full of conflict and contradictions. How could anyone not fall in love with him?

A great book, a wonderful love story, marvelous characters...until the last 24 pages, when a tragedy blindslides the characters and the reader. Suddenly, everything that the entire book has built is smashed to pieces, leaving the main character in an ending as bleak as Brokeback Mountain's, but without the redeeming social message. This tragedy happens for no reason; it comes out of nowhere. As a reader, I feel very cheated by what the author does to these characters I came to love.

I loved this book! It brings to life a time and place in a way that stirred me deeply. The characters, even the minor ones, are so alive in my mind that one of my regrets is that I can't meet them in the real world. Nina Shengold has written a book where the sex scenes sizzle and the consciousness of the time are alive again.

A beautiful story of finding love. The author pulls you into the depths of the character's thoughts. I was engulfed by the emotions of the character. It didn't hurt that I once lived in the Pacific Northwest very close to where this story takes place. I could almost smell the douglas fir. Beautiful story, can't wait for Nina to write another novel!!

Best book I've read all year. I lived in Olympia, WA for six years and Clearcut transported me back to the area. Not at all what I expected - much better.

I read this book in two days and have already recommended it to many friends. The characters are so real, I actually missed them when the book was through. Clearcut is funny, deeply moving and hot to boot! What more can you ask for?

...mark this thrilling debut from Nina Shengold, a well known playwright and screenwriter.

Anyone fascinated by the great Northwest, or the sociology, sexuality of '70s dropout in the great timberlands...could not do better than this addictive read. the love scenes ignite, and the social conscience is examined...great characters and an irresistible menage a trois in the deep woods.