Amazon.com: DALVA.: Jim. Harrison: Books

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Customer Reviews

36 Reviews

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (36 customer reviews)

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Richly compelling, 4-1/2 stars, October 7, 2002

By

Charlotte Vale-Allen (CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dalva (Contemporary Classics (Washington Square Press)) (Paperback)

A writer friend recommended Jim Harrison's books to me, Dalva in particular, and I think I must now send my friend a substantial gift.

Dalva is not only a remarkably authentic portrait of a most unique woman (along with her equally unique mother and sister), it is also a book that offers insights into ranching life (Nebraska), the slaughter of the Native American population (the Sioux, in this instance) and a family history that is absolutely fascinating.

The one section (relatively brief) I found not particularly compelling is the one narrated by Michael, the alcoholic professor friend and sometime lover of Dalva who has been given permission to write a chronicle of the Northridge family--incorporating the journals kept by Dalva's great grandfather that begin inside the infamous Andersonville prison. Michael's manic self-indulgence and lack of restraint are, without doubt, faithful to alcoholic behavior but this segment of the book lacks the drive and fascination that are inherent through the rest of the novel. Drunks, even gifted ones, get terribly tedious very quickly.

Altogether this is a sweeping novel that contains not only intriguing personal histories but also offers visions of the land--be it Nebraska or the Dakotas or Arizona--that are so complete as to feel tangible.
Highly recommended.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great character development and consummate plotting, November 12, 1999

By

Will (Stevens Point, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dalva (Contemporary Classics (Washington Square Press)) (Paperback)

It's a few months since I read Dalva, but it has stuck with me. This story is romantic & touching with lots of sympathetic characters who grow and change during the book. The way the different timelines are woven together, and the way the core "problem" of the story is slowly & carefully revealed bespeak great skill by the author. I agree with those who say Dalva is not a realistic portrait of a woman. She is in many ways the fantasy ideal of a lot of men: strong, honest, loyal, self-assured, rich, sexually free. I suspect Harrison is in love with her, and for plenty of good reasons. Harrison is one of my favorite authors, and this is the best of his that I've read.

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a book i re-read once a year, November 22, 2000

By

"audiogrrl" (louisville, ky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dalva (Contemporary Classics (Washington Square Press)) (Paperback)

i just wanted to weigh in against the all-girl gangs of jim harrison haters. this is a lovely, funny, deeply moving novel, and, like some of the other women reviewers who have posted here, i find harrison's female characters (not just dalva) completely believeable and quite admirable. if you enjoy this book, i would heartily recommend your listening to the unabridged audiobook version available from recorded books, inc.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars The book club made me do it!
There are probably other books that I somehow have managed to block out of my memory but this one has got to be one of the top 3 most pointless books I have ever read... Read more

Published 25 days ago by Tim

5.0 out of 5 stars THE Great American Novel
Dalva is Jim Harrison and Jim Harrison is Dalva. With "Dalva" Jim Harrison has written THE Great American Novel. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Darrell Koerner

5.0 out of 5 stars Nourishment for starving souls
There's a review of "Farmer" here on Amazon that was written more than a decade ago which I have printed out and slipped into my growing collection of Jim Harrison's works. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Miami Heaven

2.0 out of 5 stars Hard to force myself to finish it
Our book club read this, so I kept trying to get interested. I grant you that it's complicated and would have taken a lot of effort to plot this all out and then mix up all the... Read more

Published 15 months ago by M. Crockett

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, not great, book.
I've read several of Jim Harrison's books and while this was still a very good book, it didn't grab me like some of his other works. Read more

Published on June 3, 2009 by Avid Book Reader

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich writing
Harrison is a great storyteller and a fascinating writer. Unfortunately, I read The Road Home before I read Dalva and it put a damper on the story. Read more

Published on January 15, 2009 by Susannah

5.0 out of 5 stars They sin who tell us love can die
This book provided great comfort to me during my struggle with loss. I read it three years after the sudden death of my boyfriend in a grisly auto wreck. Read more

Published on September 18, 2008 by Lytton Bell

2.0 out of 5 stars Very Disappointing
The glowing reviews of this book compelled me to buy it. I regret this decision.
I could not identify with any of the characters. Read more

Published on March 9, 2008 by D. Calhoun

3.0 out of 5 stars Main character is great, the rest so-so
The title character of "Dalva" holds the book together, as a finely drawn, if rather unbelievable, woman who can be described by quite a lengthy string of adjectives, mostly... Read more

Published on July 8, 2007 by T. Burket

5.0 out of 5 stars Another excellent book from Jim Harrison
I just started reading Jim Harrison's books in May and have now read three and am going onto my 4th book. He is a great writer. Read more

Published on June 2, 2007 by Raining Sunshine

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First Sentence:
It was today-rather yesterday I think-that he told me it was important not to accept life as a brutal approximation. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
second trunk

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Crazy Horse, Santa Monica, World War, Buffalo Gap, John Wesley, San Francisco, Small Bird, Civil War, Fort Robinson, Los Angeles, Rapid City, Kicking Bear, Black Hills, Costa Rica, Sam Creekmouth, United States, Wounded Knee, Black Elk, Dawes Act, Edward Curtis, Great Plains, Pine Ridge, Key West, Professor Michael

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