Customer Reviews

Dalva

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

 

 

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.

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.

I can only approach this book with utter reverance. Read at a transitional time in my life, as a new wife, a new skydiver and on the brink of middle age there can be no objectiveism. Jim Harrison understands middle aged women, both our sense of freedom and of alienation, a second coming of age. I did not read the review guidelines. Dalva wouldn't.

This is a gutsy and soulful tale, with characters (most) who have grit, dignity, and passion. If you like your entertainment light, pretty, and not too dangerous; if strong feelings about the nature of loyalty, love, and personal conviction in the face of human failings disturb you, then you may not like this book. The excellent descriptive powers of Jim Harrison's writing will appeal most to those who are students of human nature, and who tend to feel intensely about life, it's beauty, and it's heartache... Familiarity with rural living is a plus, as is an appreciation of nature.

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.

In contrast to the all-female book club that unanimously hated this book, I find Jim Harrison's female characters to be terrific. I don't expect my fictional characters to act exactly like real life people. Dalva is a romantic heroine for women of the 90s, despite her saddness. Read Dalva, then read the Road Home,Harrison's follow-up.

Anyone with a soul will like this book. Those who want to climax too quickly (*snicker*) or suffer from ADD should avoid it. Multiple stories (mainstream fiction, historical fiction and even romance) are all twisted together here into a moving, witty, and complex story. Jim Harrison's novels are like a hike in a beautiful landscape - enjoy them for the journey, for the little joys along the way. Jim Harrison writes like no one else and leaves me in awe with every page. He drew a sunshine in my copy of Dalva in Seattle. The book is my prized possession.

Living on the coast of California, Dalva hears the deep silence of the Nebraska plains where she was born and longs for the son she had to give up for adoption when she was only sixteen. At forty-five, she has lead a life of many adventures, has had many lovers. Dalva is beautiful, fearless and tormented. Then Dalva starts a journey that will take her back to the origins of her family, to the lover of her youth, Duane, a half-Sioux, and to her pioneering great-grandfather whose diaries relate the violent annihilation of the Plains Indians. This novels tells the story of a remarkable modern woman's search for her son. She is depicted by Jim Harrison as a sensual woman, a woman who always subtly does the seducing of her lovers. I certainly was seduced by her!

Dalva is a beautifully written, intricately plotted and thoroughly engaging novel. The book was recommended to me by a bookstore worker, and I plan to thank him the next time I am in the store. I was certainly glad that I was on holiday when I read Dalva, because I certainly wouldn't have gotten any work done once I started.

If you enjoy good writing, you will like this book.

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. It has a lot to say about undying love. The beauty of the language is startling; savor it. The author presents the loss of a loved one with a stark and unforgiving realism; it hurts, and you will feel pain. There is no balm for this kind of suffering, only the acceptance of permanent sadness, coupled with a vague hope for continued survival. What is it like to live when you lose, forever, the one you could not live without? And is it even worth doing? Read the book and find out.