Don't Let All The Pretty Days Get By [Paperback]

Bruce Hoppe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 2006

Diminutive fireball Teddy Gibbs takes leave from a career in LA to come to the family ranch in New Mexico to help her mother recover from an illness. But over flights by the nudist balloonists--the New Mexico chapter of COHAB (Clothiing Optional Hot Air Ballooning)--shatter the bucolic tranquility. Baby colts are injured, confrontations ensue. The road Teddy travels to undo the standoff and secure a future from the family ranch takes her through the landscape that is the 21st Century West--a place of changing land use patterns, behind-the-scenes chcanery at Indain gaming casinoes and politcal hi jinks that passes for governance in state legislatures. A cast of characters bound together by a mutual abiding reverence for the entertainment value of anarchy accompanies her: cowboys Song and Dance, the silver-tongued Northern Cheyenne, Roland Talks in Many Places and, through revealing historical research, a Billy the Kid as proponent of "the examined life." Hoppe has figured out how to tell the story of the marginalized communities of the rural heartland in literary lingo that resonates far beyond its point of origin. In "Don't Let All The Pretty Days Get By" he gives us a post-modern romp throught he New West.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...successfully blending action, humor, political rhetoric, and unique insights. He [Hoppe] delivers a Neo-Western with aplomb...a delightful reading experience." -- POD Critic

"...tight story, rich characters, witty banter on government, environmentalism and the nature (and usefulness)of outlaws. It's a page turner..." -- Blogcritics.org

"An original, entertaining and nicely crafted novel...very strongly recommended...a fast-paced work deftly depicting the modern American West." -- Midwest Book Review

"Hoppe's writing is the key to the true value of this novel. ...strong style and distinct sense of humor. I can certainly recommend this book." -- Kaye Trout's Book Reviews

From the Publisher

I don't know if there ever has been a postmodern rendering of the contemporary American West in literary fiction but that is what Bruce Hoppe has done in "Don't Let All The Pretty Days Get By." The result is that readers on the coasts get it--this Great Plains story. And, the message is that right here in "The Big Open" the same joys and follies are at work as on those coasts. Come read about them. See how your country cousins cope. Maybe compare notes on how their experiences shed light on life's most pressing questions. And, along the way, you might just laugh yourself silly in the bargain.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Back-To-One Books (February 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097776110X
• ISBN-13: 978-0977761104
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,690,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bruce Hoppe is an award winning journalist and the author of two novels. When not prowling the pastures of the Great Plains horseback, he can be found teaching writing at a university in New Mexico.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An original, entertaining, and nicely crafted novel, June 9, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Let All The Pretty Days Get By (Paperback)

Don't Let All The Pretty Days Get By, by novelist Bruce Hoppe, is the entertaining story of Teddy Gibbs in her career ending move from LA to her family's ranch in New Mexico for the purpose of taking care of her mother during a severe illness. Swiftly carrying readers through a humourous depiction of the many various marginalized communities of the twenty-first century west, Don't Let All The Pretty Days Get By creatively carries Teddy through her alliance with an unexpected and memorable cast of characters in order to save the cause of her family farm and expose the disturbing truths of the rural area to the local government. An original, entertaining, and nicely crafted novel, Don't Let All The Pretty Days Get By is very strongly recommended as a fast-paced work deftly depicting the diversity that now comprises the modern American West.

5.0 out of 5 stars You sit up and take notice, October 6, 2006

By 

Reader Views "Reviews, by readers, for readers" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Let All The Pretty Days Get By (Paperback)

Reviewed by Regan Windsor for Reader Views (9/06)

When a big pink derriere of a balloon, filled with nudists, comes crashing down on the New Mexico ranch, it spawns a chain of events and adventures, not even Teddy could imagine.

Teddy Gibbs has returned to her family's ranch, after taking a leave of absence from her public relations job, to help her mother who is recovering from a recent stroke. She was also hoping to use the downtime to complete a book on Billy the Kid she had been struggling to complete. However, in the aftermath of the COHAB (Clothing Optional Hot Air Ballooning) fiasco, there are criminal charges pending against the two ranch hands, Song and Dance, and the possibility of civil charges for damages done to the horses and property. Given Teddy's propensity to be where the action is, she has no choice but to quit her job and focus on the fight!

The battle soon becomes a high chase political standoff armed with quirky characters, crazy antics, and unlikely love in some crazy places. Guaranteed to entertain, this light-hearted, zany novel also has its share of insights and observations. It is sure to have you sit up and take notice, ensuring you "Don't Let All the Pretty Days Get By."

Received book free of charge.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read, August 5, 2006

By 

John Smartt - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Don't Let All The Pretty Days Get By (Paperback)

a great read. The story grabs you and doesn't turn loose. You have to keep reading to find out what kind of antics the characters will be up to next. Where is Hoppe's next book?