Customer Reviews

The Good Rain: Across Time and Terrain in the Pacific Northwest (Vintage Departures)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is not a history of the Pacific Northwest, nor even a comprehensive contemporary profile of this region. It is one man's often very personal view of his home, the place where he grew up, and the political, social and economic issues that underlie everyday life there. Egan makes no attempt at cold objectivity; he is writing about something he loves, and this comes through in the text. He also makes abundantly clear what he doesn't like. Thus, this book is controversial and thought-provoking. Although "The Good Rain" is ostensibly about the Pacific Northwest, an area that at its widest extent includes Washington, Oregon, most of British Columbia in Canada and even the northern parts of California, Egan focuses mostly on parts of Washington, which is good, because this is what he knows best (even though the chapter on the Siskiyou forests of Oregon is very well written and informative). The book is well organized, and Egan selected the main topics for his chapters well; they cover the principal socio-economic and political concerns of the region: timber and loggers, salmon, fruit-growing, urban development, the local Native Americans, the Columbia River, etc. He also did a good deal of research on the region's history upon settlement (or conquest) by the Americans and the British, and his writing makes these often dry facts come to life. Probably the main theme of Egan's argument here is that as the Pacific Northwest makes its transition into a vital part of the Pacific Rim, it needs to discard the central resource extraction element of its economy which marked its early years of development (after the Indians were pushed aside). The author here makes no secret of his distaste for the rapacious timber industry (even though he is not anti-logger or opposed to sustainable use of forests) and the Army Corps of Engineers (which is still intent on damming up the last untouched parts of the Columbia and destroying the remaining significant salmon runs). Although it was written ten years ago, "The Good Rain" has lost none of its freshness and relevance. Perhaps my only criticisms would be a) Egan often omitted citing dates even when dealing with specific events (so that there is reference to e.g. something taking place "in Seattle tonight") and b) he relies too much and sometimes depends excessively on a book by Theodore Winthrop, a New Englander who traveled through the region in 1853. Nevertheless, this book is well worth reading.

This collection of essays by Seattle native and New York Times journalist Timothy Egan is stuffed to the gills with facts about the wildlife, water and land in and around the Pacific Northwest. Each chapter begins with a map of the area under consideration, categorized by region and topic, including: a reclusive mountaineer's conquests in the Cascade Range, local volcanos, the wild waters around "We Ain't Quaint" Astoria, the history of Seattle, apple harvesting in the Yakima Valley, the Native American Puyallups, and logging in the Siskiyous of southwestern Oregon. Although with a preachy style that would make Rachel Carlson proud, Egan is a fantastic storyteller with the ability to meld anecdotes, facts and opinion in such a way that every chapter is absolutely engaging. The Good Rain contains an abundance of information about all things environmental, and is at least as useful and relevant today as it was in 1990 when it was first published. Of his three works of nonfiction, (the others being Breaking Blue, and the National Book Award winning Lasso the Wind), this is the best.

I'm now a confirmed Timothy Egan fan. What a wonderful book! (And thoughtful, evocative writer.) He so skillfully brings together the multiple strands of this book -- human, natural, written, and personal histories -- that you feel physically drawn into the events and locations he describes. This is not a book just for lovers of the Pacific Northwest; anyone who is interested in people, politics, history, nature, or travel will be held captive by Egan's words. As someone born and raised in the Northwest (Pacific and Inland), I was astounded by his insight. Once again, he delves deep into the heart of our communal history to bring up forgotten (or unnoticed) truths.

This book is so richly textured, I read it in small sections, so I could savor the paragraphs a little at a time. Mr Egan's style of writing is vivid and beautiful, without being overly wordy. A lot of the history in this book, I already knew, but discovered anew; and some I did not know, and am thrilled to learn. My grandparents were immigrants to Seattle in 1906 from Poland, and I feel such a sense of belonging here, that it is wonderful to view the Northwest with someone else's eyes. I count myself as a fan of Mr Egan. I am recommending this book to many friends and family, as it was recommended to me.

This book helped me make it through career moves to Boston and San Francisco. I would read it and feel impassioned about my homeland. It is a book for anyone who LOVES the PNW. Don't be surprised if it makes your eyes water! However, it is not for everyone, people without a passion for the PNW or those who do not espouse the importance of the environment will be disappointed.

One of the best books I've read. I've lived in the Northwest all my life, but learned more about the region from this one book than from any other source. The book looks at how the Northwest has changed and how we have changed it over the last 150 years. Egan looks at specific places when telling his history like Crater Lake, Olympic National Forest, etc. I was surprised by how the changes in the natural history held my interest as well as the human history. This book led me to take a trip to the beautiful Olympic National Park in Washington and has led to my interest in Jon Krakauer's books. I can't wait to read Egan's new book.

Timothy Egan writes with the flair of a novelist, but with the insight and detail of a journalist. His "Good Rain" is the finest look at my home corner of the country that I have ever read. I actually put down a John McPhee book to read this one!

A good book if you can filter out the evil white man vs Noble Red Man and Mommy Nature bias. To read this book you would think that no indian ever used a nylon gill net and that every inch of Western Washington outside of the National Parks is barren clear cut. He never mentions that most of the half of all available samon taken by the indians are gill netted. He never mentions that there are more trees growing in Western Washington now than there were at the time of Lewis and Clark.

Mr. Egan is a superb writer. This collection of essays takes you through history and across the landscape of the NW. The chapter on Salmon stands with the best environmental eriting that I have encountered.

This book was a fun book to read. Unlike most history books, this actually told one man's story about his life growing up in the Pacific Northwest. He tells tales that he heard from his grandpa, and begins by finding the perfect place to lay his grandpa to rest in his home country of the Pacific Northwest. This book grabs your attention from the start, and it makes you want to keep reading because of the historical "stories", not historical information. I highly recommend this book to someone who does not necessarily enjoy reading large, history books, but they must enjoy fun stories about history.