In the Loyal Mountains [Paperback]

Rick Bass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1997

To quote the Los Angeles Times: "Impelled by a profound love of the land, the ten stories in In the Loyal Mountains are a reminder that American literature draws its unique strength from a powerful sense of place." In this luminous collection, Rick Bass firmly establishes himself as a master of the short story, with tales that embrace vibrant images of ordinary human life and exuberant descriptions of the natural world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Moving and self-assured . . . something like the heft of a wonderfully layered novel." Publishers Weekly, Starred

"Bass's fiction takes us to the borders of civiliation, here we glimpse an untamed worlds of myth and mystery." Entertainment Weekly

About the Author

RICK BASS’s fiction has received O. Henry Awards, numerous Pushcart Prizes, awards from the Texas Institute of Letters, fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, among others. Most recently, his memoir Why I Came West was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (September 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395877474
• ISBN-13: 978-0395877470
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #982,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Antlers and fires, August 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: In the Loyal Mountains (Paperback)

As a lover of Rick Bass' nonfiction, I sometimes find myself a little disappointed with his approach to fiction. In some of these stories, the metaphors and symbols Bass attempts to draw are lost on me--either too bizarre or too obscure or too complex. But there are some truly beautiful moments here, particularly in the stories "Antlers" and "Fires." Bass is most successful when his stories are deeply rooted in a place he knows well, and when his plot lines are relatively simple. Both stories mentioned above deal centrally with human relationships: fear and longing. Set in a carefully wrought landscape (in the case of these two stories, northwest Montana), the people and places come alive in a way than few other writers (except maybe Wendell Berry) can emulate. I do recommend this book, but I would more enthusiastically recommend some of Bass' nonfiction, especially "Winter," "The Lost Grizzlies," and "The Book of Yaak." Also, his book of short stories, "Platte River," has some lovely moments. Keep writing, Rick!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some of Bass's Best!, July 11, 1998

By 

Pete Ketcham ([e-mail]) (Moscow, Vermont) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Loyal Mountains (Paperback)

10 great short stories that illuminate the breadth at which Bass can write. The different subject matter compliments Bass's other works nicely. If you are a first time reader of Bass, start with Winter: Notes from Montana and then grab this one as a follow up.

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting stories, October 24, 2011

By 

Matthew D. Carlson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Loyal Mountains (Paperback)

I rather liked this book as it has a slow flowing feel to it. On the surface all the stories have a slow moving rhythm to them that does not appear to have much meaning but if you look beyond there is a lot to see.