Montana 1948: A Novel [Paperback]

Larry Watson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 25, 2007

“From the summer of my twelfth year I carry a series of images more vivid and lasting than any others of my boyhood and indelible beyond all attempts the years make to erase or fade them… “ So begins David Hayden’s story of what happened in Montana in 1948. The events of that cataclysmic summer permanently alter twelve-year-old David’s understanding of his family: his father, a small-town sheriff; his remarkably strong mother; David’s uncle Frank, a war hero and respected doctor; and the Haydens’ Sioux housekeeper, Marie Little Soldier, whose revelations turn the family’s life upside down as she relates how Frank has been molesting his female Indian patients. As their story unravels around David, he learns that truth is not what one believes it to be, that power is abused, and that sometimes one has to choose between family loyalty and justice.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Watson's novel about a middle-class Montana family torn apart by scandal during the summer of 1948 was awarded the Milkweed National Fiction Prize.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A young Sioux woman tossing with fever on a cot; a father begging his wife for help; a mother standing uncertainly in her kitchen with a 12-gauge shotgun: from these fragments of memory, evoked by the narrator as the novel opens, Watson builds a simple but powerful tale. It is Montana in 1948, and young David Hayden's father, Wesley, is sheriff of their small town--a position he inherited from his domineering father. Wesley is overshadowed by his older brother, Frank, a war hero who is now the town doctor. When Marie, the Sioux woman who works for the Haydens, fall ill, she adamantly resists being examined by Frank. Some probing reveals that Frank has been molesting the Indian women in his care. Wesley's dilemma--should he turn in his own brother?--is intensified when Marie is found dead and David confesses that he saw his uncle near the house before she died. The moral issues, and the consequences of following one's conscience, are made painfully evident here. Watson is to be congratulated for the honesty of his writing and the purity of his prose. Highly recommended.
- Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 186 pages
• Publisher: Milkweed Editions (May 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571310614
• ISBN-13: 978-1571310613
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.5 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (147 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,047 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Little Big Sky April 18, 2000

By C. Fletcher

Format:Paperback

I lived in Bozeman, Montana the summer I was eight and I still have a lot of fond memories of the time my family spent there. I know I must talk about it a lot, because one day my girlfriend brought me this book and said, "I found something you have to read." From the cover and the write-up on the back, "Montana 1948" looked like it might be a nostalgic, bittersweet coming-of-age tale set in the Big Sky state.

It is all of those things, but it's more. Larry Watson spins a poignant, compelling narrative that deals with family, secrecy, innocence and corruption in a very moving way. The book's opening section gives a longish description of the setting. Soon after, drama unfolds and the plot becomes as thick as that of a mystery novel. As I was reading the book, I thought that I would probably give it a four star rating. But the ending was so beautifully moving that it bumped itself up.

The story is interesting and thought-provoking and the writing is lean but never pretentious. What I liked most about this book, though, was the rich characterization and the great pleasure I took in reading a well-told story. You'll enjoy this short, great novel, even if you've never thought twice about Montana.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Justice with an unexpected twist. December 27, 2000

By Denise Bentley

Format:Paperback

Twelve-year-old David Hayden is about to watch three generations of his family enter into a maelstrom of events that will rip a family apart, leaving a gapping wound that time will never repair. This is the story of two brothers, one the favored son of a rich landowner, a doctor, and war hero, while the other is a father's disappointment.

Marie Little Soldier reveals a dark secret that sets Sheriff Hayden off on an investigation that turns up much more than is expected. Add murder to the formula, and you have a page turning thriller that will leave you aghast at the direction it takes.

Watson's writing flows along effortlessly as you catapult to an ending of cataclysmic proportion for this family. A family that has not only thrived on the justice of their time, but also has held it like a scepter to which there were no reprisals.

This author writes with a western flare of youth lost to an irrepressible end, quite similar to "All the Pretty Horses". I am looking forward to "Justice" which is a prequel to "Montana 1948". It gives an added glimpse into the lives of the characters before the winds of change turn their world on end. Watson is a keen storyteller that is certainly worth reading. 12/28/00

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed how some controversial subjects were put so nicely June 9, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

The title of this book describes the setting of the book. It's a small town out in the middle of the Montana wilderness. The narrator of the story, David Hayden tells about his horrifying times as his learns about a family secret his family is trying to keep from him. David listens in on a conversation about his Native American nanny and finds that she has fallen ill and desperately does not want to see the doctor, David's uncle. In those days Indians had very little respect and rights. And he learns that his uncle has even less respect and does not obey his duties as a doctor. The problem is that David's father is the sheriff of the town. He learns about the trouble with his brother and concludes that he must do what's right and arrest his brother. The problem comes in when David's grandfather gets very upset that his one son is in jail and the other put him there. The grandfather takes matters into his own hands and endangers them all. The author Larry Watson does a superb job at making things appear real. The main character is a pre-teen but he acts much older. The story takes place in 1948 but I think it seems to fit well into the society that we live in today. In the news you often hear about doctors taking advantage of patients and influential people trying to get their family or friends out of trouble to preserve their reputation. If you enjoy hearing stories about people who had to go through misfortunes and overcome them; then you would like this book. The beginning gets you set in the world they are living in at the time and can get slow. But once you get to the problems and the story starts spiraling, you can't put it down. This is one of my favorite books.