Amazon.com: In Open Spaces (9780688172701): Russell Rowland: Books

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44 Reviews

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(2)

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4.7 out of 5 stars (44 customer reviews)

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Story..., September 12, 2004

By

Mercedes L. Johnmeyer "The Most Happy" (Summerville, SC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In Open Spaces (Paperback)

This book took me about 2 weeks to finish. Not because it's slow, or boring...just the opposite. This was a beautiful look at a ranching family in Montana, and the struggles they go through with the land and each other. I didn't want to rush this book in any way. I wanted to savor every chapter, which is just what I did. The detailed discriptions of the land, and how their life is run made me feel like I was right there.

Blake Arbuckle tells the story of his family that begins in 1916 when he's 13 yrs. old, and goes on to 1946. By the end of this book I felt like they were all part of my own family. I highly recommend this book. Even though it's not fast paced, or a riveting tale that you finish in one day, it's a fascinating look at what life was like on a ranch, and the trials this one family endures. I would love to see a sequel to this book to find out what happens to the next generation of Arbuckles.

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Opened a Door to My Heart, June 17, 2002

By

James J OKeefe (Port;and, ME United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Open Spaces (Paperback)

This breathtakingly good debut positively floored me. It is at once majestic and intimate. The author presents a family of strong, unique characters who must act as one to survive the unforgiving open spaces of Eastern Montana -- even as the family members increasingly form and break alliances with one another. Rich in detail, the author's ranchhand roots clearly run deep. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interst in "guy stuff" (ranching, baseball, murder?), "girl stuff" (unrequited love, intrafamily dynamics, handsome cowboys) or just stuff (life during the depression, hitching rides in mail trucks, how to hold a cigarette).

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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MAKE SPACE ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND ..., June 21, 2002

By

barry a beckman (berkeley, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Open Spaces (Paperback)

A friend turned me on to this one. What a stunner! A pitch perfect description of the tribulations facing a family attempting to survive each other and the rough, rough world of Montana ranch country in the first half of this century. The challenges facing the Arbuckle clan are overwhelming and bleak, and yet this book is absolutely charged with energy, life, and passion. I could not get the main characters (esp. Blake, Jack or Rita (ooooh, i LOVED rita), out of my head. And if for no other reason, read this book to experience what I will only describe here as an intense medical procedure performed on an injured (and profoundly angry) cow by lay people with no anestheia, one of the most gripping (and if you can believe it, sexually charged) scenes I have ever read. Like the "Corrections", Rowland captures both the intimate details of family life AND the overall impact of large societal forces (in this case, WW1, the great depression and relentless dust bowl, and WW2). This book is not getting the attention it deserves, it is one of the finest books i have ever read, grand in scope and true in its details.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Gives the reader a feel of Montana
I think this novel works for two reasons. One is that the author has clearly taken the time to write good prose. Read more

Published on July 18, 2009 by Paul Gehrman

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read
When I first read In Open Spaces, I thought there was too much monologue, but on reflection, it was one of the best books I've read in a long time. Read more

Published on May 2, 2008 by Steven C. Schoeneman

5.0 out of 5 stars A Realistic Picture of the Depression
"In Open Spaces" is a lovely read and reminded me somewhat of the tales my parents told me about their own trials and tribulations in the Canadian Prairies during the depression... Read more

Published on April 18, 2008 by Betty K

5.0 out of 5 stars A hit right out of the ball park
This novel hits the mark in several respects. It's a convincing coming-of-age book, a Montana Bildungsroman; it's also a wonderful evocation of a landscape and the human... Read more

Published on January 26, 2008 by Henry M. Millstein

4.0 out of 5 stars Rising out of Montana prairie dust
We enter the scene with young Blake Arbuckle getting his head bumped. Repetitively. The driver of the Model-T mail truck, Alice, is chattering away, but he is trying to sleep, his... Read more

Published on November 13, 2007 by Zinta Aistars

1.0 out of 5 stars One Book Wonder?
There are so many really good authors out there --- try one of them. Like Ian McEwan, or Alice Munro, or, well.... Read more

Published on April 5, 2006 by lucillechenille

5.0 out of 5 stars Been There
Growing up in the community that this book is about brought back many feelings and thoughts of those open spaces Rowland speaks about. Read more

Published on January 3, 2006 by B. Roseleip

4.0 out of 5 stars A good solid read . . .
This is an old-fashioned saga about a family on a ranch in the southeast corner of Montana. The story is told by one of four brothers, starting in 1916 when he is a 14-year-old... Read more

Published on December 28, 2004 by Ronald Scheer

5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling story
Well-written and believable story of a ranching family in Montana. Convincing characters and vivid scenery pulled me into the book and kept me gripped till the end. Read more

Published on May 6, 2004 by Jessica Black

5.0 out of 5 stars A joy to read
What a beautiful book. Quiet, gentle, but very strong emotions. Superb. I loved it.

Published on April 18, 2004 by Edie

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Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
The windows of the old Model T rattled as the mail truck bounced along the winding gravel road from Belle Fourche, South Dakota, to Albion, Montana. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
old homestead house

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Belle Fourche, Art Walters, David Westford, Annie Ketchal, Lawrence Andrews, Steve Glasser, Carter County, Gary Glasser, Lonnie Roberts, Blake Arbuckle, Hay Creek, Jack Arbuckle, Johnny Trumble, Pastor Ludke, Satchel Paige, Sophie Roberts, Little Missouri River, New Jersey, Pioneer Days, Where's Jack, Arbuckle Ranch

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