Montana 1948: A Novel (Paperback)

~ (Author)

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.

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: Washington Square Press; Later printing edition (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671507036
• ISBN-13: 978-0671507039
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (115 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #552,387 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	C. Fletcher (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Denise Bentley "Kelsana" (The California Redwoods) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth your time, June 15, 2004

By	Grant Naylor "grantnaylor" - See all my reviews

This book is more complex than it first appears.

Highly readable, it tells the story of 12yo David Hayden and his family's Sioux housekeeper, Marie Little Soldier.

The relationships between David, his mother, father and the housekeeper are tightly intertwined and David cares for all three of them deeply even though he seems to doubt his father for a short time.

David's feelings for his uncle are very mixed and he seems to be the first person to teach David that people are not always what they seem. Unfortunately David learns this in a tragic way.

Although the book deals with 'heavy' themes it never becomes heavy to read.