Winter's Bone

There was some talk about starting this book in May. I've got it here, but haven't started reading yet. It's pretty short, so hopefully won't take too long.

Count me in! I am 50 pages from the end of another book, and then I will be starting it.

Sandy, is anyone reading with us? I actually finished the book last night, and I'm dying to hear some other thoughts about it.

I don't know - I haven't started yet - does it go fast? It's at the top of my pile, just haven't had time for reading this week.

I'd like to read it, but it may be towards the end of the month until I get the chance. When did May get to be such a busy month?

It went fairly quickly. It's not a long book. I'll just sit tight and wait till you guys are ready to talk about it. I wasn't trying to rush anyone!

I'm intending to read it, I just haven't managed to start yet. This weekend!

I started it last night - thanks for the nudge - it is reading pretty quickly, and is really short. I should be able to finish before the end of the weekend without any problem.

Finished!

To start off, I thought this book was fantastic. Gritty and dark and un-put-down-able. Part of me can't believe a place like this even exists, but a different part of me finds it so familiar. Not the drugs-and-murder part, but I come from a gigantic rural family (Wisconsin, in my case) who is related by blood or marriage to everyone in town.

Woodrell has the whole "show, don't tell" thing down to a science. I think the relationship between Ree and her brothers was really touching, but he never comes out and says "Ree would do anything to protect her brothers" or "Sonny really looked up to Ree" or any of that nonsense. It was subtle, and powerful. And Teardrop! Good on Teardrop.

Many questions: why is Thump so important? Was he the one who put out the contract on Jessup? And it's great that Teardrop figured out who did the actually Jessup-killing, but I'm still confused. Who? Who did it?

Most importantly, what do you all think?

I didn't get who the real murder is either. I figured that Woodrell just didn't want people to really know. Either that or I missed a big clue earlier on.

I agree with you: Teardrop is a fantastic character!!

I did not expect him to stand up for Ree like that. I'd actually put him out of my mind, and then he showed up and was all "anyone touches her had better have killed me already" (to paraphrase) and it made me happy. For the whole book, she'd had no one, and now finally her family comes and stands up for her.

I certainly thought it was a powerful story, but I don't know that I can say I liked it. It was a quick read, but a difficult one, both because I struggled with the writing style and because of the violence. I did have trouble putting it down, and stayed up late to read the entire second half of it. I think the "drugs-and-murder" parts put me off because they were so matter-of-fact about it. The book made me very uncomfortable, probably because I know that, although the book is fiction, the story isn't, and the location just isn't that far from home.
Overall, it made me sad.

On a brighter note, I'll have to throw my vote in with Teardrop as my favorite character.

It seemed to me that the author expected me to know who killed Jessup, but I also couldn't figure it out.

I'm finally finished. I agree with Terrie, a powerful story, but I'm not sure I liked it.

I was heartbroken by the casual acceptance of drugs and booze and teenage pregnancy. And violence. That certainly supports the stereotype of ignorant backwoods hicks. (Remember the Hatfields and McCoys?) I was confused by who was who - who was friendly and who wasn't. The women who beat Ree - was that just because she was nosing around, getting too close to the business of their families? I think it was one of their men who killed Jessup - how else would they know where to find him? I thought that their showing Ree her father's body was some kind of peace offering. I was glad that Teardrop finally decided to stand behind his niece, but was confused by the way he seemed so defeated to realize who killed Jessup.

I was confused much of the time by this book! I'll definitely be watching for the movie to come out.

I interpreted Teardrop's defeated reaction to the realization of who killed Jessup as being because he knew himself well enough to know that after he'd had a few, if he saw Jessup's killer out having a good time, Teardrop would up and kill him. That'd be the end of Teardrop.

One thing I found really moving was that scene when Ree took the bus in to town and got off at the school, and the teachers watched her go with sad faces, and she couldn't bring herself to look at them too long. Just a few sentences, yet Woodrell conveyed so well the incredible waste of Ree's intelligence and talents and ambitions.

On the one hand, it was a waste, but look at all that she did, and all that she was going to have responsibility for in the future. If not for her intelligence, talents, and maybe even ambitions, she wouldn't have been able to do what she needed to do to keep her family together and alive. It seemed to me that this was what was most important to her. There are different ways of using gifts. I felt more that they were sad because that's the kind of child they like to teach!

Great point, Terri. I'm so school-centered that I automatically think that dropping out = waste of talent and brains, but you're absolutely right that without these gifts she wouldn't have been able to keep her family together.

Oh oh...I'm in trouble. Made the mistake of reading the first few pages last night despite the fact that I won't have any real reading time until tomorrow! I can tell already that I will be totally caught up in this story. I'll be posting my comments on the book soon.

#14 Jennifer, I think you're right about Teardrop - he even gave that reason for not wanting to know who the killer was. I guess I was thinking that the guilty person might have been someone close to him.

Ree was, indeed, remarkably strong and intelligent. There is no way she could have kept the family together otherwise. On the one hand, she dropped out of school with no apparent misgivings (and no evidence that it bothered anyone else in the community except maybe her teachers - that is part of what bothers me about the lifestyle of this community). On the other hand, she has a very definite goal of joining the army so that she can escape and make a life for herself. She does have some ambition. But, sadly, I got the impression that she'll be putting aside her plans for the army in order to stay with the family. Do you think she'll go back to school?

I would expect her to stay with the family until the boys are older, then go to the army. She seems together enough that she would train the boys well to carry on & take care of their mom, and when she's satisfied they're ready, then she'll go on with her plans.

That's just my take on her...

I had the most wonderful day of reading. It is so seldom that I can just "chuck" real life out the window and concentrate on one book. I'm glad, because Winter's Bone was that kind of book that grabs hold of you.

Here is my review. I have my own theory on who might have pulled the trigger on Jessup. I didn't find any substantial proof -- just a few vague clues. However, my "enjoyment" of the book isn't dependant on solving the mystery. In fact, I thought the ending was a little too neatly wrapped up for this kind of story. I hope that everyone hasn't moved too far away from this book so we can still discuss some things.

Did anyone get the Fruit of Belief and Fist of Gods mishmash that led the Dolly ancestors to the "paradise" of southern MO? It was only briefly mentioned and not explained to my satisfaction.

I'll check back later. Gotta go pretend I was a little productive today.

Donna, I like your comment about "not for the faint of heart." I think I may be in that category!

I read that part (twice actually, because it seemed significant), but couldn't come up with anything more than a holy man who claimed to have seen writing on "the entrails of a sparkling golden fish" that led him to settle in this area. It brought to my mind a Joseph-Smith-Golden-Tablets sort of scenario.

I wasn't expecting the mystery to be solved either, until Teardrop has his revelation at the end. It was Teardrop's reaction to it that made me feel it was important to know whodunit.

The subject matter of this book does make it difficult to read. However, I think this is the thing that I like most about this book. As an English education student, I am always reminded by my professors to be sure that my students should be exposed to diverse characters, settings, cultures, and lifestyles in their class readings. Usually, this means that the students read books with characters that are racially diverse. I like this book because it highlights a facet of society that is very real, but many people are not aware of it. The main character is a high school drop-out who lives in horrendous poverty and is the sole care-taker for her entire family and whose best friend is a teenage mother. I think that this would be a great book for students to read.

The one thing that I think students might struggle with would be the relationship between Ree and her best friend (I'm blanking out on her name right now...) They are obviously very close, however, I feel that students would fixate on the more sexual undertones of some of the scenes. I think that these girls are just incredibly close friends, but their relationship is somewhat complicated: their relationship is everything from a mother/daughter relationship to a sisterly relationship to a relationship experimental lovers (the scene where Ree talks about how they practiced kissing on each other was more vivid than I initially thought it would be).

Their relationship is so interesting because it is arguably the most important and most meaningful relationship in the book, but it has such an interesting and at times complicated dynamic. Any thoughts on this???

>21 tloeffler:: Terri, I wonder if he touches on the religious roots of this area in any of his other books. Yeah, Teardrop's reaction was so sudden that I reread this portion looking for the tipping point. Blue bag? I don't recall any earlier references to this, but that's not to say there weren't any.

I tend to agree with Jennifer that Thump Milton put out the "contract" on Jessup. He was probably the Big Kahuna behind the meth mafia. My theory is that Jessup had to go because "he told" and they chose someone fairly close to him to do the deed because of the whole warped code of ethics these hill country boys had. If I had to name a killer it would be Blond Milton because he was mean and creepy (I know, many fill that description) and he had the most to gain by getting his "seed" Sonny back in the family where he (to Blond's thinking anyway) rightfully belonged. Plus, he really tried to throw Ree off the case when he took her to the burned-out meth house where her dad was supposedly last seen. But she was too smart for that lame explanation. In addition, as ring-leader of the local pot farmers and crank cooks, he had the money for the rest of the bond. Now, if I could just connect him to a blue bag...

My second suspect would have to be Little Arthur. Anyone despicable enough to give a young girl magic mushrooms in order to rape her would do just about anything he was told to do. Any other theories out there?

>22 AWilkins:: Welcome, AWilkins, and thank you for your well thought out comments. I totally agree with your professors. I read to be exposed to different situations and characters. I would be so bored reading about middle-class housewives (like myself) with their "problems" with husbands and children, etc.

I, too, thought the relationship between Ree and Gail was pivotal. I wasn't too bothered with their adolescent experimentation. I'm just glad there wasn't father/daughter incest in this story. Now that gets me riled! I also loved the relationship between Ree and her mother. The short chapter where Ree led her up to the bluff and asked for her help was so poignant as was the tender scene where she was washing her mother's hair. The more I think about this book, the better I like it!

I thought the Ree/Gail relationship was so interesting. I have a slightly different take on it, though. I agree it was complicated, and it seemed to me that perhaps they have different views of it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I got the impression that the relationship was much more important, and in a somewhat romantic way, to Ree. Ree doesn't want Gail going back to Gail's husband, even though he doesn't hurt Gail (I don't remember any Gail-beatings, but I could be wrong). In fact (and again, I need to reread the book to see if my impressions still hold true), when Gail gets ready to go back, Ree asks her something like "but don't you like it" or something. I'm not saying that Ree isn't straight, but I think she has a huge crush on her friend. Also, that Gail, who having a baby and a husband is a little more grown up than Ree, doesn't have.

Blond Milton makes sense so far as the killer goes, but Little Arthur also makes sense b/c he knew Jessup, and was also close enough to Thump that he would be called on for such a job. And he is a complete dirtbag.

the magic mushrooms bit was particularly troubling, and reminds me of something I found troubling in Sharp Objects as well. Ree doesn't seem to be overly affected by what Little Arthur did to her. She doesn't seem to see it as a violation, necessarily, although she does realize that her daddy would kill Little Arthur if she told him. She never uses the word "rape" at all. So sad.

Jennifer, I think you hit on the something that bothers me most about this book (okay, maybe not just this book, but the realization of that whole "society"): The things that happen in the book that seem so awful or so sad to us are a way of life for Ree and those like her. "She doesn't see it as a violation" because she hasn't been raised to see things like this as violations, but as run-of-the mill. It's hard for me to read about things like that being treated as commonplace, even though for that society, they may be commonplace.

AWilkins, I also agree with you that students need to be exposed to diverse lifestyles. I consider myself fairly well-read, but lately I've been reading things that startle me with their truth. It shames me that I waited until this stage of my life to learn about things that went on (and continue to go on) right under my nose.

I just finished this book- albeit two months later! However, still had to post. I found this book to be somewhat addictive, I just couldn't put it down. I agree along with tloeffler, I didn't quite figure out who killed Jessup, unless maybe it was the cop....? I knew life was bad in that area, but I had no idea how bad it was. We have a few places like that speckled throughout my area, but it isn't common place like they make it feel like here.
I would just love to go to the spring that the girls went to, Woodrell makes that place sound amazingly beautiful.

I'm reviving this old thread for a news flash. My husband just told me he saw on Bloomberg News that Winter's Bone has won its division at the Sundance Film Festival. That will be a much-deserved boost to Mr. Woodrell's career.

Go, MO! I'd be interested to see how that panned out as a movie.

I've read some rave reviews about the Winter's Bone movie. Is it going to be widely released, do you know? Or will I have to wait for netflix?

From today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/joes-movie-lounge/joes-movie-lounge/2010/01/oza...

>29 jfetting:: According to the Springfield News-Leader this morning, Winter's Bone will be released this summer. Now whether or not it will be in wide release remains to be seen I suppose. I just hope that Winter's Bone is half as successful as last year's winner, Precious.

>30 tloeffler:: People do get riled up over a simple word, don't they? I suppose this area of SW Missouri does seem like "slumming" to some people, but I want to keep those kind of people out, so it doesn't bother me. I'm happy for Mr. Woodrell and some local talent to get some national exposure. And if some people don't think we can deliver on talent, I have two words for them....Brad Pitt.

I've just returned from seeing the film adaptation of Winter's Bone. It was a slow movie, but I was riveted by the story once again as I was when I read the book. Jennifer Lawrence did a fantastic job playing Ree as a gritty yet bewildered 17-year-old who had way too much responsibility in her life.

I don't think the movie will help the tourist trade. I think I'll stick to the main roads while traveling in southcentral Missouri!

There was a huge write-up about the movie in the paper last week when it came out. The Star reviewer gave it 4 stars out of 4 (unusual) and also commented on the actress who played Ree. It sounds like it stays pretty true to the book - at least as far as mood and setting goes.

Well I have some ideas about who killed Jessup and I would appreciate any feedback. Here goes:
Who killed Jessup is a tantalizing question. While the question is unanswered and open-ended, there are clues that point to one individual. Teardrop, Jessup's brother had the greatest motive and opportunity. Initially Jessup is against Ree's search for her father. The other members of the extended family appear to be less involved in the drug trade and have other ventures going on. Thump Milton has his cattle and seems to have some success in this business. It is only Teardrop, the drug abuser, who seems to have no visible means of support. If his brother speaks with the authorities and exposes the criminal activities, it is Teardrop who has the most to lose. The other family members fear Teardrop, and it becomes apparent that it is Teardrop rather than Thump Milton who is the most dangerous and most involved individual. In an interview Deborah Granik, the director, states, "Both Teardrop and Jessup, are deeply entrenched in the local meth economy, which Ree knows comes with its own code of conduct. Teardrop doesn’t want to talk about his brother’s whereabouts, doesn’t want to give clues, and doesn’t want Ree to investigate, to the point where he threatens her. A warning is issued, and an obstacle is thrown in her path. We learn that Ree’s uncle is gruff, intimidating, volatile, and dangerous to deal with. The tension and secrecy that Teardrop throws in Ree’s path in this scene sets the stage for the uphill battle her search is going to become. The scene comes early in the film, and lets both Ree and the audience know that even though she is a teenage girl from within the family, she’s going to face the same kind threats and violence that would be inflicted on anyone who comes around asking too many questions."

The novel also describes Teardrop as having gotten his tattoos for killing people and not having had any witnesses. Jessups murder is consistent with Teardrop's MO.

Ree is led to a meth lab that burned down because of human error. Ree sees past this and knows that her father was too good at his nefarious craft to have made such a mistake. The motive in showing her the lab is twofold. She would stop looking for her father, and in addition, her father would be seen as having "messed up." Teardrop tells Ree never to tell him who it was who killed Jessup if she finds out. Ostensibly this is because Teardrop would then be obligated to kill that person in revenge and possibly end up dead in the process. An alternate interpretation is that he would not be able to face Ree if she finds out that he is the actual murderer.

Teardrop has strong feelings for Ree. Is it because she is his niece or because she is his daughter? Is he in love with her? What is revealed in the family album that causes Ree to burn it along with other belongings? If the family is to break up, where will each of the characters go? Incestuous relationships and vague family boundaries are suggested throughout. How are people related? The same blood runs through the characters, but the bloodlines are never quite clear.

The end of the movie is quite telling. Here is where the movie differs from the novel. Teardrop picks up Jessup's banjo but is unable to play it and says he was never able to play as well as his brother. Sibling rivalry rears its ugly head, and Teardrop would like to humiliate his brother because he could never be as "good" as Jessup. He could never fill Jessup's boots which are featured prominently in the film. He then speaks softly to Ree and indicates that he knows who killed Jessup. Teardrop's very name come from a tattoo or mark on his body; it is the mark of Cain who slew Abel his brother. To the extent that Teardrop has killed Jessup, he is his brother's keeper. It would not be against the code of silence for Teardrop to kill his brother (fratricide occurs in the Godfather as well), to take care of "family business." The words are never spoken, but Ree knows it is Teardrop who killed Jessup.

You make an excellent case, Hydrangea. I wish I had the book to refer to, but my copy came from the library. I thought it was the neighbor who took Ree to the burned out meth house. I probably read that wrong.

I wonder if Woodrell purposely wanted to be unclear on the point of who killed Daddy to keep the readers wondering. Not every plot line has to be cleared up for a book or movie to be successful.

I'm going to run your theory by the friend who saw the movie with me. She pays more attention to detail than I do. It's clear at the movie's end that Teardrop was a doomed man -- and Ree knew it.

You've given us food for thought. Thanks for presenting your case so well. And welcome to Library Thing!

Thank you Donna. Actually, it was the neighbor who took Ree to the burned out meth house, but it very well could have been at the behest of Teardrop. In the book, but not the movie, it is Teardrop who was badly injured from a fire in a meth house. This is consistent with the "mark of Cain" (in addition to the teardrop tattoos). The meth house in question could have been the place where Teardrop was injured. In this case, he would be trying to place the blame on his brother. I agree that's a lot of "what ifs" on my part.

I do agree that Woodrell wanted to be unclear on the point of who killed Jessup, and of course, since there is no answer in the book, the question is certainly moot, but it's divine to speculate.

Let me know what your friend thinks, and thank you for responding. When I speak of the movie to most of my friends they usually answer "Winter's what?."

I have many thoughts about the chapter of the book that seems to have religious roots. I will only post of someone wants to read it. Let me know.

It's been quite a while since I read this book and, like Donna, it's gone back to the library so I can't refer to it. I might not remember the details that you bring up, but I'd be interested in reading your thoughts anyway.

Well, I think there are references to Biblical and Celtic Mythology. The passage is worth re-reading if you get hold of the book. Before I blab on about it, I would be interested in other peoples thoughts.

Here goes:

I think that Ree, by visiting the cave, demonstrates a subconscious view on religion that combines Celtic Mythology with Old Testament beliefs. The Celtic beliefs represent the old religion of her ancesters, predating Christianity. In Celtic mythology there is a salmon that represents knowledge and a hero (Finn Machool) who partakes of the salmon and becomes all knowing. Haslam is a leader who appears to be like Moses. Moses led his people out of Egypt, and Haslam leads his people out of Hawkfall. Haslam is an old English name that means Hickory nut tree. Trees were sacred in Celtic lore. Haslam is also Teardrop's real name (not that Teardrop is the leader, but he bears the name of the leader). Celtic mythology and "religion" being about 1000 BC and that would account for the 6000 years to which the author refers. The Jews spent 40 years wandering in the desert and Woodrell speaks of the fugitive people in the novel as having spent 30 years wandering. The walls that tumble down in the book may represent the walls of Jericho ("Joshua fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came tumlin' down") Fire has sacred meaning in Celtic lore and of course there is the burning bush to which Moses spoke. I find these parallels intriguing, and I wish someone else would say something about this chapter. I am not entirely sure how this chapter relates to the rest of the book.

From my Post #20 above....

Did anyone get the Fruit of Belief and Fist of Gods mishmash that led the Dolly ancestors to the "paradise" of southern MO? It was only briefly mentioned and not explained to my satisfaction.

As you can see, I am (or was) clueless about Celtic mythology. I know more than I did thanks to you, Hydrangea, but not sure how it relates to the story. Maybe somebody on LT will be inspired to read the book because of the movie and be able to discuss it with you.

I must get a copy of this book to keep. I've been looking at used bookstores and library book sales but haven't had any luck so far.

Thanks for responding, Donna. You can get a copy of the book online at any of the big companies either new or used (not sure if we can mention the names here, but the large bookstore companies). By the way, I meant to say begin not being in the above message (about the 1000 years BC.) I don't know much about Celtic mythology either, but there are quite a few online sources. Interestingly, the book mentions that discord occurs because of a woman, which would parallel Eve partaking of the forbidden fruit. I think there may have been some type of competition for Ree's mother at some point, because they go into how beautiful she was at one time (especially in the pictures in the family album).

I know, I might have to break down and order it, but I love it when I can find a book I want really cheap --I"m talking $1.00 here-- at the sales! And I live in Missouri...I should be able to find this book locally.

Re: the mother. Let's not forget that the evil neighbor was actually the biological father of Sonny. Maybe that and other telling reasons explains why Ree burned family momentos?

Good luck with your search, Donna!

OK the neighbor is the biological father of Sonny. Is there any evidence that there are other mixed bloodlines? I'm not sure. In this novel, can we really be sure who is the biological father of anyone?

The "spiritual" chapter may be taken out of sequence. In this chapter she burns her panties, so it may make refernce to her actions after the rape/seduction by Little Arthur. She indicates that her father would have killed Little Arthur had she held those panties out to him and shed a tear. On the other hand, burning the underwear may indicate that another seduction has taken place.

Also, in the chapter before, Thump Milton is referred to as the "big man." Then, in the, let's call it the spiritual chapter, the narrator makes reference to the big man and the lie.

Now for Jessup, he was a terrible husband and not much of a father. What is Ree's allegiance to him? Ultimately her allegiance is to her mother, and brothers. She has to find her father dead or alive. So many unanswered questions. I wonder if the author will ever try to clarify.

Donna, didn't you see the author at a Book Festival last year? Was he enlightening at all about this?

I sure did, Terri. You have a good memory...and some good knees! I enjoyed the author chat with Daniel Woodrell, although he's one of these authors that doesn't know where his story is going until it takes him there! I think he said that he tries to stay a chapter or two ahead of the game.

One other thing that stood out for me is when he said his biggest fan base is from The Netherlands and some other European countries. I wonder if this will change if the movie does well. I guess it's already done well by winning at Sundance, but there is talk of Oscar potential. I hope everyone in our group who read the book will see the movie and chime in on this discussion.

I guess no one cares to post anything more about the subject. That's a shame, because I feel the movie is Oscar-worthy, but it won't have much of a chance unless more of a spotlight shines on it. I've been reading a bit more of Celtic lore, which is consistent with the information in the novel. In addition, Teardrop makes reference to pre-Biblical "old ways." I wish someone would say a bit more.

I'm looking forward to seeing the movie - I hope it will be released more widely this fall.

I think your comments are interesting, but I'm afraid that I can't make any intelligent responses to them. It's been more than a year since I read the book, and I had a hard time understanding that chapter anyway, so I just sort of skimmed over it.

Hydrangea- you took a very interesting approach to this book! Glad to see it analyzed so deeply. I have to admit that Winter's Bone was one of those books I picked up and read on a Saturday afternoon, however, since that said time, well over a year ago, this book has stuck with me.
Just recently watched the movie myself. OVerall a very good representation, which means a lot coming from me, because generally I refuse to watch books turned into movies because they irritate me. A few details were left out, but if you read the book you could pick up on the subliminal messages.
I teach elementary school in a small south central town in MO, and I have to admit much of the scenery and characters looked all too familiar....
Anyways, Hydrangea, I understand your reasoning behind suspecting Teardrop, but I myself just can't bring myself to believe it.... too much overwhelming evidence that he loved his brother entirely too much to let anything intentionally happen to him...

Who killed Jessup?
When Ree is in the barn after being beat up: "She recognized Little Arthur, Spider Milton, Cotton Milton, Buster Leroy and one of the Boshell men, Sleepy John."
When Uncle Teardrop is railing to Ree about how he can't know who Jessup's killer is: "They'll all come for me then...Buster Leroy...Little Arthur...Cotton Milton,Whoop Milton,Dog..Punch...Hog-jaw...that droopy-eyed motherf#cker Sleepy John.
When he bondsman comes to bring the bond back to Ree the bondsman says this about the person who posted it:"He never gave a name and, hell, I couldn't even say for sure the man was ever even all the way awake,..."
After that Teardrop says he knows who killed Jessup.
I think all signs point to Sleepy John.
Also, Uncle Teardrop says Jessup would never snitch on any Raithin Valley folk so it definitely would have been one of the Hawkfall "gang".

Wow! What a discussion! Just finished reading this book and loved it (despite the violence and rough subject matter). Little book, big impact! Loved all the comments above. I'm getting so much more out of this now. There really is an awful lot to think about here - and I'm betting I'll be reading more of Woodrell. I'm tempted to re-read this book even.

Who killed Jessup nagged at me when I finished the book. I wondered about the "blue bag" myself but couldn't place it. All the possibilities now make me ok with not knowing... strange as that may sound.

Thanks to Missouri Readers! I should print off this thread and staple it to the book!

What a great idea! I kind of feel the same about Woodrell. I'm taken aback by his books, but yet they are compelling reads.

Glad you liked it! Join us again!

Woodrell is basically a genius, capsizing on all those 'Missourio' attitudes and thing that he grew up on. I've only read one other book by him- Give us a kiss and it was amazing. I've looked for several other books of his online and can't find any very cheap.
Last month a series of his books was up for grabs in Early Reviewers and I'm very disappointed to say that I did NOT get it :(

I read it as Sleep John was the one who killed Jessup, based on the fact that Teardrop figured it out after hearing the bailbondsman say that he was not even sure if the man put up the money to bail him out was even awake. He then knew,and both he and Dolly knew that Teardrop would have to avenge his brother, and then the Hawkill Dollys would come for him.
It is an amazing book, but I found the touches of an unkinown religious history puzzeling and wish I could find out more about this and historical precident in the Ozarks.

Hi all. First time posting but I think this may be relevant to the Celtic mythology thread. The Scottish King, Robert the Bruce, who ruled from 1306-1329, was on the run from the British and took refuge in a cave on Rathlin Island off the coast of Ireland. The legend has it that while hiding in the cave he watched a spider make several attempts to spin a web. After failing twice it finally succeeded. Robert had to fight the British to gain control of the crown ending at the Battle of Bannockburn where Bruce's army defeated the much larger army of Edward II of England. This is similar to Ree's repeated attempts to find her father. She had fight a formidable army and suffered greatly but persevered and won and regained control of her home. Did Woodrell purposefully choose to set the story in Rathlin Valley in reference to Bruce? Is there really a Rathlin Valley in Missouri? Great book IMHO.