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Nightwoods by Charles Frazier
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Nightwoods (original 2011; edition 2011)

by Charles Frazier

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,1668916,837 (3.78)106
Fiction. Literature. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
 
Charles Frazier, the acclaimed author of Cold Mountain and Thirteen Moons, returns with a dazzling novel set in small-town North Carolina in the early 1960s. With his brilliant portrait of Luce, a young woman who inherits her murdered sister’s troubled twins, Frazier has created his most memorable heroine. Before the children, Luce was content with the reimbursements of the rich Appalachian landscape, choosing to live apart from the small community around her. But the coming of the children changes everything, cracking open her solitary life in difficult, hopeful, dangerous ways. In a lean, tight narrative, Nightwoods resonates with the timelessness of a great work of art.
 
“Impossible to shake.”—Entertainment Weekly
 
“Fantastic.”—The Washington Post
 
“Astute and compassionate.”—The Boston Globe.
… (more)
Member:JBD1
Title:Nightwoods
Authors:Charles Frazier
Info:Random House
Collections:Removed
Rating:****
Tags:Fiction, Read in 2011

Work Information

Nightwoods by Charles Frazier (2011)

  1. 20
    The Cove by Ron Rash (stephaniefeldman)
  2. 10
    The Day of Small Things by Vicki Lane (readaholic12)
    readaholic12: Beautiful descriptive prose, North Carolina mountain setting, unusual characters, very touching.
  3. 00
    Touch by Alexi Zentner (arkgirl1)
    arkgirl1: Remote setting and beautiful descriptions of the natural world around.
  4. 00
    Sweetie by Kathryn Magendie (readaholic12)
    readaholic12: Rural North Carolina setting, descriptive prose, female protagonist.
  5. 11
    Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver (silva_44)
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» See also 106 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 90 (next | show all)
Suspense
  BooksInMirror | Feb 19, 2024 |
My first book by Mr. Frazier - will definitely be reading more. Loved the characters, setting, and story spun by Mr. Frazier- hard to put this one down. ( )
  rjdycus | Dec 19, 2022 |
In the backwoods of North Carolina in the 1950s, Stubblefield inherits his grandfather’s estate. He encounters Luce, a woman he knew in high school, living on his property. She has taken custody of her traumatized niece and nephew after her sister’s violent death. The children witnessed their stepfather murder their mother. Stubblefield has a romantic interest in Luce, but she is a victim of rape with her own set of traumas.

So, this book takes disturbed children – they kill animals and light fires – and puts them in a situation where they are pursued by a crazed criminal. I should have known I would not care for this book. I was hoping the sister that takes in the children would be a be positive influence, but she has trouble figuring out how to reassure and protect them.

I do not need the story to be full of kittens and rainbows, but this is just too dark for my taste. It is gory and joyless. Trigger warnings abound. The author turns a nice phrase on occasion, so I am going with two stars. It was okay.
( )
  Castlelass | Oct 30, 2022 |
Because I want every Frazier book to rise to the level of Cold Mountain, there is a temptation to be disappointed. But that is unfair. He propels the story forward very believably, and we want to go along for the ride. ( )
  mattorsara | Aug 11, 2022 |
Luce lives alone as a caretaker in an old lodge in the NC mountains in the early 60s. She has custody of her murdered sister's 2 children, twins who have obviously been seriously affected by being abused by their stepfather and by seeing their mother's murder. Luce is a loner, coming from an unpromising background also, but she does her best to teach the mute children what she knows about the mountains and the natural world around them. The new owner through inheritance shows up, as does the stepfather who escaped murder charges. What I did enjoy about the book were the descriptions of the mountains and what Luce had to show the children. I felt as if I were there; I could almost smell the forest. What I didn't like was the confusing way it was written. I found it hard to follow at times because so much was implied instead of stated. This book is fairly short. I think it may have been better as a longer book. ( )
  hobbitprincess | Feb 3, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 90 (next | show all)
Among James Fenimore Cooper’s many literary offenses, Mark Twain charged, was “surplusage.” The word’s undue thickness perfectly matches its meaning. It also feels of a piece with Cooper’s own prose, and likewise Charles Frazier’s: elegantly archaic-sounding, rough-cut and contrived.
 
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Luce's new stranger children were small and beautiful and violent.  She learned early that it wasn't smart to leave them unattended in the yard with the chickens.
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Don't chase it, and it will come back.    Stubblefield
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Information from the French Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
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Fiction. Literature. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
 
Charles Frazier, the acclaimed author of Cold Mountain and Thirteen Moons, returns with a dazzling novel set in small-town North Carolina in the early 1960s. With his brilliant portrait of Luce, a young woman who inherits her murdered sister’s troubled twins, Frazier has created his most memorable heroine. Before the children, Luce was content with the reimbursements of the rich Appalachian landscape, choosing to live apart from the small community around her. But the coming of the children changes everything, cracking open her solitary life in difficult, hopeful, dangerous ways. In a lean, tight narrative, Nightwoods resonates with the timelessness of a great work of art.
 
“Impossible to shake.”—Entertainment Weekly
 
“Fantastic.”—The Washington Post
 
“Astute and compassionate.”—The Boston Globe.

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Book description
The extraordinary author of Cold Mountain and Thirteen Moons returns with a dazzling new novel of suspense and love set in small-town North Carolina in the early 1960s.

Charles Frazier puts his remarkable gifts in the service of a lean, taut narrative while losing none of the transcendent prose, virtuosic storytelling, and insight into human nature that have made him one of the most beloved and celebrated authors in the world. Now, with his brilliant portrait of Luce, a young woman who inherits her murdered sister’s troubled twins, Frazier has created his most memorable heroine.
Haiku summary
Damaged woman with
Damaged kids, trying to live...
Meet their nemesis
(mclewe)

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