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The Great Leader by Jim Harrison
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The Great Leader (edition 2011)

by Jim Harrison

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3011186,589 (3.78)21
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Author Jim Harrison has won international acclaim for his masterful body of work, including over thirty books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. In his most original work to date, Harrison delivers an enthralling, witty, and expertly crafted novel following one man's hunt for an elusive cult leader, dubbed the Great Leader.

On the verge of retirement, Detective Sunderson begins to investigate a hedonistic cult, which has set up camp near his home in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. At first, the self-declared Great Leader seems merely a harmless oddball, but as Sunderson and his sixteen-year-old sidekick dig deeper, they find him more intelligent and sinister than they realized. Recently divorced and frequently pickled in alcohol, Sunderson tracks his quarry from the woods of Michigan to a town in Arizona, filled with criminal border-crossers, and on to Nebraska, where the Great Leader's most recent recruits have gathered to glorify his questionable religion. But Sunderson's demons are also in pursuit of him.

Rich with character and humor, The Great Leader is at once a gripping excursion through America's landscapes and the poignant story of a man grappling with age, lost love, and his own darker nature.

.
… (more)
Member:JanisMarshall
Title:The Great Leader
Authors:Jim Harrison
Info:Grove Press (2011), Hardcover, 288 pages
Collections:Your library
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The Great Leader by Jim Harrison

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» See also 21 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 11 (next | show all)
This is one I read some time ago and cannot recall enough about to review. ( )
  mykl-s | May 23, 2023 |
Harrison had an interesting idea about exploring cults and the complexity of religion, sex and violence but he didn't deliver. ( )
  ghefferon | Apr 26, 2015 |
JH writes a detective story as he writes others; very well with depth and insight. His aging hero is coming to grips w retirement and who he is while he is trying to bust a cult leader. Almost only gave it a 4 because the cult leaser's end was too convenient. Maybe another 50 pages needed. None-the-less a great and thoughtfuld read. ( )
  JBreedlove | Jun 16, 2013 |
Harrison does a wonderful comedic and often reflective job exploring the life of a newly retired and borderline alcoholic police officer in this novel. I am saddened by those who cannot look past the character's sometimes obsession with the female form, as it is an insight to this character and how lonely he has made himself over his lifetime, not the author's fleeting thoughts regarding bums and breasts. What I especially enjoyed about this novel was the fact that it is indeed a "faux mystery." The cult remains overshadowed by an ageing man's attempt at examining his life and trying to settle into the malaise of retirement after entirely devoting himself to his career. I grew to love this burly old man and I am sure readers can find parallels between themselves and the main character enough to occasionally sting. Harrison is showing his audience that no one is unable to change or redeem themselves, a message which could easily have come off as trite, but which the author reflects upon in the resolution of the novel beautifully. Each character in this novel has his own vice and is lonely in his own way, which causes a somewhat chaotic melding of personal interactions expected from people in situations where forthright emotional expression is not encouraged for any number of reasons. Overall, this is a humorous and poignant story. Do not dismiss this book as an old man talking about girls' bums; you'd be making a big mistake. ( )
1 vote hovercraftofeels | Jan 22, 2013 |
I thought this was a great book, one of the best Harrison has ever written in my opinion. Harrison's protagonist, Sunderson, will resonate with many who are nearing, or have just gone into "retirement." ( )
  namfos | May 9, 2012 |
Showing 1-5 of 11 (next | show all)
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Harrison, Jimprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Matthieussent, BriceTraductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Fiction. Literature. HTML:

Author Jim Harrison has won international acclaim for his masterful body of work, including over thirty books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. In his most original work to date, Harrison delivers an enthralling, witty, and expertly crafted novel following one man's hunt for an elusive cult leader, dubbed the Great Leader.

On the verge of retirement, Detective Sunderson begins to investigate a hedonistic cult, which has set up camp near his home in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. At first, the self-declared Great Leader seems merely a harmless oddball, but as Sunderson and his sixteen-year-old sidekick dig deeper, they find him more intelligent and sinister than they realized. Recently divorced and frequently pickled in alcohol, Sunderson tracks his quarry from the woods of Michigan to a town in Arizona, filled with criminal border-crossers, and on to Nebraska, where the Great Leader's most recent recruits have gathered to glorify his questionable religion. But Sunderson's demons are also in pursuit of him.

Rich with character and humor, The Great Leader is at once a gripping excursion through America's landscapes and the poignant story of a man grappling with age, lost love, and his own darker nature.

.

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