Ivan Doig (1939–2015)

This is the story of two friends from Nethermuir, Scotland, who decided to take a chance on a new life in America in 1889. Rob Barclay was the most enthusiastic, and he had a prosperous relative already established in Montana who sent money home every Christmas---surely he'd be able to give two eager young men a grand start. Angus McCaskill was slightly more cautious, but ultimately took the plunge into steerage along with Rob. Their adventures with homesteading, sheep ranching, schoolrooms show more and matrimony make marvelous reading, as usual with Doig. This one I found a little more heart-wrenching than others of his; there is sadness, loss, bitterness and regret along with loyalty, duty, dancing and love at work here, and its realism is remarkable. I subtracted a star for the fact that I could see several plot developments coming in the last third of the book, and then put half of it back because it was all done so darned well, and because when all was said and done, our Angus realized what was critically important to him and clung to it.. show less

This memoir was completed in 1978,a few years after Doig lost two of the most important people in his life, his father and his maternal grandmother, who raised him together after his mother died when he was six years old. They are the stars of the story, but Ivan himself figures very prominently in it, as it tells of his own young life under the rugged conditions of mid-20th century Montana ranching and sheep-herding. It is easy to see the seeds of his novels in his own upbringing--and what show more a harvest he made of it. Doig's gift with the language is priceless...he just drops golden sentences all over the pages, and makes it seem effortless and utterly un-self-conscious. I'm convinced that he talked exactly as he wrote, and that he would have been just as much of a joy to listen to as he is to read. Five stars. show less

Doig's fiction, set in early-20th-century Montana, always rings true, and this coming-of-age tale is no exception.

Narrator Paul is the eldest of the Milliron boys at 12, when their widowed father, intrigued by a personal advertisement, hires a housekeeper to come out from far-off Minneapolis to bring order (and home cooking) into their bachelor existence.Things don't go as planned from the get-go -- for one, she doesn't cook, and for another, she has brought her somewhat dandified brother show more along with her. It's obvious that there is more (and less) to Rose Llewellyn than she's telling, but when the full story is finally revealed, most readers won't have seen that particular twist coming.

Meanwhile, it's a pleasant and nostalgic journey through the year of a small dryland farming community, enlivened by an unexpected turnover at the one-room schoolhouse and by the 1910 arrival of Halley's Comet. Much of the drama centers around that schoolhouse and the adventures of Paul, his brothers, and their schoolmates.

Doig uses a framing device to tell the story as a grown-up Paul, now the Superintendent of Montana's Public Instruction must face the bitter task of overseeing the closure of the state's one-room schoolhouses. It seems an odd stylistic choice at first. The main thrust of the novel deals with Paul's coming-of-age, and it's a bit jarring to have it shell out every five or six chapters so the adult Paul can step in, wrestling with the decision he knows he must make but resisting it with all his heart. Doig, however, has had a good reason all along and manages to bring everything to a satisfying and relevant conclusion. show less

Slow, yet supremely captivating; this tale of a young boy growing up in the back of his father's bar during the sixties is such a captivating portrait of Americana. Nestled deep in the mountains of the Montano medicine country is the Medicine Lodge ran by a bowtie wearing stickler named Tom Harry. His twelve year old son Rusty is about to have one of the most memorable summers of his life and at the heart of it is the bar and its many patrons. It's 1960 and the world is changing, the Top show more Spot Diner has new owners and they have brought with them their twelve year old daughter, Zoe. Despite their initial misgivings the two of them become fast friends and Rusty wastes no time showing her all the wonders of the back room in the bar. Together they listen to the wild tales of the bar goers and see Tom Harry in all his glory. Leisurely told without much plot, this tale is still enthralling - I loved all the characters and this town (especially the bar) seemed so real to me. Fantastic storytelling! show less