Driftless
David Rhodes
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  • Title: Driftless
  • Author: David Rhodes
  • ISBN: 9781571310682
  • Page: 311
  • Format: Paperback

    • When David Rhodes s first three novels were published in the mid seventies, he was acclaimed as one of the best eyes in recent fiction John Gardner , and compared favorably to Sherwood Anderson In 1976, a motorcycle accident left him paralyzed from the chest down, and unpublished for the subsequent three decades.Driftless heralds a triumphant return to the Midwestern lWhen David Rhodes s first three novels were published in the mid seventies, he was acclaimed as one of the best eyes in recent fiction John Gardner , and compared favorably to Sherwood Anderson In 1976, a motorcycle accident left him paralyzed from the chest down, and unpublished for the subsequent three decades.Driftless heralds a triumphant return to the Midwestern landscape Rhodes knows so well, offering a fascinating and entirely unsentimental portrait of a town apparently left behind by the march of time At once intimate and funny, wise and generous, Driftless is an unforgettable story of contemporary life in rural America.The few hundred souls who inhabit Words, Wisconsin, are an extraordinary cast of characters The middle aged couple who zealously guards their farm from a scheming milk cooperative The lifelong invalid, crippled by conflicting emotions about her sister A cantankerous retiree, haunted by childhood memories after discovering a cougar in his haymow The former drifter who forever alters the ties that bind a community In his first novel in 30 years, David Rhodes offers a vivid and unforgettable look at how each life affects many.
    David Rhodes
    As a young man, David Rhodes worked in fields, hospitals, and factories across Iowa After receiving an MFA in Writing from the University of Iowa Writers Workshop in 1971, he published three acclaimed novels The Last Fair Deal Going Down 1972 , The Easter House 1974 , and Rock Island Line 1975 In 1976, a motorcycle accident left him partially paralyzed In 2008, Rhodes returned to the literary scene with Driftless, a novel that was hailed as the best work of fiction to come out of the Midwest in many years Alan Cheuse Following the publication of Driftless, Rhodes was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2010, to support the writing of Jewelweed, his newest novel He lives with his wife, Edna, in Wisconsin Rhodes proves that there is still vigorous life in the dark Gothic roots of great American novels Peter W Jordan, The Tennessean

    Driftless Area The Driftless Area is a region in Minnesota, Wisconsin, northwestern Illinois, and northeastern Iowa of the American Midwest that was never glaciated Colloquially, the term is expanded to include the broader incised Paleozoic Plateau, which contains deeply carved river valleys and extends into southeastern Minnesota and northeastern Iowa The region includes elevations ranging from to Iowa Driftless The Iowa Driftless Chapter of Trout Unlimited is based in Decorah, Iowa and represents six counties in northeast Iowa Winneshiek, Allamakee, Howard, Fayette, Clayton and Chickasaw. Driftless David Rhodes Books Driftless David Rhodes on FREE shipping on qualifying offers When David Rhodes s first three novels were published in the mid seventies, he was acclaimed as one of the best eyes in recent fiction John Gardner Driftless Caf We ve been selected to feature in Truth, Love Clean Cutlery, a new guide to the world s truly exemplary, ethical, organic and sustainable restaurants and food experiences, created by leading food writers from countries. Driftless Angler Home Page About Us The Driftless Angler is a full service fly shop located on the historic main street in Viroqua Wisconsin A short drive from anywhere in the upper Midwest, we are centrally located within the Driftless Area s thousands of miles of spring creek trout streams. Allamakee County Conservation Monday Friday Saturday COLUMBUS RD LANSING, IA LANSING, IA Driftless Fish ETHICALLY RAISED, LOCALLY GROWN Attention to detail creates a distinct product fresh from our farm to your table Our unique location gives us an advantage by using the natural springs of the Driftless Area to mimic growth of wild caught fish. Driftless Recovery Services Substance Abuse Mental Health At Driftless Recovery Services, we offer recovery services to help you deal with substance abuse and therapy for mental health issues. Canoes, Kayaks, River Tubes OFF The Driftless Our season will begin the weekend of Memorial Day Please reserve at least hours prior to guarantee equipment availability, specail requests, and guide service. Contact Driftless Recovery Services La Crosse, WI Contact Driftless Recovery Services to learn about our approach to recovery, our services and how we can help you or your family.


    Commentaires:

    John
    Saw David Rhoades at the Wisconsin Book Festival. He said a several of wonderful things that helped my understanding of the book.First the title is obviously about the interesting area of Wisconsin (& other states) where I live. But it is also about July finally stopping his drifting from the previous books and settling in Words. That sure makes me want to read "Rock Island Line".Second "Words" is his comment on the post modern theory that fiction is about words and not the narrative. Reader [...]
    Julie Miller
    I was helping a woman in her 70's at the library figure out the next book her book club should read. She was making me laugh because she had read almost everything out there, and had some sort of critical one-liner for almost every popular book. Before she left, she told me, "Read Driftless by David Rhodes. You won't regret it, it's a gem." I believed her, and I agree with her.The story behind the story is interesting; the author wrote critically acclaimed fiction in the 70's, winning many ficti [...]
    Adam
    What is to be done when, in rural Wisconsin, a young farm family runs afoul of a corrupt and dangerous agribusiness corporation? Worry, too, about that cougar prowling the nearby farms, and the quirky woman preacher at the Quaker church having mystical visions in the woods, and the militia men skulking about the countryside with their machine guns.Early on I fell in love with Driftless but eventually traded that for mere fondness. It was one of those rare first acquaintances with an author that [...]
    Colette
    I really, really, really wanted to like this book. Based on the summary, this by all means could have been my favorite book. Rising against agribusiness, esoteric theological musings, the Driftless Area? That's pretty much my life.The characters were believable (for the most part), but the dialogue was not. The descriptive passages did nothing to bring the geography and the intricate nature of the coulees and ridges of southwest Wisconsin to life. The author suffers a tendency to over-describe p [...]
    Elizabeth
    I'm reading this book for my senior seminar in english studies and, in my (almost) professional opinion: HOLY CRAP. It's nothing short of amazing. The characters are real and easy to relate to. The fictional town of Words, Wisconsin is so like the town I grew up in, in the same state. Rhodes has the most beautiful way with words. I can't even properly describe this novel to you, you just have to read it.
    Francisco
    The book tells the story of a handful of persons living in a small town in Wisconsin. Farmers, a musician, an invalid, a protestant pastor, a mechanic - their lives, their pasts and future are woven together as only the shared lives of a small community can be. There's no glorification of Midwest virtue here. Virtue definitely exists in small gestures of kindness and in subtle acts of daily courage, but it is not glorified. But neither is this a book intent on showing us the seedy sides of human [...]
    Kathrina
    4 1/2 stars, really. In the author interview at the back of this edition, Rhodes explains how the geography of place defines the characters, who they are, what they do, and what they believe. I live not too far from where this novel takes place, and though I feel I'd make lots of different choices from the ones his characters make, their choices are true. This is bible belt country, but this region also harbors many skeptics, and Rhodes invites both, all, views of faith -- in God, god, and human [...]
    Patrick Andrews
    David Rhodes named his book, Driftless, after the Driftless Area, which comprises Southwestern Wisconsin, Northwestern Illinois, Northeastern Iowa, and Southeastern Minnesota, and is bereft of sediment or glacial drift left behind as the last ice age’s glaciers receded into Canada. And both the novel’s topography and that of its characters reflect this.The book portrays the forgotten, driftless (and fictitious) town of Words, Wisconsin, which has been left behind by all of the technological [...]
    Jay
    I’m on a bit of a Driftless kick recently, having read this book and one called “Going Driftless”, as well as listening to a community radio station over the internet from the Driftless called, appropriately, WDRT. (I had read Tom Drury’s “The Driftless Area” a few years back.) I’m originally from a small town downriver from this area, and I found these books portraying some of the more unique individuals of the Driftless to be similar to the residents I grew up with. I’ve run ac [...]
    Bill
    3/7/2011 3:25 PMBOOK REPORTDRIFTLESSBYDAVID RHODESDriftless is Rhodes' first published novel in 30 years. He was paralyzed from the chest down in a motorcycle accident. He was able to write during this period but the works he submitted were not published. Rhodes and his wife live in Wonewoc, Juneau County, Wisconsin. The county's population is 783.Driftless is an area in southwest Wisconsin not touched by Pleistocene era glaciers. Fictional Thistlewaite County covers the Driftless area and also [...]
    David Clark
    The strength of this novel is in the author's development of a character menagerie. With compact and sparse prose Rhodes not only describes these folks but puts you inside their heads. I grew up close to the area Rhodes describes and his descriptions of these rural people, particularly their socially inept conversations, created vivid and specific images. While the plot lacks the drive and speed of a Conroy or Rowling best-seller, the patient reader is rewarded for staying the course. As a write [...]
    Jules
    I enjoyed Driftless by David Rhodes very much, and found it to be similar to Olive Kitteridge in that the chapters are interwoven narrative threads following various characters in a small town – in this case, located in the driftless region of southwestern Wisconsin. I was a little worried that Driftless was going to be too wordy or boring, but the characters and their stories drew me in immediately. In fact, I think the introduction to the characters was a stronger literary accomplishment tha [...]
    Terry
    Bravo to David Rhodes! It has been a long time since I so thoroughly enjoyed a novel. Driftless is set in the unglaciated ("driftless") area of southwestern Wisconsin. Rhodes lives in rural Wisconsin and is pitch perfect in how he captures the sense of place and the types of characters who inhabit rural Wisconsin. I felt like I knew these people -- they are for the most part decent, hard working folk who don't make too many demands on others and want to live their lives in peace. Most of the mai [...]
    Karen
    So many subplots with no real focus and a host of characters who all seemed to run together in a disjointed story sometimes made the reading quite painful. I liked some of the characters, but I really struggled with Winnie, the pastor of the local church. Her immaturity and behavior belied that of someone reaching out to others and there were many times I thought "this girl needs some serious counseling." When asked what gave her the right to judge, her response that Jesus gave her the right, pr [...]
    Iowa City Public Library
    When The Color Purple came out in 1982, a reviewer noted how uncommon it was for a characters in a book to get happier as the story went on. Stories need conflict, and this usually involves characters suffering. This year’s All Iowa Reads selection, Driftless, is another book where, people’s lives improve, often in surprising ways, like the very religious invalid who finds herself on a date with a hoodlum at a dogfight.Rhodes gets so much right, starting with these characters, who change and [...]
    Les
    08/2012Will read. Read first story and enjoyed it. Fiction has failed me or I have failed it. Regardless, I am taking a hiatus from fiction (with the possible exception of 100 Years of Solitude).---Update 3/2014Wow.I have beloved, trusted friends who could not finish and those who loved this book. I am firmly in the latter. I am so glad that I returned to it and started anew. Brilliantly and beautifully written. It makes me pine for this area of Wisconsin that I have visited (to stay with dear f [...]
    Jerry Windley-Daoust
    There are wonderful moments heree couple searching for their kids in the blizzard; the pastor confronting the casino owner; the pastor (again) standing in the creek. I loved that Rhodes addresses the spiritual and religious dimension of his characters' lives.The question this book raised for me was: When does quirk stop making a book interesting and start becoming a distraction? It is probably easier to write quirkier characters than to write "ordinary" characters well.The sudden plot twist invo [...]
    Morgan Egge kiedrowski
    The writing is absolutely beautiful. It's a book that is meant to be read slowly in order to truly appreciate the beauty in the author's descriptions of not just the driftless area of Wisconsin but the people that call it home. I highly recommend it.
    Pabgo
    Eh. This book started out so well. I really like the character development, as it brought the regionalism of Kent Haruf, Jim Harrison, and Richard Russo to mind. Then, in the middle, it just sort of got boring. It ended up as one of these "small town where everyone loves everybody, (as well as being, um, related to everybody), and they all lived everly happy after, (well, except for one character, who dies horribly and brings the whole town, I mean county, no, state, to the funeral-God, he was s [...]
    Jan2bratt
    I don't often give 5 stars but this one deserves all 5 in my opinion. Now it feels as though I have a whole new batch of friends, all the different characters in this book are so well drawn, Rhodes totally brings them to life. This was the first book I have read by this author, but it surely won't be the last.
    Matthew Cade
    Truly the best book I’ve read this year
    Alec Hastings
    I read Winesburg, Ohio so long ago I can't remember anything about it except that it was a hybrid, a cross between a collection of short stories and a novel. The traditional novel has a hero or heroine, Huck Finn or Jane Eyre, for instance. In Winesburg, the reader has a window on a whole community. That's the case in David Rhodes' novel. The story starts with July Montgomery's return to Words, a town in an area of Wisconsin known as Driftless. Grahm Shotwell is a farmer barely hanging onto the [...]
    Cee Martinez
    This novel is really a collection of short stories about a group of people living in a rural Wisconsin town called "Words". One of the major characters, and to me, one of the most likeable, is a farmer named July Montgomery who lives a lonely life after tragedy took his wife from him, but he fills that gap by becoming something of a touchstone to his neighbors. Apparently, this character has appeared in the author's previous books, written decades ago, quite acclaimed and, I'm afraid I haven't r [...]
    marcus miller
    If you want to understand the make up of a small, dying, mid-western town this wouldn't be a bad place to start. In the prologue Rhodes writes that it took him ten years to write this book because it took him that long to get to know some of his characters. And that is sort of the way it is in a small town where many of the most interesting folks are the hardest to get to know, or at least know well.This isn't a book you want to hurry through and in that way the pace of the book is a bit like a [...]
    Iowa City Public Library
    I keep my eyes open for books set in the midwest which is why I was drawn to the most recent winner of the Milkweed National Fiction Prize, Driftless by David Rhodes. I got more than I was looking for. First of all, a very intriguing author story. David Rhodes is a 1971 UI Writers Workshop grad. He published three books between 1972 and 1975. In 1977 he was injured in a motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. This is his first book published in thirty years.And, then, th [...]
    Jon
    This is a story of a man who, at the beginning of the novel, is profoundly lonely: "His life had grown too thin, and he was nearing the end of himself. He was living but didn't feel alive. He knew no one from the inside--feeling the center of their life--and no one knew him." Ultimately, however, the main theme of the novel is how we as human beings are interdependent, how community runs through our very souls, defining what it means to be human. The writing it wonderful and the characters are b [...]
    Jon
    An odd and very idiosyncratic book, mixing some terrible writing and clumsy plotting with some genuinely moving and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny episodes. I notice that a number of reviewers gave up at about 50 pages, and I can understand why. The book starts very ponderously and the threads of plot only very slowly begin to appear after that point. Often the author seems to aim for the perfect, artful word but misses by a mile. You can't "siphon" an arm through a sleeve. Knocks don't "arrive [...]
    Gail
    The author of this book had a motorcycle accident in the early '70's, and thirty years went by between his earlier published works and this one. David Rhodes has crafted a beautifully told tale of the fictitious small town of Words in northwestern Wisconsin. Words is located in the "driftless" region of the state, which was untouched by the glaciers during the Ice Age, capable of causing large areas of land to drift up, down, or sideways. Words has stayed pretty much the same over the years, and [...]
    Kathie
    Driftless was written by a lover of words--it's chock full of rich and insightful characterizations of people and their surroundings, lending a warmth and depth to people who at first glimpse might seem plain and stoic. This is my kind of wordiness.Some situations in the book strain credulity just a bit, almost entering the realm of magical realism. I'm slightly less enthusiastic about these aspects of the book, but I'm willing to leave my reality at the door for the sake of a good story.Some st [...]
    Terry
    I am always partial to a book that expands my vocabulary fugacious, rondure, empyrean. In addition, this novel transported me into an rather isolated community in Southwestern Wisconsin, and immersed me so completely that it seemed that I could have grown up there. The people became so real and sympathetic that I found my self taking their rhythm of life and attitudes for granted, even when, upon reflection, I realized I wouldn't be comfortable with the lifestyle and I disagreed with many of t [...]
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      Published :2018-07-21T09:26:08+00:00