Fiction

Damnation Spring

Damnation Spring

  • Downloads：3484
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-02 08:21:47
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ash Davidson
  • ISBN：B08LDWXNDW
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

For generations， Rich Gundersen's family has made a living felling giant redwoods on California's rugged coast。 It's treacherous work， and though his son， Chub， wants nothing more than to step into his father's boots， Rich longs for a bigger future for him。

Colleen just wants a brother or sister for Chub， but she's losing hope。 There is so much that she and Rich don't talk about these days ­- including her suspicions that there is something very wrong at the heart of the forest on which their community is built。

When Rich is offered the opportunity to buy a plot of timber which borders Damnation Grove， he leaps at the chance - without telling Colleen。 Soon the Gundersens find themselves on opposite sides of a battle that threatens to rip their town apart。 Can they find a way to emerge from this together？

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Reviews

Allison Bosco ，

Good but predictable

Carly Thompson ，

Excellent literary fiction set in late 1970s northern California in a logging community。 Excellent sense of place and compelling， realistic characters。

Frosty61 ，

I really loved this story about a community of hard-working， down-to-earth people， trapped in a war between a logging company and environmentalists， but it broke my heart。 Neighbors are pitted against each other and morals are tested with no easy way out of the dilemma of supporting your family vs。 questioning what's being done to the environment in the name of profits。The pros: The distinct voices of three POVs - a husband， wife， and their child - all authenticThe sense of place - foggy coast， I really loved this story about a community of hard-working， down-to-earth people， trapped in a war between a logging company and environmentalists， but it broke my heart。 Neighbors are pitted against each other and morals are tested with no easy way out of the dilemma of supporting your family vs。 questioning what's being done to the environment in the name of profits。The pros: The distinct voices of three POVs - a husband， wife， and their child - all authenticThe sense of place - foggy coast， majestic forest， cozy houses， smelly bars， etc。Lots of 'showing not telling' - so much is revealed in short prose - I needed to read carefully so I didn't miss some of the nuance。The character development - likeable， flawed， and sympathetic The cons:The overly long descriptions of the logging process - I couldn't envision or understand most of it - maybe a diagram and/or glossary would've helped。 I skipped paragraphs and probably missed a lot of important detail。The ending - I was disappointed the author didn't find another way to end this one。The length - the story could've been culled down by about 1/4 as some parts were repetitive。I'm a sucker for novels set in rural places with nature being part of the story and this one fits the bill perfectly。 Now I need to plan a trip to the Pacific Northwest to take in the majesty of the redwood forest - cue the music - This Land is Your Land。。。 。。。more

Kaylee ，

Writing: ✏️✏️✏️Impact: 💥💥💥Characters:👤👤Plot:🧩🧩Experience: 🎉🎉I was interested in the subject matter and the conflict， so I wanted to like this more than I did。 The book takes way too long to get going and the ending really didn't work for me。 Too much book for too little payoff。 Writing: ✏️✏️✏️Impact: 💥💥💥Characters:👤👤Plot:🧩🧩Experience: 🎉🎉I was interested in the subject matter and the conflict， so I wanted to like this more than I did。 The book takes way too long to get going and the ending really didn't work for me。 Too much book for too little payoff。 。。。more

mostlybookstuff ，

My August @bookofthemonth pick is a powerful， deeply exhaustive debut depicting the conflict between livelihoods generations in the making and the degradation of forests that have existed since time immemorial。 In #DAMNATIONSPRING by #ashdavidson， the logging industry in a small Pacific Northwest town is on its last legs， as is many of its inhabitants。 Over the course of one year， women and members of the local Yurok tribe will sacrifice everything to hold a timber company accountable for their My August @bookofthemonth pick is a powerful， deeply exhaustive debut depicting the conflict between livelihoods generations in the making and the degradation of forests that have existed since time immemorial。 In #DAMNATIONSPRING by #ashdavidson， the logging industry in a small Pacific Northwest town is on its last legs， as is many of its inhabitants。 Over the course of one year， women and members of the local Yurok tribe will sacrifice everything to hold a timber company accountable for their poisoned water supply。 。。。more

Erica ，

This story seeped into my consciousness over the last weeks in a subtle， haunting way， and i'd hear the echo of these characters on zoom calls discussing community dynamics in places impacted by industrial toxics or conservation advocates forgetting that solutions aren't solutions if they leave everyone in their wake broke， and in the end， the book is still more personal than political， which。。。it all is。 The compassion for the people and the place is evident in such a visceral way， and I'll con This story seeped into my consciousness over the last weeks in a subtle， haunting way， and i'd hear the echo of these characters on zoom calls discussing community dynamics in places impacted by industrial toxics or conservation advocates forgetting that solutions aren't solutions if they leave everyone in their wake broke， and in the end， the book is still more personal than political， which。。。it all is。 The compassion for the people and the place is evident in such a visceral way， and I'll continue to think about this story for some time。 Beautiful， haunting writing grounded completely in narrative。 。。。more

Lexi ，

I feel manipulated and emotionally abused by the last 100 pages！！

Grace C Burt ，

Damnation Spring a story of hope， loss and social struggles。 The story was interesting to me having grown up in the pacific northwest。

Amanda ，

This book is a little slow going， but such a heartbreaking story， and original。 I really enjoyed it， especially the last quarter。

Becky Parry ，

I would give the first half of this book two stars and the last half three stars。

Laura Hoffman Brauman ，

It's 1977 and Rich and Collen Gunderson are scratching out a living in a rural logging community in the Redwoods area in California。 Environmentalists are there protesting the logging， working class families are trying to get by making a living the way generations of their family has， and a lot of women are having miscarriages。 When Rich has the opportunity to purchase land to log， he sees an opportunity to provide for his family long into the future。 When an environmentalist shows up talking ab It's 1977 and Rich and Collen Gunderson are scratching out a living in a rural logging community in the Redwoods area in California。 Environmentalists are there protesting the logging， working class families are trying to get by making a living the way generations of their family has， and a lot of women are having miscarriages。 When Rich has the opportunity to purchase land to log， he sees an opportunity to provide for his family long into the future。 When an environmentalist shows up talking about how their water supply is being poisoned by the spraying done by the logging companies， Colleen sees an explanation for the pregnancies she has lost。 As a reader， you get to see the conflict between a way of life that has supported generations of families and the impact of that way of life on the health and well-being of families。 All of that was engrossing and compelling to me as a reader - but what made this book stand out to me was the depiction of the marriage of Rich and Colleen。 While at times her description of logging is a little too thorough， that same attention to detail when describing the relationship at the center of the novel is pitch perfect。 。。。more

Megan Lepper ，

A little slow in the first half， a little repetitive， but the second half picked up and held my attention better。

Nicole ，

The book was about tree climber and their life， did not interest me

Laura Corn ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 1。75 So many threads that either abruptly ended or were left hanging。 I spent hundreds of pages getting invested in multiple story lines with little payoff， and then a sudden， unnecessary tragedy near the end。 Super disappointing。

Lacy ，

So good！ Really loved getting to know these characters and looking at logging/forestry from a different perspective。 Looking forward to more from Davidson。

Rachel ，

This was a great read about logging in the 70s in Northern California and the effects it had on the environment and the people living and working there。 The only complaint I have is some of the “logging terms” weren’t familiar to the average reader which made some of the technical explanations of the logging itself hard follow。 That’s what kept this from being a 5 Star read for me。 The book was full of lots of wonderfully developed characters。 I highly recommend this book。

Dennis ，

This is a beautiful and heartbreaking novel。 Right up there with “The Overstory” and “Greenwood”。 Can’t wait to see what this author does next。 Very highly recommended！

Angie ，

Sigh。 So much potential for an intriguing story， but the writing kind of ruins it。 Classic case of TMI。 I don't need a manual on logging in the 1970s， and I don't need that much dialog。 I'm too bored to continue。 Sigh。 So much potential for an intriguing story， but the writing kind of ruins it。 Classic case of TMI。 I don't need a manual on logging in the 1970s， and I don't need that much dialog。 I'm too bored to continue。 。。。more

Jenn Bishop ，

I loved this book up until the last few chapters。 It was beautifully written。 The characters were well developed， but the end was sloppy and dissatisfying。

Fern ，

An impressive， challenging， extremely well-written debut。 Loved the complex characters， atmospheric details， and diverse （but mostly sympathetic） viewpoints surrounding a still-fraught issue。 One of my favorites this year until the last 40 pages， which seemed contrived and beside-the-point to me （although other reviewers disagree）。

Lisa ，

I liked it BUT it's heavy and depressing。 If you know me， you know that I hate the happy endings that are neatly and quickly wrapped up in a bow。 You don't need to worry about that one here。 The ending was a tough one， but I actually thought the author was going in a more brutal direction so I was a bit relieved by her choice （hard to be articulate without giving spoilers）。 Read this one if you are a fan of big books with weighty topics。 I liked it BUT it's heavy and depressing。 If you know me， you know that I hate the happy endings that are neatly and quickly wrapped up in a bow。 You don't need to worry about that one here。 The ending was a tough one， but I actually thought the author was going in a more brutal direction so I was a bit relieved by her choice （hard to be articulate without giving spoilers）。 Read this one if you are a fan of big books with weighty topics。 。。。more

Selina Bartels ，

I wanted to love all things about this book。 The writing at times is beautiful。 The characters at times are relatable。 But it never gets there。 I never fully understood the characters， the plot and it was hopeless in the end。

Emily McQuilkin ，

This is a true 2。5 for me。 The first half of the book went extremely slowly， it wasn’t until the final third that I became really invested。 I did find myself getting really frustrated with the characters， but in my mind， that’s generally a sign of good writing， so I can’t fault the author for that！

Ro ，

A beautifully wrought novel with a page-turning immediacy in the storytelling。 The sense of place is as much a character in the story as the people who work and live in the logging community filled with characters， heroes， and villains -- sometimes residing in the same person。 The people here are nuanced and multifaceted， the plot barrels at you like a logging truck。

Kira ，

I understand all the forestry jargon here and I still hated it。 The characters were bland as fuck and one dimensional。 I was hoping this book would shed light on the reality that conservation has negative impacts on people's livelihoods， but it honestly didn't （or didn't do it well）。 I never felt torn between wanting Rich to be able to support his family and for the harmful practices in the fictional area to be ended。 Moreover， it basically portrayed the loggers as small-town brutes who didn't k I understand all the forestry jargon here and I still hated it。 The characters were bland as fuck and one dimensional。 I was hoping this book would shed light on the reality that conservation has negative impacts on people's livelihoods， but it honestly didn't （or didn't do it well）。 I never felt torn between wanting Rich to be able to support his family and for the harmful practices in the fictional area to be ended。 Moreover， it basically portrayed the loggers as small-town brutes who didn't know any better。 The ending was shit and just full of cop-outs。 Don't even get me started on how tedious and repetitive Colleen's baby pining was。 Utter rubbish and so disappointing。 。。。more

Stef ，

This one seems to be getting mixed reviews but I LOVED it。 First of all， I love a book with beautiful descriptions of nature。 Like in Where the Crawdad Sings or The Great Alone。 The descriptions of the redwood forests， creeks and hillsides in northern coastal California are superb。 I've been there， but reading this brought me instantly back。 I could almost smell it。 I learned so much about the logging and clear cutting of the previous decades， as well as the controversy surrounding defoliation s This one seems to be getting mixed reviews but I LOVED it。 First of all， I love a book with beautiful descriptions of nature。 Like in Where the Crawdad Sings or The Great Alone。 The descriptions of the redwood forests， creeks and hillsides in northern coastal California are superb。 I've been there， but reading this brought me instantly back。 I could almost smell it。 I learned so much about the logging and clear cutting of the previous decades， as well as the controversy surrounding defoliation sprays。 Add on to all this a compelling story with good characters， a 5 star read for me！ The only negative I thought was the ending。 It seemed abrupt and kind of thrown together。 But when a book has me googling for photos and videos about cutting down a redwood， articles about the controversial chemical sprays and mapping the redwood groves of California， it's a winner。 。。。more

Rachel Rooney ，

First line: Rich nabbed the week's mail from Lark's box and swung off the Eel Road， bumping down the muddy two-track past a pair of show toilets。 I kind of love this first line because it drops you into the story， and it lures you in with "show toilets" rather than a flash of anticipation of what's to come。 Anyway， Damantion Spring is the story of a logging family （Rich's） in a part of California where logging has almost run its course。 The community is a shadow of its former size when logging i First line: Rich nabbed the week's mail from Lark's box and swung off the Eel Road， bumping down the muddy two-track past a pair of show toilets。 I kind of love this first line because it drops you into the story， and it lures you in with "show toilets" rather than a flash of anticipation of what's to come。 Anyway， Damantion Spring is the story of a logging family （Rich's） in a part of California where logging has almost run its course。 The community is a shadow of its former size when logging in the area was at its peak。 Rich's wife is a midwife of sorts for the community， and she personally has lost several babies to miscarriages and an early birth， but she's starting to realize that the problem is not just her。 Could something be causing the miscarriages and birth defects？I thought this was very much a story for the modern era as environmentalism was dawning and the damage we were wreacking on the planet was starting to become understood， but resistance to this knowledge was also strong because of the threat to people's livelihoods and way of life。 I had a gnawing pit in the stomach for much of this book waiting for "the terrible thing" to happen in a place where terrible things were almost an every day occurence。 You know how you know that something bad is going to happen in a book and you keep waiting and waiting？ Sometimes， that anticipation is the hardest part。 Other times， it is not。 。。。more

Brittany Prince ，

I thought this book was going to be right up my alley， but it just didn’t do it for me。 😔Too drawn out， so many characters， so much logging jargon…I would skim pages just to get to the point of the chapter。

Sophia Palmer ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book intrigued me because it is told from the perspective of a logger and his family。 The book takes place over the course of a year （1977-78） near the beginning of the modern environmental movement。 As a self-proclaimed environmentalist/sustainability-enthusiast， I still felt drawn to side with the logger and his family even though I believe cutting down trees and spraying harmful， deadly pesticides for personal monetary gain is unethical。 This is a little bit of a slower read。 The story i This book intrigued me because it is told from the perspective of a logger and his family。 The book takes place over the course of a year （1977-78） near the beginning of the modern environmental movement。 As a self-proclaimed environmentalist/sustainability-enthusiast， I still felt drawn to side with the logger and his family even though I believe cutting down trees and spraying harmful， deadly pesticides for personal monetary gain is unethical。 This is a little bit of a slower read。 The story is engaging but it is more because you are concerned for the well-being of the main characters than any major plot-points。 Unfortunately， the ending is complete shit， so read until the last five chapters and then put the book down and make up your own ending。 。。。more

Beth Lind ，

Definitely worth the hype — but you have to give it time。 The slow burn beginning churns into a beautifully told story of love， life， pesticides， and heartbreak。 Also， a kid named Chub — my mother’s name — captured my heart。 I loved this book and I highly recommend。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Damnation Spring

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Damnation Spring&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Damnation Spring&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0