Damnation Spring
- Downloads：4466
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-17 02:21:04
- Update Date：2025-09-08
- Status：finish
- Author：Ash Davidson
- ISBN：1982144408
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Steve Hahn
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Read this book for the story and the characters that make up the story。 The book could maybe be trimmed a bit， but doesn’t take away from the story。
Stephanie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really enjoyed this， but wish it wouldn't have taken so long to pull me in。 If there had been a slightly better balance between character development and technical information about logging， I feel like the first half of the novel would have flown by as quickly as the second part did。 It was worth sticking through it though， for me at least， though it did feel like at the end the author was trying to pull at every single heartstring all at once。She's lucky I like that。（Also I don't count this I really enjoyed this， but wish it wouldn't have taken so long to pull me in。 If there had been a slightly better balance between character development and technical information about logging， I feel like the first half of the novel would have flown by as quickly as the second part did。 It was worth sticking through it though， for me at least， though it did feel like at the end the author was trying to pull at every single heartstring all at once。She's lucky I like that。（Also I don't count this as spoiling but some people might so I marked it just in case。） 。。。more
Kendra Dixon
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I was so intrigued by the premise of this novel: California in the late 1970s; a logging town dealing with changing times; and the uncovering of the heartbreaking impact of herbicides on a small， working-class community。 While the book certainly touches upon these topics， I have never read a book that moves so painfully slow while simultaneously trying to do way too much to actually be successful。 Ash Davidson tries to address way too many topics and keeps so much of it surface level as a result I was so intrigued by the premise of this novel: California in the late 1970s; a logging town dealing with changing times; and the uncovering of the heartbreaking impact of herbicides on a small， working-class community。 While the book certainly touches upon these topics， I have never read a book that moves so painfully slow while simultaneously trying to do way too much to actually be successful。 Ash Davidson tries to address way too many topics and keeps so much of it surface level as a result; in fact， I'm not even quite sure how to begin writing a proper review based on what I just read。 I never really found myself caring for the characters and with over 400 pages， one would imagine feeling something for at least one of them！ In all honesty， there were pages that I read and had to re-read because I was just so bored with being told of all the intricacies of Rich's logging job （I'm sorry but all the technical jargon， step-by-step walk throughs of his job， etc。 were not interesting to me！）; or Colleen's mundane existence （minus the random sexual encounter off the side of the road with an ex-boyfriend which confused the hell out of me）; or how their son Chub was running up the back of the property with their dog for the 1000th time or stating where he'd purchased the facial feature his mother was admiring for the millionth time--it just got OLD。 Likewise， many of the other characters introduced weren't very likable， which really bummed me out。 It felt like such a disservice to paint working class people with such a broad stroke。In all honesty， the book started picking up towards the very end， but by that point， it felt like the author was trying to ram in as many dramatic scenes as possible。 Chub almost dies， the father-figure to the husband dies， land is miraculously paid off， and then the ending？ Stop it。 I am usually such an easy crier with books and given what some of the final scenes included， I was shocked by how little I felt。 Instead， I found myself over and over again saying in my mind， "Really？ You're going to go there？" While I am certain there is a reader out there who will enjoy the pace of this novel and the topics touched upon， this one was just not for me。 First real bust of 2021 for me。 。。。more
Tara
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It’s an epic novel of the logging industry with the wild aspects of Ron Rash’s novels and Erin Brockovich’s advocacy。 Rich Gunderson takes a leap of faith in purchasing the 24-7， an area that will take care of his family financially for years once he starts taking timber。 Colleen， his wife， has suffered multiple miscarriages and as a midwife sees the same tragedy along the ridge。 When investigations into local herbicide use start to challenge everything the family knows， it becomes a sweeping de It’s an epic novel of the logging industry with the wild aspects of Ron Rash’s novels and Erin Brockovich’s advocacy。 Rich Gunderson takes a leap of faith in purchasing the 24-7， an area that will take care of his family financially for years once he starts taking timber。 Colleen， his wife， has suffered multiple miscarriages and as a midwife sees the same tragedy along the ridge。 When investigations into local herbicide use start to challenge everything the family knows， it becomes a sweeping debut that really starts to make the reader ask questions。 。。。more
Jen
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I loved the author’s writing style and thoroughly enjoyed her use of language in the telling of this story。 I’m still a little mad about the ending， to be honest， but this story and its characters will stay with me for a long time。 A wonderful read。
Margerywieder
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Maybe a tad under 5 stars， but still a captivating story about timely issues， with mostly sympathetic characters and short chapters， each from the POV of one of the main characters。 A very good read！
Kimi Loughlin
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This novel was a slower burn for me。 It was gorgeously written and had a beautiful story but was overall a bit depressing （will anything ever go right for this family？？）。 I enjoyed being immersed in the lives of loggers in the Pacific Northwest and particularly enjoyed the warring sides of families who subsist on the logging industries and those that fight against it for environmental reasons。 The conflict was particularly compelling when you examined the effects of chemicals on the water source This novel was a slower burn for me。 It was gorgeously written and had a beautiful story but was overall a bit depressing （will anything ever go right for this family？？）。 I enjoyed being immersed in the lives of loggers in the Pacific Northwest and particularly enjoyed the warring sides of families who subsist on the logging industries and those that fight against it for environmental reasons。 The conflict was particularly compelling when you examined the effects of chemicals on the water sources and the repercussions of that。 Quite a enjoyable listen though hurt my heart a lot！ 。。。more
Jamie Falvo
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I spent so much time reflecting on this book after reading。 To me that's a sign of a great well written book。 This debut novel by Ash Davidson is lengthy at 400+ pages， but each page carries context and character growth。 Reviews on this seem to be split between the loving of the overly descriptive text。 I personally enjoyed reading about the massive redwood trees， the work it takes to log these， and all of the characters and the gossip in this small town。 The character development is a big drive I spent so much time reflecting on this book after reading。 To me that's a sign of a great well written book。 This debut novel by Ash Davidson is lengthy at 400+ pages， but each page carries context and character growth。 Reviews on this seem to be split between the loving of the overly descriptive text。 I personally enjoyed reading about the massive redwood trees， the work it takes to log these， and all of the characters and the gossip in this small town。 The character development is a big driver for me in a long-winded historical fiction。 The story is told primarily in first person， by three different narrators。 Rich， the Father of the family， has worked logging for generations。 He has survived for longer than the average life expectancy for this job and is now in his fifties。 Rich's development and ultimate untimely demise is the primary storyline in the novel。 Colleen， his much younger wife， is a kind-hearted， stay-at-home housewife who just wants to be a Mom。 Colleen had one successful pregnancy and has since had a string of unfortunate miscarriages since。 She loves Chub， but there is a hole in her heart for a second daughter they recently lost at 22 weeks。 Despite her grief， she takes on the role of helping other women in the town who cannot access a doctor give birth by being an unofficial midwife。 Through this role， she starts to notice other birth defects from other women in town。 Their son， Chub， who is the third narrator。 Chub is five and is just learning how to navigate his homeland。 Rich teaches him how to navigate his way home through memorizing the creeks through silly sing-songs that Chub can remember。 Chub is smart & he seeks to learn from both of his parents。 He often describes leaning into his parents' touch or secretly liking a tickling even though he gasps for them to stop- He loves his parents。 Reading the story through his eyes felt simpler as he often describes the situation with any context of a larger implication。 The town is filled with a whole cast of characters。 Colleen's ex-boyfriend Daniel， who is half Native American， and from a tribe that has exclusive fishing rights right upstream from their town suddenly appears again after returning from college。 He seeks to find the cause of the sudden lack of salmon in river by testing the runoff water in local creeks。 Colleen's sister also lives in town with her。 She struggles balancing six children with little income & husband who is a disrespectful moron。 There also the big-wigs who own the logging company who don't share the same ethics & hard working ideals of their employees。 Finally， Lark is one of Rich's oldest friends and is like a father figure to him。 Lark was friends with Rich's father， who dies in a logging accident when he was younger。 Lark is dying slowly of lung cancer， but doesn't let that stop him from being witty and honest with his own opinions on the town and these people。 The conflict really starts initially in the story when Rich decides to buy a plot of land next to his house that has the largest tree in the forest around them。 They have nick-named the tree the "24-7" tree after its width。 The only problem with this land is it is impossible to log unless someone can build roadways underneath。 Rich hears that the owners of the logging company will start to clear the grove beneath this land， and he takes a once in a lifetime chance to buy it。 Rich keeps the secret from Colleen though to keep her from worrying until his plan comes to fruition。 Meanwhile， Colleen starts to hear buzz in the town and from Daniel about the water contaminants from the pesticides & spray the logging companies are using。 Colleen starts to listen & see these side-effects for herself。 When she delivers babies with birth defects or notices developmental delays in the children around her， she tries to work with Daniel to help。 Further conflict ensues between Rich & Colleen over having more babies & taking out the loan on the land without telling her。 Colleen chooses to cheat on Rich one day with Daniel， and immediately regrets it afterwards。 Furthermore， Rich still needs to suck up to the logging company owners in order to have his land cleared to further his own interest。 He tells Colleen to stop interacting with Daniel and refuses to hear her cries about the toxic impact the sprays are having。 Rich does eventually become suspicious of Colleen。 Colleen does end up telling Rich， but the love for each other wins out in the end。 Rich realizes he wasn't listening to Colleen， and that drove a wedge between them。 Beyond the conflict & storyline， there are repetitive symbolic items that brought meaning to the book altogether。 The 24-7 tree alone was such a symbol for the family history Rich has on this land。 Loggers are probably tagged to be anti-environmentalist， but Rich argues over and over again this is not true。 He loves & respects the land he was raised on。 Rich has never been 150 miles from his house， but the tree has seen history and probably been around for a thousand years。 Rich has a nagging aching tooth that pops up repeatedly through the book。 It aches the most when Rich is growing as a character。 Eventually， near the end of the novel， he makes the decision to get it removed。 Was this possibly symbolic of his realization love for his family & his ability to let his career go to do what is best for them？ Rich's dog Scout seems to be another symbolic nature of just how good of a man Rich was striving to be。 Chub is also using his binoculars to look out for whales on the coastline and again he finds one near the conclusion of the novel。 He makes a wish on the whale， and maybe it was one that came true。 Finally， and maybe the most tear-jerking part of this whole novel was the symbolic idea of getting one miracle in life， a belief shared by Colleen & Rich。 Colleen believes her miracle is Chub， who is grown and healthy child and all she ever wanted in the world。 Near the end， Chub almost drowns， & Rich tries to save him， begging God to take him instead。 Rich mentions this once before at recounting the death of their daughter lost by miscarriage。 Rich is a different person now and he has devoted himself whole-heartedly to his family。 Maybe God listened and granted his miracle this time， because Rich is dead within the week by an unfortunate car accident rolling him off the cliff。 We never know what Chub's wish on the whale was in the end though。 Maybe it was to have another sibling。 Near the end， Colleen finds herself pregnant again。 The hope of another pregnancy is jaded by her past with miscarriages， but this time feels different。 We never know if the baby makes it to full term， as the story is mostly cut after Rich's death。My qualms with the book were resolved through my own reflection in the end。 Yes， the plight of the fish & treatment of the Native American's tribe was a smaller storyline。 At the time， I really thought this was a major detractor from the story to white-wash the plot。 However， the main character in the story IS Rich。 Rich in much of the same way has a connection to the land that he has inherited through generations。 Colleen also makes a point when talking to Daniel along the lines of how people cannot see past their own greif。 I don't know if Rich or Colleen would have had the emotional capability to stick their necks out for Daniel or the tribe because they were so stuck on their own plight。 In many ways the reverse is true too。 Even Daniel， who is watching his tribe suffer at the hands of these logging companies， uses Colleen time and time again to wedge his way in for credibility。 He sleeps with Colleen in such a sudden & unmarked way that it almost felt like she didn't know what happened in the end。 I don't think she chose to sleep with Daniel as much it was a reaction to her anger towards Rich。 Furthermore， she has given Daniel samples of her water， lists of women who have had birth defects， and talked to him in town where other people could see her being friendly towards him。 Daniel uses this information against her at a town hall debate without her consent。 She is stuck between a rock and a hard place with Rich's interest in the land， and Daniel takes advantage of that。 The end of the novel is gut-wrenching and beautiful at the same time。 Colleen's grief is sad and also shocking since Rich has finally decided to leave his dangerous profession， which she always believed to ultimately cause his death。 However， we find out that Rich's father-figure Lark has paid off his loan in full。 The 24-7 tree will live on for generations。 Lark also leaves a note with Rich pictured hugging a tree， noting "Not a lot of guys are born to do something"。 Maybe it insinuates that Rich was born to be a logger。 However， maybe it means that Rich was born to be a good husband and father-figure。 That he is willing to give up his life to save his son。 My other major qualm was the lack of an ending for Colleen。 As I mentioned before， I think this is supposed to be Rich's character arc here。 Colleen & Chub are going to move on despite Rich no longer being here。 The last line in the book points out how Chub has the same eyes as Rich。 Rich is no longer physically here， but will still remain a figure in their lives to move forward with。 。。。more
Vanessa
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Stunning。 This was a slow burn。 I mean slow - take in every descriptive word， and cherish it - because it will make the ending that much more painfully beautiful。 Not an easy read （lot’s of logging jargon that took a minute to grasp） but worth it。 I wish there would have been a fast-forward to the outcome of the herbicide study done by Daniel。 But not holding that against this debut at all。 Honestly strong tie with Project Hail Mary as book of the year！！！
Julie
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I felt like I knew I was gonna love this one from the minute I picked it up。I haven't read anything quite like this book in terms of subject matter。I thought the author did a phenomenal job capturing the lives of a community in an extremely nuanced way， while writing a beautiful novel。 The end truly was heartbreaking。 I felt like I knew I was gonna love this one from the minute I picked it up。I haven't read anything quite like this book in terms of subject matter。I thought the author did a phenomenal job capturing the lives of a community in an extremely nuanced way， while writing a beautiful novel。 The end truly was heartbreaking。 。。。more
Cathy Garrison
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What an eye opening account of the hardships of the lives of lumberjacks and their families。 The fact that this book was also set back at a time when the use and dangers of herbicides was relatively unknown was a learning curve for me。 Ash Davidson did a phenomenal job of combining a fictional family and real life highs and lows of a very dangerous occupation。 These are still actual problems that this way of making a living exist。 I highly recommend this book。
Alli Theis
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I wasn’t ready to cry today…。
Andrew Martin
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It is always neat to read a debut novel from a new writer。 Ash Davidson is that new writer who studied at the Iowa Writers School and then went on to Arizona where she received funding from various organizations there。 Her novel is set in her birthplace in northern California where redwoods and the logging industry are the main source of the economy。 There is the inevitable battle between loggers and environmentalists。 Her book centers on the Gunderson family ， Rich， Colleen， and their son， Chub It is always neat to read a debut novel from a new writer。 Ash Davidson is that new writer who studied at the Iowa Writers School and then went on to Arizona where she received funding from various organizations there。 Her novel is set in her birthplace in northern California where redwoods and the logging industry are the main source of the economy。 There is the inevitable battle between loggers and environmentalists。 Her book centers on the Gunderson family ， Rich， Colleen， and their son， Chub。 Rich is 18 years older than Colleen and has made a living in the industry。 The book centers on two years 1977-1978。 It is heartwarming， exasperating， sad， and a great narrative of a family's struggle to make ends meet。 The ending， like most great novels， is not expected。 A very good read。 。。。more
Megan Pisula
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Ugh this book。 I don’t even know how to truly rate this book。 Way too much technical jargon and no explanation to help the reader of what any of it actually means。 The chapters from Rich’s POV were pure torture to get through。 I only finished this book and kept reading because I found Colleen’s chapters and the story line that is Erin Brockovich-like in nature to be interesting and I wanted to find out what happened in this community regarding the birth defects etc。 Unfortunately that storyline Ugh this book。 I don’t even know how to truly rate this book。 Way too much technical jargon and no explanation to help the reader of what any of it actually means。 The chapters from Rich’s POV were pure torture to get through。 I only finished this book and kept reading because I found Colleen’s chapters and the story line that is Erin Brockovich-like in nature to be interesting and I wanted to find out what happened in this community regarding the birth defects etc。 Unfortunately that storyline ended up pretty much being dropped and felt unfinished。 。。。more
Marianne Hetzer Hawn
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I often notice parallels or common threads in books that I read back-to-back。 This was true of Damnation Spring and Jayber Crow。 Both stories grapple with themes of progress， ethics， love and loss。 Damnation Spring is an intimate portrayal of the ups and downs （ugh）， pros and cons of the logging/timber industry over several generations。 I learned a lot， but there are no easy， tidy answers 。 。 。
Elisabeth
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This was a audio 'read'。 It is a heart wrenching saga of decades of families logging the west coast。 You can quickly see the trajectory of this story。 Hard working people actually working against their own best interests in an attempt to make a living for their families。 As a Mainer this story is all too familiar。 Mill towns， fishing communities， and more。 Revenue above human lives。 This was a audio 'read'。 It is a heart wrenching saga of decades of families logging the west coast。 You can quickly see the trajectory of this story。 Hard working people actually working against their own best interests in an attempt to make a living for their families。 As a Mainer this story is all too familiar。 Mill towns， fishing communities， and more。 Revenue above human lives。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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This book gives you all the feels。 It's a well written story about a family and the struggles they went through。 You feel for Rich and Colleen throughout。 This book gives you all the feels。 It's a well written story about a family and the struggles they went through。 You feel for Rich and Colleen throughout。 。。。more
Molly
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"The past isn't a knot you can untie。"Erin Brockovich meets The Grapes of Wrath in this cerebral literacy fiction novel about how environmental degradation impacts a community。 🧠🐌🌲I was immediately intrigued by the premise of this book。 It's 1977 on the California coast， where the ancient redwoods are either cleared， protected， or fiercely debated among loggers and environmentalists。 Rich Gunderson comes from a long line of loggers， and his wife， Colleen， is a midwife who has seen many complicat "The past isn't a knot you can untie。"Erin Brockovich meets The Grapes of Wrath in this cerebral literacy fiction novel about how environmental degradation impacts a community。 🧠🐌🌲I was immediately intrigued by the premise of this book。 It's 1977 on the California coast， where the ancient redwoods are either cleared， protected， or fiercely debated among loggers and environmentalists。 Rich Gunderson comes from a long line of loggers， and his wife， Colleen， is a midwife who has seen many complicated or tragic pregnancies that just don't seem right。 🤔 Book of the Month described it as brainy with a slow build， which I think is perfectly on point。 I enjoy literary fiction， but I found this book to be very slow and challenging to read until just about the very end。 🐌 I was always interested in where the plot was heading and the environmental issue at the core of the story， but the writing often felt superfluous and convoluted to me。 I'm in back to school mode and have a lot of my mind with work， so that's probably part of why I struggled with this one。 🍎 Overall， I'd say that the plot and relationship between Rich and Colleen were exceptional， but the writing style was not for me。 💭 。。。more
Beryl Sortino
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A roller coaster ride， wear a seatbelt。
Carol Strum
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Ash Davidson's new novel， Damnation Spring， vividly portrays the fatal conflict between health and profits documented in A Bitter Fog。 With its lavishly evoked rainforest， its sawtooth humor， shifting narrative perspectives， and testosterone-fueled battles against nature， Damnation Spring inevitably recalls Ken Kesey's Sometimes A Great Notion。 But Ash Davidson treads boldly beyond Kesey's narrow vision to the profit motives that exploit a brutal machismo culture bereft of health or humanity。 Mo Ash Davidson's new novel， Damnation Spring， vividly portrays the fatal conflict between health and profits documented in A Bitter Fog。 With its lavishly evoked rainforest， its sawtooth humor， shifting narrative perspectives， and testosterone-fueled battles against nature， Damnation Spring inevitably recalls Ken Kesey's Sometimes A Great Notion。 But Ash Davidson treads boldly beyond Kesey's narrow vision to the profit motives that exploit a brutal machismo culture bereft of health or humanity。 Most poignantly， she gives voice to the women whose lives and unborn children succumb to chemical and timber company bottom lines。 Her scenes of childbirth， grief， and helpless rage mirror in heartbreaking detail the reality of families in the poisoned， strip-mined clearcuts of the Pacific Northwest today。 。。。more
Caroline
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I thought I would love this book。 But I found it to be uninteresting。 I'd rather spend my time reading something else。 I read 15 chapters。 I thought I would love this book。 But I found it to be uninteresting。 I'd rather spend my time reading something else。 I read 15 chapters。 。。。more
Rachel Hint
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I’m on page 50 and almost gave up before I got to page 25。 There is a LOT of descriptive language in regards to lumber and it was very hard to stay focused because I didn’t h sweat and what I was reading。 It’s starting to pick up a lot more and I can follow what’s happening。 One thing I’ve noticed is the story jumps around。 I will be reading about Rich talking to a young man and all of a sudden a new character is introduced before explaining who it is。
Celeste Miller
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This was a highly anticipated book for me。 I grew up in the PNW and my parents worked in a tree planting co-op that got contracts from the Forest Service。 Later on my dad was a forester who worked with many loggers。 And my mom was a lay-midwife。 So。。。 I found this book premise intriguing from the start！ It is a slower read， with a lot of work left to the reader to put together what is going on。 You're really dropped into a 1977 logging community - jargon， family ties， dirt roads， with folks who This was a highly anticipated book for me。 I grew up in the PNW and my parents worked in a tree planting co-op that got contracts from the Forest Service。 Later on my dad was a forester who worked with many loggers。 And my mom was a lay-midwife。 So。。。 I found this book premise intriguing from the start！ It is a slower read， with a lot of work left to the reader to put together what is going on。 You're really dropped into a 1977 logging community - jargon， family ties， dirt roads， with folks who are hard working and trying to survive， and also who never left town or furthered their education after high school。 When I found myself getting frustrated with the characters sometimes - i。e。 not questioning the effects of the herbicide more， I reminded myself that their world was Damnation Ridge and they did what they knew， which was log。 The highly educated local man who returned to study the water and the herbicide gets threatened， assaulted， and practically run out of town。 It's completely worth the read though。 I stayed up way too late to finish the book when I got to the 70% point。 These characters are real， whether you like them or not。 And the way the story unfolds about the loggers， hippie environmentalists， park system， and the "company" is fascinating。 There are many sad and violent aspects of the book， with the miscarriages and birth defects， and with all the logging accidents （so many men killed young or permanently disabled。。。） and they are laid out very matter-of-factly。 I realized that Rich would only be 3 years younger than my grandfather who was born in 1921， and who was raised on a ranch and was very stoic， similar to Rich。 I reminded myself of that when I would get frustrated with some of Rich's "old fashioned" thinking。 Really great debut novel by Ash Davidson。 。。。more
Julie Griffin
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It would be easy to write a one-note book against chemicals and environmental harm， but this story of family in a logging community offers much more。 This book has more to chew on than most I've read recently， and with so much of the balanced humanity and heart that we need more of these days。 It's a nuanced and multifaceted look at family， values， obligation， and the damage to our environments， both physical and emotional， that we can inflict all while doing what we think is the right thing。 Th It would be easy to write a one-note book against chemicals and environmental harm， but this story of family in a logging community offers much more。 This book has more to chew on than most I've read recently， and with so much of the balanced humanity and heart that we need more of these days。 It's a nuanced and multifaceted look at family， values， obligation， and the damage to our environments， both physical and emotional， that we can inflict all while doing what we think is the right thing。 This is a rare book in which the right thing can be the wrong thing， or partial， and leads the reader to think about how we form our opinions and choose to think。What if you've decided to take a huge risk for your family's future， but the risk itself might present life or death to your family？ How do you choose between two hard choices？Rich （the name is no coincidence） grew up in a logging family and was orphaned at an early age when his father died in a logging accident。 He followed his father's footsteps and faces danger every day climbing to the top of ancient redwoods to secure the tops of trees hundreds of feet in the air。 As part of the logging company that dominates his part of coastal northern California， he and all his neighbors are dependent on the company for their livelihood， and are wary of the growing environmental consciousness in the 1970s that is turning much of the redwoods forest into conservation areas。 Rich lives in the house he grew up in， surrounded by the forest he loves almost as much as his family， and is almost to the age of needing to slow down from his dangerous work。 His younger wife， Colleen， is a wonderful responsible， take-charge character raising their five year old， nicknamed Chub， and parenting much of the rest of the community， including her sister and unstable brother in law and their five kids。 Colleen is mothering the community， but she herself longs for another child。 She is mourning the most recent of eight miscarriages， and serves as an informal midwife in this remote community with little in the way of social assistance。 Rich takes an opportunity to purchase a piece of land with a legendary giant tree at its top。 He will be able to secure their future and ensure his son can look to education and a safer occupation when he's able to harvest that tree。 But， as in all other logging， he has to transport the lumber out to the mill， and the key is to wait until the company clears a road up to the end of their property， so that he can use the road to get his timber out。 Meanwhile， the company is threatened by pressure from protesters， and from within as a former resident returns saying that the Agent Orange chemical exfoliant being sprayed on the wild blackberries and other vegetation to clear the roads is killing the local fish， the land， and the people， and possibly causing birth defects and miscarriages。 The people of the region are， in effect， being slowly napalmed。Told through Rich's and Colleen's viewpoints， we see the conflict escalating as people must choose between their health or their loyalty to a company which demands compete fealty or a huge price。 In the 1970s companies provided clinics， fish fries， support to their employees， but demanded complete loyalty。 Rich needs the road to save himself from the financial debt he extended to buy the land。 The situation is literally bankruptcy， or possible death。This story is told with so much compassion and understanding for all of the characters， that it reminds me of John Steinbeck writing about the union movements in his day。 Rich is a logger， but no environmentalist activist could possibly have more love and connection to the trees and water that have surrounded him since birth， and that he is passing on to his son。 Colleen loves her community but she needs to help herself and keep her child healthy。 These two are some of the most likeable characters I have encountered in books recently。 There is no one completely wrong here （except the nameless purveyors of toxic chemicals） and no one is a saint， either。 We want a solution that benefits everyone， even as we are told more than once， "you only get one miracle。" The tension builds as two babies are born without brains， and something is wrong with Colleen's new niece， and her old boyfriend is urging her to get involved。The author grew up in Arcata， and her writing about the forest and the loggers lets the reader live and breathe the world of whales and rain and timber and constant danger and death and mudslides and family and love。 Her compassion for the mothers and the loggers who need to provide for their families， but also protect them， sets up an almost unbearable situation， lets us join in the warmth and love that survives even in the midst。 Highly recommend。 I will look for the next book by this author。 。。。more
Tiffany
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I’m not seeing a ton of buzz around this book， which is a shame， because I think it’s the best book of 2021！ Damnation Spring is set in the 1970s in a logging community， telling the story of Rich and Colleen， the conflict of big company interests against environmental concerns， and how they’re caught in between。 I sobbed through the last half， but I’m sad to leave the world Davidson created。 Five stars。
Sarahraider
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3。5。 This book was almost excellent， but the author has a habit of relying on missing subject sentence fragments to set a folksy tone。 The syntax choices grated and distracted throughout。
Katie Long
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Certainly not without flaws， but I admired Davidson's talent for immersing her reader in what， for most， will be an unfamiliar time and place。 Despite the bleakness， and frankly predictability， of the plot， her writing kept me engaged。 Certainly not without flaws， but I admired Davidson's talent for immersing her reader in what， for most， will be an unfamiliar time and place。 Despite the bleakness， and frankly predictability， of the plot， her writing kept me engaged。 。。。more
Cathy
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3。5⭐️
Julie
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This book takes every opportunity to describe in great detail the logging industry in the 1970s。 Often， to a fault。 There’s a huge difference between giving the reader enough technical information to fully understand vs the excessive explanations that occur for the first 40 chapters。 I understand and appreciate the very complex， technical aspects of trade。 This was during a time that good workmanship， and tricks of the trade ruled rather than the heavily regulated government agencies governed。Th This book takes every opportunity to describe in great detail the logging industry in the 1970s。 Often， to a fault。 There’s a huge difference between giving the reader enough technical information to fully understand vs the excessive explanations that occur for the first 40 chapters。 I understand and appreciate the very complex， technical aspects of trade。 This was during a time that good workmanship， and tricks of the trade ruled rather than the heavily regulated government agencies governed。There’s a heavy reliance on trade jargon making the book longer than it needs be， and in my opinion does not add much to the book with the amount of repetition involved。 At times it felt like a technical trade book rather than a work of fiction telling a story。 So many passages involve burl bowls full of keys。 I understand the burl bowl is a unique growth from a tree and there’s some thought they indicate the presence of gold in the soil surrounding the tree。 But this bowl full of keys appears repeatedly throughout the book…。 Kinda like my 7 year old repeatedly talks about the properties of his lego’s ad nauseum。 It seems there’s a gait problem within the inbred community， they don’t simply walk anywhere， instead， they lope up and down in and out of everywhere。 I’d have loved it if the characters simply walked or even sauntered somewhere。 I listened to this as an audiobook and it was done well。 Except for Chubb， who’s character was clearly overacted by a male who’s idea of a 5 year old child just going to school sounded more like an adult person with special needs than a young child。Overall， it’s a decent read， once you get by the excessively long， technical， complex initial 40 chapters。 。。。more
Kim
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