Fiction

The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All

The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All

  • Downloads：1583
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-05 02:21:11
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Josh Ritter
  • ISBN：1335522530
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

smalltownbookmom ，

This was a charming， nostalgic coming of age story about a father and son and their family connection to one of the last pieces of land not taken over by a large logging magnate。 Told from the perspective of 99 year old Weldon Applegate reminiscing about his life and adventures growing up in the tiny timber town of Cordelia Idaho。 Equally funny and heartwarming and narrated by the author， I really enjoyed this romping yarn of a story。 The audiobook also includes a bonus song written and performe This was a charming， nostalgic coming of age story about a father and son and their family connection to one of the last pieces of land not taken over by a large logging magnate。 Told from the perspective of 99 year old Weldon Applegate reminiscing about his life and adventures growing up in the tiny timber town of Cordelia Idaho。 Equally funny and heartwarming and narrated by the author， I really enjoyed this romping yarn of a story。 The audiobook also includes a bonus song written and performed by the author！ I highly recommend listening to this moving family story for full effect。 For fans of Damnation spring or Greenwood。 Much thanks to Libro。fm for my ALC。 。。。more

Kathleen Gray ，

Weldon Applegate has lived a long and colorful life， which he recounts while lying in his bed waiting to die。 Orphaned at 14， he takes control of his family's "cursed" land in Cordelia， Idaho and becomes a lumberjack， a profession which is incredibly dangerous。 There's a certain tall tale element to this， with an archenemy in Joe and lots of adventures。 And then there are the songs。 Know that this moves around a bit in time and gentle readers should be prepared for profanity。 Fans of this genre- Weldon Applegate has lived a long and colorful life， which he recounts while lying in his bed waiting to die。 Orphaned at 14， he takes control of his family's "cursed" land in Cordelia， Idaho and becomes a lumberjack， a profession which is incredibly dangerous。 There's a certain tall tale element to this， with an archenemy in Joe and lots of adventures。 And then there are the songs。 Know that this moves around a bit in time and gentle readers should be prepared for profanity。 Fans of this genre- elderly man reflecting on his life- will like this for the different setting and approach。 Thanks to the publisher for the ARC。 An entertaining read。 。。。more

Bookclubbish ，

CategoriesComing of Age Fiction， Historical Fiction， Literary Fiction， Small Town & Rural Fiction

Clmelvin60gmail。Com ，

I’ve never read Mr。 Ritter before， but if his prior books were anything like this one， I will hurry out to find them。 This book is gritty， it’s violent， it’s sad， and it made me laugh at things I would be embarrassed to have my friend know I laughed at。 In the last days of lumberjacking before machines took over， when jacks still did everything by hand， there was a town in Idaho that legend said was home to some of the greatest lumberjacks ever。 Among them the Applegate family that owned the Los I’ve never read Mr。 Ritter before， but if his prior books were anything like this one， I will hurry out to find them。 This book is gritty， it’s violent， it’s sad， and it made me laugh at things I would be embarrassed to have my friend know I laughed at。 In the last days of lumberjacking before machines took over， when jacks still did everything by hand， there was a town in Idaho that legend said was home to some of the greatest lumberjacks ever。 Among them the Applegate family that owned the Lost Lot – the last remaining uncut mountain。 The story is told by 99 yr。 old Weldon on his death bed about the boy and eventually the man he was。 Amidst this story， Ritter delivers some unexpected unbelievably gorgeous prose like this I copied just so I didn’t forget it:“…the owls quite their hooting in the trees， and the crickets and frogs tore their attention from the sheet music of Creation…” 。。。more

Pattie ，

Quick read - very different type of book。

Chaya Nebel ，

99-year-old Weldon Applegate is one of those ornery oldsters with a chip on his shoulder as big as a mountain， and a mouth loud enough to yell his story to all within shouting distance， even loud enough from his hospital bed， from which he narrates his 2 stories: the first， of how he got to that hospital bed， and the second， the story of his youth and his quick growing-up in timber mountain regions of the Norwest。 It's full of lumberjack tall tales， puppy love， parental loss， avalanches， lumberj 99-year-old Weldon Applegate is one of those ornery oldsters with a chip on his shoulder as big as a mountain， and a mouth loud enough to yell his story to all within shouting distance， even loud enough from his hospital bed， from which he narrates his 2 stories: the first， of how he got to that hospital bed， and the second， the story of his youth and his quick growing-up in timber mountain regions of the Norwest。 It's full of lumberjack tall tales， puppy love， parental loss， avalanches， lumberjacking， heartbreak， and lots of big trees。 This was a really fun read， with a larger-than-life narrator who reminded me of Ove of the eponymous novel。 Scrappy， and foul-mouthed， the story of his younger self makes the reader look behind the wheezing old geezer to see the humanity and vulnerability of his youthful self。 The writing is vibrant and energetic， the pacing in both stories perfect。 There are moments of triumph and heartbreak， laughs and near-cries。 。。。more

Mary Amanda ，

This book tells the story of 99 year old Weldon Applegate， one of the last true lumberjacks as he recounts his coming of age tale。 We follow the 13 year old Weldon after he’s inherited a piece of land from his father called the Lost Lost， which some believe to be cursed and unloggable。 He must save it from falling into the hands of Linden Laughlin。 I came to love Weldon was rooting for him the whole time。 I may be biased and have a soft spot for all things lumberjack as that was my college masco This book tells the story of 99 year old Weldon Applegate， one of the last true lumberjacks as he recounts his coming of age tale。 We follow the 13 year old Weldon after he’s inherited a piece of land from his father called the Lost Lost， which some believe to be cursed and unloggable。 He must save it from falling into the hands of Linden Laughlin。 I came to love Weldon was rooting for him the whole time。 I may be biased and have a soft spot for all things lumberjack as that was my college mascot。 This book is full of talk tales and just a touch of lumberjack magical realism that was just a pure delight to read。 。。。more

Katie Avalos ，

Definitely a fun and worthy read。 The story is fascinating and unlike anything I've read before。 But the flow is quite awkward at times with starts and stops and sudden location changes mid-paragraph that pop the reader out of the tale。 The the story itself is worth the mental work required to enjoy it， but the writing could use a bit more sharpening。 Unless it's all meant to add to the effect of the nearly centenarian narrator。 Then the shifts and bounds are just aspects of an aging mind。 But I Definitely a fun and worthy read。 The story is fascinating and unlike anything I've read before。 But the flow is quite awkward at times with starts and stops and sudden location changes mid-paragraph that pop the reader out of the tale。 The the story itself is worth the mental work required to enjoy it， but the writing could use a bit more sharpening。 Unless it's all meant to add to the effect of the nearly centenarian narrator。 Then the shifts and bounds are just aspects of an aging mind。 But I'm guessing it's more that this just needed another trip to the whetstone。 。。。more

Susan ，

Audiobook provided by NetGalley， Harper Audio， and Harlequin Audio in exchange for an honest review。Ok， so yeah。。。。 this just wasn't the book for me。 It read like a tall tale that was just one long run-on sentence。 It might be your thing， it just wasn't mine。 I was really excited for this but I honestly can't really tell you what this book is about as I had a hard time following the story。 And while I love a good swear， it was off-putting that almost every sentence had the word f***k in it。 To m Audiobook provided by NetGalley， Harper Audio， and Harlequin Audio in exchange for an honest review。Ok， so yeah。。。。 this just wasn't the book for me。 It read like a tall tale that was just one long run-on sentence。 It might be your thing， it just wasn't mine。 I was really excited for this but I honestly can't really tell you what this book is about as I had a hard time following the story。 And while I love a good swear， it was off-putting that almost every sentence had the word f***k in it。 To me that's not creative and it got old pretty quickly， it didn't serve a purpose。 While I enjoy Ritter's music， I think this story would have benefited from a different audiobook narrator。 He wasn't horrible， but I felt like the audiobook was very one-note。 。。。more

Emily ，

Thanks to GalleyNet for the ARC。 You won't find the tiny timber town of Cordelia， Idaho， anywhere except in ninety-nine year old Weston Applegate's memory， where the town is alive with bootlegging， murder， and a masculine mischief so common in tales of the Old West。 Between Josh Ritter's capable hands， Weston's coming of age struggle to live up to his family legacy is smoothed into a new American myth: The Extinction of the Lumber Jacks。 The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All fulfills the promises Thanks to GalleyNet for the ARC。 You won't find the tiny timber town of Cordelia， Idaho， anywhere except in ninety-nine year old Weston Applegate's memory， where the town is alive with bootlegging， murder， and a masculine mischief so common in tales of the Old West。 Between Josh Ritter's capable hands， Weston's coming of age struggle to live up to his family legacy is smoothed into a new American myth: The Extinction of the Lumber Jacks。 The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All fulfills the promises in the publisher's description。 It's filled with adventure and humor cleverly framed at the start of every chapter by an old man's musings。 Telling his story from his deathbed， Weston is charmingly thirteen and ninety-nine at once。 His stories from his upbringing to his young adulthood to his ripened age feel so real， helped along by Ritter's voice。 This feels like a book that you might be able to discuss in English literature classes alongside "The Luck of Roaring Camp" by Bret Harte。 。。。more

Sandra ，

Full disclosure: I won my ARC copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway。I truly enjoyed this book， and was blown away by the author's prowess in describing the town and surrounding country， and his characters。 Other reviews already summarized the story very well， so I will not。 The characters were believable， and well developed， for the most part。 One of the main characters is actually a piece of land known as the Lost Lot， which looms over the narrative like a dark cloud。 The 'spicy language' m Full disclosure: I won my ARC copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway。I truly enjoyed this book， and was blown away by the author's prowess in describing the town and surrounding country， and his characters。 Other reviews already summarized the story very well， so I will not。 The characters were believable， and well developed， for the most part。 One of the main characters is actually a piece of land known as the Lost Lot， which looms over the narrative like a dark cloud。 The 'spicy language' may offend some folks but makes the dialogue seem authentic （ these are lumberjacks who live in a bunkhouse while at work， without female supervision， lol）。I wholly recommend this book and look forward to more of Josh Ritter's work。 。。。more

Julie Failla Earhart ，

The protagonist of songwriter Josh Ritter’s second novel is ninety-nine-year-old Weldon Applegate， lying on his deathbed in a hospital。 Tubes are coming out of his arms， and he is on oxygen。 He seems to this reader to be passing in and out of consciousness。When he is out of it， Weldon returns to the forests of Cordelia， Idaho， almost a century earlier; back to a time when he was a child and the Applegates were considered the best lumberjacks in the industry。 When his head is clear， he recounts a The protagonist of songwriter Josh Ritter’s second novel is ninety-nine-year-old Weldon Applegate， lying on his deathbed in a hospital。 Tubes are coming out of his arms， and he is on oxygen。 He seems to this reader to be passing in and out of consciousness。When he is out of it， Weldon returns to the forests of Cordelia， Idaho， almost a century earlier; back to a time when he was a child and the Applegates were considered the best lumberjacks in the industry。 When his head is clear， he recounts a life of murder， mayhem， avalanches， bootlegging and all sorts of axe-swinging adventures。Weldon’s father， Tom， was a lumberjack who promised his wife that he'd stay safe and never jack again。 After his wife dies， he and Weldon move to Cordelia， a town full of lumberjacks and near the Lost Lot， a cursed tract of land that Tom owns。 Tom works in the town general store but finds himself making a deal with a larger-than-life lumberjack-of-legend， Linden Laughlin， who turns out to be a devil in disguise。 Weldon tells us the whole story in tall-tale style from those times through when technology and industry take over。The story structure follows Weldon’s mental state， moving from one adventure to another without any division。 I found this hard to follow。 The language is rough， but realistic for the time period。 It didn’t bother me， but I just didn’t like the story。 For me， the action moved a snail’s pace， but I think it was me and not the story。 I wasn’t as drawn in as I had hoped to be， but I will admit to learning a lot about lumberjacking。 Therefore， “The Great Glorious Goddam of It All” receives 2 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world。 。。。more

Kirsten ，

review to come

Leah M ，

Rounded up to 3。5 stars。Thank you to libro。fm for providing me with an ALC of this audiobook。 I am offering my honest opinion voluntarily。 CONTENT WARNING: profanity， death of a parent， violence， implied rape （off-page）， self-mutilation， gun violenceThis book is narrated by the author， who I feel did a great job with it。 I loved that he incorporated his own music into the story， especially the catchy rendition of Some Somewhere。 I’ll definitely be singing this song to myself for the next few day Rounded up to 3。5 stars。Thank you to libro。fm for providing me with an ALC of this audiobook。 I am offering my honest opinion voluntarily。 CONTENT WARNING: profanity， death of a parent， violence， implied rape （off-page）， self-mutilation， gun violenceThis book is narrated by the author， who I feel did a great job with it。 I loved that he incorporated his own music into the story， especially the catchy rendition of Some Somewhere。 I’ll definitely be singing this song to myself for the next few days。While I liked Weldon’s character from the start， I struggled to connect with him and the story in the beginning。 Things moved a little slowly。 The chapters would bounce between Weldon’s early teen years and him as a 99 year-old， but I often found it difficult to differentiate when they switched abruptly。 However， at around halfway through the story， I became a lot more invested in what was going on。 Things started happening more quickly and I was curious to see how everything played out。 There was one character who was just a horrible human being， and I think a big part of me kept listening just to see them get what was coming to them。 Once the action started， it kept me very interested。 I didn’t know what was going to happen next， but I definitely wanted to keep listening。 The writing itself was lyrical， and the author had a great voice that was well-suited for narrating。 I enjoyed the author’s style， especially as I got further into the story。 This story brought the last days of the lumberjacks to vivid life， painting a vivid picture of what this difficult， spare， physically demanding， and dangerous lifestyle was like。 This is a story I won’t soon forget。 。。。more

Meghan ，

This book was received as an ARC from HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing （U。S。 & Canada）， Hanover Square Press in exchange for an honest review。 Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own。From when I read the first chapter title "Mortal Enemy" I thought I was in for a book about how everyone has wronged Weldon of his past and what he discovered to help him along the journey since that is something everyone struggles with one way or another。 After reading the first 50 pages， I This book was received as an ARC from HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing （U。S。 & Canada）， Hanover Square Press in exchange for an honest review。 Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own。From when I read the first chapter title "Mortal Enemy" I thought I was in for a book about how everyone has wronged Weldon of his past and what he discovered to help him along the journey since that is something everyone struggles with one way or another。 After reading the first 50 pages， I discovered that this was a heartfelt family drama and a 99 year old man reminiscing of his younger days working for his family lot and working hard to be better than the competition。 The theme I got from this book was all about family and passion and even at 99 years old Weldon's passion still remain strong and the love he has for his family is very admirable （even though he has a unique way of showing it）。 I can't wait to hear the opinions and thoughts of our library community and see their take of this book。We will consider adding this title to our Adult Fiction collection at our library。 That is why we give this book 5 stars。 。。。more

Trigger Warning Database ，

Trigger & Content WarningsRape， impliedSelf mutilationGun violenceAxe violenceHome invasion

Joelle Egan ，

Josh Ritter took a hiatus from his lucrative career as a singer/songwriter to try his hand as a novelist。 Readers will rejoice in this diversion when The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All is released this Fall。 Charming， illuminating and tender， Ritter has crafted a layered novel that clearly benefits from his talents。 The descriptions of Cordelia， a Lumberjack town circa the Prohibition Era， are richly described and immersive。 The plot is told in a way that hearkens back to the bards singing the Josh Ritter took a hiatus from his lucrative career as a singer/songwriter to try his hand as a novelist。 Readers will rejoice in this diversion when The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All is released this Fall。 Charming， illuminating and tender， Ritter has crafted a layered novel that clearly benefits from his talents。 The descriptions of Cordelia， a Lumberjack town circa the Prohibition Era， are richly described and immersive。 The plot is told in a way that hearkens back to the bards singing their odes of ancient adventures。 Even the dialogue recalls the fabler who stretches truth at will。 This is a yarn spun by Weldon Applegate， who we follow over the course of his life from his teen years up to his deathbed。 At 14， Weldon suddenly becomes an orphan and now must fight enemies of Herculean strength to protect his inheritance。 He unwaveringly strives to fulfill his family’s destiny by logging their land， even though it has been haunted and labeled as cursed。 Others in Cordelia try to take advantage of Weldon’s inferior age and size with extortion and threats， but they underestimate young Weldon’s determination and cunning。 Ritter’s novel is simultaneously laudatory to this subculture and unrelenting in its graphic depictions of its violence and punishing environment。 Weldon’s initiation demonstrates the stark realities of those times and evokes a sense of nostalgia for a lost art。 The The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All is not your typical bildungsroman-it is a tall tale in itself， a reflection of changing times as the old stories attempt to preserve themselves in modern times。Thanks to the author and Hanover Square Press for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review。 。。。more

Lindsay ，

（I read an ARC of this novel provided free by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 Thanks， Netgalley！）Oh my gosh this was such a fun read。 It's about how the modern world finally caught up to the world of tall tales and legends。Weldon Applegate is 99 and telling the story of his life。 His father， Tom， was a lumberjack who promised his wife that he'd stay safe and never jack again。 After his wife dies， he and Weldon move to Cordelia， Idaho， a town full of lumberjacks and near the Lost Lot， （I read an ARC of this novel provided free by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 Thanks， Netgalley！）Oh my gosh this was such a fun read。 It's about how the modern world finally caught up to the world of tall tales and legends。Weldon Applegate is 99 and telling the story of his life。 His father， Tom， was a lumberjack who promised his wife that he'd stay safe and never jack again。 After his wife dies， he and Weldon move to Cordelia， Idaho， a town full of lumberjacks and near the Lost Lot， a cursed tract of land owned by Tom。 Tom works in the town general store but finds himself making a deal with a larger-than-life lumberjack-of-legend， Linden Laughlin， who turns out to be a devil in disguise。 Weldon tells us the whole story in tall-tale style from those times through when technology and industry take over。It's a super exciting and well-written。 Definitely a fun read。 This the first book by Josh Ritter I've read， but it won't be my last。 。。。more

Rosann ，

The raw， glorious， scary， gripping， sad and changing world of the lumberjack is captured in vivid detail by the author as seen through the eyes of nearly 100 yr old Weldon Applegate。 The reader is immersed in the life of Applegate from boyhood to old age as he recounts tales of adventure， obsession， passion and joy， of life in the great woods from illegal booze and larger than life， practically mythic characters， to the small greed of small men， modern life and microwave ovens。 The voices felt a The raw， glorious， scary， gripping， sad and changing world of the lumberjack is captured in vivid detail by the author as seen through the eyes of nearly 100 yr old Weldon Applegate。 The reader is immersed in the life of Applegate from boyhood to old age as he recounts tales of adventure， obsession， passion and joy， of life in the great woods from illegal booze and larger than life， practically mythic characters， to the small greed of small men， modern life and microwave ovens。 The voices felt authentic， the look back wistful， not bitter。 And in the end what remains is the forest， defiant， strong， resistant to the end。 。。。more

Brenda ，

This was a slow read for me。 I just couldn't get into it。 It did have a tall tale vibe， but it bounced back and forth a lot。 I could see a grandfather telling this story to his grandson about his life。 It wasn't bad， just not for me。 This was a slow read for me。 I just couldn't get into it。 It did have a tall tale vibe， but it bounced back and forth a lot。 I could see a grandfather telling this story to his grandson about his life。 It wasn't bad， just not for me。 。。。more

Beth ，

Set in Idaho at the very end of the true lumberjacking era and during Prohibition， this is a coming-of-age story， a snapshot of the past， and the story of a family。Loved Ritter's writing -- vivid descriptions， fully developed characters， great balance between action and reflection。 This is going on my top ten of the year list。 Thanks to the publishers for audiobook and digital review copies。 Love this so much， I preordered a finished copy for my permanent collection。 Also， if you're into audiobo Set in Idaho at the very end of the true lumberjacking era and during Prohibition， this is a coming-of-age story， a snapshot of the past， and the story of a family。Loved Ritter's writing -- vivid descriptions， fully developed characters， great balance between action and reflection。 This is going on my top ten of the year list。 Thanks to the publishers for audiobook and digital review copies。 Love this so much， I preordered a finished copy for my permanent collection。 Also， if you're into audiobooks， note that Ritter is the narrator and he does a fabulous job with expression and pacing。 AND the audiobook contains a bonus song （which has ties to the plot）。 。。。more

Judy Beetem ，

Josh Ritter is a singer/songwriter。 This is his first novel and he's created a unique， magical universe。 Weldon Applegate is ninety-nine years old and on his death bed。 As his life dwindles away， he recounts the story of his life。 He grew up in the small town of Cordelia， Idaho hearing stories of his ancestors， legendary lumberjacks。 Weldon wants to grow up to join the ranks of his ancestors。 He had to use all that inherited skill to keep his father's land， the Lost Lot， out of the hands of the Josh Ritter is a singer/songwriter。 This is his first novel and he's created a unique， magical universe。 Weldon Applegate is ninety-nine years old and on his death bed。 As his life dwindles away， he recounts the story of his life。 He grew up in the small town of Cordelia， Idaho hearing stories of his ancestors， legendary lumberjacks。 Weldon wants to grow up to join the ranks of his ancestors。 He had to use all that inherited skill to keep his father's land， the Lost Lot， out of the hands of the evil Linden Laughlin。 Ritter fills the story with ancient magic， murder， intrigue， saloon songs and a lot of heart！ Readers will enjoy this new voice in popular fantasy/literature。 Many thanks to Net Galley for the ARC。 。。。more

Fran ，

"Memory has a way of growing things， of improving them。 The hardships get harder， the good times get better and the whole damn arc of a life takes on a mystic glow that only memory can give it。" "。。。when you get as old as me。。。people want to hear your whole life story。。。life back then。。。when you live to be ninety-nine years you pretty much got the living part down。。。"。Weldon Applegate was born into a family of lumberjacks of meteoric reputation。 Tom Applegate， Weldon's daddy， had promised Weldon "Memory has a way of growing things， of improving them。 The hardships get harder， the good times get better and the whole damn arc of a life takes on a mystic glow that only memory can give it。" "。。。when you get as old as me。。。people want to hear your whole life story。。。life back then。。。when you live to be ninety-nine years you pretty much got the living part down。。。"。Weldon Applegate was born into a family of lumberjacks of meteoric reputation。 Tom Applegate， Weldon's daddy， had promised Weldon's mama that he would no longer brave the dangers of a jack's life。 Tom had "conquered his true nature and found safe harbor。。。the steady sureties of settled life。" Now a widower， Tom ran a general store with his thirteen year old son， Weldon in the tiny timber town of Cordelia， Idaho。 Tom had inherited "the most lumberjackingest place on the face of the Earth。。。The Lost Lot。。。a murderous， glorious ground with the biggest white pines there ever were。。。"。 Sohvia the Witch's prognostications advised against it， however， Tom threw caution to the wind， partnered up with Linden Laughlin [the best jack that had ever lived] and hired a team of jacks who were promised double pay to take down trees in the mountainous area， an area subject to avalanches and brutal winter storms。 Upon Tom Applegate's death， thirteen year old Weldon acquired the Lost Lot and his granddaddy's ax。"The woods are no place for a wee bairn" according to Linden Laughlin。 "Maybe Linden wasn't a man at all but。。。a kind of forest spirit。。。he was seven feet tall and had three rows of teeth。。。as a woods boss he could strike fear and respect。。。lead。。。jacks up any mountain with the knowledge that the timber would get taken out。。。" Linden called Weldon "cub"。 With granddaddy's ax in hand， Weldon made the ten mile trek to the Lost Lot。 "There was a time before I'd ever seen the ornery side of myself。 All that changed-that long ago December night。。。I would be transformed into a lumberjack。""。。。even at my age of ninety nine years。。。knowledge of [Joe Mouffreau's] essential wretchedness has come to shape my belief that our mortal enemies can keep us alive。。。[Joe] lying， foolish， condescending， big talking。。。convinced his daddy to start a 'fancy new way' just to log the holy hell out of the St。 Anne。"The town of Cordy was now empty， silent， with no jacks stopping by。。。no laughing。。。no cussing。 "The jacks are dying out。 Their time has come。 The World has been coming for a long， long time。" With humor， magic and a dose of profanity， singer-songwriter Josh Ritter weaves a tale of lumberjacking in the American West at the beginning of the twentieth century。 Weldon's pluck and stick-to-itiveness to uphold his family tradition created a fun-filled adventurous read。 I absolutely loved it！Thank you HARLEQUIN/Hanover Square Press and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

M Moore ，

If you're into folklore， tall tales and coming of age type stories this is a great， quick read。 The writing style is unique bringing the fast-talking storyteller of a main character to life both as a young boy and as an old man reflecting back on his boyhood。 This isn't a book for everyone， but will be a favorite for some。 Thanks to @librofm for this audiobook in exchange for my honest review。My reviews can also be viewed at www。instagram。com/justonemoorebook。 If you're into folklore， tall tales and coming of age type stories this is a great， quick read。 The writing style is unique bringing the fast-talking storyteller of a main character to life both as a young boy and as an old man reflecting back on his boyhood。 This isn't a book for everyone， but will be a favorite for some。 Thanks to @librofm for this audiobook in exchange for my honest review。My reviews can also be viewed at www。instagram。com/justonemoorebook。 。。。more

Patty ，

I did not expect to like this book so much！ The writing is beautiful and the story is compelling。

Lichen ，

A fascinating yarn of one man's life experience as a lumber jack told from his perspective of an old man looking back and a child。 When speaking from the younger perspective， Ritter skillfully captures the overwhelming bigness of the characters and landscape around him - exactly the way a child would experience them。 The writing is really terrific overall - no one turns a phrase like a singer-songwriter。 I don't think the audiobook format contributed much to the story。 As other reviewers have me A fascinating yarn of one man's life experience as a lumber jack told from his perspective of an old man looking back and a child。 When speaking from the younger perspective， Ritter skillfully captures the overwhelming bigness of the characters and landscape around him - exactly the way a child would experience them。 The writing is really terrific overall - no one turns a phrase like a singer-songwriter。 I don't think the audiobook format contributed much to the story。 As other reviewers have mentioned， there were points where a sudden change in volume was distracting - needs improved mixing？ Also， it was difficult to tell， at times， if we were hearing from the elder Weldon or the younger - I finally decided it didn't matter that much。 #netgalley 。。。more

Tina ，

OMG！ I loved this！ Now to buy tickets to hear Josh sing in the cemetery？

Shellie Zeigler ，

Audio: If you want a book that compels you to quote many magnificent lines to your family and friends， read this book。 If you want a book that makes you forget about time and space， read this book。 I wish I could read this book for the first time， but I know I'll be reading this book again。 I wish I could give it more than 5 stars。 DO NOT PASS THIS BOOK UP！！ Thank you so much to the publisher Hanover Square Press for an ARC of this book and to Libro。FM for an ALC of this book。 If you do read the Audio: If you want a book that compels you to quote many magnificent lines to your family and friends， read this book。 If you want a book that makes you forget about time and space， read this book。 I wish I could read this book for the first time， but I know I'll be reading this book again。 I wish I could give it more than 5 stars。 DO NOT PASS THIS BOOK UP！！ Thank you so much to the publisher Hanover Square Press for an ARC of this book and to Libro。FM for an ALC of this book。 If you do read the audiobook， stay around and listen to the author sing THE SONG that you can never get out of your head。 。。。more

Trina ，

Thank you to Libro。fm and Netgalley for the ALC/ARC。 I LOVED the beginning and liked the rest。 The voice and constant swearing felt believable and true。 I rooted for the main character。 Ultimately though it felt thin to me。

Frank Romans ，

Great story-telling from Josh Ritter。 Some of the passages in the book flow like poetry。 A both sad and humorous yarn as told by a curmudgeonly narrator。