Naiche A. (Naiche) reviewed on 2/8/2010 + 91 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 4

This book is about the story of a declining society, a peaceful post-industrial society living off the remnants of modern technology and the fertility of the lush Hudson Valley. This is very much a transition phase, with a younger generation growing up that was born after the fall, and new people moving in to town that will destabilize the power structure.

I'm quite torn about this book.

On the one hand, there are some real problems with world-building, including a totally unrealistic assessment of how much actual WORK it takes to run a pre-industrial society. There are some odd plot twists that I didn't understand the point of. Additionally, the author is apparently incapable of writing a convincing female character.

On the other hand, there is some seriously fantastic writing going on here. The complexity of feeling and motivation is extraordinary. The inner life of the central character is fascinating, and both his strength and his deep denial are delicately handled. The pacing is seductive, with both the book and the plot moving at no faster than a horse's trot.

In many ways, the book is about dealing with grief, and about deciding whether to surrender gracefully to overwhelming disaster, or to pick yourself up and fight even when it's unclear whether you're on the side of the angels. One of the book's charms is that it presents both youthful vigor and graceful decline as valid options, and lets the reader decide.

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