Conrad B. (Phunter) reviewed on 9/15/2012 + 35 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Doig manages to paint a vivid picture of the Big Sky country of Montana while also drilling deep into the recesses of the human heart. Life, like the Montana sheep of the McCaskills and Barclays, tends to wander in unexpected directions. You get a notion that things aren't going to be quite as rosy as Angus had anticipated and, sure enough, things go awry. It is a powerful story, convincingly told from Angus's point of view - the sense of loss and heartbreak felt very real.
Doig stated that he used some Robert Burns quotes and others he created himself. I was curious about the story the children read of the King's Remembrancer - if that was something he made up too. I'd rather like to read it myself!
As a Scots immigrant myself who has traveled around the western part of Montana through Browning and down across the endless rich, grassy rolling hills of the Blackfeet Reservation, I felt immersed in the story from the beginning in an oddly vicarious way.
I had previously read "Mountain Time" and enjoyed Doig's writing ability, but this book was outstanding.

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