Title: Homestead by Melinda Moustakis
First line snippet:
June 1956 -- God made the trees and men make the kindling.
2nd snippet, page 56:
January 1957 -- Blizzard wind a howl and rack for days, and the blessed quiet when a storm dies down.
Summary:
Anchorage, 1956. When Marie and Lawrence first lock eyes at the Moose Lodge, they are immediately drawn together. But when they decide to marry, days later, they are more in love with the promise of homesteading than anything. For Lawrence, his parcel of 150 acres is an opportunity to finally belong in a world that has never delivered on its promise. For Marie, the land is an escape from the empty future she sees spinning out before her, and a risky bet is better than none at all. But over the next few years, as they work the land in an attempt to secure a deed to their homestead, they must face everything they don’t know about each other. As the Territory of Alaska moves toward statehood and inexorable change, can Marie and Lawrence create something new, or will they break apart trying? (Publisher)
My thoughts: Homestead was a book club selection. Our club utilizes book kits available from the library for clubs. The kit contains ten books and a packet of materials including discussion questions. I'm fairly sure that no one in the club would have picked this book were it not part of a convenient kit for us to use. Don't get me wrong. The book was well written and had a realistic story set in Alaska on the brink of statehood. None of us had read a book from this setting and time period before, so it had value from that vantage point. And we did have a very good discussion of way society has changed since the 1950s, especially concerning the rights of women. Oddly I had just finished reading a Hemingway novel before reading this book. One of my criticisms of that novel was the way Hemingway writes in such a spare style, using few adjectives, with hardly any transitions. There is an immediacy to that kind of writing, I just don't like it. Here Moustakis, the author of Homestead, writes in that same spare style as Hemingway. I guess what? I didn't like it here, either. Reread the two snippet samples I provided. I've read and reread that page 56 quote many times and I just can't make it sing in my mouth. Why doesn't it say, "Blizzard wind howls and racks for days"? The style Moustakis uses actually grates my nerves a bit. Ha!
Not sure if I would recommend this book for your consideration. I rated it 3.75 stars.
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Welcome to a combined Book Beginnings on Friday and Friday56 with a new name Friday Book Snippets. I am co-hosting this weekly blogging event with Olivia at Bemused & Bookish. You can link up at either of our sites but be sure to still visit and comment on other participant's blogs to increase our community.
Directions: Share two snippets (a sentence or short paragraph) from a) the book's opening and b) page 56 (or another page) from the book you are currently reading. No spoilers, please.
Click on the "OH-NO" message and it will take you to the linkup this week. I'll find you there.
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