(56) I am late to the party with reading this novel - has been on my to be read list for close to a decade. Not sure why finally made me make the plunge. This is a story that pulls at your heart strings about a single father and his 3 children. At the outset of the book it becomes clear that the Dad is some everyman turned hero and possibly angelic. It was never quite clear to me who Davy, Swede, and Rube's mother was and why she left - but they are ordinary kids with their own extraordinary ways living life in a midwestern small-town in the 1950's when the oldest brother accidentally but maybe on purpose has a fatal run-in with some small town bullies. Davy becomes an outlaw the run. The narrative told through Swede's poetic odes to Western bandit's and and our sickly protagonist Rube's retrospective reflections and it is poignant, dear, and at times gripping. While I won't ruin the end, it has a storytelling arc than any literature professor has got to admire.

The penultimate chapter that gives the book its name was ultimately where I lost touch with the novel a bit. I was not minding the magical realism at all and while I didn't feel as if this part was out of place, it tipped the whole book over a wee bit into Hallmark movie of the week territory. Overall, the author's fine writing does indeed save it from the melodramatic. I adored Rube, and loved Swede's poems, and their Dad's quiet strength -- The beginning with duck hunting, the scenes in the airstream, Mr. Andreeson. Really excellent well-written details and characters.

I am glad I read and I think I will remember. Not necessarily anything concrete to criticize, but just shy of missing the mark from being really something special for me. Likely because I couldn't buy the God and I guess heaven piece - but that might be a me problems as opposed to the novel's problem. ( )

hmmm....there were parts in this book it seemed to drag for me, and then the action would pick back up. By the last third I could not put it down. If you like the West and lots of old western references, you would love the book. For me, that was not a strength of the book. ( )

A rare DNF. This wasn't a book I thought I'd really like, but sometimes I try those books anyway; and sometimes I'm wrong. Not this time. I couldn't care about the characters, plot, or themes, and there were many parts I found hokey or irritating. I'm also not fond of fiction that uses a woman's rape to add drama to a man's story. That's not a spoiler, it happens almost immediately. Skimming ahead, I'm happy with my decision to put it down. ( )

Rereading. Love the prose, the characters. The story meanders like a river until it gets to rapids and places difficult to navigate. Enger is firmly at the helm of the story. ( )

This is a beautiful coming of age story. It explores themes of faith and family. I'm not usually one for magical realism, but it either worked for me here or maybe just didn't bother me enough to detract from the story. The narrator pointing out potentially supernatural events more than once with the phrase "make of that what you will" repeated each time did wear a little thin.

I loved the character of the narrator's little sister, Swede - a smart, spunky, precocious kid. I loved that Reuben was self-aware enough (at least in retrospect) to recognize the times he was selfish or immature. I liked the allusions to biblical stories interspersed through the narrative.

I read some reviews in which reviewers didn't appreciate that we don't get to know the big brother, Davy, very well. I think that's kind of on purpose. We are introduced to and see one view of him through Reuben's young eyes, and then as we get to know Davy a little better through his actions, we might change our view of him a bit.

It's a bit of an old-fashioned story, but it's well-written. The audiobook narration was good. The story and the beautiful passages sprinkled through the book kept me engaged and wanting to read on. ( )