- Hardcover: 416 pages
- Publisher: Viking USA (Jun 13 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0670030953
- ISBN-13: 978-0670030958
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.2 x 3.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 680 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Morrow uses a woman's search to find her father as a vehicle to explore the dual legacies of Los Alamos and Vietnam in his latest, a powerful, multilayered novel in which he revisits a character from Trinity Fields, Kip Calder, who becomes the holy grail of a quest by his daughter, Ariel Rankin. As the novel opens, Rankin is leading a comfortable life as an assistant editor for a Manhattan publisher, but things gets turned upside down in a hurry by a surprise pregnancy, along with the revelation that Brice McCarthy (who also appeared in Trinity Fields) is not her real father. Most of the novel involves Rankin's search for Calder, who survives a bout with illness and a down-and-out stretch when he is taken in by the Montoya family in the remote desert of New Mexico. Rankin's search is complicated by Calder's erratic wanderings, which culminate in an effort to help Delfino Montoya, who worked on the Manhattan Project, recover the ranch that was seized by the government during the military effort. The first half of the novel is near-brilliant, as Morrow sets up a tightly woven network of strong, intriguing characters while crafting evocative chapters about the tumultuous effect of political events on the lives of his protagonists. The novel fades down the stretch, mostly due to overcomplicated subplots, including one involving Rankin and her love interest, Marcos Montoya, while a final confrontation with the government on the ranch is drawn out and labored. These problems aside, this is yet another outstanding, thought-provoking novel from one of America's major literary voices as he continues to explore the issues that made Trinity Fields so compelling and memorable.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Though Morrow begins his novel with a historically and geographically significant conceit that of the ghost of Do$a Francisca de Pe$a, whose story offers us a violent, almost biblical introduction to the land around Chimayo , NM he soon runs headlong into the present and a group of bumbling characters who are considerably less convincing. The intricate plot and subplots coalesce around protagonist Ariel's long search for her father, Kip, who went to fight in Vietnam and disappeared in Laos before her birth. The action starts when, out of the blue, a minor character tells Ariel that she knows "a man who'd be very happy to meet" her. Ariel heads to Chimayo , missing her father only by chance because he has decided, not very convincingly, to martyr himself to a hopeless cause. Unfortunately, Morrow does not capitalize on these ironies or the potential for poignancy here. Instead, the shallow characters and silly plots are submerged by melodrama not unlike that of the daytime soap operas a real surprise from Morrow, founding editor of Conjunctions and author of four previous novels, including The Almanac Branch. Lyle D. Rosdahl, San Antonio P.L., TX
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific Storytelling,
By SDamoff (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ariels Crossing (Hardcover)
I found Ariel's Crossing difficult to put down. In fact, I skipped Morrow's reading in New York for fear of something being revealed that I had not yet learned. Not only does Morrow tell a fascinating, multi-layered story, he creates wonderful characters. I was struck with the realization mid-way through the book that I really LIKED all the characters (except David, but that is his own fault), not so common an experience. Which is not to say that they are some kind of exemplars, they are ordinary, flawed human beings who make mistakes, but grow; people who I could care about.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific storytelling,
By SDamoff (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ariels Crossing (Hardcover)
I found Ariel's Crossing difficult to put down. In fact, I skipped Morrow's reading in New York for fear of something being revealed that I had not yet learned. Not only does Morrow tell a fascinating, multi-layered story, he creates wonderful characters. I was struck with the realization mid-way through the book that I really LIKED all the characters (except David, but that is his own fault), not so common an experience. Which is not to say that they are some kind of exemplars, they are ordinary, flawed human beings who make mistakes, but grow; people who I could care about.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Long-Awaited Triumph,
This review is from: Ariels Crossing (Hardcover)
I have been waiting for this book for five years, and it is so worth the wait! I fell in love with Morrow's "Giovanni's Gift" and went on to read everything I could get my hands on, and my favorite was "Trinity Fields", which is the sister book to "Ariel's Crossing". But now that I've read "Ariel's Crossing", it tops my list. Ariel is a wonderful, inspiring young woman whose journey to self-discovery, through some amazing yet completely believable twists of fate, so often resonates for me personally. I also love Franny (aka Mary), who discovers herself by simply re-inventing herself as someone else, and Sarah Montoya, the wise mother who guides her whole family (adopted and otherwise) with wry intelligence. (Not to mention Francisca, the ghost whose very presence seems to make a place home.) Also, Morrow's use of language is sublime---so rich and lush---and yet, unlike so many writers, it enhances his storytelling rather than interfering with it. You really *live* with these characters, you feel like you're walking through the landscapes with them---you're right there on horseback with Ariel when she---but I won't blow it for you--you've got to read this book!
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