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Product Description
Review
Praise for Nightwoods:
"Nightwoods is no typical thriller….its dazzling sentences are so meticulously constructed that you find yourself rereading them, trying to unpack their magic...the unhurried, poetic suspense is both difficult to bear and IMPOSSIBLE TO SHAKE."--Entertainment Weekly
“FANTASTIC ... an Appalachian Gothic with a low-level fever that runs alternately warm and chilling.” —The Washington Post
“No writer today crafts more exquisite sentences than Charles Frazier.” —USA Today
“ASTUTE AND COMPASSIONATE . . .a virtuoso construction . . . with wickedly wry dialogue reminiscent of the best of Charles Portis, Larry Brown, and Cormac McCarthy.” —The Boston Globe
“HIS BEST BOOK TO DATE. Frazier’s exquisitely efficient style is matched by some finely tuned suspense.” —The Times (London)
“Frazier has taken a fast-paced genre and subverted it at every turn, offering a closer look at the nature of good and evil and how those forces ebb and flow over time.” —Atlanta Journal Constitution
"...[A] taut narrative of love and suspense, told against a gritty background of bootlegging and violence. The characters are rich and unforgettable, and the prose almost lyrical. This is Charles Frazier at his best. ...Just mention a new novel by the Cold Mountain author, and a line will start forming."
—Booklist
"...[T]hink Thunder Road meets Night of the Hunter meets old murder ballads. This is a suspenseful noir nightmare, complete with bootleggers and switchblades."
—The Daily Beast
“The story makes the book more than worthwhile, and the writing is as good as anything Frazier has created so far. …[G]ripping story and engaging characters.” — Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
“[E]ngages your deep interest.... The book’s ending is masterful, gratifying suspense-seekers as well as readers who like things working on many levels.” — Asheville Citizen-Times
“The characters are expertly molded from the very land they inhabit, calling attention to the shallowness of the grave in which our more violent past is buried.” — BookPage
PRAISE FOR CHARLES FRAZIER
Cold Mountain
“Natural-born storytellers come along only rarely. Charles Frazier joins the ranks of that elite cadre on the first page of his astonishing debut.”—Newsweek
“Prose filled with grace notes and trenchant asides . . . a Whitmanesque foray into America: into its hugeness, its freshness, its scope and its soul . . . such a memorable book.”—The New York Times Book Review
“A rare and extraordinary book . . . heart-stopping . . . spellbinding.”—San Francisco Chronicle
Thirteen Moons
“A boisterous, confident novel that draws from the epic tradition: It tips its hat to Don Quixote as well as Twain and Melville, and it boldly sets out to capture a broad swatch of America’s story in the mid-nineteenth century.”—The Boston Globe
“Frazier works on an epic scale, but his genius is in the details—he has a scholar’s command of the physical realities of early America and a novelist’s gift for bringing them to life.”—Time
“Magical . . . fascinating and moving . . . You will find much to admire and savor in Thirteen Moons.”—USA Today
"Nightwoods is no typical thriller….its dazzling sentences are so meticulously constructed that you find yourself rereading them, trying to unpack their magic...the unhurried, poetic suspense is both difficult to bear and IMPOSSIBLE TO SHAKE."--Entertainment Weekly
“FANTASTIC ... an Appalachian Gothic with a low-level fever that runs alternately warm and chilling.” —The Washington Post
“No writer today crafts more exquisite sentences than Charles Frazier.” —USA Today
“ASTUTE AND COMPASSIONATE . . .a virtuoso construction . . . with wickedly wry dialogue reminiscent of the best of Charles Portis, Larry Brown, and Cormac McCarthy.” —The Boston Globe
“HIS BEST BOOK TO DATE. Frazier’s exquisitely efficient style is matched by some finely tuned suspense.” —The Times (London)
“Frazier has taken a fast-paced genre and subverted it at every turn, offering a closer look at the nature of good and evil and how those forces ebb and flow over time.” —Atlanta Journal Constitution
"...[A] taut narrative of love and suspense, told against a gritty background of bootlegging and violence. The characters are rich and unforgettable, and the prose almost lyrical. This is Charles Frazier at his best. ...Just mention a new novel by the Cold Mountain author, and a line will start forming."
—Booklist
"...[T]hink Thunder Road meets Night of the Hunter meets old murder ballads. This is a suspenseful noir nightmare, complete with bootleggers and switchblades."
—The Daily Beast
“The story makes the book more than worthwhile, and the writing is as good as anything Frazier has created so far. …[G]ripping story and engaging characters.” — Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
“[E]ngages your deep interest.... The book’s ending is masterful, gratifying suspense-seekers as well as readers who like things working on many levels.” — Asheville Citizen-Times
“The characters are expertly molded from the very land they inhabit, calling attention to the shallowness of the grave in which our more violent past is buried.” — BookPage
PRAISE FOR CHARLES FRAZIER
Cold Mountain
“Natural-born storytellers come along only rarely. Charles Frazier joins the ranks of that elite cadre on the first page of his astonishing debut.”—Newsweek
“Prose filled with grace notes and trenchant asides . . . a Whitmanesque foray into America: into its hugeness, its freshness, its scope and its soul . . . such a memorable book.”—The New York Times Book Review
“A rare and extraordinary book . . . heart-stopping . . . spellbinding.”—San Francisco Chronicle
Thirteen Moons
“A boisterous, confident novel that draws from the epic tradition: It tips its hat to Don Quixote as well as Twain and Melville, and it boldly sets out to capture a broad swatch of America’s story in the mid-nineteenth century.”—The Boston Globe
“Frazier works on an epic scale, but his genius is in the details—he has a scholar’s command of the physical realities of early America and a novelist’s gift for bringing them to life.”—Time
“Magical . . . fascinating and moving . . . You will find much to admire and savor in Thirteen Moons.”—USA Today
Book Description
The extraordinary author of Cold Mountain and Thirteen Moons returns with a dazzling new novel of suspense and love set in small-town North Carolina in the early 1960s.
Charles Frazier puts his remarkable gifts in the service of a lean, taut narrative while losing none of the transcendent prose, virtuosic storytelling, and insight into human nature that have made him one of the most beloved and celebrated authors in the world. Now, with his brilliant portrait of Luce, a young woman who inherits her murdered sister’s troubled twins, Frazier has created his most memorable heroine.
Before the children, Luce was content with the reimbursements of the rich Appalachian landscape, choosing to live apart from the small community around her. But the coming of the children changes everything, cracking open her solitary life in difficult, hopeful, dangerous ways.
Charles Frazier is known for his historical literary odysseys, and for making figures in the past come vividly to life. Set in the twentieth century, Nightwoods resonates with the timelessness of a great work of art.
Charles Frazier puts his remarkable gifts in the service of a lean, taut narrative while losing none of the transcendent prose, virtuosic storytelling, and insight into human nature that have made him one of the most beloved and celebrated authors in the world. Now, with his brilliant portrait of Luce, a young woman who inherits her murdered sister’s troubled twins, Frazier has created his most memorable heroine.
Before the children, Luce was content with the reimbursements of the rich Appalachian landscape, choosing to live apart from the small community around her. But the coming of the children changes everything, cracking open her solitary life in difficult, hopeful, dangerous ways.
Charles Frazier is known for his historical literary odysseys, and for making figures in the past come vividly to life. Set in the twentieth century, Nightwoods resonates with the timelessness of a great work of art.
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Most helpful customer reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Most Memorable Novel of Mid 20th Century Appalachia from Charles Frazier,
By
This review is from: Nightwoods: A Novel (Hardcover)
In his latest novel "Nightwoods", Charles Frazier returns to the same bleak, quiet Appalachian landscape that he introduced readers to in "Cold Mountain". However, unlike his celebrated earlier work of fiction, there is an almost timeless quality in "Nightwoods", a story that could have taken place as easily during the midst of the Civil War or sometime late, in the Twentieth Century. Instead Frazier drops subtle hints (e. g. a reference to the film "The Defiant Ones") that it is set in the late 1950s, in a rural Appalachia that is virtually indistinguishable from the one described in "Cold Mountain" rendered vividly in a sparse, often lyrical, prose that will remind readers of Cormac McCarthy's recent work, especially "The Road"; a comparison that is most apt since "Nightwoods" is almost as bleak as McCarthy's rural near future dystopian novel. Frazier offers his readers a most captivating, often poignant, and quite brilliant, portrayal of Luce, the young woman who unexpectedly inherits her sister's troublesome, emotionally scarred, son and daughter. Hers is an epic battle of wits with her sister's husband, Bud - whom she suspects is her sister Lily's killer - as she seeks to protect Lily's young children from their alcoholic, violence-prone father. Her only ally in this quest is the unassuming Stubblefield, who becomes both friend and guardian angel to Luce, her niece and her nephew. Frazier has once again combined his excellent storytelling talent with his superb prose into a winning combination destined to be celebrated by critics and fans alike; without question, one of the finest, and most compelling, works of fiction published this year.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Evocative and gripping,
By Endless Page (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Nightwoods (Hardcover)
I had to deliberately slow myself from devouring "Nightwoods". Frazier writes sensitively and extensively of a natural world that he introduced in "Cold Mountain" but this is a contemporary thriller, with its careful build of characters, secrets and twists.An excellent read; reminded me of Faulkner, but mostly of Frazier, a gifted storyteller who has delivered a fierce, fine work.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.8 out of 5 stars (122 customer reviews) 124 of 132 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Most Memorable Novel of Mid 20th Century Appalachia from Charles Frazier,
By John Kwok - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Nightwoods: A Novel (Hardcover)
Pre-release customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
In his latest novel "Nightwoods", Charles Frazier returns to the same bleak, quiet Appalachian landscape that he introduced readers to in "Cold Mountain". However, unlike his celebrated earlier work of fiction, there is an almost timeless quality in "Nightwoods", a story that could have taken place as easily during the midst of the Civil War or sometime late in the Twentieth Century. Instead Frazier drops subtle hints (e. g. a reference to the film "The Defiant Ones") that it is set in the late 1950s, in a rural Appalachia that is virtually indistinguishable from the one described in "Cold Mountain", rendered vividly in a sparse, often lyrical, prose that will remind readers of Cormac McCarthy's recent work, especially "The Road"; a comparison that is most apt since "Nightwoods" is almost as bleak as McCarthy's rural near future dystopian novel. Frazier offers his readers a most captivating, often poignant, and quite brilliant, portrayal of Luce, the young woman who unexpectedly inherits her sister's troublesome, emotionally scarred, son and daughter. Hers is an epic battle of wits with her sister's husband, Bud - whom she suspects is her sister Lily's killer - as she seeks to protect Lily's young children from their alcoholic, violence-prone father. Her only ally in this quest is the unassuming Stubblefield, who becomes both friend and guardian angel to Luce, her niece and her nephew. Frazier has once again combined his excellent storytelling talent with his superb prose into a winning combination destined to be celebrated by critics and fans alike; without question, one of the finest, and most compelling, works of fiction published this year.
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A riveting story with authentic characters and setting,
By Mike in Glen Head, NY - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Nightwoods: A Novel (Hardcover)
Luce is living as a caretaker of a remote lodge in North Carolina. Mr. Stubblefield, the owner of the lodge has recently died, but Luce continues to live there because "... nobody else seemed interested in keeping it from growing over with kudzu until it became nothing but a green mound." Luce has also become the caretaker of Frank and Delores, her twin nephew and niece, after their mother was murdered by her husband, Bud. The children will not talk and are difficult to control, setting things on fire, killing chickens and constantly fighting with each other. Some people say that they are retarded, but Luce believes that they have been badly abused and traumatized. Meanwhile, Bud, a cold-blooded killer who carefully plots his evil moves, has been found not guilty of murder and returns to find out if Luce has the ten thousand dollars, the proceeds from one of his robberies, that his wife had hid from him.Frazier weaves together an atmospheric story using believable dialogue and vivid descriptions of rural Appalachia. It sometimes feels like every word of every sentence has been carefully constructed to pull the reader in. The characters are realistic and fascinating, the plot is intense and it's a real page turner. A beautifully written book, highly recommended. 59 of 71 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Too Much Description,
By Richard A. Mitchell "Rick Mitchell" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Nightwoods: A Novel (Hardcover)
Pre-release customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
Charles Frazier is a great wordsmith. Since COLD MOUNTAIN he has not been such a great story teller.This is the story of a reclusive woman in the hills of North Carolina who suddenly has her twin niece and nephew thrust upon her. We know immediately that Luce's sister's children are not normal - they do not speak. Luce is undaunted, if not enthusiastic about losing her reclusive and independent life. We then learn something about her sister, her brother-in-law and the son of the man who owned where she lived. Believe it or not, that is the first 200 pages of this 260 page novel. The writing is wonderful and the descriptive passages are stuff of creative writing classes. The plot - such as it is - plods and plods. Suddenly in the last 60 pages or so the story picks up and (with a few dull overly descriptive interludes) becomes a page-turner. If only the entire book was like this it would be a classic on the order of say, COLD MOUNTAIN. Luce is a terrifically interesting character. She is a character with depth and uniqueness. As the book slowly peels the onion skin away from her past she becomes the even more intriguing. The rest of the characters are pretty cardboard cut-out: the psychotic brother-in-law, the son of the landowner and the truly stereotypical independent elderly neighbor with the potions and the wisdom of the ages. The book is saved by the incredibly interesting writing. Just as the reader is ready to throw the book out of the window, a plot suddenly appears. One quirky point. Where did all the quotation marks go? Spoken lines are indicated by a dash starting the paragraph, unless they are not. Most spoke lines start with a dash, but others are buried in the paragraph. You'll read a few lines and then it will say "He said". It broke up the fluidity of the text. Let's make believe it's ok to be a tad conventional and return to the use of quotation marks. All in all this was a mediocre book filled with extremely good descriptive passages. If you're looking for a good story, look elsewhere. |
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