Synopses & Reviews
An award-winning and beloved novelist of the American West spins the further adventures of a favorite character, in one of his richest historical settings yet.
"If America was a melting pot, Butte would be its boiling point," observes Morrie Morgan, the itinerant teacher, walking encyclopedia, and inveterate charmer last seen leaving a one- room schoolhouse in Marias Coulee, the stage he stole in Ivan Doig's 2006 The Whistling Season. A decade later, Morrie is back in Montana, as the beguiling narrator of Work Song.
Lured like so many others by "the richest hill on earth," Morrie steps off the train in Butte, copper-mining capital of the world, in its jittery heyday of 1919. But while riches elude Morrie, once again a colorful cast of local characters-and their dramas-seek him out: a look-alike, sound-alike pair of retired Welsh miners; a streak-of-lightning waif so skinny that he is dubbed Russian Famine; a pair of mining company goons; a comely landlady propitiously named Grace; and an eccentric boss at the public library, his whispered nickname a source of inexplicable terror. When Morrie crosses paths with a lively former student, now engaged to a fiery young union leader, he is caught up in the mounting clash between the iron-fisted mining company, radical "outside agitators," and the beleaguered miners. And as tensions above ground and below reach the explosion point, Morrie finds a unique way to give a voice to those who truly need one.
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Review
"A genuinely sweet book by a writer who is generous to his characters and readers alike...start to finish Morrie proves a character in the best sense of the word...He's awfully good company...a character with whom it's a pleasure to pass the time no matter the scenery."
-Missoula Independent
"Entertaining for its rich historical take on the town of Butte...and for its evocative descriptions."
-Bookpage E-Newsletter
"A classic tale from the heyday of American capitalism by the king of the Western novel."
-The Daily Beast (Hot Reads)
"As enjoyable and subtly thought-provoking a piece of fiction as you're likely to pick up this summer. It's a book that can be appreciated just for the quality of the prose and the author's adherence to the sturdy conventions of old- fashioned narrative or for Doig's sly gloss on Western genre fiction and unforced evocation of our current condition - or, better yet, for all those things...One of this novel's pleasures is the rich cast of secondary characters Doig effortlessly sketches into his narrative...a pleasure to read."
-The Los Angeles Times
"Relax and allow yourself to be re-absorbed into a way of life that is, day by day, being lost to strip malls and strip mining...As in his previous novels, Doig excels at his descriptions of both characters and the land. ..It's hard to keep a smile off your face as you're working your way through this book. Nostalgia has found a happy home here."
-New West (starred review)
"If you were looking for a novel that best expresses the American spirit, you'd have to ride past a lot of fence posts before finding anything as worthy as Work Song.
-Chicago Tribune
"Not one stictch unravels in this intricately threaded narrative ... infectious."
-The New York Times Book Review
"Readers who fell in love with Morrie Morgan in The Whistling Season will welcome him back to Montana in Ivan Doig's latest adventure. The pages turn quickly ... Doig's love of language - more specifically, storytelling - is apparent throughout. ... Richly imagined and beautifully paced."
-Associated Press
"With deft strokes of storytelling, Doig paints a vivid scene. [He] introduces ... the most unforgettable librarian in all of American fiction [among] a reach of characters worthy of Dostoevsky. ... Doig has delivered another compelling tale about America, epic as an Old West saga but as fresh and contemporary as the news."
-The Seattle Times
"Another insightful, highly readable look at the landscape of the land and the soul...[Doig's] masterful hand takes readers skillfully into the past with a human story that echoes today ... a true treasure."
-The Billings Gazette
"Magical ... you'll be enjoying every bit of [Doig's] breathtaking storytelling prowess."
-Bookpage.com
"More atmospheric, pleasingly old-fashioned storytelling from Doig...whose ear for the way people spoke and thought in times gone by is as faultless as ever."
-Kirkus Reviews
"The most tumultous, quirky, and fascinating city in the American West of the last century has finally found a storyteller equal to its stories. ... Ivan Doig brings to life the core of humanity, and a hell of cast, amidst the shadows and sorrows of Butte, Montana -- a city that could say it never slept well before New York made a similar claim."
-Tim Egan, author of The Last Hard Time and The Big Burn
"Butte is by far the most colorful town in Montana, a kaleidoscope of culture, commerce and copper mines, the perfect palette for an artist like Ivan Doig. Work Song doesn't just hum along-its rich authenticity echoes and resonates."
-Jamie Ford, author of The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Review
Praise For The Bartender's Tale
"The perfect book for your bedside table. Pick it up, lose yourself in the past and remember what it was like to be 12 years old, when your world and all the people who entered into it felt as fresh as the Montana mountain air." -Associated Press
“With this expert novel, [Doig] sets himself a larger canvas and fills it with a diverse cast… Fact and fiction are skillfully fused to document a boys last days of youth and a history his father cant leave behind… Rustys youthful adventures are enchanting, but Doig does something more—he punctuates them with the colorful local idiom of his fathers grizzled punters.” -Newsweek/Daily Beast
“[The] rewards of The Bartenders Tale—a subtle and engaging narrative, characters who behave the way real people behave, the joys of careful and loving observation—remain very great and extremely rare.“ -The Washington Post
“The Bartender's Tale is thoroughly engaging, and the book's soft focus of nostalgia is in itself a kind of pleasure.” -NPR
Praise For Work Song
"As enjoyable and subtly thought-provoking a piece of fiction as you're likely to pick up this summer. It's a book that can be appreciated just for the quality of the prose and the author's adherence to the sturdy conventions of old-fashioned narrative or for Doig's sly gloss on Western genre fiction and unforced evocation of our current condition—or, better yet, for all those things… A pleasure to read.” -The Los Angeles Times
"Not one stitch unravels in this intricately threaded narrative… infectious." -The New York Times Book Review
“If you were looking for a novel that best expresses the American spirit, youd have to ride past a lot of fence posts before finding anything as worthy as Work Song.” -Chicago Tribune
“Richly imagined and beautifully paced.” -Associated Press
Review
“Readers who fell in love with Morrie Morgan in
The Whistling Season will welcome him back to Montana in Ivan Doigs latest adventure… Richly imagined and beautifully paced.” -The Associated Press
“Not one stitch unravels in this intricately threaded narrative… infectious.” -The New York Times Book Review
“As enjoyable and subtly thought-provoking a piece of fiction as youre likely to pick up this summer. A pleasure to read.” -Los Angeles Times
“If you were looking for a novel that best expresses the American spirit, youd have to ride past a lot of fence posts before finding anything as worthy as Work Song.” -Chicago Tribune
“A classic tale from they heyday of American capitalism by the king of the Western novel.” -The Daily Beast
Review
Praise For Sweet Thunder
"Think Shane but with dueling journalists instead of gunfighters… A stirring tale given a melancholic edge by the fading influence of print newspapers in our very different modern world." -Booklist
Praise For The Bartender's Tale
"The perfect book for your bedside table. Pick it up, lose yourself in the past and remember what it was like to be 12 years old, when your world and all the people who entered into it felt as fresh as the Montana mountain air." -Associated Press
“With this expert novel, [Doig] sets himself a larger canvas and fills it with a diverse cast… Fact and fiction are skillfully fused to document a boys last days of youth and a history his father cant leave behind… Rustys youthful adventures are enchanting, but Doig does something more—he punctuates them with the colorful local idiom of his fathers grizzled punters.” -Newsweek/Daily Beast
“[The] rewards of The Bartenders Tale—a subtle and engaging narrative, characters who behave the way real people behave, the joys of careful and loving observation—remain very great and extremely rare.“ -The Washington Post
“The Bartender's Tale is thoroughly engaging, and the book's soft focus of nostalgia is in itself a kind of pleasure.” -NPR
Praise For Work Song
"As enjoyable and subtly thought-provoking a piece of fiction as you're likely to pick up this summer. It's a book that can be appreciated just for the quality of the prose and the author's adherence to the sturdy conventions of old-fashioned narrative or for Doig's sly gloss on Western genre fiction and unforced evocation of our current condition—or, better yet, for all those things… A pleasure to read.” -The Los Angeles Times
"Not one stitch unravels in this intricately threaded narrative… infectious." -The New York Times Book Review
“If you were looking for a novel that best expresses the American spirit, youd have to ride past a lot of fence posts before finding anything as worthy as Work Song.” -Chicago Tribune
“Richly imagined and beautifully paced.” -Associated Press
Review
"A remarkably solid and prolific novelist in the tradition of Wallace Stegnerand#8230; [Doigand#8217;s] writing and characters are delightful." and#8211;
USA Today
"Doig, who holds a Ph.D. in history, is at his best in his historic novels, and he unspools this compelling tale among the clatter of typewriters and the 'sweet thunder' of printing pressesand#8230; Marvelousand#8230; yet another Montana book worthy of Doigand#8217;s prodigious talents." and#8211;Seattle Times
"Ivan Doig is one of the finest novelists writing todayand#8230; Doig knows how to spin a tale, and he does so here with wonderful language that flows effortlessly from his rich and diverse charactersand#8230; after finishing this fine novel, one just wants more." and#8211;Portland Oregonian
"There have been many charming rogues through literary history, and Mr. Doig brings us another one: Morrie Morganand#8230; Doig has a gift of making oddballs believable and lovable, as well as a gift for capturing place and personality in deft strokesand#8230; an entertaining story at a high intellectual level." and#8211;New York Journal of Books
"Filled with an abundance of rich charactersand#8230; it is Butte itself, a tough-fisted city of plungers and promoters, bootleggers and union workers, sharpers and window men and crooked boxers, that binds the story together. Doig re-creates one of America's legendary cities and fills it with characters to match." and#8211;Denver Post
and#8220;An evocative portrayal of one of Montanaand#8217;s most fascinating places at a significant moment in its historyand#8230; The story of Butte and copper has, of course, been repeated many times in novels and historical accounts. But history Ph.D. Doig provides unexpected tie-insand#8230;a skillful, experienced storytellerand#8230;Doig handles his characters with a light touchand#8230;an enjoyable excuse to order up a pasty and revisit early Montana and the 'richest hill on Earth.' and#8221; and#8211; Billings Gazette
and#8220;Even though Doig makes his home in Seattle, he stays true to the essence of life he learned as the only child of a ranch hand and a ranch cook on Montana cattle ranchesand#8230;Butte and the larger Montana will surely yield more stories from Doigand#8217;s rich imagination. He has always provided an entertaining and informative reading experience for this reader, and Iand#8217;ll be waiting for the next one.and#8221; and#8211; Bismarck Tribune
and#160;
and#8220;The bookand#8217;s tone is tinged with familiarityand#8212;Morgan carries over the memories and experiences of Butte and its multitudinous personalities from the events of Work Songand#8212;and fans of the Morgan series will not be disappointedand#8230; Sweet Thunderand#160;also feels like a piece of history, full of recollections beyond the personal. The distance [with which] Morgan narrates the novel, discussing the Company and the 1919 World Series and Warren G Harding, among other things, suggests conscious authorship. Morgan comes across not only as a historian but also a bard, scribe, fount, jester and critic: a walking, dog-eared compendiumand#8230;He is a joyous autodidact. He is the first secret to Sweet Thunderand#8217;s charm.and#8221; and#8211; New West
"With Doigand#8217;s charm and fine storycrafting, Sweet Thunderand#160;ultimately reads as a brainy yet rollicking, highly entertaining adventure. Itand#8217;s a perfect summer read from one of Seattleand#8217;s veteran masters." and#8211;"Northwest Reads," the News of Mill Creek
"Enchanting and differentand#8230; a great end of summer read." and#8211;Bethanne Patrick, New York 1
"It is always a pleasure to read Ivan Doig, who is consistently able to capture the innocence of another era. It is an innocence that, living in todayand#8217;s world, seems fairy tale-like in the telling. But again, that is what Doig has done exceptionally well throughout his 12 novels, which stand more like bridges to the past than mere tales conjured from his imagination." and#8211;Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
"Not only are Morrie and his buddies fascinating characters, but so is Butteand#8230; [Sweet Thunder] is a celebration of Doigand#8217;s love of language and poetry." and#8211;Helena Independent Record
"With a master storytellerand#8217;s instincts and a dollop of wry humor, Doig evokes a perfect landscape of the past with a cast of memorable characters. A treasure of a novel." and#8211;Library Journal (starred review)and#160;
"[A] stirring tale of greed, corruption, and the power of past sinsand#8230; Doig's attention to detail, both historical and concerning characters of his own creation, is as sharp as ever. Long-time fans will recognize familiar names from previous novels and readers both seasoned and new will fall under the spell of Doig's Big Sky Country." and#8211;Publishers Weekly
"[A] marvelously atmospheric portrait of the bygone newspaper trade and an engaging cast of characters sketched with the authorand#8217;s customary vigorand#8230; welcome evidence that Doig, in his 70s, is more prolific and entertaining than ever." and#8211;Kirkus
"Think Shane but with dueling journalists instead of gunfightersand#8230; A stirring tale given a melancholic edge by the fading influence of print newspapers in our very different modern world." and#8211;Booklist
Review
Praise for The Bartenders Tale:
“[The] rewards of The Bartenders Tale—a subtle and engaging narrative, characters who behave the way real people behave, the joys of careful and loving observation—remain very great and extremely rare." -The Washington Post
"The perfect book for your bedside table. Pick it up, lose yourself in the past and remember what it was like to be twelve years old, when your world and all the people who entered into it felt as fresh as the Montana mountain air." -Associated Press
“Doig is at his best with coming-of-age stories. And he is masterful at exploring the emotional complexities of family and community through the eyes of a precocious youth… [He] has fashioned a moving tale of tolerance, self-discovery and forgiveness in which a child comes to terms with his own origins and in the process opens a new door to his future.” -The Seattle Times
“Thoroughly engaging, and the book's soft focus of nostalgia is in itself a kind of pleasure.” -NPR
Synopsis
An award-winning and beloved novelist of the American West spins the further adventures of a favorite character, in one of his richest historical settings yet.
"If America was a melting pot, Butte would be its boiling point," observes Morrie Morgan, the itinerant teacher, walking encyclopedia, and inveterate charmer last seen leaving a one-room schoolhouse in Marias Coulee, the stage he stole in Ivan Doig's 2006 The Whistling Season. A decade later, Morrie is back in Montana, as the beguiling narrator of Work Song.
Lured like so many others by "the richest hill on earth," Morrie steps off the train in Butte, copper-mining capital of the world, in its jittery heyday of 1919. But while riches elude Morrie, once again a colorful cast of local characters — and their dramas — seek him out: a look-alike, sound-alike pair of retired Welsh miners; a streak-of-lightning waif so skinny that he is dubbed Russian Famine; a pair of mining company goons; a comely landlady propitiously named Grace; and an eccentric boss at the public library, his whispered nickname a source of inexplicable terror. When Morrie crosses paths with a lively former student, now engaged to a fiery young union leader, he is caught up in the mounting clash between the iron-fisted mining company, radical "outside agitators," and the beleaguered miners. And as tensions above ground and below reach the explosion point, Morrie finds a unique way to give a voice to those who truly need one.
Synopsis
"[A] novel that best expresses the American spirit." -Chicago Tribune A decade after he left Montana at the end of Ivan Doig's bestselling The Whistling Season, Morrie Morgan is back-this time in post- WWI Butte, the copper-mining capital of the world. When Morrie gets caught up in the mounting clash between the mining company, outside agitators, and the beleaguered miners, he finds a unique way to give a voice to those who truly need one.
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Synopsis
A beloved character brings the power of the press to 1920s Butte, Montana, in this latest from the best storyteller of the West
In the winter of 1920, a quirky bequest draws Morrie Morgan back to Butte, Montana, from a year-long honeymoon with his bride, Grace. But the mansion bestowed by a former boss upon the itinerant charmer, who debuted in Doigand#8217;s bestselling The Whistling Season, promises to be less windfall than money pit. And the town itself, with its polyglot army of miners struggling to extricate themselves from the stranglehold of the ruthless Anaconda Copper Mining Company, seemsand#151;like the coupleand#8217;s fast-diminishing financesand#151;on the verge of implosion.
These twin dilemmas catapult Morrie into his new career as editorialist for the Thunder, the fledgling union newspaper that dares to play David to Anacondaand#8217;s Goliath. Amid the clatter of typewriters, the rumble of the printing presses, and a cast of unforgettable characters, Morrie puts his gift for word-slinging to work. As he pursues victory for the miners, he discovers that he isand#160; enmeshed in a deeply personal battle as welland#151;the struggle to win lasting love for himself.
Brilliantly capturing an America roaring into a new age, Sweet Thunder is another great tale from a classic American novelist.
Synopsis
"[A] novel that best expresses the American spirit." The Chicago Tribune
If America was a melting pot, Butte seemed to be its boiling point,” observes Morrie Morgan, the itinerant teacher and inveterate charmer who stole readers hearts in The Whistling Season. A decade later, he steps off the train and into the copper mining capital of the world in its jittery 1919 heyday. While the riches of the Richest Hill on Earth” may elude him, once again a colorful cast of local characters seek him out. Before long, Morrie is caught up in the clash between the ironfisted Anaconda Mining Company, radical outside agitators,” and the beleaguered miners. As tensions build aboveground and below, Morrie finds a unique way to give a voice to those who truly need one, and Ivan Doig proves yet again why hes reigning king of Western fiction.
Synopsis
In the spirit of The Bartenders Tale, a lively and poignant coming-of-age story about a boy and his great-uncle on a cross-country odyssey.
Donal Cameron is being raised by his grandmother, the cook at the legendary Double W ranch in Doigs beloved Two Medicine Country of the Montana Rockies, a landscape that gives full rein to an eleven-year-olds imagination. But when Gram has to have surgery for female trouble” in the summer of 1951, all she can think to do is to ship Donal off to her sister in faraway Manitowoc, Wisconsin. There Donal is in for a rude surprise: Aunt Katebossy, opinionated, argumentative, and tyrannicalis nothing like her sister. She henpecks her good-natured husband, Herman the German (as Donal discovers him to be), and Donal cant seem to get on her good side either. After one contretemps too many, Kate decides to pack him back to the authorities in Montana on the next Greyhound.
But to Donals surprise, hes not traveling solo: Herman the German has decided to fly the coop with him. In the immortal American tradition, the pair light out for the territory together, meeting a classic Doigian ensemble of characters and having rollicking misadventures along the way. Charming, wise, and slyly funny, Last Bus to Wisdom is another treasure of a novel from the best storyteller of the West.
Synopsis
A beloved character brings the power of the press to 1920s Butte, Montana, in this latest from the best storyteller of the West In the winter of 1920, a quirky bequest draws Morrie Morgan back to Butte, Montana, from a year-long honeymoon with his bride, Grace. But the mansion bestowed by a former boss upon the itinerant charmer, who debuted in Doigs bestselling The Whistling Season, promises to be less windfall than money pit. And the town itself, with its polyglot army of miners struggling to extricate themselves from the stranglehold of the ruthless Anaconda Copper Mining Company, seemslike the couples fast-diminishing financeson the verge of implosion.
These twin dilemmas catapult Morrie into his new career as editorialist for the Thunder, the fledgling union newspaper that dares to play David to Anacondas Goliath. Amid the clatter of typewriters, the rumble of the printing presses, and a cast of unforgettable characters, Morrie puts his gift for word-slinging to work. As he pursues victory for the miners, he discovers that he is enmeshed in a deeply personal battle as wellthe struggle to win lasting love for himself.
Brilliantly capturing an America roaring into a new age, Sweet Thunder is another great tale from a classic American novelist.
About the Author
Ivan Doig was born in Montana and grew up along the Rocky Mountain Front, the dramatic landscape that has inspired much of his writing. A former ranch hand, newspaperman, and magazine editor, with a Ph.D. in history, Doig is the author of nine previous novels, most recently The Whistling Season and The Eleventh Man, and three works of nonfiction, including his classic first book, the memoir This House of Sky. He has been a National Book Award finalist and has received the Wallace Stegner Award, a Distinguished Achievement Award from the Western Literature Association, and multiple PNBA and MPBA Book Awards, among other honors. He lives in Seattle.