Blue Hour

The characters in Pritchett’s new novel a follow up to Stars Go Blue have poetic souls. On a particular morning for example one character tells her new lover “You are Paralos to my Piraeus” then goes on to explain this dual reference. This example represents both a strength and occasional weakness in the book. Pritchett is boldly lyrical whether she is writing about the eyes of archangels or the dawning of a new day or especially the love lives of her diverse cast of characters united in both a quest for love and a residence around the beautiful Blue Moon Mountain. But there also is a need to explain which feels unnecessary and excessive. The narrative flows seamlessly from love story to love story and Pritchett finds some texture by writing variously in first second and third person. There are Joe and Gretchen “exploring the crevices and peaks of their desire”; scholarly Jess and veterinarian Ruben; a meth head named Dandelion hopelessly in love with a rodeo rider; new couple Flannery and Di skittishly deepening their relationship; also Sergio and Flora and Zach and Dora and a handful of others. In this elegant book there’s an appealing verisimilitude in the way the characters are variously tentatively connected. (Feb.)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."

The tight-knit residents of Blue Moon Mountain, nestled high in the Colorado Mountains, form an interconnected community of those living off the land, stunned by the beauty and isolation all around them. So when, at the onset of winter, the town veterinarian commits a violent act, the repercussions of that tragedy will be felt all across the mountainside, upending their lives and causing their paths to twist and collide in unexpected ways.
The housecleaner rediscovering her sexual appetite, the farrier who must take in his traumatized niece, the grocer and her daughter, the therapist and the teacher, reaching out to the world in new and surprising ways, and the ragged couple trapped in a cycle of addiction and violence. They will all rise and converge upon the blue hour the l heure bleuthe hour of twilight, a time of desire, lust, honesty. The strong, spirited people of Blue Moon Mountain must learn to navigate the line between violence and sex, tenderness and the hard edge of yearning, and the often confusing paths of mourning and lust.
Writing with passion for rural lives and the natural world, Laura Pritchett, who has been called one of the most accomplished writers of the American West, graces the land of desire in vivid prose, exploring the lengths these moving, deeply felt characters some of whom we ve met in Pritchett s previous work will traverse to protect their own.
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A stunning portrait of a mountain community over the course of one eventful winter by the critically acclaimed author of Stars Go Blue

The residents of Blue Moon Mountain form a tight-knit community of those living off the land, stunned by the beauty and isolation all around them. So when, at the onset of winter, the town veterinarian commits a violent act, the repercussions of that tragedy will be felt all across the mountainside, upending their lives and causing their paths to twist and collide in unexpected ways.

The housecleaner rediscovering her sexual appetite, the farrier who must take in his traumatized niece, the grocer and her daughter, the therapist and the teacher, reaching out to the world in new and surprising ways. They will all rise and converge upon the blue hour--l'heure bleue, a time of desire, lust, honesty--and learn to navigate the often confusing paths of mourning and love.

Writing with passion for rural lives and the natural world, Laura Pritchett, who has been called "one of the most accomplished writers of the American West," graces the land of desire in vivid prose, exploring the lengths these characters--some of whom we've met in Pritchett's previous work--will traverse to protect their own.

"Within this close-knit community, Pritchett (Red Lightning, 2015) finds the core of the humanity--love, lust, loyalty, compassion, companionship, caring--wondrously bound in the stories of these incandescent characters, who want to survive on their own terms but who also learn that sustenance is only possible when supported by community. A richly sensual, tenderly proffered portrait of the most vulnerable yet appealing aspects of the human condition." --Booklist, starred review

The residents of Blue Moon Mountain form a tight-knit community of those living off the land, stunned by the beauty and isolation all around them. So when, at the onset of winter, the town veterinarian commits a violent act, the repercussions of that tragedy are felt all across the mountainside, upending their lives and causing their paths to twist and collide in unexpected ways.

The housecleaner rediscovering her sexual appetite, the farrier who must take in his traumatized niece, the grocer and her daughter, the therapist and the teacher, reaching out to the world in new and surprising ways, and the ragged couple trapped in a cycle of addiction and violence. They will all rise and converge upon the blue hour--the l'heure bleu, a time of desire, lust, honesty--and learn to navigate the often confusing paths of mourning and love.

Writing with passion for rural lives and the natural world, Laura Pritchett, who has been called "one of the most accomplished writers of the American West," graces the land of desire in vivid prose, exploring the lengths these characters--some of whom we've met in Pritchett's previous work--will traverse to protect their own.

"Pritchett writes with an evident love for the mountains and the people that call them home." --Westword, One of Ten Great Books by Colorado Authors in 2017

The residents of Blue Moon Mountain form a tight-knit community of those living off the land, stunned by the beauty and isolation all around them. So when, at the onset of winter, the town veterinarian commits a violent act, the repercussions of that tragedy are felt all across the mountainside, upending their lives and causing their paths to twist and collide in unexpected ways.

The housecleaner rediscovering her sexual appetite, the farrier who must take in his traumatized niece, the grocer and her daughter, the therapist and the teacher, reaching out to the world in new and surprising ways, and the ragged couple trapped in a cycle of addiction and violence. They will all rise and converge upon the blue hour--the l'heure bleu, a time of desire, lust, honesty--and learn to navigate the often confusing paths of mourning and love.

Writing with passion for rural lives and the natural world, Laura Pritchett, who has been called "one of the most accomplished writers of the American West," graces the land of desire in vivid prose, exploring the lengths these characters--some of whom we've met in Pritchett's previous work--will traverse to protect their own.