Across Open Ground

By Heather Parkinson

Book Overview

With echoes of Cormac McCarthy, an exquisite debut novel from America's heartland. Seventeen-year-old Walter Pascoe sets out for his first season as a sheep herder and learns quickly the dangers and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1582342431
• ISBN13: 9781582342436
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.7" x 1.0" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

FABULOUS!!!!!

This book was absolutely fabulous. I was struck when looking in the bookstore by an author with the same last name, and bought the book. While I am a Southerner, and know very little about the West, the author clearly has a deep and vivid understanding of Western life, culture, and imagery, as evinced in her detailed prose about pre-WWI western life. As the New York Times book review said, this is an author with a bright future, and I highly recommend the book.

Parkinson Purveys Prose Like The Pros

Across Open Ground is a launch pad for a New Voice in writing about the West. Heather Parkinson captures the beauty of why we live in Idaho and reinforces it with an historical richness that steps back four generations. Idaho sheepherders don't say much -- particularly in 1917. Somehow, she leaned down the dialogue to single strands of sinewy muscle. She reduced her word recipe to the skinny bare-bone necessities of communication. Yet, her imagery of nature, animals and the landscape flood the page with three dimensional story telling.Parkinson has an uncanny understanding of horses and dogs. She describes sheep and lambing with the visual clarity of the big screen. Horses are saddled and you can smell the leather. She is equally adept at tough and tender. From gnarly to nubile, the detailed realism never begs expansion or lacks clarity. She has a visceral understanding of the human experience that is usually reserved for storytellers 2 or 3 times her age. Parkinson conveys a respect for her readers and her characters, always using nuance rather than a 2 X 4. She provides trust and promotes intelligence among her readers. The result is an enjoyable and balanced tale with broad appeal. Literary fans from junior high to geriatric will enjoy Across Open Ground.I am not qualified to judge what makes a Great novel. I do know a good novel will make you late -- late for work, school, meetings, TV and even sleep. It's a tough book to put down. My guess is that it is the first of many.

Book Club Pick of the Year

This is a book for both men and women. A gripping story which captures the realities of relationships torn apart during the drafting period of WWI. It has great tension, moments of sadness, poignant descriptions of the Idaho land, and strong life-like characters that make you feel you're living their life. This is a book you don't want to end.

amazing first novel

First novels always intrigue me. There is so much energy in them. This one does not disappoint. Her descriptions of the land and the area in the west are beautifully done. You can almost smell the sagebrush. Totally well done and a joy to read. I will look forward to more work from this young woman.

Best read this year

What a powerful and well written novel. I was really fascinated with the style of writing and her ability to tell about the land and people with a blend of drama, poetic beauty, and humor. Life in the West had its hardships, but there is wisdom in the telling, and she does that so well. This is a prize of a novel and I loved every page of it.