The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
From singer-songwriter Josh Ritter, a lyrical, sweeping novel about a young boy's coming-of-age during the last days of the lumberjacks.
In the tiny timber town of Cordelia, Idaho, ninety-nine year old Weldon Applegate recounts his life in all its glory, filled with tall tales writ large with murder, mayhem, avalanches and bootlegging. It’s the story of dark pine forests brewing with ancient magic, and Weldon’s struggle as a boy to keep his father’s inherited timber claim, the Lost Lot, from the ravenous clutches of Linden Laughlin.
Ever since young Weldon stepped foot in the deep Cordelia woods as a child, he dreamed of joining the rowdy ranks of his ancestors in their epic axe-swinging adventures. Local legend says their family line boasts some of the greatest lumberjacks to ever roam the American West, but at the beginning of the twentieth century, the jacks are dying out, and it’s up to Weldon to defend his family legacy.
Braided with haunting saloon tunes and just the right dose of magic, The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All is a novel bursting with heart, humor and an utterly transporting adventure that is sure to sweep you away into the beauty of the tall snowy mountain timber.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Singer-songwriter Josh Ritter’s second novel is a vivid coming-of-age tale set in the rugged logging country of 1930s Idaho. Oscillating between the Depression era and the present, Ritter’s story follows Weldon Applegate as he recalls his battles with his two arch nemeses: evil crew boss Linden Laughlin and crass, conniving rival logger Joe Mouffreau. Ritter’s glorious prose offers tons of lush details about the intricacies of lumberjacking in the prewar American Northwest (not unlike Ken Kesey’s classic 1964 novel, Sometimes a Great Notion). We were captivated by Ritter’s detailed descriptions of the majestic beauty, backbreaking physical labor, and mortal danger awaiting Weldon at every turn, but we were just as charmed by the sheer fun of this fast-paced story. Even if you’ve never heard a single one of Ritter’s earnest folk-rock songs, you should check out this rich, nuanced novel.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Novelist and singer-songwriter Ritter (Bright's Passage) explores the mythic lore of lumberjacks in this sweeping and magic-filled tale. Weldon Applegate, 99, recounts the woolly exploits of his youth in Idaho, where he learned the dangerous and endangered logging trade from his father, Tom. Particularly poignant among the wide-ranging flashbacks is the moment when Tom leaves for the logging camp when Weldon is 13, several years after Weldon's mother died, despite a warning from Sohvia, their 30-something live-in witch, that if Tom leaves he will not return alive. Sohvia then keeps Weldon company in the months until his father's mutilated dead body is returned from the camp. The cast of characters is a busy and colorful bunch, but front and center are Weldon's nemeses: Joe Mouffreau, a "short-necked, spindle-armed, lite-beer-drinking" lumberjack who's now seeing Weldon's born-again ex-girlfriend Marsha, 97 (they'd dated when Weldon was in his 80s), and soulless, imposing "woods boss" Linden Laughlin, who covets Weldon's precious "Lost Lot," a mountain rich in timber he'd inherited from his father. As Joe and Linden circle like vultures while Weldon's on his death bed, his stories add up to a wistful look at a bygone era. Ritter lyrically evokes a town fused to the logging industry by necessity and devotion through Weldon's anecdotal narration, which resonates with a shimmery, deep-seated humanity. Ritter scores another hit.
