Life, and Death, and Giants
A Novel
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4.3 • 90 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A heart too big for this world. A life that changes everyone.
"Life, and Death, and Giants is an intriguing and alluring novel from beginning to end. The events are startling, sad, amusing, invigorating, and informative. Reading it is like meeting a family that you never knew existed and becoming close friends in a few weeks. Highly recommended." --Jane Smiley, author of Lucky and A Thousand Acres
Gabriel Fisher was born an orphan, weighing eighteen pounds and measuring twenty-seven inches long. No one in Lakota, Wisconsin, knows what to make of him. He walks at eight months, communicates with animals, and seems to possess extraordinary athletic talent. But when the older brother who has been caring for him dies, Gabriel is taken in by his devout Amish grandparents who disapprove of all the attention and hide him away from the English world.
But it’s hard to hide forever when you’re nearly eight feet tall. At seventeen, Gabriel is spotted working in a hay field by the local football coach. What happens next transforms not only Gabriel’s life but the lives of everyone he meets.
Life, and Death, and Giants is a moving story of faith, family, buried secrets, and everyday miracles.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We fell in love with this gentle tale of abiding kindness and human frailty (with just a touch of magical realism). Coming into the world at 18 pounds, Gabriel never knew his mother, Rachel, who didn’t survive his birth. Years later, when his much older brother, Jasper, dies as well, the massive boy is sent to live with his estranged Amish grandparents. And yet, even under this new cloud of quiet repression, Gabriel’s specialness continues to shine on those around him—especially the four characters who share the novel’s point of view, from the sponsor of Gabriel’s T-ball team to his own conflicted grandmother. This structure really highlights the powerful but tender effect Gabriel has on those around him, who each remark on his eight-foot stature and inexplicable connection to animals in a way that makes him feel just a bit like a figure from a legend or fable. Fans of John Irving won’t want to miss Ron Rindo’s splendid tribute to the human condition.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Rindo (Breathing Lake Superior) delivers a spellbinding story of an eight-foot-tall sports star from a humble Wisconsin Amish community. Gabriel Fisher is born weighing 18 pounds and measuring 27 inches. His mother, Rachel, who was pregnant out of wedlock and shunned by her Amish community, dies not long after giving birth to him in a pickup with help from veterinarian Thomas Kennedy. Raised by his grandparents, Gabriel has a soothing effect on farm animals, which attracts Thomas's attention, and he brings the young boy with him on house calls. However, where Gabriel particularly stands out is in his athletic prowess, first in baseball and then, as a teenager, on the football field, prompting him to leave his community to attend college on an athletic scholarship. After an injury, Gabriel pivots to professional wrestling. Through it all, Gabriel continues to grow in both physical size and professional stature as he navigates life in the spotlight. Rindo spins an exciting chronicle of Gabriel's athletic ability and the modern world's mesmerizing pull on his cloistered hero, but he also exhibits a subtle touch, setting the stage for a surprising and moving final plot twist. This will linger in readers' minds.
Customer Reviews
Life inspiring
An amazing journey through life, death, beliefs!
What a mistake
I enjoyed half of the book and the. It went downhill. Way too long and it just droned on and on and on. The characters grew more boring as the writing went on. I’m very disappointed.