Ever since I started reading John Irving's latest novel, Last Night in Twisted River 
I've been wondering what impact the the book will have on Coos County where much of the novel takes place. It is a dark and typically Irving tale that grips the reader from page 1 and never lets go. That the spirit and nature of the Great North Woods pervades the characters and the plot is no accident, since Irving spent time in the area both as a child and as an author.
When I first heard about the book, I imagined that it might bring the same image lift to Berlin that "On Golden Pond" did to Squam Lake. Fat chance. This is Irving after all. He doesn't do the North Country any favors, but he does give you a wonderful history of the area and the men and women that made their living off the forests in the 50s.
I wonder who will be the first to do a "Twisted River" tour -- I for one am dying to see "Dead Woman Dam" and "Paris" -- aka West Dummer and the remnants of the camps.
As a newcomer from "away," I didn't know how clueless I was about the history of the area until I read Twisted River. But Irving has given me a window into an era, a time, a land and a people that are the foundation of the town in which I now live. It's a must read for anyone who seeks to understand the area.
I've been wondering what impact the the book will have on Coos County where much of the novel takes place. It is a dark and typically Irving tale that grips the reader from page 1 and never lets go. That the spirit and nature of the Great North Woods pervades the characters and the plot is no accident, since Irving spent time in the area both as a child and as an author.
When I first heard about the book, I imagined that it might bring the same image lift to Berlin that "On Golden Pond" did to Squam Lake. Fat chance. This is Irving after all. He doesn't do the North Country any favors, but he does give you a wonderful history of the area and the men and women that made their living off the forests in the 50s.
I wonder who will be the first to do a "Twisted River" tour -- I for one am dying to see "Dead Woman Dam" and "Paris" -- aka West Dummer and the remnants of the camps.
As a newcomer from "away," I didn't know how clueless I was about the history of the area until I read Twisted River. But Irving has given me a window into an era, a time, a land and a people that are the foundation of the town in which I now live. It's a must read for anyone who seeks to understand the area.
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