The Watershed Years

by Russell Rowland and Alexandria House

Book Overview

A much anticipated sequel to Russell Rowland's highly acclaimed first novel "In Open Spaces". "The Watershed Years" takes place immediately after World War II following the lives of the Arbuckles, a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1931832862
• ISBN13: 9781931832861
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Riverbend Publishing
• Length: 253 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Didn't put it down

I know when I've struck literary gold. The book cover has something from Starbucks spilled on it, my baby-bjorn-carried seven-month-old has chewed the corner pages nubby and there are at least a dozen e-mail addresses scribbled in the margins of the people who want a copy. Like all of Rowland's work, one is made aware of new dimension, perspective and color. Original, rich and masculine, the storyline captivates you early and sustains. A cathartic experience for any one with an old cowboy, ranch-busting buck or annoying woman who loves the likes of them in their life. One of Rowland's most notable talents is infusing his characters with the place inwhich they have been planted. In understading the Arbuckle et al limitations and motivations, the reader discovers Montana's power as "Watershed" characters discover - or run from - themselves.

I loved this book

I really loved this book! I read this one first and then went back and read In Open Spaces. I can't say it hurt a thing to read them backwards since I was already so familiar with the characters. Like flashbacks only flash forwards. Each book stands alone~~Neither book 'needs' the other. I feel like my family, who also come from Montana, could have been the neighbors down the road. I love the little unsolved mysteries that are left to your own imagination. Russell has a way of creating a scene and you are at liberty to decipher the outcome. Having come from Montana I thought Russell Rowland made the country itself as memorable as the characters. Ranch people have a true relationship with the land and their animals but in a sensible way. No maudlin sentiments but just a healthy love of the land and ranch life passed from generation to generation. This is very evident in this book. I'm just starting his next work~~DIG. I look forward to reading anything Russell Rowland writes~~keep up the good work!

An Intriguing Sequel

The heartwarming saga of the Arbuckle family continues in Russell Rowland's second book of life in Montana's ranchlands. The author's love of his home state and his dry sense of humour once more are clearly focused in this lovely story of family interactions and reactions. Although it helps to have read Mr. Rowland's first book, "In Open Spaces", this new adventure can stand on its own and be equally enjoyed. The story takes place in a better time economically in American history than "In Open Spaces", but there is still enough conflict and intrigue to hold the reader's interest to the very end. Heartily recommended.

AN ACCOMPLISHED VOICE

Rowland is personally no stranger to trouble or sadness, and this familiarity shows and is embodied in this tale--for tale it is--because Rowland is also a diehard tall grass believer in the redemptive power of storytelling, one of the "finest fires" that has kept both hardscrabble and high brow folk sorted and cohered since the first dangerous egg got scrambled. Jonathan Lethem has reminded us that all great American literature is essentially regional literature. Some live in Brooklyn or LA, and some writers live and let us breathe out where the ground freezes very hard and the trout fatten in the early summer river flow. Faulkner made a whole world of an imaginary county in Mississippi. Who knows what Rowland will do with a Montana of the Mind.

Amazing Sense of Place and Powerful Characters Make for a Great Read

Russell Rowland's compelling narrative about the inner workings of the Arbuckle family is surpassed only by his marvelous, evocative descriptions of the land they love and serve. The characters come alive on the page, and their interactions ring true of the deep emotions, connections, and rivalry that make all families what they are. The dynamics among the brothers, their wives, and their children form an excellent story, a story that entertains while it reminds us of the complexity of love, loss, grief, desire, and duty. But the landscape, the vast open spaces of Montana, the storms, the cold, the heat, the lush green of summer, the promise and threat of rain, and the work required to sustain life - those descriptions make this a novel not to be missed. Rowland conveys the ranch community of the mid-20th century vividly on the page, detailing the joys, sorrows, the way the community supports and the way it drives you crazy. Details come alive: The intimacy and the loneliness of such a life, the dependence on the weather, neighbors, and equipment; the sense that no other life would suit Blake and Rita quite so well. The weather, the town, the ranch itself and the seasons as they pass become intricate parts of this compelling novel. From the character of ranch-hand Oscar, with his shady past and smudged glasses, to the snowstorm that nearly destroys the family, the land and the people interact in ways that kept me turning pages, and that stay with you long after the final page is read.