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An Unfinished Life, by Mark Spragg
Download PDF An Unfinished Life, by Mark Spragg
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In an extraordinary tale of love and forgiveness, Mark Spragg brings us this novel of a complex, prodigal homecoming. After escaping the last of a long string of abusive boyfriends, Jean Gilkyson and her ten-year-old daughter Griff have nowhere left to go. Nowhere except Ishawooa, Wyoming, where Jean's estranged father-in-law, Einar, still blames her for the death of his son. Though Einar isn’t glad to see either of them, Griff falls in love with his sprawling ranch and quiet way of life, as she slowly gets to know his crippled old friend Mitch, the cats that lurk in the barn at milking time, and finally the grandfather she had lost for so many years. An emotionally charged story of hard-won friendship and reconciliation, An Unfinished Life shows a novelist of extraordinary talents in the fullness of his powers.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
- Sales Rank: #281560 in eBooks
- Published on: 2004-08-31
- Released on: 2004-08-31
- Format: Kindle eBook
From Publishers Weekly
An old rancher reluctantly takes in his daughter-in-law and granddaughter in this moving and well-crafted, if rather derivative, second novel by Spragg (The Fruit of Stone). Jean Gilkyson hasn't been back to her hometown of Ishawooa, Wyo., since her husband, Griffin, died in a car accident. Jean was driving, and Griffin's father, Einar, has never forgiven her for his son's death. Ten years and four boyfriends later, Jean has run out of money and options. With her precocious nine-year-old daughter, Griff, she escapes boyfriend number four, a smirking brute named Roy. Einar isn't happy to see mother or daughter, but Griff loves his log house and ranch life. She makes friends right away with Mitch, Einar's old Vietnam War buddy, who's been mauled by a grizzly and is horribly scarred, and gradually wins over her grandfather. Meanwhile, Jean is charming the town sheriff, which comes in handy when Roy tracks her down. Spragg's spare storytelling is rock solid, but he covers well-worn territory in language familiar to readers of Cormac McCarthy and Kent Haruf, never quite striking off on his own.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Bookmarks Magazine
An Unfinished Life follows on the heels of Spragg’s memoir about growing up on a Wyoming ranch, Where Rivers Change Direction, and his Western debut, The Fruits of Stone. This latest effort, which raises comparisons to Kent Haruf’s Plainsong and Eventide (*** July/Aug 2004), delves into the world of fractured families. Memorable secondary characters contribute a great deal of spirit to this emotionally charged story of love, loss, betrayal, and reconciliation. Although most critics adored An Unfinished Life for its concise language, fast-paced plotting, and Western feel, a few criticized its predictable romance and untidy ending. And, most mourned its Hollywood qualities—yes, it will soon hit the big screen, with Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, and Jennifer Lopez.
Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Spragg completes a sparkling hat trick with his second novel, following his equally fine debut, The Fruit of Stone (a Booklist Top 10 First Novel in 2002), and his much-acclaimed memoir Where Rivers Change Direction (1999). Returning again to his home turf, the high-country horse ranches of Wyoming, Spragg tells a riveting tale of hard-won friendship, old wounds and fresh pain, and love lost and found. Attempting to escape the latest in a long string of abusive boyfriends, Jean Gilkerson, traveling with her nine-year-old daughter, Grif, is on the run with no place to go. No place, that is, except Wyoming, home of her former father-in-law, Einar, who holds her responsible for the accidental death of his son. Alternating from the points of view of Einar, Jean, Grif, and Einar's war buddy and best friend, Mitch, Spragg charts the bone-against-bone meeting of a rugged-individualist rancher and his equally headstrong daughter-in-law, but he shows how Grif and Mitch, each with burdens of their own, manage to temper the conflict with humanity, forcing the combatants to reveal their own vulnerability and face their demons. Generations come of age, each in its own way, as tenderness survives stubbornness, pain, and silence. Each word counts for more than it says in this achingly beautiful story of courage and endurance. Spragg belongs in the same category with such tough-and-tender western writers as William Kittredge, Ivan Doig, and Larry Watson. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
Created by a craftsman with an appreciation of the ties that bind
By S. Roach
After Mark Spragg's Unfinished Life was selected as a community book in our county, I chose it for students in one of my classes because I hoped doing so would provide the opportunity to read and analyze a book, view and compare its corresponding film, and--a very unique experience in our rural community--discuss the book and ask questions about it of the author, a rare trifecta for my high school students. At the time of selection I didn't know how my 16- to 18-year-old students would receive the book, film, or author, but now I do.
As a book selection in an elective high school course--re: not required for graduation--An Unfinished Life was somewhat handicapped from the start. It isn't about vampires, romance, sex, or money. The reading level is adult and contains quite a few sentences that are more than eight words in length. Description outweighs action. Yet students not only finished the book, they took it in. They felt the feelings of the characters. They embraced Spragg's way of showing how some family members are chosen beyond bloodlines, how two men can be completely devoted to one another, how a child can be much more astute about the losers a parent brings into their lives than the parent, how loss can be debilitating and feed a bitterness that seems insurmountable--until a second chance or opportunity for redemption, and how life isn't over until it is truly and completely over, even when things seem otherwise. These are things my students experience in their own lives, and Spragg's characters validated their instincts and experiences instead of the more typical arguments they hear against them (that blood family trumps all, that men who care deeply for one another are suspect, that parents are omnipotently wise, how time heals all wounds unless one is weak, and that bad decisions are forever with us, so don't screw up).
The craftsmanship that allowed Einar, Griff, Mitch and all of the other characters to speak to my students also developed a landscape they could see, smell, and hear--whether they had ever been west of Kansas or not, and Spragg's method of showing various points of view and skillfully revealing snippets of the past kept students curious and eagerly reading beyond my required schedule. It is not typical to have visually driven high school students report liking a book more than the film, but such was the case here. No, the film isn't terrible; it's just that it only offers us eyeball-images of the characters and the scenes instead of Spragg's words. Now Robert Redford, even grayed and scruffy, and Jennifer Lopez, albeit bruised, certainly are not hard to look at, and the landscapes shown in the film are often breath-taking, and we do like Morgan Freeman's Mitch and the young actress who is perfect as Griff, but through the book Spragg guides our imaginations to create views in the "inner eye" that are more satisfying. More significantly, the feelings the book leads readers to develop for these fictitious characters makes it hard to let them go. The relationship between Mitch and Einar is both touching and hilarious, and Griff is simultaneously observant, brave, and willing in the way only a child of ten can be--if the child is developed by Spragg. The moments when a teacher provides a book which students would not have chosen and are not necessarily excited about reading are not rare; but when, having read such a book, students say they love it, when they talk about the book and the characters outside of class, and when they become more open to the idea of willingly trying other books outside of their comfort zones...well, those are the moments that keep teachers doing what they do. An Unfinished Life had such an effect.
Finally, if you ever get the chance to meet Mark Spragg and hear him discuss his work, don't miss the chance. I haven't recently met a more genuine, unpretentious, and generous man than he, and my students were so impressed after an hour-long meeting during school hours that many in the class drove thirty minutes (one way)to an evening reading on their own time--and with their own gas. They sat through over 90 minutes of an author reading from and talking about his book, and doing so wasn't required of them. 'nough said.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
An Enjoyable Book
By San Clemente Dog Mom
A good read with well developed characters, well written and an interesting plot that unfolds in many surprising ways. I really enjoyed this book.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
An Unfinished Life / Unforgettable Characters
By Darrelyn Saloom
Einer Gilkyson, an old rancher, is stuck in the grief of losing a wife and a son. His best friend is stuck in a body wracked with pain. Einer's widowed daughter-in-law, Jean, is stuck in a trailer with an abusive boyfriend, while Einer's granddaughter is stuck with her mother.
Fortunately, Jean finds the guts to leave her boyfriend and goes to the only place she has left to go: Einer's ranch. Unfortunately, Einer blames Jean for his son's death and doesn't want her there. He does want his granddaughter though, and this is where the adventure begins.
With his plot mapped out, Mark Spragg writes like an archaeologist. He lovingly excavates his characters from the Wyoming dirt, gently dusts them off and breathes life into them. What's not to love about an old man who pedals a giant tricycle into town to stay in shape so he can continue to care for his best friend? Or his dead son whose memory is lying all over the ranch: rocks and maps and "hawk feathers he'd hung on the wall." Then there is the dead son's namesake, Einer's granddaughter--a nine-year-old survivor who dreams of tornadoes and a better life.
If you want a book with a great plot, beautiful writing, and memorable characters buy An Unfinished Life.
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