Overview
From NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION 5 UNDER 35 HONOREE and FLANNERY O’CONNOR AWARD WINNER Melinda Moustakis, a debut novel set in Alaska, about the turbulent marriage of two unlikely homesteaders
“So good, so precise, so strong, and so deeply felt.” —Jess Walter, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Recommended for fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone.” —Booklist (starred review)
Anchorage, 1956. When Marie and Lawrence first lock eyes at the Moose Lodge, they are immediately drawn together. But when they decide to marry, days later, they are more in love with the promise of homesteading than anything. For Lawrence, his parcel of 150 acres is an opportunity to finally belong in a world that has never delivered on its promise. For Marie, the land is an escape from the empty future she sees spinning out before her, and a risky bet is better than none at all. But over the next few years, as they work the land in an attempt to secure a deed to their homestead, they must face everything they don’t know about each other. As the Territory of Alaska moves toward statehood and inexorable change, can Marie and Lawrence create something new, or will they break apart trying?
Immersive and wild-hearted, joyfully alive to both the intimate and the elemental, Homestead is an unflinching portrait of a new state and of the hard-fought, hard-bitten work of making a family.
Review
Marie and Lawerence meet and are immediately drawn to each other. They marry within a few days of meeting. Marie wants land and Lawerence really wants a help mate. This is not actually the way to start off a marriage. Can they overcome and stay together through all the hardships Alaska homesteading has to offer?
Marie and Lawrence definitely had a rough go of it. They lived in an old bus for their first year, they lost a child and then there are so many secrets! Lawerence has a past he does not want to share and he does not want to put Marie’s name on his land. So, there are quite a few issues in their marriage. I did feel this plot is a little thin. I wanted a bit more to occur. But…I do I love this setting. This is what made this story for me. I loved reading about the landscape, the stars and of course, the bears!
I did enjoy this narrator. Ariel Blake did a wonderful job!
Need an atmospheric novel…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
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