Don't hate me O Disciples of Mink River but... I did not LOVE this book. I liked it, for sure.

The prose had some magnificent moments. Most of the characters were at least interesting. I enjoyed the bits of Native American and Irish oral histories. The maical realism was lovely. The town certainly came to life... But... BUT.

There just feels like a huge BUT hanging in air there. I was not invested in enough of the characters. Some, yes. Worried Man and Cedar - absolutely - but none of the traumas or joys experienced by the characters in this affected me in the least (with the exception of a depression of one character which was beautifully described).

And I think that the overwhelming Catholicism of it just put me off by a LOT. I am not a religious person and I would go so far as to say that I can border on antireligious especially with regard to organized religion in general and Christianity in particular. Regardless, I can read books that have a religious/morality based undercurrent and not dislike them. This felt super preachy to me, though (especially with the Inch that goes out to sea).

I don't know. I'd like to give it 3.5 stars if I could. But I can't. And because I save my 4 and 5 Stars for things that really knock my socks off, I have to stick with 3 on this one.

That said, I did send 3 quotes to myself from the book - so it had plenty to offer... Like this: ( )

Time to give up the ghost, I am never going to finish this.

Writing like poetry, sometimes repetitive, always descriptive. Strong sense of place. Great characters, including a wise crow and a nun who is beloved enough to have a pint pour on her gravesite. ( )

Just glorious. It might be slow going, but it’s worth every moment ( )

If the TV show Northern Exposure were a book, this would be it. I loved Northern Exposure, but as a novel, it’s a tad too twee for my taste. Everyone is just so good, and kind, and wise. ( )