A fast-paced, wide-open space adventure with a no nonsense young woman and a boy trained as an expert with a Winchester traveling across the wilds with a somewhat slow-witted but kind giant of a man who can stand feet-to-feet and fist-to-fist with the best of them. A must read for the western fan.

This was one of the few titles I lacked of MRR. I ordered, and it was back-ordered for so long that at one point I didn't think I'd get it at all. But I did and I'm really happy to have it. This book tells of many of the real-life adventures Mary Roberts Rinehart and her family had--back when the great Northwest really was only becoming known. She brought the cowboys, the trail drives, the friendships--and the dangers--to life wonderfully.

This is a wonderful story of a logging family in Clinton, MT. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys tales of the past and Montana. A great pick!

This compilation provides students and professionals with a fine overview of 20th century politics in Montana. Recommended for upper-level undergrads, graduate students, and those seeking a deeper understanding of a legacy of injustice. A must!

A highly recommended addition to Women's Studies, American History, and Catholic Church History reference collections and supplemental reading lists, Uncommon Women Unmarked Trails: The Courageous Journey Of Catholic Missionary Sisters In Frontier Montana is the amazing but true story of Catholic nuns who helped settle the American west in general, and the frontier territory of Montana in particular. From the Sisters of Providence, who built convents, hospitals, and schools to serve Native Americans; to the St. Ignatius Mission which was founded by four French-speaking nuns in 1864; to the Ursuline nuns who arrived in 1884, Uncommon Women Unmarked Trails is an enjoyable and fascinating coverage of an overlooked side of taming the Old West.

Copyrighted in 1995. This book is an excellant history of the men from Chouteau Co., Montana who did military service during WWII.
For most entries there is a picture of the service man, and what branch, rank, and service he did during WWII. Also most entries have a small bit of family info. This is an excellant history of that time period & of genealogy value for Chouteau Co., Montana.

This Book is unbelieveable. I enjoyed it from cover to cover. It was well presented and told the stories of these heroic vets beautifully.

There is a certain amount of spirituality that exists in a family tradition. Love can be expressed simply by the act of doing something together in ritual fashion. Not a word needs to be spoken, nor do hugs or physical expressions of love need to be passed.

In A River Runs Through It, fly fishing goes hand and hand with Religion even in the family of a Presbyterian minister. Norman Maclean writes this novel as much a study of the spirituality of fly fishing as it is a study of the bond between the men in Norman Maclean's family. The relationship between Paul and Norman is both complicated and simple, as is the fishing they take part in. The fishing is almost a metaphor in this story. While the brother's use their fishing trips to relax and heal the everyday pains of life, it also is an expression of love for eachother.

An important theme of this novel is the fact that the main character, Norman is always trying to help. He seems to know that there is nothing he can do to help his brother but not to try helping would mean that he is giving up on Paul. The character of Paul is charasmatic and alluring, but leads a very dangerous and careless lifestyle. The most touching scene of the novel is when the tables are turned on Norman as he realizes that it is Paul who is trying to help and make him feel better. Unfortunatly, nothing the brothers say or do for one another can change what will happen in the end. Like his son, Norman's father asks, "Do You think I could have helped him?" Because this is a question Norman has tried to answer his entire life, he has no answer for his father.

The novel is tirelessly beautiful, written as naturally as a story is told, as there are no chapters or indications what so ever that the narrative voice pauses. The lengthy discourses on the actual physical nature of fishing are less than intriguing to the unknowledgable reader until they are inevitably drawn in to the spiritual union that the phyical act of fly fishing creates with spiritual aspects of brother hood.

I have absolutely no hard criticism for this novel. It is beautiful and powerful in the most subtle of ways. Having brothers, I was often reminded of several personal experiences by this novel. I think it is probably hard to write about what brothers share on a spiritual level. Maclean has given us a lovely expression of love for his brother (assuming ofcourse that this work of fiction is in fact based on reality), probably more than was ever said in life. The protagonist and his brother share an unbreakable bond that they express through fishing. Maclean uses the imagery and emotion in the fishing scenes to evoke the love between the brothers. The outcome of the book is told in a subtle, gentle voice that eases the reader to the knowledge that what happens is inevitable.

It seems many of the reviewers have misread this wonderful book. "A River Runs Through It" is not about fly-fishing and Montana any more than "Romeo and Juliet" is about Italy. MacLean uses fly-fishing as a back drop for his story about family, time, and love. If it could be summarized in a sentence (and it cannot) it would be about loving completely without complete understanding. The scope of the book expands far beyond the confines of fly-fishing. I think that is why so many readers, even the ones who think it's about fly-fishing, see themselves and their families in this book.

I only write all this because I'm afraid readers who would truly enjoy this book may be turned away, not wanting to read a book about fishing. It's a beautiful story, beautifully told.

Do not ignore this book simply because you may not have an interest in fishing. This 104 page story does consecrate a considerable number of pages to starkly poetic descriptions of fly fishing (lovely, haunting descriptions of men standing in Montana's Big Blackfoot River, attempting to achieve something great in the half-light of a rocky canyon), but this story is not about fishing. It is about two brothers who vaguely understand that--much like a river--life takes its own twists and turns and cannot be stopped by man. Life cannot always be understood in an intellectual sense, but sometimes it can be appreciated in a visceral one, and perhaps we can pull moments of brillance from it, just as a fisherman might pull a beautiful trout from a river. Maclean gives us his life and his heart in this story, and it is impossible not to be touched by his emotions. Everytime I read this book I learn something new, and as I plan on reading this book many more times to come, I suppose I still have a lot of learning to do.

I lived in Bozeman, Montana the summer I was eight and I still have a lot of fond memories of the time my family spent there. I know I must talk about it a lot, because one day my girlfriend brought me this book and said, "I found something you have to read." From the cover and the write-up on the back, "Montana 1948" looked like it might be a nostalgic, bittersweet coming-of-age tale set in the Big Sky state.

It is all of those things, but it's more. Larry Watson spins a poignant, compelling narrative that deals with family, secrecy, innocence and corruption in a very moving way. The book's opening section gives a longish description of the setting. Soon after, drama unfolds and the plot becomes as thick as that of a mystery novel. As I was reading the book, I thought that I would probably give it a four star rating. But the ending was so beautifully moving that it bumped itself up.

The story is interesting and thought-provoking and the writing is lean but never pretentious. What I liked most about this book, though, was the rich characterization and the great pleasure I took in reading a well-told story. You'll enjoy this short, great novel, even if you've never thought twice about Montana.

I enjoyed reading Montana 1948 for many reasons. It was a positive experience for me because the name didn't catch my attention so if it weren't for my class, I never would have picked up this book to read it and I really enjoyed it.
One of the best parts in the book was the development of all the characters. They were all described really well in detail and I was able to picture them all in my head. For example David describes Marie when she is sick, he says, "Her cheeks now glowed so brightly they looked painful, as if they had been rubbed raw, her eyes seemed darker than ever, all pupil, black water that swallowed light and gave nothing back."
I would not make any changes in this book because it was great. I liked the story it told as well as all the characters. The author kept me interested through out the whole book. One great part was when Marie got sick then she got better then all of a sudden she died. I liked that part, not because she died but because it was un expected.
In conclusion, I enjoyed this book enough to recommend it to my friends because it fun when you understand it and get into it enough.

I enjoyed reading Montana 1948, because it was an unusual type of novels we read at school. It also had an interesting plot. I also enjoy how the author used interesting phrases that kept my attention throughout the whole story.

I think that Montana 1948, did give me a positive experience, because I learn about molesters and about telling the truth. I also learn about the different kinds of traditions in each families.

Montana 1948, had very interesting characters throughout the whole story. The characters seem very believable because their attitudes were like normal people are now a days. The description of the also made it believable for example when he describe Marie, "Marie was neither small nor shy she loved to laugh and talk, and she was a great tease, specialize in outrageous lies about everything from strange animal behavior to bloody murders." The author was able to describe the characters in a understanding way. In my point of view I liked all the characters I had no favorites because all of them had something unique and interesting.

I believe that the author was able to hold my attention throughout the entire novel. He was able to do that because he used interesting phrases that caught my attention. Also the whole story was pretty interesting. What also hold my attention to the novel was the fact that it is a unusual type of novel that we read at school. The topics of the novel were very dramatic that they caught my attention right away.

In conclusion I would recommend this novel to my fellow students, because it was a very interesting and unusual novel. What I learned from this novel was that the most normal looking person can turn out to be something you would never think about them, for example a molester.

I bought this book when it first came out, mostly because it was by Nora Roberts. When I started reading it the book grabbed me from the very start and the more I read, the more I enjoyed it. Roberts isn't just telling a story about 3 sisters and their romances, she's giving you the whole package ... the ranch, the ranch hands, Ben's family, the mothers of these 3 sisters and Montana. I fell in love with the characters in this book. As I read this book, and re-read it, I felt like I knew these people. The dialogue is great and the action "cat-fighting" scene had me visualizing it and laughing out loud. And let's not forget about the sexual tension between Willa and Ben, whew! But when Ben learns that Willa is a virgin, he backs up a little to give her some space and the time she needs. What a man!

This book is probably my all time favorite, I honestly don't know how many times I've read it.

My hat is off to you Nora Roberts, thank you for writing this book, I absolutely love it!

I just read "Montana Sky" last week on vacation - and a good thing, too! I never would have been able to get up for work since I couldn't put the book down until 2 every morning! This was the first Nora Roberts suspense novel in which I have not been able to guess who the killer was until he was actually revealed. I enjoyed it so much I started reading it again to my husband - who's really a Stephen King fan, not into "romance novels" - on the drive home. He liked it so much he has to finish the half we didn't get to on his own! The developing relationship between the three sisters, while you KNEW they would bond, was still a lot of fun to see happening. Willa and Tess were both great characters, and while I found Lily a little too meek for my liking, the strength that she developed redeemed her at the end. Also, Ben was the classic NR hero - tough, gentle, romantic, a bully - you know, the kind you can't help falling in love with. Just be warned - if you're looking for a classic "romance novel", you may have the same complaints some others have about the violence in this book. It does get a little graphic.

This book is one of my favorite Nora Roberts novels. It is also one of my favorite contemporary romance books. Montana Sky has everything: love, laughter, fear, romance, greed, passion... it doesn't disappoint in any respect.

Montana Sky is the story of the three Mercy sisters: Willa (the main character of the story) who was raised on Mercy ranch with her jerk of a father, Tess, the oldest who was raised in california and thinks Montana is as out of nowhere as any place, and Tess, the middle sister, who was in an abusive relationship and is on the run.

Montana Sky focuses on the three sisters and the men in their lives: Ben, Nate, and Adam. Each man is definitely dream man material, and are very strong characters. The woman are also strong, and are not willing to be ruled by their men.

The book tells about the year the sisters are forced to live on the Mercy ranch, in order to inherit, as stipulated by Jack Mercy, their father. Nora Roberts definitely did her research on ranch life, because as far as I could tell, it was all very accurate. She brings to life the hardships that occur being a rancher, especially a woman rancher, and she also manages to showcase the beauty that is Montana.

This is a wonderful novel that celebrates life. Though death is involved, and in a very grotesque way, it is a novel of finding family, and finding love. I was very surprised by the ending, as I had had no idea who was the killer. I have reread this book many times and enjoyed it more and more each time. The three sisters differences make an enjoyable cast of characters that any romance reader will love.