Five Skies by Ron Carlson
Novelist Summary: Working together on a summer construction project high in the Rocky Mountains, drifter Arthur Key, shiftless Ronnie Panelli, and foreman Darwin Gallegos reveal details about their pasts and beliefs in cautious and profound ways.
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This is aclaimed short story writer Ron Carlson's first novel. For those who enjoy short stories, this novel is certain to appeal. The characters are sparely drawn but have mysterious depth; the writing is masterful. The only lack I see is the slow plot, as is often the case of a literary novel or short story, where character and language are the standouts. Although I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it, I don't think its storyline or subject matter is the best for RARI.
Maybe it’s because of my travels to the Grand Canyon and Sedona this summer, but I fell in love with this novel. Carlson’s use of language to describe the cliffs and canyons of the Rocky Mountains in southern Idaho was inspired. I was drawn in to the friendship that developed among the three main characters, and their struggles to deal with the issues they were grappling with: loneliness, guilt over the death of a loved one, the young man’s coming of age. I disagree with Stephanie about the import of the subject matter – I think the issues of the importance of friendship and the redemptive quality of hard work are universal themes that we could bring to the RARI readers with this novel, along with the environmental aspects that could lead to good discussions. My question is that I skimmed over the more technical details of the building project the men were working on – would those sections turn away some readers? This novel is short, if people skim large sections of it – would there be enough left of the novel to discuss in a group setting?
I loved this book - and didn't really want to. But language and the descriptions (of the gorge and the scenery left me breathless) and the characters drew me in, in spite of not understanding or really wanting to read the many construction details. And the ending was tragic and redemptive at the same time. A real masterpiece.
Like Shadow Divers, I thought this might appeal to a new audience?
I just wanted to clarify by subject matter not being the best for RARI I meant the actual building project because like Louise I also glossed over a lot of those details because I could not picture what he was describing. It wasn't the writing because that was excellent; I guess it was my lack of familarity with building that made it hard for me and so as I am an average reader, I thought that might be the case for others. Thematically however I agree that it is a compelling RARI selection.
As the person who volunteered to read this book - I am remiss in being so slow to write about it. I may be weird, but I love to read about the technical details he provided about building - especially when they're incorporated into the story. Just as Philip Roth's American Pastoral educated readers about glove making - and who knew it was so complex - Carlson's descriptions are equally compelling. Indeed, the scope and terrain of the Far West is so vast and vastly different from that of RI, Carlson's words do justice to an environment that may be wholly alien to our readers.
I loved, too, the portrayal of these characters' lives - flawed and complicated - I felt that his characters were well-developed and credible -
I'd put this at the top of list....
I want to read it again before next Friday if I have time!
I listened to this book on audiotape and was reminded of Cormac McCarthy's content, which personally I feel is of more allure to men. I was happy to complete the tapes, as it meant I could return to a book with more depth like Song Yet Sung. Listening to this book was like eating a slightly stale slice of Italian bread, when I craved a fresh French Baguette.
Patti Folsom said: After looking over the titles, I think I will have to lean towards either Song Yet Sung or based on the blog, Five Skies. Without having read the book I think that Mattie is right in saying that it would be similar to Shadow Divers in attracting new readers to RARI. Also, I'm a sucker for books set in the West. Knowing how important the author himself or herself is to the RARI program, I did a little research on Ron Carlson. I watched this video
http://www.uci.edu/experts/video_news.php?src=carlson&format=mov&res=high
and decided that Ron just might be our guy! Finally, I'd love to hear DJ's reaction to this book...the building project- a motorcycle ramp- will appeal to many teens, I'm sure!
Pat Brinegar says:
Five Skies - Ron Carlson
This very well crafted novel traces the lives of three men, the ways in which they come together to work and their manners of conflict resolution. Relative to its selection, it is clearly a western with its myriad of utility poles, augers, stock fences, semis, flat-bed trucks, Red Wing boots, truss braces, grader blades--whew--so would not have wide appeal. In addition, I looked for greater character development in a novel that seemed to be dominated by narration.
I think "Five Skies" is an inspired choice for RARI. At first I resisted it because I thought it would be dull, filled with too many details about "how guys made stuff"! But I could not have been more wrong. This story lingers in the mind, like the rumble of thunder retreating after a powerful summer storm. At Barrington Library we are pairing a discussion of "Five Skies" with the film and the book "A River Runs Through It". Should make for some excellent discussion about relationships, communication, commitment, and the enduring value of passion and work.
Debbie Barchi
This was the first work of Carlson's I had read, and based on his reputation I was anticipating a great read. Sadly, I was disappointed. I did enjoy the graphic visualizations that Carlson created of Southern Idaho and his descriptions of the inner struggles each man faced before being brought together; however the story itself lacked the ingredients to be a book I did not want to put down. Additionally, I did not feel that any of the three men were better able to overcome their issues by meeting each other. Ronnie was simply immature, and guidance from anyone could have calmed him down. Art and Darwin seemed to simply need time to heal, and that summer provided it. Both men returned to the pre-summer lives harboring ghosts from the past, and possibly added another from that summer?
The Cesareo's Circle Book Club at the Greenville Public Library discussed Five Skies last week. We all agreed that we would never have picked up the book on our own, yet eveyone enjoyed the book. To open our discussion we used the question Jocye May recommended about a one word description of the book. Some that I can remember: "technical", "lonely", "emotional", "quiet", "characterization". Comments were then made about Carlson's exceptional writing, the detailed descriptions of the Idaho landscape and the unique characterization of Art, Darwin and Ronnie. This book inspired a great discussion!
After reading the novel Five Skies, I still do not know why it is titled Five Skies. When Arthur Key tells Harry, "There are five skies everyday", it leaves me wondering what could be the five skies? I have thought about this question a lot, and still don't have a good idea what the meaning could be. f you have an idea please let me know!!
this book sucks
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