Cold Spell
Torn from a magazine, a photo of a glacier ignites an obsession in Ruth, a self-sacrificing Midwestern mother. Her fascination with ice culminates in an impulsive decision to make a fresh start by moving her family to Alaska with her new boyfriend, Kenny. This rash plan horrifies sixteen-year-old Sylvie, who hides a secret attraction to Kenny.
The realities of the wilderness and tensions within the tiny Alaskan community of Resurrection Valley test Ruth's resolve. As Kenny's attention shifts to baiting bears and building an eight-wheeled all-terrain vehicle, she feels diminished, and no matter how she tries to conform, she can't please Kenny's strong-willed, religious mother. Ruth also worries over Sylvie, who spends hours staring at the ice, and ten-year-old Anna, who shows a little too much enthusiasm for becoming a Glory Girl at Lena's church.
As their individual longings braid and cross, the exposed secrets of mother and daughter test their love. In precise and evocative prose, Cold Spell tells the parallel stories of a mother who risks everything to start over and a daughter whose longings threaten to undo them.
"Grabs you from the opening line and never lets go" ~ Publishers Weekly
"Vanasse is talented: she can turn ordinary words into the sublime...Readers who enjoy richly drawn characters trying to make sense of their surroundings will enjoy this cool and refreshing, yet haunting, glimpse of flawed souls." ~ Foreword Reviews
"Captures the harsh beauty of the terrain as well as the strain of self-doubt and complicated family bonds." ~ Booklist
"Cold Spell is Greek tragedy. From the very first pages, these lives are out of control. You'll care for Sylvie, and also her mother Ruth, and you'll want them not to hurt each other, but of course they will." ~ David Vann, author of Legend of a Suicide and Goat Mountain
"In subtle, careful prose, Vanasse explores what lures the so-called newbie to Alaska--from the myth to the very real magic of the wild--and, at the same time, creates a sensitive portrait of a family on the verge of falling apart. Poignant and compelling." ~ Leigh Newman, author of Still Points North
1118874475
The realities of the wilderness and tensions within the tiny Alaskan community of Resurrection Valley test Ruth's resolve. As Kenny's attention shifts to baiting bears and building an eight-wheeled all-terrain vehicle, she feels diminished, and no matter how she tries to conform, she can't please Kenny's strong-willed, religious mother. Ruth also worries over Sylvie, who spends hours staring at the ice, and ten-year-old Anna, who shows a little too much enthusiasm for becoming a Glory Girl at Lena's church.
As their individual longings braid and cross, the exposed secrets of mother and daughter test their love. In precise and evocative prose, Cold Spell tells the parallel stories of a mother who risks everything to start over and a daughter whose longings threaten to undo them.
"Grabs you from the opening line and never lets go" ~ Publishers Weekly
"Vanasse is talented: she can turn ordinary words into the sublime...Readers who enjoy richly drawn characters trying to make sense of their surroundings will enjoy this cool and refreshing, yet haunting, glimpse of flawed souls." ~ Foreword Reviews
"Captures the harsh beauty of the terrain as well as the strain of self-doubt and complicated family bonds." ~ Booklist
"Cold Spell is Greek tragedy. From the very first pages, these lives are out of control. You'll care for Sylvie, and also her mother Ruth, and you'll want them not to hurt each other, but of course they will." ~ David Vann, author of Legend of a Suicide and Goat Mountain
"In subtle, careful prose, Vanasse explores what lures the so-called newbie to Alaska--from the myth to the very real magic of the wild--and, at the same time, creates a sensitive portrait of a family on the verge of falling apart. Poignant and compelling." ~ Leigh Newman, author of Still Points North
Cold Spell
Torn from a magazine, a photo of a glacier ignites an obsession in Ruth, a self-sacrificing Midwestern mother. Her fascination with ice culminates in an impulsive decision to make a fresh start by moving her family to Alaska with her new boyfriend, Kenny. This rash plan horrifies sixteen-year-old Sylvie, who hides a secret attraction to Kenny.
The realities of the wilderness and tensions within the tiny Alaskan community of Resurrection Valley test Ruth's resolve. As Kenny's attention shifts to baiting bears and building an eight-wheeled all-terrain vehicle, she feels diminished, and no matter how she tries to conform, she can't please Kenny's strong-willed, religious mother. Ruth also worries over Sylvie, who spends hours staring at the ice, and ten-year-old Anna, who shows a little too much enthusiasm for becoming a Glory Girl at Lena's church.
As their individual longings braid and cross, the exposed secrets of mother and daughter test their love. In precise and evocative prose, Cold Spell tells the parallel stories of a mother who risks everything to start over and a daughter whose longings threaten to undo them.
"Grabs you from the opening line and never lets go" ~ Publishers Weekly
"Vanasse is talented: she can turn ordinary words into the sublime...Readers who enjoy richly drawn characters trying to make sense of their surroundings will enjoy this cool and refreshing, yet haunting, glimpse of flawed souls." ~ Foreword Reviews
"Captures the harsh beauty of the terrain as well as the strain of self-doubt and complicated family bonds." ~ Booklist
"Cold Spell is Greek tragedy. From the very first pages, these lives are out of control. You'll care for Sylvie, and also her mother Ruth, and you'll want them not to hurt each other, but of course they will." ~ David Vann, author of Legend of a Suicide and Goat Mountain
"In subtle, careful prose, Vanasse explores what lures the so-called newbie to Alaska--from the myth to the very real magic of the wild--and, at the same time, creates a sensitive portrait of a family on the verge of falling apart. Poignant and compelling." ~ Leigh Newman, author of Still Points North
The realities of the wilderness and tensions within the tiny Alaskan community of Resurrection Valley test Ruth's resolve. As Kenny's attention shifts to baiting bears and building an eight-wheeled all-terrain vehicle, she feels diminished, and no matter how she tries to conform, she can't please Kenny's strong-willed, religious mother. Ruth also worries over Sylvie, who spends hours staring at the ice, and ten-year-old Anna, who shows a little too much enthusiasm for becoming a Glory Girl at Lena's church.
As their individual longings braid and cross, the exposed secrets of mother and daughter test their love. In precise and evocative prose, Cold Spell tells the parallel stories of a mother who risks everything to start over and a daughter whose longings threaten to undo them.
"Grabs you from the opening line and never lets go" ~ Publishers Weekly
"Vanasse is talented: she can turn ordinary words into the sublime...Readers who enjoy richly drawn characters trying to make sense of their surroundings will enjoy this cool and refreshing, yet haunting, glimpse of flawed souls." ~ Foreword Reviews
"Captures the harsh beauty of the terrain as well as the strain of self-doubt and complicated family bonds." ~ Booklist
"Cold Spell is Greek tragedy. From the very first pages, these lives are out of control. You'll care for Sylvie, and also her mother Ruth, and you'll want them not to hurt each other, but of course they will." ~ David Vann, author of Legend of a Suicide and Goat Mountain
"In subtle, careful prose, Vanasse explores what lures the so-called newbie to Alaska--from the myth to the very real magic of the wild--and, at the same time, creates a sensitive portrait of a family on the verge of falling apart. Poignant and compelling." ~ Leigh Newman, author of Still Points North
4.99
In Stock
5
1
Cold Spell
224
Cold Spell
224eBook
$4.99
Related collections and offers
4.99
In Stock
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940149801015 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Running Fox Books |
| Publication date: | 07/23/2014 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 224 |
| File size: | 3 MB |
About the Author
From the B&N Reads Blog