Nicholas Evans' prose is always spotless. The story lagged a bit toward the late-middle and then raced toward the ending. I liked it every bit as much as The Horse Whisperer or The Divide.

This was a compelling story of friendship, love, and loyalty which took place over 20 years in Montana and Africa. Very good story and well-written.

Well...The first half was good, but the last half seemed hokey and certainly didn't expect to be reading about the horrors of war.

This is Nicholas Evan's finest. Well, for me at least. I have read only 2 of his books including this one and I loved this far better than The Horse Whisperer.

A story of 2 best friends who are smoke jumpers who love one wonderful woman, Julia, and whose lives became intertwined by tragedy, and of consequences of choices made. The novel was divided into three parts and some pages made me laugh, most pages made me teary-eyed. Set in the scenic Montana and moving towards the mountains and deserts of Africa, the book conjures vivid images suitable for a movie.

Lovelovelovelove this book. Couldn't give it 5 stars though. Don't know why.

Favorite quote from the book: "The important things in life never happened by accident. But even with those things that were meant to be, sometimes you had to wait awhile and then maybe give them a little nudge."

This book took a lot of unexpected turns...not what I was really expecting to read about...I’ll have to let that sink in.

So Nicholas Evan’s wasn’t a great writer but he was a pretty good storyteller. This book’s 3 main characters, Connor, Ed, & Julia, are decent people. Connor & Ed become best friends as summer season Smoke Jumpers in Montana. One of ‘em meets Julia & a secret love triangle develops but everyone remains decent. Then tragedy strikes & decisions are made & one has to leave. The “leaver”’s life adds excitement & suspense to the story. More tragedy ensues but… I had hoped for more smoke jumping (Evans does mention the 1949 disaster in Mann Gulch on the Helena National Forest in MT (see Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean) so that’s something) but hadn’t expected great writing, so was just a little disappointed. A very easy, pleasant read.

Hmm. Big no from me. There are a few things I super hate in books, And in life I guess. Cheating. In any form. The slow passage of time/wasting a lot of time being dumb. And related to that-a bleak sort of jaded or bleak feeling. Check, check, and check.

First of all, there isn't a likeable character in the whole book. Connor? In love with his best friend's girl, disappears from everyone, his personality is... Strong, silent type. Julia- married to Ed but in love with Connor. Her personality is... In love with Connor. And also is a bad mother. Ed- sarcastic and dumb but supposedly the life of the party. Conveniently dies and posthumously gives his blessing for the other two to be together, thus revealing he always knew they loved each other. You always knew and so you what? Messed with them? Hey guys, you two go on a canoe trip alone, hey take this really couple looking pic together, hey Connor should be our baby daddy! What?! Really, I didn't care about any of them. I feel like Skye was badly used though. All this detail of her life and she dies, tragically, and is barely thought of again. Sure, the future baby is going to have her name as her middle name, but aside from that she was pointless. If she so changed Julia, why isn't she working with native children? She's more inspired by Connor and Thomas than Skye. She was just a way to get them all on the same burning mountain. Another thing is by the end of this book Julia is in her late thirties and pregnant. Which, yeah, totally possible. But maybe acknowledge the extra precautions or time it would take to become so? This is relevant because every other woman approaching 40 in the book is somehow portrayed as a haggard husk of a woman.

Niet uitgelezen, kon er niet inkomen

Romance, adventure,
travel porn, suspense—chick lit
at its best (or worst).

Read it a while ago but it remains a favourite. Can't figure why it hasn't been made into a movie. It has all the the classic points to make a great film.

This was a story about Ed, Julia and Connor. It begins with the night Ed and Julia meet and takes the reader thru a very engaging saga about the three friends and their relationship with each other. Evans gives you a great perspective of life in Montana, New York and war torn areas of Sarajevo and Africa. The story jumps around a bit like a fast forward but Evans does a good job filling in the gaps along the way. The story is split into 3 parts. Part 1 is great and ends with a cliffhanger. Part 2 is good, more character driven. Part 3 is good, however, I thought it might have been a bit unrealistic and the ending felt rushed. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it, however, it wasn't my favorite.

Loved this book! Fantastic story. Kept me on the edge of my seat.