I can't say this book was always a pleasure to read.

It was truly hard to witness so many hardships that were interspersed with only a few fleeting moments of joy.

However, Stegner's characters are always so real and vivid that I have learned an enormous amount from them.

This book delves deep into the complicated nature of family relationships.

For me, although the reading process was arduous, the destination was definitely worth the journey.

I absolutely loved the ending and the profound conclusions drawn by Bruce about the meaning of it all: "Perhaps it took several generations to make a man, perhaps it took several combinations and re-creations of his mother’s gentleness and resilience, his father’s enormous energy and appetite for the new, a subtle blending of masculine and feminine."

It is indeed a difficult book, but also a cathartic one that leaves a lasting impact on the reader.

It makes one reflect on the complex web of family ties and the forces that shape us over time.

Despite the challenges it presents, it offers valuable insights and a sense of closure that makes it a remarkable literary work.

A good book is truly engrossing, and I have been thoroughly enjoying my reading experience. However, after delving into three novels by Stegner, I find myself a little over-saturated with his preoccupations.

His works often feature strong, stolid, and long-suffering wives. These women are portrayed as the pillars of strength in their families, enduring various hardships and sacrifices.

On the other hand, there are the men who want to do the right thing but seem unable to. They are often torn between their desires and their sense of responsibility, leading to internal conflicts and moral dilemmas.

While these themes are interesting and thought-provoking, the repetition has started to wear on me a bit. I still appreciate Stegner's writing style and his ability to create complex and vivid characters, but I am looking forward to exploring other authors and their unique perspectives.

Perhaps it's time to step out of my comfort zone and discover new literary worlds.

This remarkable book has etched itself deeply in my mind. It is a captivating family saga set in the boom-and-bust Northwest. The story weaves a tale of characters adrift, constantly struggling, engaging in rumrunning, both hapless and yet filled with hope. Evidently, it is a largely autobiographical work of this essential writer of the American West. He published it in 1943.

The Big Rock Candy Mountain, which gives the book its name, is a mountain in Utah, close to where Stegner grew up. Its name is derived from the striped rock formations and perhaps also from a hoboing song of the 1920s. There is an edition to which his student Robert Stone wrote the foreword. If I were to repurchase it today, that would be the one I'd choose.

It's a book that not only offers a vivid portrayal of a bygone era but also provides profound insights into the human condition. The characters' experiences and emotions are so realistically depicted that they draw the reader in and make them a part of this fascinating story.