Joe Allston, a retired literary agent, is a profound observer.

He observes his past, the current society, and life in general. The death of his son and their tense relationship trouble him deeply. His body is aging, and so are the morals and norms he holds dear. He experiences regrets, guilt, and both physical and mental pain.

However, he is also engaging, intelligent, and known for his sense of humor. He and his wife share a loving, caring, and enviable relationship. Some might label him a curmudgeon or a grump, but I don't think so.

I believe his "spectating" is extremely realistic, especially for a 68-year-old retiree. His musings are disclosed in his diaries and reluctantly to his wife. He struggles to discuss his innermost thoughts, which I don't find unusual.

His persona may not be one of joviality, but it's not that of a crank either. This 1977 National Book Award winner is the third book I've read by Stegner. Each of his books showcases his masterful understanding of people.

They all have completely unique characters and storylines. The only similarities are the beautiful dialogue, the astute insights, and the captivating stories. How I wish he could have continued writing forever.

Most things in life have the potential to break, and that includes our hearts. The experiences and lessons we gain throughout our lives don't necessarily amount to profound wisdom. Instead, they often leave us with scar tissue and calluses, shaping us in ways we may not always expect.

"Most things break, including hearts. The lessons of life amount not to wisdom, but to scar tissue and callus."

I'm not going to waste time blabbering on about this particular book - *cue the cheers from the back* - because I'm currently feeling quite unwell and not in the right frame of mind to write an in-depth - and likely exhausting - review.

However, what I can say with certainty is that Wallace Stegner is rapidly ascending the ranks to become one of my all-time favorite authors. And I can make this claim with confidence after having read just two of his works. Crossing to Safety was truly one of my most cherished reads of 2016. While The Spectator Bird might not quite reach the lofty heights of that remarkable book, I still found it to be an extremely enjoyable read.

Stegner is an absolute master at delving into the complex themes of friendship and memory, love and loss. Not to mention, he expertly navigates all the subtleties of emotion and feeling that lie in between. His prose is not only poetic but also deeply affecting. It's truly astonishing how a story that appears so simple on the surface can actually have numerous layers and pack such a powerful emotional punch. The Spectator Bird was indeed a delightful little read that left me eager to explore the rest of Stegner's extensive oeuvre. Perhaps I'll pick up Angle of Repose next and see where that takes me on this literary journey.

This book truly bored me to the core. It's a pity because Stegner is indeed a remarkable writer and a proficient storyteller.

The protagonist in this story is a retired literary agent who has left New York and is now living out his days in Northern California. A simple postcard from an old friend triggers the character to delve into his old journals, and that's where the story commences.

There's no disputing Stegner's writing prowess. He writes with clarity, and his imagery is vivid and evocative. His dialogue is concise and easy to understand. From a stylistic standpoint, he writes extremely well.

However, as I previously stated, the story simply put me to sleep. It's a short read, which is the only reason I persevered. If it had been any longer, I'm certain I would have given up around page 50 and never picked it up again. Part of this could be because law school has conditioned me to seek excitement and action in my leisure activities, considering the relatively inactive nature of my life. But part of it, and I hope the larger part, is that I渴望 to find truly interesting stories when I read. For me, this book failed to hit the mark.

I'm aware that many others have adored Wallace Stegner's books, and that's great. But for me, I'm not inclined to pick up another one of his works.

This book is not my favorite Wallace Stegner work.

However, I still admired the writing and the pearls of wisdom it contains, which is why I gave it a 3.

Reading a Stegner book always brings some gain.

His "Angle of Repose" and "Crossing to Safety" were excellent, and "Big Rock Candy Mountain" was really good.

But this one didn't meet his usual standard. It was boring at times and seemed to plod along.

The story of a man in his early 70's with aches and ailments, referring back to a diary from Denmark while discussing it with his long-suffering wife, just wasn't that interesting to me.

Still, Stegner is always worth reading.

This book won the National Book Award (just as "Angle" won the Pulitzer, and both were well-deserved), which was quite surprising.

Many authors cannot write about relationships, the modern West, and growing old as well as Stegner can.

So if you're a Stegner fan, you may very well love this book. Many people did.

It seems that no matter how much I explore other genres and writers, I always find myself drawn back to Stegner. His works are truly like sumptuous feasts, filled with rich, fully developed and sympathetic characters.

Moreover, his books undertake profound explorations of many of life's most crucial themes. They don't shy away from taking a hard look at the present, nor do they avoid delving into a disturbing past.

But perhaps most importantly, for me at least, this particular novel is about the valuable lesson of learning to appreciate the loyal companions who are there by our side. These companions make the often arduous journey of life far more bearable and meaningful.

They are the ones who offer support, share in our joys and sorrows, and ultimately help us to find our way through the various challenges and difficulties that we encounter along the way.

Stegner's writing has the power to make us see the importance of these relationships and to cherish the people who matter most in our lives.

An author I haven’t read enough of is someone who has always intrigued me. Their works seem to hold a certain allure that I have yet to fully explore. I have heard many great things about this author, but for some reason, I haven't delved deep into their literary world.

This year, I have decided to remedy that. I am determined to make time to read more of their books and discover the unique perspectives and stories they have to offer. I believe that by doing so, I will not only expand my literary horizons but also gain a better understanding of this author's writing style and themes.

I am excited to embark on this new reading adventure and see where it takes me. I have a feeling that I will be pleasantly surprised by what I find and that this author will quickly become one of my favorites.

Wallace Stegner's portrayal of the relationship between Joe Allston and his wife Ruth is truly remarkable. It deeply resonated with me as it quietly unfolds, revealing the complex dynamics of a long married couple.

The narrator, Edward Herrmann, adds another layer of beauty to the story with his mellow voice, making it a pleasure to listen to. It's a perfect marriage of the book and the narrator.

Here are some quotes that I found particularly meaningful. "He has been a wisecracking fellow traveller in the lives of other people and a tourist in his own." This line speaks to the idea of living vicariously through others and not fully engaging in one's own life.

"Catching me with my feelings showing would give her power over me, as surely as if she had collected my nail pairings or tufts of my hair." It highlights the vulnerability and the need to protect oneself in a relationship.

"The complexity of being married to a woman you dearly love and automatically resist. I inevitably evade her management. I even evade her sympathy and affection or meet them with my guard up." This quote captures the矛盾 and the push-pull nature of a long-term relationship.

"Ruth sleeps in the other bed like a tired dog and here I sit in my back breaking oriole's nest, wide awake in spite of the pill I took at eleven." It creates a vivid image of the couple's different states and the loneliness that can sometimes creep in.

"In rejecting me, he [their son, Curtis] destroyed my compass. He pulled my plug. He drained me. He was the continuity my life and effort were spent to establish." This shows the profound impact a child's actions can have on a parent.

"Her face was a spider's web with eyes." It's a unique and evocative description that gives a sense of the woman's age and perhaps the wear and tear of life.

"Dressed and sweatered, but in slippers, I wandered into the living room and dug out the Britannica and looked up rheumatoid arthritis. The unexamined disease isn't worth having." This shows the character's curiosity and his need to understand the medical condition that affects him.

"Orion was coming to meet us, then he was entangled in the oak, then as we came into the open again he was free. The daffodils in the meadow were touched with pale nocturnal gold." This passage creates a beautiful and almost magical atmosphere, adding to the overall charm of the story.

"But Ruth is right, it is something, it can be everything, to have found a fellow bird with whom you can sit among the rafters while the drinking and boasting and reciting and fighting go on below. A fellow bird whom you can look after and find bugs and seeds for. One who will patch your bruises and straighten your ruffled feathers and mourn over your hurts when you accidentally fly into something you can't handle." This final quote sums up the essence of a loving and supportive relationship, where two people are there for each other through thick and thin.

Joe Allston, who is 69 years old, is a retired literary agent. He resides with his wife Ruth. Their son passed away many years ago, and Joe still holds a great deal of bitterness regarding the hand that life has dealt him. He appears to be isolating himself from friends and becoming increasingly grumpy and solitary. He feels as if his life has been lived as a spectator.

When he receives a postcard from a woman he and Ruth knew years ago, it prompts him to search for the journals he wrote during his time in Denmark. It was during this period that he and Ruth returned to his mother's birthplace and met the countess.

Having read only one other book by Wallace Stegnar, Crossing to Safety which I adored, I was eagerly anticipating this one. Some of the writing is truly beautiful. Initially, I laughed along with some of Joe's acerbic comments. There is something about a grumpy old man (or woman) that can be charming in a book or film. However, in real life, it's not quite the same. I was enjoying the story for a while, especially the present-day parts more than when it delved back into the journals and the story from 1954.

It was fine until it delved further into detailing the story of the countess and her relationships. This was simply terrible and seemed completely out of nowhere. From that point on, I skimmed. These details completely altered my attitude towards the book. So, in the end, despite having some enjoyable moments, it was just okay. I'm now off to read something light and uplifting.

The Stegner books I've read before usually tend to be rather long-winded. So, The Spectator Bird, which is like a tight and compact ball of yarn, was a really refreshing departure from the norm. To further elaborate on this metaphor, it was truly interesting to unwind the thread and discover all the vivid colors, with an unpredictable pattern that kept it engaging. Perhaps the very core of it might have been a dull gray, but the journey to get there was enjoyable.

The book, much to my surprise, was mainly set in Denmark, divided between Copenhagen and the next major island to the south. I had thought my reading adventures in that small nation had come to an end, so it was a small thrill to hear a writer of Stegner's caliber rattling off place names like Havnegade and Kongens Nytorv that actually meant something to me. "The sun has burrowed into the overcast after one look at Denmark," he writes, which makes me believe he has actually been there. The rest of the book was set in an affluent neighborhood adjacent to Stanford University, and to be honest, this sounds quite autobiographical. Meet Wallace Stegner / Joe Alston - although only about seventy, it seems that he has been deteriorating for about twenty years or so. When we first encounter him, he is gray, unsteady on his feet, achy, no longer a powerful force in the world and quite angry about it.

Or so it appears. Much of this book is crafted to keep the reader wondering whether his grumpiness is genuine or just an act.

Crucifixion can be discussed philosophically until they start driving in the nails. Young, middle-aged or getting old, Joe Allston has always been full of himself, uncertain, dismayed, dissatisfied with his life, his country, his civilization, his profession, and himself. He has always been hungry for some continuity and assurance and a sense of belonging, but has never had ancestors or descendants or a place in the world.

Well, I suppose we all feel that way from time to time, but the trick is to recognize that this is normal and human, endure it and move forward. It's something that Allston struggles to do in this book.

While I might be inclined to a greater degree of happiness than Stegner/Allston, we seem to have a lot in common. He was politically liberal but personally conservative, in the sense of having a strong sense of personal responsibility for those around him and not succumbing to every temptation. The book is really an exploration of love and marriage. Falling in love requires time and sacrifice, whereas feeling like you're falling in love can occur several times a day. You either make peace with it or you don't.

Joe did.

Wallace Stegner vividly describes the experience of growing old.

He elaborates on the physical agony of feeling one's body deteriorate in all those specific areas that have been overused or damaged. However, this tale is actually about the pain of regret, not the regret of making wrong choices but rather the regret of making the right choice yet still incurring some cost.

All of this is triggered by a postcard he receives from an almost forgotten acquaintance whose disturbing life story became intertwined with his own many years ago. As he rereads the journal he kept during his short visit to uncover his family heritage in Denmark, he recalls his own sorrow. He is a grumpy old man, not as extremely grumpy as A Man Called Ove, but in a similar vein.

I struggled to enjoy this story, despite always admiring Stegner's ability to perceive and describe the world through his characters' perspectives. I still prefer (and am going back to reread) The Big Rock Candy Mountain to confirm.

For me, this work isn't Stegner at his absolute best, even though it won the National Book Award.

The transition between the present story and the back story seems a bit awkward and cumbersome. It doesn't flow as smoothly as I would have liked.

However, it's important to remember that it's still Stegner, and as such, it's full of rewards. There are still moments of brilliance and depth that make it a worthwhile read.

So, I'm giving it a 3.5, rounded up as a nod to the master. His prose is still capable of taking my breath away. The way he weaves words together to create vivid images and complex characters is truly remarkable. Even though this particular work may have its flaws, it's a testament to Stegner's talent and his place in the literary canon.

I look forward to reading more of his work and seeing what other treasures he has in store for us.

I LOVED this book.

But, then again, I have always had a deep affection for Wallace Stegner.

I had the pleasure of listening to it as an audio presentation, and the reader, Edward Herrmann, was truly outstanding.

He did a fantastic job of portraying an old man, and then seamlessly transitioned into the character of Ruth, his wife, and then further into the Danish characters.

The story centers around the theme of a 68-year-old arthritic man in the 1970s.

As he reads his old journals to his insistent wife, he reminisces about their time in Denmark in earlier years.

It is also a poignant exploration of an old man as he ages.

I feel that Stegner, in the 3 novels I've read, has an incredibly good grasp of the inner workings of the human mind.

And he is magnificent at translating his keen observations onto paper.

You'll understand the title perfectly on the very last page, and there is so much truth and depth to it.

Obviously, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a thought-provoking and beautifully written piece of literature.