I have to admit that I much preferred All the Little Live Things and The Spectator Bird. Those two works really captured my heart and imagination. However, this one was also quite good.

It had its own unique charm and qualities that made it an enjoyable read. The story was engaging, and the characters were well-developed. I found myself getting lost in the world that the author had created.

Although it didn't quite reach the same level as my two favorites, it still had a lot to offer. The writing was smooth and descriptive, painting a vivid picture in my mind.

Overall, I would say that this was a solid piece of work, and I would recommend it to others who are looking for a good read.

3.5 Stars, rounded up because it's Wallace Stegner

A follow-on story to Stegner's 1943 novel The Big Rock Candy Mountain, Recapitulation delves deep into the realm of memory. Set in the 1970s, after a long absence of 45 years, Bruce Mason makes his way back to Salt Lake City. His memories are firmly rooted in the significant events of his past, specifically the late 1920s and early 1930s. I find great pleasure in uncovering more of Bruce's story. We witness how, as a teenager, he forms a friendship with a schoolmate, and how this connection alters the course of his life. We see him thrive at university, fall in love, and progress to law school.

Recapitulation is an interior novel, with the entire character-driven narrative unfolding within Mason's mind. Stegner's prose, as always, is rich and captivating.

By revisiting these times, Bruce is able to come to terms with certain aspects of the past and find closure. The quote, “He was not bound by verifiable facts. What he liked about the past he could coat with clear plastic, and preserve it from scratching, fading, and dust. What he did not like, he could either black out or revise. Memory, sometimes a preservative, sometimes a censor's stamp, could also be an art form,” beautifully encapsulates the essence of the story.

I believe that a reader needs to have accumulated several years of life experience to fully appreciate this particular novel. Stegner's remarkable understanding of human nature ensures that most of us will be able to identify with at least a small part of ourselves within these pages.

I had completely forgotten just how much I truly love Wallace Stegner.

It's not just a midlife crisis book; it's a book that can resonate deeply with anyone who has aged past 40.

The astute observations it makes about youth, the often difficult family relationships, the missed opportunities that haunt us, the regrets that linger, and the power of memory are all astonishingly realistic and painfully familiar. I could effortlessly identify with our protagonist, Bruce Mason, and I was utterly captivated by his journey into his past, which seemed to unfold endlessly before my eyes.

Moreover, I absolutely adored, adored, adored the vivid descriptions of the places that I know so well. This book truly had it all - deep-rooted realism that hits you right in the heart, profound philosophizing that makes you stop and think, a beautiful love story that tugs at your emotions, complex characters who come to life on the page, and exquisite nature writing that transports you to the very landscapes being described. It's a literary masterpiece that I will cherish for a long time to come.

Bruce Mason's life was burdened with a heavy load of emotional baggage.

Fifty years after the events in "The Big Rock Candy Mountain," Bruce Mason returns to Salt Lake City for his aunt's funeral. His presence in the city unleashes a flood of memories. The city has changed significantly, but everywhere he goes, he is confronted with his past.

I won't say more about the plot to avoid spoiling it for those who want to read these two novels about the Mason family. The writing is excellent, so here are some quotes (within spoiler tags for you to read or not as you choose):

Quotes

Wallace Stegner has a charming and wry sense of humor:

Speaking of the deceased aunt, the undertaker says:

"She does look nice. Very sweet and peaceful."

but Bruce thinks:

He supposed that if he had been attached to her he might think her peaceful, as McBride instructed him to. But all he could think was that she looked well embalmed.

#

Probably fatigue from the hard day and a half across the desert explained both the mirage-like look of the city and his own sense of being run backward toward the beginning of the reel.

#

Memory had to be—didn't it?—a series of overlays. I remember, therefore I was. I was, therefore I am. I both contain and commemorate myself. I am both grave and gravestone.

#

But what sprang out of revisited Salt Lake City to confound him with forgotten emotions seemed to be mostly trivia, the sort of thing to which he had paid no attention at the time and had never recalled since.

#

An hour ago he had wondered why coming back here revived only the trivial and sentimental. Now he sat like someone whose car had just crashed, and who was not quite sure he could climb out.

#

What is an event? What constitutes an experience? Are we what we do, or do we do what we are?

#

Dangerous to squeeze the tube of nostalgia. Never get the toothpaste back in.

#

The knowledge was like a secret twenty-dollar gold piece in a deep pocket that no one knew of.

#

The long day has come down on him like an avalanche of feathers.

#

He was beginning to discover that the memory had no calendar. Inside there, all was simultaneous. A sense of time had to be forcibly imposed on it.

#

Did he think he could walk down Main Street as into a black-and-white, silent, wheels-running-backward 1920’s newsreel?

#

It was as if the things he passed were inventions or dreams. But if inventions, persuasive; if dreams, indelible.

#

But his memory was a sloppy housekeeper, and had trouble concentrating on one thing at a time.

#

This territory contained and limited a history, personal and social, in which he had once made himself at home. This was his place—first his problem, then his oyster, and now the museum or diorama where early versions of him were preserved.

#

He goes to the doors and looks in. The past is not there, the present slaps him in the face.

#

When cottonwoods have been rattling at you all through your childhood, they mean home. I could have spent fifty years listening to the shamal thresh the palms in the date gardens of Hofuf, and never felt anything but out of place. But one puff of wind through those trees in the gully is enough to tell me, not that I have come home, but that I never left.

#

We turned toward what shone on us, and if we leaned too far, we toppled, and toppling, toppled others. Call it the domino theory.

#

But he was engaged in laying ghosts, not only the ghosts of his luckless parents and the ghosts of old girl friends, but the ghosts of old innocence, inexperience, possibility.

#

They cluster at the edge of consciousness like crosses erected by the roadside at the place of a fatal accident.

#

He felt like the last remaining spectator at the last act of a play he had not understood.

The book was truly ahead of its time in depicting how childhood abuse and neglect can result in an avoidant attachment style.

It goes far beyond the current psychological jargon.

I was really amazed at how precisely Stegner captured a phenomenon that is just starting to be accurately described in the present day.

Stegner's work offers a profound and detailed exploration of this complex issue.

It provides valuable insights into the long-term consequences of early experiences on an individual's emotional and social development.

The book's portrayal of the avoidant attachment style is not only accurate but also deeply moving.

It helps readers to better understand the struggles and challenges faced by those who have endured childhood abuse and neglect.

Overall, it is a remarkable piece of literature that has withstood the test of time and continues to be relevant and informative today.

This novel accomplishes what Henry Roth took four volumes to achieve in his exploration of the difficulties, pains, and regrets that come with looking back honestly on one's youth from the long perspective of several decades. Stegner, like Roth, is able to achieve a metafictional effect in a late chapter of "Recapitulation." Here, he creates a dialog with a dream figment, as one aspect of his psyche attempts to reconcile with another.

Stegner provides an opportunity for his fictional character Bruce Mason to recall his past through the occasion of his late aunt's funeral. Although Mason knows little and cares less about his aunt, he is in a mood to recap his life. And what better vantage point than from within the city he fled forty years ago to forge his life?

As an older reader, I often find myself in the mood for introspection and retrospection. Stegner does an excellent job of digging through the palimpsest of the present to reach the past, raising the question of whether one's self is a continuous, integrated entity or discontinuous, episodic beings sharing the same body. While Roth sought to reintegrate the past and present, seeing a smooth continuum, Stegner's protagonist wants to draw a line through the past he is recalling, viewing himself as living discontinuously. In fact, Stegner might as well have his character say, "Bruce Mason inhabited my past 40 years ago; but that Bruce Mason no longer exists." The novel ends with Mason, after this recapitulation and reappraisal, drawing a line through the past, indicating that he will not let it have any bearing on the creation of his future self. Just how far we are meant to believe in Mason's exorcism or repudiation of his past self is not clear, but I am in awe of the audacity of the attempt.

[In reading about Stegner's life and oeuvre, I discovered that, like Roth, he had crafted this late novel as a response to an earlier, brilliant work. In Roth's case, it was "Call it Sleep," and in Stegner's, it was "The Big Rock Candy Mountain." Now, I'm on a mission to find a copy of that earlier Stegner novel.]

The writing was truly elegant and lovely.

However, there seemed to be something amiss. Or perhaps there was an excess of something.

I have great admiration for Wallace Stegner and his remarkable ability to make the reader envision vividly what is transpiring in his stories and within the minds of his characters. But, on this occasion, it might have gone a bit too far. Bruce engaged in far too much "thinking" and far too little explaining. As a result, it was extremely challenging to follow any coherent storyline.

Of course, I am aware that there was essentially no traditional story to be told here - aside from the son's journey of learning to come to terms with the faults of the father and, ultimately, perhaps forgiving a small portion of the father's transgressions. That, to me, was the beauty of the book. But if I had not read "The Big Rock Candy Mountain," I would not have been able to perceive the courage, love, and compassion that were invested in the seemingly simple act of purchasing a gravestone.

Sometimes, it is indeed better to simply write the story straightforwardly. Sometimes, perhaps, our words can become an obstacle. This holds true even for the words of a great writer like Wallace Stegner.

This is a retrospective biography of a man who returns to the town where he grew up. He goes there to bury a distant relative. In this town, he has lost his family, one by one. He once loved this place but left it for what he thought were greener pastures.

As always, Stegner's prose is truly mesmerizing and captivating. His words have the power to draw the reader in and make them feel as if they are part of the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed losing myself in this one. It was like taking a journey back in time and experiencing the man's life along with him. The descriptions of the town and the people were so vivid that I could picture them clearly in my mind.

This book is not just a biography; it is a reflection on life, love, and loss. It makes the reader think about their own past and the choices they have made. It is a beautiful and moving piece of literature that I would highly recommend to anyone.

This book, which is a sequel to The Big Rock Candy Mountain, was written approximately 34 years later.

I would highly recommend that the two books be read in sequence.

The reason for this is that recapitulation would doubtless be much more meaningful if the reader has prior knowledge and background about the characters from The Big Rock Candy Mountain.

Personally, I much preferred The Big Rock Candy Mountain, which I would rate as 5 stars, to Recapitulation.

One of the main reasons for this is that there were a couple of loose ends that remained unresolved at the conclusion of Recapitulation.

These loose ends left me feeling frustrated and a bit dissatisfied with the overall story.

Despite this, Recapitulation still has its merits and is worth reading, especially if you are a fan of the first book.

However, if you are looking for a more complete and satisfying reading experience, I would suggest starting with The Big Rock Candy Mountain and then moving on to Recapitulation.

This book is truly a remarkable piece that manages to be both a captivating coming of age tale of a teenage boy and a profound reconciling of a man's past. After more than 40 years, a well-known and highly successful diplomat makes his way back to his hometown in Utah to lay his aunt to rest.

I was truly enamored by the beautiful language and vivid imagery used throughout the book, especially at the very beginning when he is walking down the street. The contrast between the old memories that flood his mind and the changed surroundings is simply breathtaking. It really makes the reader feel as if they are right there with the protagonist, experiencing his journey.

However, unfortunately, the main theme of this book leans mostly towards the boy's sexual and emotional growth. There is one particular scene that was downright vulgar, almost like overhearing crass boys in a locker room. While most of the talk wasn't overly graphic, it was constantly present in the storyline, which ultimately led to me downgrading the stars.

Despite this drawback, it was still incredibly interesting to read about life in Salt Lake City in the 19020's, especially from the perspective of a non-Mormon outsider. I also greatly enjoyed the development of the relationships and personalities in the story, and how the man has come to temper his thoughts on the events that occurred over the years. Overall, it was a thought-provoking read with both its strengths and weaknesses.

I have a deep love for Stegner, and it puzzles me why it has taken such a long time for me to explore something else written by him. Most probably, it is because I was afraid of disappointment after adoring "Angle of Repose". His writing is truly beautiful and vivid, and he possesses a remarkable gift for conveying nostalgia, longing, and regret. I really liked this book, and I greatly enjoyed that it was set in Salt Lake City.

The description in the book is so powerful. For example, "The vision breaks and tears, dissolving. Below him the trees rattle and are still. Mason feels around in his mind like a blind man reassuring himself about the objects in a familiar room." It creates a vivid image in our minds.

And then, "The web of associations, the dense entangled feelings, are still, after an absence of two thirds of a lifetime, as intensely there as a rattlesnake under a bush." This shows how strong those emotions and memories are for Mason.

It's not just about the girl herself anymore. To him, she is just a rueful shrug. But those associations, the sights, sounds, and smells that accompanied her, the vivid sensuousness of that period of his life, the romantic readiness, and the emotions as responsive as wind chimes - those are the things he truly misses.

Stegner's words have the ability to touch our hearts and make us feel the depth of Mason's emotions.

Just a gorgeous end to “The Big Rock Candy Mountain.”

This simple statement holds a certain allure. It makes one wonder about the nature of this ending. Was it a climax filled with excitement and drama? Or perhaps a more subdued, yet equally beautiful conclusion?

The mention of “The Big Rock Candy Mountain” adds an element of mystery. What kind of place is this? Is it a real or fictional location?

We can imagine the story building up to this moment, with the characters facing various challenges and adventures. And then, at the end, everything comes together in a way that is both satisfying and breathtaking.

Maybe there was a final showdown, a resolution of conflicts, or a moment of great revelation. Or perhaps it was a more emotional ending, with the characters finding peace and happiness.

Whatever the case may be, the idea of a gorgeous end to “The Big Rock Candy Mountain” leaves us with a sense of wonder and curiosity. It makes us want to know more about this story and experience its conclusion for ourselves.