I have both the print and the audio versions of this book, and cannot believe that it took me until now to read either copy of this wonderful book that was published back in 2001! How to describe it? Adventure? Mystery? Fantasy? It is all of those, but mostly, a quest.
Set in the Midwest in the 1960's, this tale is told by 11 year old, asthmatic Reuben, starting with his own stillbirth, and miraculous resurrection by his father. An ordinary man, a school janitor, divorced and doing a fine job of raising his 3 children, who just happens to walk on air when he prays. The story moves to the Badlands when the father takes Reuben and his 9 year old sister Swede out of school to search for their 16 year old brother who has broken out of jail after being convicted of murdering the young men who were harassing the family. Here, moving from Jetstream & the FBI, to horseback and posse, it appears we are reliving a western, and indeed, in comes a relative of Butch Cassidy, and we learn what really happened to him and The Kid.
All the characters are entertaining, but none as much as Swede, who even at that young age is destined to be a marvelous writer, whose epic, rhyming poem of the Old West's Good Guys vs. Bad Guys is interspersed throughout the script. A delight, indeed.
A tragedy for sure, this is still a story of hope, love, and a belief in magic and family. A real page-turner.

I heard rave reviews about this book. Overall, I was pleased after reading it. I thought it was very good. But it was one of those books that started out great, slowed and dragged in the middle and ended great. It wasn't a waste of time, that's for sure, but it wasn't one of the best books I've ever read, like I heard it would be.

I almost hate to post this because I love it so much...but my innate desire to share great books overrides my selfishness. about family, love, fate, and miracles. real miracles.

I know the book got rave reviews, but I didn't think it was so great. Parts of it were tiresome.

The narrative voice of the boy in this novel is stunning! Well written, compulsive-to-read...a friend recommended this to me to read right away, ahead of all my other books, and I do not regret it. Great fiction!

Very lyrical...nice phrasing...good story and characters.

I couldn't get into this book and am reposting it without finishing it.

I keep at least two copies of this book on hand...one so that I'll always have one and one to give away. I won't be posting this one on paperbackswap.com, but just want to encourage people out there to get this-it's first-class writing. Ivan Doig's This House of Sky" is another to savor and think about long after you've turned a page or closed the book.

I LOVE this authors writing style. My book club read this one and we had great discussions about it's moral questions.

Surprise ending. Not sure if I liked it or not.

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I loved the writer's style of bringing out each character and weaving a mesmerizing story.

This is a book my mother recommended and I must say that it is quite beautifully written. It really does come off as a modern classic, in that it invites discussion. It has a fair amount of magic in it - well, miracles, more like. And it never once strays from its young narrator. I certainly enjoyed it and the ending was surprisingly satisfactory.

Fabulous story! One of those books you want to read fast but don't want to end.

Three stars

This is a wonderful book about togetherness, love and family bonds! A truly wonderful read!

Reuben Land, an asthmatic eleven year old boy, finds himself on a cross-country search for his outlaw older brother. Davy, his brother, has been controversially charged with murder. A story of family, love and faith.

One of the best stories I have ever read. I always have a copy on hand for a re-read. I have been waiting and looking for his next book.

I loved this book. The writing is imaginative and puts the reader into the story.

This touching book is so mesmerizing I couldn't put it down for 3 days!! I would (and do) recommend this book to everyone I know!

This book is excellent. Clearly Enger wrote directly from his heart. It is beautifully and simply written, and captivating from the first to the last page.

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