Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Dream Country

Dream Country
reviewed on + 33 more book reviews


5 stars - In Dream Country, Luanne Rice describes the reverberations that tragedy can have

on a family. Before Daisy and James Tucker lost their 3-year-old son, Jake, in the mountains

of Wyoming, they thought nothing could shake their marriage. Daisy had moved west looking

for adventure and discovered a man and a landscape that nourished the deepest parts of her

soul. With James and their twins, Jake and Sage, Daisy found courage and inspiration for her

artwork. Soon after Jake disappeared, Daisy returned to Connecticut with Sage, determined to

live a life of comforting reserve. Thirteen years later, a pregnant and isolated Sage feels

Wyoming calling. After arguing with Daisy, she embarks on a cross-country trip to discover

her father and her family's past.
Rice has a talent for describing people's complex and conflicting emotions. As Sage travels

across the country, her love for her unborn child grows, while her first love unravels.

Tragedy both unites and separates Daisy and James, and age and infirmity begin to eat away

at the love of James's father and his girlfriend. Daisy Tucker has built a comfortable life

with her 16-year-old daughter, Sage, in Silver Bay, Conn., where she has gained a reputation

for designing jewelry that seems to have inspirational powers. Combining artistry with her

knowledge of Native American myths and legends, Daisy creates pieces that bring people

together, heal wounds and serve as talismans. But no combination of gemstones and carved

animal bones can assuage the pain in Daisy's life. Sage's twin brother, Jake, disappeared in

the wild country of Wyoming during a cattle roundup 13 years ago, when he was three. Fleeing

the scene of tragedy with her daughter, Daisy left her husband, James, behind at his family

cattle ranch and moved to New England to be close to her sister, Hathaway. Now Daisy faces

another crisis when a pregnant Sage runs away with her boyfriend, Ben, intent on a new life

with her father at the ranch. Ben has second thoughts and decides to return home, so Sage

heads on alone. Hitchhiking leads to danger, and a mysterious, tattooed teenager rescues

Sage and agrees to drive her to Wyoming. Daisy joins James in Wyoming, where another

teenager, calling himself "The Guardian," is stalking the ranch. Rice creates believable

dramatic tension about Jake's true fate, though the suspense lies mainly in whether the

other characters will realize what has become of him.