The Big Rock Candy Mountain - Contemporary American Fiction Novel | Classic Literature for Book Lovers & Collectors | Perfect for Reading Clubs & Literary Gifts

First off, I want to say that it was an absolute pleasure reading this book. It is not perfect in every way, no. But that is what makes it a human tale. Nothing is perfect.My only real criticism of the book is that Stegner doesn't have smooth transitions between events. Sometimes you end one chapter, then start the next and have no idea how much time has lapsed between the two (or maybe not even know where you are). Sometimes the characters are ahead in time half a year, sometimes multiple years; but there's no clear indication that any time has passed. I realize this adds to the mystique of the plot, but it is annoying to have to figure out at the end of one chapter, that you were in a totally different place than the author last left off. This happened multiple times throughout the book.My wish for this book is to have a map of where the Masons lived in the USA or Canada.So my actual review. Stegner is the west. I have never read anything so clearly authentic. Unlike some authors (even during the actual timeperiod) who pretend to know the west or use "western lingo" liberally, Stegner owns it, speaks it and assumes you know it. It doesn't take long to get the lingo, but it's clear he's lived this life. This book could be read just to become cultured in our past.The second thing I'd like to bring up is that not everyone will like this book. I'm fine with that. Not everyone gets it. People might want to read a book to become distracted, fantasize or whatnot, but this book is about life. It screams life. If you aren't old enough to have experienced life (30+, maybe a mature 20+), it probably won't strike true to you. Some people wrote that there aren't people like Elsa, who obey compulsively; or like Bo, who is convinced of his path. There are. Each of us can relate to the characters here. Who isn't a slave to their passions on some level? Who doesn't do something wrong, trying to get ahead, but it ends up failing? We're all like Bo and Elsa.I got a kick out of the one person who said "Is it really possible for a person (Bo the husband) to be naturally good at absolutely everything?" Did you even read the book? He failed at being a father, a good husband and a good person. He was not naturally good at everything. Honestly, if you're going to critique Stegner, it has to be something besides character progression. And the same person goes on to say: "You're supposed to feel bad for the family and their bad luck. But you don't because the author would rather give you pointless detail (while ignoring important detail) than help you get to know and like the characters." Who said you're supposed to do anything? And if you didn't care about the family by the end of the book, I have no hope for you as a reader. I have never cried for a book before, and I have to say, that I was suppressing tears multiple times in the book. And it wasn't just for the characters, it was because I am a father, I am a husband and I am a man and I can identify with Bo and Elsa. Good lord, can I identify with them! I may not have done what Bo did to Bruce (those who have read, will know what I mean), but I can tell you that at times I put myself in front of my wife and kids, just as selfishly. I've blown up in frustration many times. I get it, and Stegner does a great job portraying this. "Pointless details"? It's the pointless details that you're left remembering in life. When my dad passed away, I remembered how he shaved, how he sat down in a chair... pointless details? I think not... that's life and Stegner gets it.This book is about the big picture. Do I want to end up like Bo? Do I want to chase the American dream? Do I want the same end result as in this book? Stegner is a lot like GK Chesterton in that he wants you to hate the sin (or bad action if you hate the word sin). He wants you to hate the American dream of getting something for nothing. He wants you to hate being a slave to passions only. He does it so well that very often people will hate the book, not seeing why he wrote it to begin with. Everybody wants to be like Bruce. Tough. I remember reading the Brothers Karamazov, wanting to identify with Aloysha, the modest, humble good character. Nope, I was like Fyodor, the self-proclaimed idiot.Stegner, it was an honor to read this book. It is a greater honor to be one of those who loves it and allows it to impact their life. If you are on the fence about this book, know this. This is authentic, worthwhile and noble in its endeavor. It doesn't sugar-coat the truth, but lays it flat out. It doesn't put on any pretenses, but is what it is.A friend of mine summed this book's audience best by saying: I read it when in high school and hated it. Later, a college friend convinced me to read it again. I grudgingly picked it up again and found that I loved it. I didn't get it originally because I hadn't any life experience, I couldn't relate to anybody in the book.