Jackalope Dreams by Mary Clearman Blew

“Mary Clearman Blew’s stunning first novel gives us an example—if any is required—of why fiction is still necessary and what it uniquely offers. It’s an understated achievement that recalls the early works of Larry McMurtry, along with the tough, febrile voice of S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders and the emotional intelligence of William Maxwell. Willa Cather’s work also comes to mind. . . . Sentences seethe with urgent, unhurried energy, and the description of the land the author so clearly loves is in service of the story, not showing off. You come to care deeply about these people, caught between an uncapturable past and an uncertain future. Jackalope Dreams is a small masterpiece; it deserves the attention it makes a point of not seeking.”—Paul Wilner, Los Angeles Times Book Review

To read earlier praise for Jackalope Dreams, please visit http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2007/12/praise-for-jack.html.

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