The Cadence of Grass - (Vintage Contemporaries) by Thomas McGuane (Paperback)

About the Book

Ten years after his last novel McGuane returns to the form with a sulfurously funny yet genuinely elegiac tale of blood, money, sex, and chicanery set on the majestic stage of Montana cattle country.

Book Synopsis

Set on the majestic stage of Montana cattle country, an unforgettable drama from the acclaimed author of Ninety-two in the Shade and Cloudbursts involving blood, money, sex, vengeance, and a cross-dressing rancher

"[McGuane's] sentences are like no one else's, crisp and spare, yet somehow baroque [and] perpetually balance the picaresque against the sublime." --The New Yorker

Sunny Jim Whitelaw, a descendent of pioneers and owner of a large bottling plant, may have died, but he has no intention of relinquishing control: his will specifies that no one gets a cent unless his daughter Evelyn reconciles with her estranged husband, Paul. But Evelyn is a strong-willed woman, fiercely attached to the land, whose horses transport her to a West she feels is disappearing, while Paul is a suave manipulator, without scruples, intent on living well.

The Cadence of Grass is renewed evidence that McGuane is one of the finest writers we have, capable of simultaneously burnishing and demolishing the mythology of the West while doing rope tricks with the English language.

Review Quotes

"Darkly fiendish, wildly unsettling, and viciously good." --Men's Journal

"A hearty welcome home ... a tale of betrayal, revenge and spousal loathing ... [that] rollicks along on the legs of its comic characters." --Outside

"Beautifully turned.... a surprising, affecting mix of bitterness and delicacy." --Entertainment Weekly

"McGuane's sentences are like no one else's, crisp and spare, yet somehow baroque, and he perpetually balances the picaresque against the sublime." --The New Yorker

"McGuane has struck a perfect balance ... between his large cast of beautifully drawn and memorable characters and the animals they raise and work and love." --Alan Cheuse, Chicago Tribune

"A fine, quirky, funny, startling novel ... with witty dialogue and hilarious moments and sudden violence and awful betrayals." --Miami Herald

"McGuane is a terrific writer, a great chronicler of the vanishing West." --The Orlando Sentinel

"There is a raw exuberance to this hard-edged novel.... McGuane proves that he is still an accomplished cowpuncher with words." --Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"McGuane's unflagging invention is consistently engaging.... He is remarkably attuned to the psychological discomfort and indirect jousting underlying routine social interactions, and his language is rich, varied and effortless." --The San Diego Union-Tribune

"When McGuane dissects his characters to their squirming core, The Cadence of Grass is downright hilarious." --St. Petersburg Times

"The plot ... unfolds with McGuane's characteristic wit and delight in the absurd.... His voice gets truer every time." --The Plain Dealer

"One of our most readable and accomplished writers.... Consistently entertaining." --Rocky Mountain News

"A complex and dark novel in which detailed rendering of psychological landscapes creates a fascinating portrait of the suffering heart of an old and perhaps dying way of life." --The Globe & Mail, Toronto

"There is an earthy and comedic magic about this expansive story within the expanse of the Western plains." --Deseret News

"McGuane portrays an American West that is vivid and alive, writing crackling dialogue with an eye for the ridiculous." --The Boston Phoenix

About the Author

THOMAS McGUANE lives on a ranch in McLeod, Montana. He is the author of ten novels, including the National Book Award-nominated Ninety-two in the Shade, three works of nonfiction, and four collections of stories. His work has won numerous awards, including the Rosenthal Award of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and has been anthologized in the Best American Stories, Best American Essays, and Best American Sporting Essays.