Under Cottonwoods: A Novel Of Friendship, Fly Fishing, And Redemption - Softcover

Grace, Stephen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1592286429 ISBN 13: 9781592286423

Publisher: Lyons Pr, 2005

Synopsis

Under Cottonwoods is a lyrical novel of two Wyoming friends who are drawn together by their love of fly fishing and the outdoors. Walter is a handsome young man whose face and brain are scarred as a result of a climbing accident that has left him partially paralyzed and mentally diminished. Mike, who lost both of his parents when he was a young teen, is in his own way as handicapped as Walter. Mike seems at first to be the stronger, compassionately lending a hand to an unfortunate friend, but it’s soon clear that each is giving the other something priceless: the insight and courage to challenge the odds, embrace reality, and find a way to flourish and grow. Through quiet times on pristine streams, dangerous times on angry rivers, and the daily grind of a life of diminished expectations, the men grow stronger as their friendship deepens. With Mike’s help, Walter reestablishes a bond with his father and dares to chance romance, while Mike, with Walter’s constant encouragement and astute observations, makes peace with his wife.

Stephen Grace’s exploration of life after tragedy, is a perfect blend of humor and compassion rare in a first--or any--contemporary novel.

About this title

From the Back Cover

There is life after tragedy. Under Cottonwoods - Stephen Grace's lyrical novel of two young Wyoming men who are drawn together by their love of fly fishing and the outdoors - is an exploration of that life, in a rare perfect blend of humor and compassion.
Walter, a handsome young man whose body, face, and brain are scarred as a result of a climbing accident, and Mike, who lost both parents when he was a young teen, embark on a friendship that slowly frees them from their pasts and opens the way for them to be truly alive again. Mike seems at first to be the stronger - as he lends a brotherly hand - but it's soon clear that he is in his own way as damaged as Walter. Each gives the other something invaluable: the insight and courage to challenge the odds, embrace reality, and find a way to flourish and grow.
Through quiet times on pristine streams and dangerous times on surging rivers, and through blizzards, the pains of opportunities lost, and the relentless grind of a life of diminished expectations, Walter and Mike grow stronger as their friendship deepens. With Mike's help, Walter is able to repair the broken bond with his father and dare to chance romance, while Mike, with Walter's constant encouragement and astute observations, is able to make peace with his wife and get on, at last, with his life.

From the Inside Flap

"I read UNDER COTTONWOODS with my thirteen-year-old son and we both loved it--he for the fishing action, I for the novel's flawed, searching, and wholly sympathetic characters. Stephen Grace has crafted a humane and hopeful story that will engage both nature lovers and champions of the human spirit."--Wally Lamb, author of "She's Come Undone" and "I Know This Much Is True"

Edition details

• Publisher: Lyons Pr
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1592286429
• ISBN 13: 9781592286423
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 245