Title: Angle of Repose
Genre: Novel
Grade: B+
Notable People: Wallace Stegner
Review This is an old book (1971) that i had never read before- by Stegner, who some consider one of the great American writers of the 20th century. It is a fascinating (but very slow) autobiographical novel that moves from his time in the 1960’s back to his grandmother’s life story amidst the settling of the West. His GM was indeed a pretty famous artist and writer and gave up her cultured east coast life to go west with his engineer grandfather- who was engaged in creating massive dams and waterways. A lot of the book is in the form of his grandmother’s letters- but they are quite a portrait of settling the west and the conflicts of a pre-feminist , feminist with following her husband to a series of brutal living situations in a primitive land. Very real; exceedingly well written- easiest read in short installments over a long period of time. Great and real characters.