Recapitulation

By Wallace Stegner

Book Overview

The moving sequel to the bestselling Big Rock Candy Mountain . Bruce Mason returns to Salt Lake City not for his aunt's funeral, but to encounter after forty-five years the place he fled in bitterness. A successful statesman and diplomat, Mason had buried his awkward and lonely childhood, sealed himself off from the thrills and torments of adolescence to become a figure who commanded international respect. But the realities of the present recede in the face of the ghosts of his past. As he makes the perfunctory arrangements for the funeral, we enter with him on an intensely personal and painful inner pilgrimage: we meet the father who darkened his childhood, the mother whose support was both redeeming and embarrassing, the friend who drew him into the respectable world of which he so craved to be a part, and the woman he nearly married. In this profoundly moving book Stegner has drawn an intimate portrait of a man understanding how his life has been shaped by experiences seemingly remote and inconsequential.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140266739
• ISBN13: 9780140266733
• Release Date: November 1997
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Great introduction to Wallace Stegner

Sheer coincidence led to me to read this novel as my introduction to WS: it was the only thing by him on the library shelf on my way to to airport. What a fantastic introduction a great writer. This turns out to be a sequel to Big Rock Candy Mtn, which tells the story of Wallace's parents and of Wallace too. Recapitulation goes back and looks more closely at parts of these lives just hinted at in BRCM. There are passages in here you will never forget, and passages that you will feel lucky to have found. I'm now on my fifth Stegner book and still feel that way.

Stegner's Beautiful Insight

When a real-life event pulls you back into The Past, where you didn't want to go, this is what happens. Though not an action-packed thriller, it is elegant and touching.

A must read!

Recapitulation is every bit as good as The Big Rock Candy Mountain. Recapitulation will break your heart. Stegner's descriptions of the Salt Lake area are so good that you can almost smell the salt in the air.

Simply Fantastic

Being from the Salt Lake area I was utterly impressed with the reality with which Stegner portrays life in Utah. More amazing is the emotion Stegner elicits with beautiful language and imagery that leave the senses wanting. The dark history of Bruce Mason is an incredible journey through swamps of heartache. This is a book that will forever shape the decisions I make about the relationships that define me.

What a tremendous read!

I am not very well versed in Stegner, although I did love Crossing to Safety. My wife bought Recapitulation for me and I loved every minute of it. He captured distant moments clearly and with laser-sharp sentiment.