Ronald Lee Geigle

"The Woods" by Ronald Lee Geigle

Forty-eight chapters and an Epilogue grant author Ronald Lee Geigle the opportunity to tell a compelling story. Readers meet a large cast of characters, each with a distinctive voice. The logging operation at the center of the story is complex, the conflicts that occur hold our attention and create empathy. Human nature, politics and economic factors combine to influence the sequence of events.

Logging at best is a dangerous profession. Equipment can fail. Accidents happen. Sabotage occurs. The work is done by men who smell of "a mixture of oil, grease, dirt, sweat, mixed with the perfume of recently cut wood and sawdust."

Zoe,the woman who cooks delicious food provides an antidote to this inevitable smell: by her edict they must shed their work clothes and plunge into the adjacent river en route to the dining hall. Her meals conclude with splendid pies (and we read of one man who "didn't eat pie from the point, but from the crust end onward.")

A great deal of action is covered in the timespan of this novel. Quiet conversations between mother and son enrich the story, an impromptu tug-of-war at the county fair is a surprise. All in all readers are well served.

The book includes a Bibliography.
**You Tube has two interviews with the author.
The 9.43 minutes on KWAL has splendid pictures.… (más)