An extended family deals with the inevitable, in four first-person narratives that range far and wide, from the lives of great-great grandparents to the present. The characters are extraordinarily vivid even by Harrison's standards, and one of the joys of the book is how your perceptions of them change when they become the narrator. Nobody tells a straight ahead story, there are constant digressions and side stories, and this is what makes the characters pop. I've read most of Harrison's poetry and this is the sixth book of his fiction I've read--all novels or novellas. I get drawn into them by the way their stories (and digressions) reveal their humanity, ( )

So many deep, powerful passages on love, loss, grief, family. A lot packed into this slim novel. I became a fan of Jim Harrison's writing after reading Legends of the Fall and this book ranks right up there. Lots of passages marked in my copy of the book! ( )

I hadn't read Harrison before, but I would be happy to read him again. He has a comfortable way of telling a story. It's a little convoluted sometimes, but still riveting. This novel read very much as if the story was being told by someone sitting in the room with you reciting an oral history. And that was the premise of the story - the characters narrated a story and then it was written down as a family history (at least for parts of it).

The only real gripe I have is the similarity between a number of the characters' names making it a little hard to keep track of who was who. ( )

An enjoyable Jim Harrison read, although the uninitiated should be forewarned: Harrison has his unique writing still. Returning to Earth consists of hearing four voices, all telling a portion of a story about their lives, with Donald being the common thread. As realistic people telling a story, they jump around in their narrative, chase rabbits that result in dead ends, and can't help but reporting on what they are feeling or observing as they tell their story. Also, their are a lot of characters, so you might find yourself asking "now who is that person again?" With all its flaws and quirks, I still liked it. ( )

This book is separated into 4 sections, one for each of 4 characters. Donald tells the first section, relating his family history as he lies dying of Lou Gehrig's Disease. He is part Native American (depending on the tribe, I believe Harrison is wrong in his statement that one has to be half native to be a tribal member. He may have gotten that idea from tribes which base membership on the mother's clan, and if the mother is white there would be no clan.) and wishes to be buried at a site in Canada where he went on a fast. Although he doesn't get specific about his spiritual beliefs, his family honors his request in an unorthodox manner. Although Donald's thought processes are somewhat non-sequential, due to his illness, this section of the book flowed well.
The next sections are told by Donald's nephew, his brother-in-law David, and his wife Cynthia. David and Cynthia are also dealing with their emotional problems caused by their abusive father and privileged upbringing. I had a hard time maintaining an interest in these sections. and the ending with Cynthia moving positively into the future in a too neat wrap up of the story threads. ( )