Shadow CountryNATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER • “Altogether gripping, shocking, and brilliantly told, not just a tour de force in its stylistic range, but a great American novel, as powerful a reading experience as nearly any in our literature.”—Michael Dirda, The New York Review of Books Killing Mister Watson, Lost Man’s River, and Bone by Bone—Peter Matthiessen’s great American epic about Everglades sugar planter and notorious outlaw E. J. Watson on the wild Florida frontier at the turn of the twentieth century—were originally conceived as one vast, mysterious novel. Now, in this bold new rendering, Matthiessen has marvelously distilled a monumental work while deepening the insights and motivations of his characters with brilliant rewriting throughout. Praise for Shadow Country “Magnificent . . . breathtaking . . . Finally now we have [this three-part saga] welded like a bell, and with Watson’s song the last sound, all the elements fuse and resonate.”—Los Angeles Times “Peter Matthiessen has done great things with the Watson trilogy. It’s the story of our continent, both land and people, and his writing does every justice to the blood fury of his themes.”—Don DeLillo “The fiction of Peter Matthiessen is the reason a lot of people in my generation decided to be writers. No doubt about it. Shadow Country lives up to anyone’s highest expectations for great writing.” —Richard Ford “Shadow Country, Matthiessen’s distillation of the earlier Watson saga, represents his original vision. It is the quintessence of his lifelong concerns, and a great legacy.”—W. S. Merwin “[An] epic masterpiece . . . a great American novel.”—The Miami Herald |
From inside the book
Page 41
... turned me around , looked at me straight . He seen right through me . " Erskine , " he says , " you are not my son but you are my partner and my friend . And Ed Watson needs every friend that he can find . " Then he roughed my hair and ...
... turned me around , looked at me straight . He seen right through me . " Erskine , " he says , " you are not my son but you are my partner and my friend . And Ed Watson needs every friend that he can find . " Then he roughed my hair and ...
Page 48
... turned around Mama was smiling a beautiful smile kind of crooked but full of hope . I never saw such a deer ... turning his head sos to watch Mama over his Daddys shoulder and make sure she didnt run away and leve him . That darn Rob ...
... turned around Mama was smiling a beautiful smile kind of crooked but full of hope . I never saw such a deer ... turning his head sos to watch Mama over his Daddys shoulder and make sure she didnt run away and leve him . That darn Rob ...
Page 49
... turned out fine . Lucius gave Mama a shy look to see if she thought hed turned out fine like Papa said . Erksin Tomsin shook hands all around . He looked clean and did not smell too bad . His hand was very hard and callised . I hung on ...
... turned out fine . Lucius gave Mama a shy look to see if she thought hed turned out fine like Papa said . Erksin Tomsin shook hands all around . He looked clean and did not smell too bad . His hand was very hard and callised . I hung on ...
Page 65
... turned out to be Calusa war clubs , cordage , and a conch - shell dipper , also some kind of wood carving . Cap'n Bill just had the luck to stumble on what Old Jean had searched for all his life . Collier weren't much interested in old ...
... turned out to be Calusa war clubs , cordage , and a conch - shell dipper , also some kind of wood carving . Cap'n Bill just had the luck to stumble on what Old Jean had searched for all his life . Collier weren't much interested in old ...
Page 73
... turned upside down . I loved that Sarah for the joy in her , and all that a young girl was , but I was drawn hard to her body , too . It weren't only the wanting her . Her body was like some lost part of my own I had to fit back into ...
... turned upside down . I loved that Sarah for the joy in her , and all that a young girl was , but I was drawn hard to her body , too . It weren't only the wanting her . Her body was like some lost part of my own I had to fit back into ...
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Common terms and phrases
ain't arms Aunt Belle Starr Bill House Billy Collins blood boat brother cabin called Calusa cane Chatham Bend Chokoloskee Clouds Creek Collins Columbia County County Cousin daddy damn dark dead door Dutchy Dyer E. J. Watson Eddie Edgar Edgar Watson Edgefield Edna Everglade eyes face father feller Florida folks Fort Myers Fort White Frank gator gone grin hand hard Harden head heard hell Henry Short hollered Indin Injun Islands Jack Watson Kate Key West killed knew Langford laughed Lee County looked Lost Man's Lucius Mama Mandy Mikasuki Miss Mist Mister Ed Mister Watson murder Myers never nigger nigra Papa Reese Richard Harden Rob Watson scared seen sheriff shoot shot smile Storter sure talk tell thing Tippins told Tolen took Tucker turned voice wanted whispered wife young