3.0
As Good as Gone
ByPublisher Description
It's 1963, and Calvin Sidey, one of the last of the old cowboys, has long ago left his family to live a life of self-reliance out on the prairie. He's been a mostly absentee father and grandfather until his estranged son asks him to stay with his grandchildren, Ann and Will, for a week while he and his wife are away. So Calvin agrees to return to the small town where he once was a mythic figure, to the very home he once abandoned.
But trouble soon comes to the door when a boy's attentions to seventeen-year-old Ann become increasingly aggressive and a group of reckless kids portend danger for eleven-year-old Will. Calvin knows only one way to solve problems: the Old West way, in which scores are settled and ultimatums are issued and your gun is always loaded. And though he has a powerful effect on those around him--from the widowed neighbor who has fallen under his spell to Ann and Will, who see him as the man who brings a sudden and violent order to their lives--in the changing culture of the 1960s, Calvin isn't just a relic; he's a wild card, a danger to himself and those who love him.
In
Larry Watson captures our longing for the Old West and its heroes, and he challenges our understanding of loyalty and justice. Both tough and tender, it is a stunning achievement.
Download the free Fable app
Stay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
Rate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
Curate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesStay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building toolRate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tagsCurate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesAs Good as Gone Reviews
3.0
“I started reading "As Good as Gone" by Larry Watson three years ago and finally finished it. I'm glad I stuck with it. The story isn’t packed with action, but it offers a raw look into people's lives over a few days, showing their ups and downs and the fact that people are complicated, not all good or bad.
Set in the 1960s in rural Montana, the book follows Calvin, a tough, isolated cowboy who avoids responsibility and getting close to others. When his son asks him to watch his grandkids while he and his wife are away, Calvin is forced to return to a changed town where he once had authority. Unfamiliar with following rules, he steps in to help his grandkids with their troubles in his own way.
I enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing how they handled their challenges. While I wished Calvin had made different choices at the end, maybe that's what makes the story so real—not all endings are happy.
I’d rate this book a 3.5 and am glad I gave it another shot!”
About Larry Watson
grew up in Bismarck, North Dakota, and received his BA and MA from the University of North Dakota and his PhD in creative writing at the University of Utah. He has received grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wisconsin Arts Board. He is the author of ten novels, including
and
Watson’s fiction has been published in many foreign editions and has received multiple prizes and awards. He has published short stories and poems in a range of journals. His essays and book reviews have appeared in the
the
the
and the
Watson teaches at Marquette University and lives with his wife in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Other books by Larry Watson
Start a Book Club
Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!FAQ
Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?
Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?
How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?
Do you sell physical books too?
Are book clubs free to join on Fable?
How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?
