First, read this:
<blockquote>"Ask any of these guys. You won’t find a guy that loves the woods more than a logger. You scratch a logger, you better believe you’ll find an ‘enviro-mentalist’ underneath. But the difference between us and these people is we live here. We hunt. We fish. We camp out. They’ll go back where they came from, but we’ll wake up right here tomorrow. This is home. Timber puts food on our tables, clothes on our kids’ backs. You know, a redwood tree is a hard thing to kill. You cut it down, it sends up a shoot. Even fire doesn’t kill it. Those big pumpkins up in the grove, they’re old. Ready to keel over and rot. You might as well set a pile of money on fire and make us watch."
–and–
“The real timber’s gone,” Lark said. “What’s left, ten percent, including the parks? Two thousand years to grow a forest, a hundred years to fall it. No plague like man.”</blockquote>

There isn't a lot to argue with in this novel. The positions are made clear as glass, the townsfolk of the story are innocent of any wrongdoing except not wanting change and the corporate interests are extracting value from the land, the timber, and the people with no slightest regard for the costs.

This ain't rocket science. You know whose side you're on from the jump.

What price innocence...the townies aren't idiots, it's clear that their corporate masters pay them pittances to do dangerous jobs. They love those jobs, they love the life it affords them. So why the hell should they bitch if someone else lives fancier than they do? Ain't like they'd want to live like those folks do, even if they had all the money those folks have. So keep the trees fallin' and the pennies rollin' in.

The personal costs? Well, omelets ain't ever come out of whole eggs, have they. That's the way life is. Except...when you step in front of a woman who wants kids, you'd better be *well*armored*indeed*. Colleen wants babies. She's miscarried eight times! Her sister's had healthy ones, and with a man you'd have to be kind to describe as "grossly unfit." It clearly ain't her body....

And here's my problem: The pace of the novel is, to put it politely, magisterial. The language is limpidly clear, if a bit less than inspiringly lyrical. But the gender politics are awful. The conflict between husband and wife over her screaming NEED to mother a brood, her apostasy to community values (and with a man she has a history with! that gets what feels to me like a pretty insignificant amount of play) because her uterus hasn't popped out healthy babies, squicked me out. I hate it when women in stories play the Mother Card and get away with amazingly nasty shit (see my outraged shout about Gone Girl), unlike Colleen. But basically I don't care about Motherhood. It isn't necessary for you to reproduce yourselves, straight people, the planet's already working itself into a fever to get rid of us. So using it, as Author Davidson does here, as a reason for Colleen to do something that (objectively) is good but will end the way of life these people want to live, shouldn't be framed as "she did it for her babies to be born."

Listen, I don't think what mega-corporations do to the world is laudable, and they do it for the vilest, most selfish reasons. I'm right there with you on the "make it stop" front. But don't play "Sacred Motherhood" on your cards or you'll lose any serious argument for them to be held accountable. NOT being a mother is the responsible choice for all women. The only people who are carryin' on about having more babies are the white supremacists, and we need a lot fewer of them stat.

On balance, three stars was what I could muster, and I felt pretty questionable about that last half-star. The book's set in 1977. We already knew the cost of overpopulation then. The "Zero Population Growth" movement was organized in 1968. It's still a damned good idea. But Sacred Motherhood is used as a primary motivator to positive action in this story, and that sits wrong with me.

The ending wasn't particularly satisfying, after all we've been through; but there not being anything dramatically wrong with the structure or the writing (apart from there being too much of it) I couldn't bring myself to downgrade it. But it wasn't an easy decision. Three...that is, on Amazon's debased scale, a bad rating. I think it's a perfectly fine rating, a perfectly fine read got a perfectly fine rating, and I didn't beat it up beyond its just deserts. That will have to do.

For anyone who has ever seen the redwoods or sequoias of California and appreciates their splendor, this is a tough book to read -- for the sheer disregard of the landscape by so many of the characters, despite how realistically portrayed their actions/history is. Almost too tough to read for me.

This is an important book about the impacts of man on his environment, a story of a mother's love, her losses, and a wonderful little boy.

Like many others who weren't thrilled with the ending, I felt similarly - though I'm still thinking days after. I will be interested to see what Ash Davidson writes next. Some hints on her website lead to the possibility of camels. And since she lives in AZ (what - you say?), I think I know what that's all about!

The premise of this book seemed to be right up my alley, conflict between loggers and environmentalist, but my problem was that the story dragged on endlessly. At times I felt like the overly descriptive prose made the story more immersive but then in the same page it would go into a bit too much depth and ended up taking me out of the story.
So while the writing is beautiful, at times I felt it was edging on too much that it was interfering with the story. And while I do think that story would be engaging, I would have had to gotten too it first, this is one of those books I could just tell it would take about the entire length of the book for anything interesting to start happening. Maybe some people, those who enjoy a slow burn, would like this book-- but it just wasn't for me.

Took awhile to get into but once you are hoked this book will grab the reader submerse then into logging. Davidson has brought a small logging town in the 1970s Pacific Northwest to life. And while some of the logging jargon was hard to follow at times, it never took me out of the book. In fact, it made it even more real. This book is a gritty, sometimes dark, and very realistic look at rural life in California. Characters also talk about other characters without you first learning who those folks are - sort of like if you were overhearing a conversation in a small-town where you're an outsider (which we are). Once I got used to these methods though, and instead put myself in the mindset of being an insider instead, I found these conventions added to the story - these characters are all people who have known each other and each other's families/histories for decades. The writing assumes the reader is either an outsider, and therefore deserves no further explanations, or is in on this knowledge too, and therefore doesn't require further explanation. The writing reveals information in a conversationally-appropriate way, rather than with narration that takes you out of the story itself. It's difficult for me to accurately explain what I mean here, I'm not a writer, but if you read it, you'll understand what I'm talking about. The reader feels part of the community, truly living within these people's experiences as we switch POV between the 3 main characters. Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for the ARC.

Climate change and the clash of worker's rights versus environmental law forms the core of Davidson's novel which takes place in Humboldt County, California. The magnificent 2,000-year-old redwood grove in this area is the focus, and the clash of the loggers making a living off the land and the environmentalists wanting to set aside this area for a park creates conflicts which deeply affects the residents. The novel focuses on the Gunderson logging family and other families of the area with great detail and dialogue. Davidson describes these conflicts vividly and how the past and present collide within this community. I enjoyed this book and the different perspectives of the various opinions was enlightening and educational.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book

I liked this story although I had a very hard time finishing this book. For one, it is unnecessarily long, with a set up and background of information that felt like it would never end. If you manage to get through that, along with getting past terminology that was unexplained and confusing, then you may enjoy this book. The story revolves around a family living in a small logging town in I believe, northern California, Redwood country. Rich, comes from a long line of loggers, lives with his much younger wife, Colleen, and their son Chub. The chapters are narrated by each of these characters. The premise is basically that the spraying taking place in the area to kill off the wild weeds/brambles, is suspected to be causing horrific birth defects and Colleen suffers a total of eight miscarriages herself. It becomes a battle of livelihood versus health, a debate that turns the town upside down and those who care more about their livelihood go to terrific great lengths to make sure no one stands in their way.

This was the not the book for me. I really have a hard time getting into male characters at this point in my life. I just don't really care about their point of view.

I have to be honest: I DNF'd this book around 100 pages. It just wasn't for me. The writing was beautiful and descriptive but almost overly so. It was bogged down with technical logging terms and equipment details and I just couldn't get into it. I have seen other wonderful reviews for this one so it's probably just me.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Gosh, I thought I would love this book. It's so well reviewed, and the premise of a conflict between loggers and environmentalists is right up my alley. (I looooved The Overstory.) But this...just didn't mesh with me, the writing grated. And I appreciated the character development, and the idea behind the story, so much. But reading it, honestly, was a complete slog, even after the story finally started. Three stars for being well-researched.

Wonderful novel! The trees are an important part of Colleen and Rich’s family. As well as to Colleen’s sister Enid’s family. And the trees are also an important part of the community as it has been for generations. The sisters get together with their children and struggle with normal family issues. But at the same time, there are secrets surrounding the trees that will affect all of them. The characters were all interesting. The relationships were portrayed in an engrossing way. What happens throughout the story is at times joyful. At other times, the story is full of drama and suspense. As I became immersed in the characters lives, I felt emotional when they experienced loss and their bonds were tested.

Part coming-of-age tale, part love story, partly discourse surrounding humanity's unnatural place in the natural world, DAMNATION SPRING melds domestic drama and industrial trauma with uncommon ease and assurance. Read this well researched work of fiction for pleasure and for an attempted insight into human need and volatility in a world driven by global capitalism. Spend some time in what remains of the Redwoods Empire.

In a way, Damnation Spring is the counterpoint to Richard Powers' The Overstory. That book took its perspective from the lofty view of the canopy atop the remaining old-growth giants of the forest. Spring's view is decidedly earthbound and derives from the men and women whose livelihood depends on bringing these behemoths to earth. The conflict is the same: the endless push-pull between conservationists and loggers. Tragedy lurks in Spring like one of the protagonists, ready to appear at any time and grab the narrative by the throat. Davidson's vivid prose infuses both the people and the place with substance and helps to overcome some predictable plot points. Neither side can see there forest for the trees and the con flint remains deeply rooted in the soil.

This is a tough book to review. A lot of the writing was very beautiful. I learned a lot about logging and water pollution. I cared deeply for the characters. But it was also a bit of a slog to get through.

In some ways the slow pacing is how you come to be so invested in the characters. You spend a lot of time with them while they're just doing ordinary things like making a grilled cheese, going for a walk, buying a Bear Claw at the bakery. In some ways, that detail adds to the charm of the book, but it also can make it feel like the story is scarcely moving.

As other reviews will mention, the Rich logging sections were also slow and full of jargon. (I was happy to be able to look up words like "chummy" on my Kindle). If you're not into that world, detailed info on things like how to fell a tree will likely bore you to tears. But I did like Rich as a character (and thought Eugene was a wonderfully rendered, fully human, villain for the story.)

I could have actually used a bit more Colleen and Chub in the book. Colleen's sections in particular were fascinating. You can easily see how chemicals in the water could slowly be causing problems and how hard it would have been in those pre-Internet days to see those trends in communities which are rural and insular.

Overall, it's a strange but lovely book that's a bit of a downer in the end. (Which is little surprise. There is an ominous tone throughout it. Between the water, the woods and the weather, you know SOMETHING'S gonna kill someone before it's over.) However, the parts I liked, I REALLY liked. It was a little hard to find and savor those parts in all the OTHER parts.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really really really wanted to love this book. The premise sounds fascinating, and I picked it up when I was in the mood for something more literary that I could sink into. While this was that, it was so slow to start and filled with so much technical logging jargon, that it started to feel like a slog. Now, for some that might work for them, but unfortunately it just didn't work for me, so I put it down about 100 pages in.

Stunning debut. A rich story set in a small logging town in Northern California. Extremely well-crafted characters, including those who surround the main family of Rich, Colleen, and Chub. The redwood forest is an equal partner in this family saga and it’s presence is woven masterfully throughout the novel. An exceptional, beautifully written and well-developed story of the human experience. Heartfelt and true. Must read.

it is slow going and honestly i was bored . i like the writing and the premise. It doesnt pick up until the end.

I'm convinced this author hates her characters. What a sad story, filled with desolate situations and grief. I wanted to hug each of the characters and also throw the book.

Colleen and Rich Gundersen are part of the logging community in Northern California in the 1970’s when concerns about pesticides become a front and center issue. Davidson creates a realistic picture of the dangers of logging, making me feel as if I was right there with the redwoods, watching the loggers create roads and take down the trees while giving us an intimate look at families and their relationships. We learn of the deviousness of the owners of the land and the fears of the women who have lost children because of the pesticides. Every page of this story added depth and fullness to the characters. Very moving and a great debut novel .

Damnation Spring is set against a logging town in NorCal in the late 70s. In a time where environmental regulations waned and chemical impacts on the environment and human health were unknown, tree logging and farming represented a significant income for many Pac Northwest families.

Davidson explores a hyper focused look at Gunderson's family's life after Rich Gunderson's wife Colleen experiences another miscarriage in a chain of many losses. Rich is a logger and comes from a generation of loggers, and lives on the land he harvests. As the story continues, we learn about how the entire community is tied to the land, for better or worse, that they harvest and explores the impact of big corporations on these smaller towns.

Beautifully written, Davidson's prose not only speaks vividly to the human experience, but paints colorful landscapes of what it's like to live so closely tied to the earth.

I really enjoyed Damnation Spring. While a bit too descriptive at times, I felt fully immersed in the story of Collen, Rich and Damnation. It was raw and provoking and a must-read for anyone interested in modern American history or Americana sagas.

Read if you like:
+ Stories set in the Pac NW
+ Maggie Shipstead's Great Circle
+ Books on environmental impact

Damnation Spring, the debut novel by Ash Davidson, is the deliberately-paced story of Rich and his wife Colleen who live with their young son in a logging community in northern California. Rich, now middle-aged, has followed his father into the dangerous profession of logging giant Redwoods. The younger Colleen, who serves the women in the community as a midwife, has suffered multiple miscarriages and has witnessed an unusual number of abnormal births, which she comes to suspect are the direct result of chemical spraying by the logging company.

The novel is, at times, overly dense into the details of the logging business. But the story is sustained by the powerful, complicated love between Rich and Colleen, by the corrosive secrets they keep from each other, and by their desperate love for their only son. Colleen aches to have another child, despite what she realizes are the possible complications. Rich wants to maintain and provide for his existing family in the only way he knows how, even while the business of logging Redwoods is threatened by larger forces – including corporate greed, government regulation, and the growing conservation movement.

Damnation Spring is set in the 1970s, when environmentalism was largely characterized – and caricatured – by long-haired, pot-smoking, tree-hugging young people who were more concerned with trees than with the working people whose lives depended on their harvest. Conservation is more mainstream today, and we are better for that, but the conflict between jobs and environmental protection is perhaps even more relevant today than it was fifty years ago.

That conflict, and the rising awareness of the connection between indiscriminate spraying of herbicides and pesticides, runs like a tainted creek through the novel. But the politics of the issue are complicated, and Damnation Spring – to Davidson’s credit – does not attempt to simplify them. And while it carries a clear political message, Damnation Spring at its heart is a story of flawed, frightened, determined men and women struggling to survive and navigate through an indifferent and often hostile world.