I had a very hard time getting into this book, and overall I thought it was just ok. The writing is very flowery and overly descriptive, lots of logging jargon which was confusing at times, and I did not find the ending to be satisfactory. This is the story of a logger and his family versus the "tree-huggers " who are investigating the effects of the poisons being sprayed for decades to keep undergrowth under control, set in the late 1970s.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a beautifully written gut-wrenching story. It's set in the late 1970's in a logging town. It's about a family who's way of life is starting to drastically change. The hillsides are sliding, the water is muddier than ever with less fish and they are running out of good wood to cut. Everyone can see the hillsides changing but no one is adding anything else up. They aren't counting the birth defects, the strange cancers or the miscarriages. They are justing making their living, pushing through one day at a time, many like their dads and moms before them. It's a little peak into our history - a time when earning a living by logging was a whole town's way of life.

The story is so engrossing, right from the beginning. You are wrapped up in the little town, learning most of the neighbors quickly. The rhythm of their day is easy to slide in to, the 4 am wake up, the kids all tumbling together to play and the way they all lean on each other to ease their burdens. But you can see the cracks and you can feel that you're an outsider, peaking in at the moment it's all starting to happen.

I loved the characters, the story, the town. I raged as they raged, I cried as they cried, and I loved every page of this story (even when it broke my heart). I will definitely look for more from this author. I might even re-read this one (something I rarely rarely do!)

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Damnation Spring is about the conflict between loggers and environmentalists. Quite a timely topic.

Unfortunately while well researched, it took 200 pages to get past the author's research about logging.

It seemed like a book I would love, but unfortunately, it took too long to get to the story, and then it was short-lived.

How do you protect and provide for your family while being asked to go against your community and the only way of life that you know? This is the dilemma that Rich & Colleen face in Ash Davidson’s novel “Damnation Spring”. Set in Northern California amidst what is now the Redwood parks (state and national) during the 1970s, Davidson develops several conflicts: husband v. wife; sister v. sister; loggers v. environmentalists; and landowners v. the government. Rich & Colleen are caught in all of this. Rich, a third-generation logger, tries to attain his dream of buying a ridge full of majestic Redwoods, including the 24-7 tree AND creating a family. Colleen longs to be a mother of several children. She cherishes her only son, nicknamed Chub, and grieves the multiple miscarriages she has suffered. As a midwife, she realizes that many women in the area have suffered miscarriages and stillbirths. Children are born with extreme disabilities; Colleen knows that it is from the toxic sprays used to kill the undergrowth. These sprays saturate every part of the community, causing most of the conflicts for the characters, particularly Colleen & Rich.

I wanted to love this book, especially after visiting the area in California, but the narrative became repetitive and drawn out. In addition, there is a shift in tone in the last 1/4 of the novel as if Davidson needed to wrap up the plot rather quickly. In addition, the author also shifts point of view from Rich, Colleen, or Chub to Colleen’s sister. This shift is out of place and unnecessary. Overall, the other characters are flat and predictable, except for Lark., who is endearing. I did enjoy some of the novel but became bored with how drawn out it is.

As a high school English teacher, I would not recommend this novel to my students. They would not connect with the characters and the logging jargon would be cumbersome. The character and plot development are not complex enough to be suitable for Advanced Placement classes either.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Scribner for the advanced copy.

This book was interesting but just took way too long to develop. The take on climate change was unique, but this was a slow read for me and I almost gave up. But for all the positive reviews, I may not have continued. I think this just wasn’t my style of book.
Thanks Netgalley for a ARC.

A creative shift in perspective on the climate change debate.. The story takes a long time to develop, as do some of the characters. There are lots of details about logging that bog down the story a bit, but may be of interest to some.

Book of the Month pick about loggers in the Pacific Northwest. This is not a subculture I am familiar with and I found it interested to learn more.

Definitely not a typical read for me, it was an odd choice for book of the month. It was unique but that’s about it for me. I didn’t really take anything away from the story,

Lots of detailed description but good story about the PNW and loggers. Also a book-of-the-month pick.

When I saw this was a BOTM pick, I knew it had to be good! I tend to love historical fiction/contemporary fiction. I loved the setting of this book, but it was just a bit too slow for me. This one was rather long too which just seemed to make things drag along for me. I would give this one three stars. It’s great for people who like outdoorsy/woodsy settings. But be prepared to read this one slowly.

In terms of style and prose, this book is very well written (in my opinion). But, honestly, it gave me a lot of Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver vibes right from the beginning and for a lot of the book. Small, low-income town, not a lot of options for residents, with there being a major industry employing most of the town thus raising any suspicions environmentally about the industry causes a tussle amongst locals. Some infidelity, some internal family strife.

The author came into her own further into the book, and ended overall really well. There were a few things holes she opened towards the end that didn't get resolved that bugged me a bit, but overall, a good book (and if you haven't read Flight Behavior, then everything above is moot).

This was a pretty incredible story! Lots of layers and characters. I liked this book overall. Very good!

This book deals with an interesting and relevant topic however it gets bogged down in too much description.. There are logging descriptions, equipment details, and logging slang used without reader explanations. Way too many intricate descriptions of Rich’s logging job and Colleen’s every day life. It slowed the pace of the story and made a great topic tedious.

Damnation Spring begins as a very detailed description of the lifestyle of Pacific Northwest loggers in the 1970s, after the heyday of redwood harvesting and at the beginning of the environmental preservation push. Rich is the last of a long line of loggers, married to Colleen, a self-taught midwife. They and their young son Chub live on the edge of some of the last redwood groves in the area, the redwoods having been harvested for generations. The locals mostly subsist off the land and use water from the local springs and waterways in their homes. As the book progresses, the reader begins to see the relationship between Rich and Colleen evolving, as well as the relationships among the logging company, environmental activists, and the loggers.

The first 2/3 of this book is a bit of a slog, although a very well-written slog. The story picks up after the halfway point and it’s this last section in particular that led me to give this book four stars. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in descriptive settings and/or fans of environmental books such as Silent Spring.

A heavy, lengthy read about a unique topic. This book is well written with excellent plot and character development although it is very wordy.
Its a story about family tackling life in a California logging town in 1977 with a lot of hardship and heartbreak.
It’s definitely a commitment to finish this long book, but worth it if you can get through the slow start.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Damnation Spring was an incredible portrait of a family, their community, and their livelihoods.
It was poignant and heart-wrenching with characters I cared about. The 1970s forestry ecology theme on the dangers of spraying and clearcutting connected directly to today's climate change issues.

Rich, a high climber following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, is married to Colleen, who works as a midwife. They have just one son, but not for lack of trying. Colleen has endured several miscarriages. A former high school classmate (and former boyfriend), Daniel, is back in the area doing scientific research on water quality in the logging areas of the community and is trying to raise awareness of the water quality issues. Colleen starts connecting the miscarriages and birth defects among her clients (who are her neighbors) and begins to believe Daniel's warnings. Meanwhile, Rich has secretly purchased a virgin woodlot next to his homestead, intending to make his fortune with one last harvest and finally retire from logging while still living in the woods he loves.

Davidson's descriptions draw you into the actions and emotions of the well developed characters and their lives. It was a truly incredible read and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner/Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

Northern CA in the 1970's, this is about timber and redwoods, and how environmentalism impacted the logging industry-and the people involved. Rich is a logger, Colleen is his wife. He loves his job and the land. Environmentalists come in and start bringing up questions about the chemicals that are being sprayed, and the effects of logging on the environment. Colleen has miscarried 8 times-she finally realizes that maybe it is not her body that is at fault, but other factors and the water they are drinking. This is a beautiful family story, and the sense of place is amazing. Some of the technical description of logging was a little much for me. Very worth reading. #damnationspring #ashdavidson #damnationspringashdavidson #debutnovel #bookstagram #booklover #booksbooksbooks #bookrecommendations #bookreview #tbr #netgalley #lovetoread #bookloversofinstagram #readersofinstagram

Damnation Sprint is a phenomenal read that truly focuses on what is important in life. It's a breath of fresh air in this chaotic time, and I loved it! That's saying a lot since it's outside my normal thriller/mystery genre. I'd give it 5 stars hands down. Just wow!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

Shedding light on environmental issues and domesticity, Damnation Spring is a work of literary art. Beautiful and heartbreaking, the story follows Rich, a fourth generation logger, his wife Colleen, a self-made "mid-wife" though she won't use that word to describe herself, and their son Chub who is just trying to grow-up near Damnation Spring and make sense of this thing we call life.

I won't say I really "enjoyed" this book as the subject matter was heavy-hearted and sometimes downright gloomy. But it was well-written and held my attention so for that, I would absolutely recommend this book to fans of literary fiction that has a message to convey to its readers. An excellent sense of place puts you right there in the logging world, as well.

When Stephen King said this was a great book, I was immediately sold.

Then I started reading, and I was wondering when I was going to get to the good stuff. There’s so much introductory phase, so much description, so much back story.
It felt less like the actual situation at hand (drama between the loggers and environmentalists - which really did intrigue me, or at least I wanted it to) and more just about the specifics of logging.

I ended up getting lost. Then interested. Then let down because the story was over.

The book was getting so much praise, I was so excited, and maybe it just didn’t live up to my expectations. I’m not sure.