I was almost surprised by how much I found myself enjoying The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All. Based upon the synopsis, I thought it would either be a book I disliked or really liked, and was happy that I ended up liking it. Weldon's coming of age was so fun to read about. Additionally, the setting was a big part of the book, and I loved it. Weldon was a great character. The first part of the book was a little bit hard to get into for me, but after that I couldn't put it down.

Not really that interesting to me, unfortunately. I love Josh Ritter as a musician, but this just didn’t connect with me. Sort of cliche grumpy old man narrator, very “get off my lawn.” This may be more of a me issue than an issue with the book, which is why I didn’t post it on Goodreads.

Josh Ritter is a fantastic writer, musician, and human. I love everything he puts out into the world, and this book is no exception. This novel is worth reading.

Historical fiction that actually has what readers hope to find when they open a book. A wonderful story, great characters and writing that holds you spellbound as the story unwinds and builds that "visual" in your mind.

If you enjoy having a grizzled old man tell you stories, then this is the book! I felt like it it got more engaging in the second half, and the first half was a little difficult to get through.

3 stars. It was a solid enough read, but I thought I would enjoy this more. Some great descriptions of the region and times, and our young main character was often interesting and relatable.

Many thanks to #NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

As a fan of Josh Ritter's music, I was intrigued by his newest book. I think this book tried to do too much in too little a space. All of the emotion that Ritter is able to fit into a three minute song got lost in the lengthy sentences and paragraphs of this book. There were enjoyable elements along the way, but overall, the message got bogged down in the mechanics of the book.

Book started out strong. Interesting and edgy. Had high hopes for it. Then became repetitive and lost it’s momentum. By then I didn’t care anymore and about then the book just ended. Ending was rather abrupt-like the author just got tired and quit,

If you like folklore or fairytales, you will like this book. A fun fast paced adventure of epic proportions. 90 year old Wendell is retelling the wild adventures of his youth.

Josh Ritter opens this book with a most impressive, creative, and flamboyant string of cursing that I have ever seen or heard. He then proceeds with the tale of a young man and his hard life as orphan, lumberjack and survivor of the trials and tribulations of his long life. An especially interesting look into the grit and guts required to be a lumberjack and work in this danger filled profession.

If you're a fan of Josh Ritter's songwriting and have wished to enjoy his stories in a longer form, you might enjoy "The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All." Set in the fictional town of Cordelia, Idaho, the novel is narrated by 99-year old Weldon Applegate, the narrative switching between Weldon's present, and his youth in the timber town. As you'd expect from Josh RItter, there's sex and death and drinking and a whole lot of swearing, along with a fortune-telling witch, Prohibition agents, freight trains, and a demonic lumberjack named Linden Laughlin.

I really enjoyed this book! I think it will appeal to readers who like a lyrical style of story telling and who are attracted to well told folktales.

I love reading about times that are lost to history, and this one hit all of the right notes for me. It made me feel a nostalgia for something that I knew nothing about, and read like a legend, which who knows, perhaps it was.

I also really love reading about manly, masculine men, especially written by men, because they are so other to me - I find them fascinating - and you can't get much more stereotypically masculine than a lumberjack. Don't be fooled though, the characters are all complex and quirky. The main character, Weldon, is a real firecracker and the antagonist is portrayed SO WELL! Don't want to say too much more about it because I don't want to spoil anything.

The Great Glorious Goddamn of it All won't be for everyone, but I loved this book. The writing was beautiful - it made me laugh out loud in some parts and gasp in others. Thank you so much for the ARC, will definitely be suggesting this one to others.

Weldon Applegate recounts his long life as the inheritor, owner, and ultimately, the protector of a stand of trees known as the Lost Lot. Within his remembrances, he chronicles the changes of a century, the character he meets, and in some cases, defends against reflecting the archetypes of the century. Weldon Applegate's life is a saga in the purest sense. It's worth working through the initial composition of the setting and time to appreciate Weldon's tale.

Weldon is a 99-yeaer-old storyteller who is telling a gigantic tale from his hospital bed of his life from 13 year old to his present day. The tale centers on Linden Laughlin, a lumberjack extrardinare, or as Weldon says, "The best jack that had ever lived." Linden want to log The Lost Lot which Weldon's father owns. There is deaths, drinks, and many characters with unusual names -- Alright Edward, Unto Sisson, Overland Sam. Plue there is a special drink called "Dream' created by Annie and Peg.
Read a unique tale of the Northern woods with all the characters, languages, and Dream.

I was not enamored by this story. It was awkward where it should have been building the characters, the rivalry was kind of disappointing, and the dead guy was not a part of the story that was any type of enjoyable.

If you get a kick out of listening to elderly people recount the adventures in their long lives, this book is for you. At 99, Weldon has some tales to tell. As he recounts his life as a lumberjack, and all the adventures and misadventures along the way, you are taken back in time and into the woods. This book is both about being a lumberjack, and also about so much more. It's funny and lyrical and overall a memorable tale.

This book is clearly written by a songwriter- there are certain lines that seem to need to be set to melody. I love stories about times and days that are long gone. Lumberjacks are now for the most part legend and lore and it was so interesting reading about this family.

I admit, I picked this tale because of the title. It reads like a memory poem mixed with an arthouse movie; and, although there is danger, violence, and seriousness it’s narrated with so much clever humor you won’t want to “put the book down”, but you also won’t want this story to reach an end.

The age of the lumberjacks is drawing to a close and one father and son are there as both participants and witnesses. This sprawling way of life is about to fade into history but not before being shared with the reader by a 99-year old narrator who tells his story in a way resembling a ribald folktale on steroids.

If you are a fan of dark humor, tall tales, or just a (mostly) lost way of life, you should tear into this story and expect it to stick with you.

This is a charming and quick read told from the perspective of a 99 year old Weldon Applegate as he reminisces about the "good ol' days" in the blink-and-you-miss-it logging town of Cordelia, Idaho. 3 parts tall tale to make his adventures sound more grandiose, 2 parts nostalgia, and 1 part creatively used profanity mixed well create a larger-than-life set of characters and shenanigans.

The descriptions of the pristine Idaho woodlands evokes images of virgin forests that no longer exist in the United States outside of carefully protected areas. It was like taking a deep breath of pine scented mountain air. This, more than anything, brought life to the story.

While not for everyone, I highly enjoyed this book.

Trigger Warnings: profanity, violence, references to sexual violence.