From Publishers Weekly
Montana's rugged Two Medicine country, memorably evoked in the author's nonfiction memoir This House of Sky and the novel English Creek, once again shapes personalities and destinies in his new work. In 1889, two young Scotsmen, Rob Barclay and Angus McCaskill (grandfather of the narrator of English Creek, arrive in Montana, where for 30 years they struggle to find personal happiness and wrest a living from this demanding land. After losing the woman he loves, Angus marries Rob's sister Adair; their difficult relationship creates conflict, and then a bitter breach, between the two men. But if the thorny individualism of Rob and Angus results in lives that are never easy, they are rich in incident and growth, beautifully described in Doig's strong, savory prose. America's frontier history comes vividly to life in this absorbing saga filled with memorable characters. 50,000 first printing; major ad/promo. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
The settlement of Montana between 1890 and 1919 is recounted through the quiet but compelling life of Angus McCaskill, a young Scotsman who travels with his friend Rob Barclay to Montana's Two Medicine Country to homestead. Doig writes fervently of the voyage from Scotland and the lean first years, as the two share the work and hardship of establishing claims and building up flocks of sheep. He tells of their separate marriages, the severing of their friendship, and the final resolution of their conflict through death. Doig successfully recaptures the violence of the Montana elements and the staunch heritage of the Scottish settlers which served so well in his earlier novel English Creek and faithfully represents the struggle for survival on the frontier as he continues the McCaskills' story. Highly recommended. Thomas L. Kilpatrick, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., CarbondaleCopyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Pamela Guillard San Francisco Chronicle Dazzling...I find myself filled With such high praise for this book that instead of relating paltry bits of it, I want to quote the whole glorious thing....Doig plunges right in and, while giving us a gorgeous story, simultaneously peels that tale back to expose, the nubbins of human despair -- injustice, failure, and that incalculable restlessness exemplifled by the immigrant.

Book Description
It is 1889 when we meet Agnus McCaskill and Bob Barclay -- immigrants, "both of us nineteen and green as the cheese in the moon and trying our double-damndest not to show it." They are setting off for a new land, in America, in Montana. We follow their fortunes for the next 30 years in Two Medicine county at the base of the Rockies: the building of homes and the raising of families, making a living and making a life. Here is a tale of the uncertainties of friendship, of brutal winters and battles of will, and of two loves; one delightful and heartbreaking in its intensity, the other born of sadness, equally moving and stoical devotion.

From the Publisher
13 1.5-hour cassettes

ANNOTATION

This novel set in the great Montana highlands is a passionate and authentic chronicle of the American experience.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

From the award-winning author of This House of Sky, a novel set in the great Montana highlands--a passionate and authentic chronicle of the American experience. "Magnificent."--Seattle Post Intelligencer

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Montana's rugged Two Medicine country, memorably evoked in the author's nonfiction memoir This House of Sky and the novel English Creek, once again shapes personalities and destinies in his new work. In 1889, two young Scotsmen, Rob Barclay and Angus McCaskill (grandfather of the narrator of English Creek, arrive in Montana, where for 30 years they struggle to find personal happiness and wrest a living from this demanding land. After losing the woman he loves, Angus marries Rob's sister Adair; their difficult relationship creates conflict, and then a bitter breach, between the two men. But if the thorny individualism of Rob and Angus results in lives that are never easy, they are rich in incident and growth, beautifully described in Doig's strong, savory prose. America's frontier history comes vividly to life in this absorbing saga filled with memorable characters. 50,000 first printing; major ad/promo. (September)

Library Journal