The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

Ritter, Josh

United States

Hanover Square Press

NATIONAL BESTSELLER Henry Bright has newly returned to West Virginia from the battlefields of the First World War. Griefstruck by the death of his young wife and unsure of how to care for the infant son she left behind, Bright is soon confronted by the destruction of the only home he’s ever known. His hopes for safety rest with the angel who has followed him to Appalachia from the trenches of France and who now promises to protect him and his son. Haunted by the abiding nightmare of his experiences in the war and shadowed by his dead wife’s father, the Colonel, and his two brutal sons, Bright—along with his newborn—makes his way through a ravaged landscape toward an uncertain salvation. DON’T MISS THE EXCLUSIVE CONVERSATION BETWEEN JOSH RITTER AND NEIL GAIMAN IN THE BACK OF THE BOOK.

Bright's Passage: A Novel

Random House Publishing Group

"I loved this mythic American story. My heart overflowed with affection and raced with terror for Weldon Applegate! Josh Ritter's lyrical imagination frolics unfettered on page after fast-turning page."&nbsp;--Anaïs Mitchell,&nbsp;writer of&nbsp;Hadestown In the tiny timber town of Cordelia, Idaho, everyone has heard tales of the Applegates. Local legend says their family line boasts some of the greatest lumberjacks to ever roam the American West, and from the moment young Weldon stepped foot in the deep Cordelia woods as a child, he dreamed of joining the rowdy ranks of his ancestors in their epic axe-swinging adventures. But at the beginning of the twentieth century, times are changing fast, and the jacks are dying out. On his deathbed nearly a century later, Weldon Applegate recounts his life in all its glory, filled with tall tales writ large with murder, mayhem, avalanches and bootlegging. It's the story of dark pine forests brewing with ancient magic, and Weldon's struggle as a boy to keep his father's inherited timber claim, the Lost Lot, from the ravenous clutches of Linden Laughlin.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER From singer-songwriter Josh Ritter, a lyrical, sweeping novel about a young boy's coming-of-age during the last days of the lumberjacks. In the tiny timber town of Cordelia, Idaho, ninety-nine year old Weldon Applegate recounts his life in all its glory, filled with tall tales writ large with murder, mayhem, avalanches and bootlegging. It's the story of dark pine forests brewing with ancient magic, and Weldon's struggle as a boy to keep his father's inherited timber claim, the Lost Lot, from the ravenous clutches of Linden Laughlin. Ever since young Weldon stepped foot in the deep Cordelia woods as a child, he dreamed of joining the rowdy ranks of his ancestors in their epic axe-swinging adventures. Local legend says their family line boasts some of the greatest lumberjacks to ever roam the American West, but at the beginning of the twentieth century, the jacks are dying out, and it's up to Weldon to defend his family legacy. Braided with haunting saloon tunes and just the right dose of magic,&nbsp;The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All&nbsp;is a novel bursting with heart, humor and an utterly transporting adventure that is sure to sweep you away into the beauty of the tall snowy mountain timber. &nbsp;

“Bright’s Passage shines with a compressed lyricism that recalls Ray Bradbury in his prime…This is the work of a gifted novelist…” – Stephen King, The New York Times Book Review
Josh Ritter’s first novel is a wondrous, suspenseful, and uniquely affecting story of the journey taken by a father and his infant son. Henry Bright is newly returned to West Virginia from the battlefields of the First World War. Grief struck by the death of his young wife and unsure of how to care for the infant son she left behind, Bright is soon confronted by the destruction of the only home he’s ever known. His only hope for safety is the angel who has followed him to Appalachia from the trenches of France and who now promises to protect him and his son. Together, Bright and his newborn, along with a cantankerous goat and the angel guiding them, make their way through a landscape ravaged by forest fire toward an uncertain salvation, haunted by the abiding nightmare of his experiences in the war and shadowed by his dead wife’s father, the Colonel, and his two brutal sons. At times harrowing, at times funny, and always possessed by the sheer gorgeousness and unique imagination that have made Josh Ritter’s songs beloved to so many, this is the debut of a virtuoso fiction writer.

The Dial Press

A debut novel by the acclaimed songwriter follows the story of World War I veteran Henry Bright, who while grieving over the death of his young wife struggles to care for their new infant and travels a fire-stricken landscape accompanied by a guardian angel and a cantankerous goat. A first novel. (historical fiction).

Bright's Passage (Thorndike Press Large Print Basic)

Genre Fiction

Thorndike Press

The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All (Wheeler Publishing Large Print Hardcover)

Literary

Wheeler Publishing Large Print

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Books by Ritter, Josh

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ritter, Josh. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All: A Novel

Bright's Passage: A Novel

The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All: A Novel

The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All: A Novel

Bright's Passage: A Novel

Bright's Passage (Thorndike Press Large Print Basic)

The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All (Wheeler Publishing Large Print Hardcover)