The Loop

Im not usually a big reader but this book came highly recommended by a native Montanan on a topic of interest to me. I loved and hated this book at the same time. The brutality and ignorance of man is sometimes hauntingly disturbing, and portrayed well in this story. The author pretty well nailed his details both on wolf behavior and sadly on many (but certainly not all) westerners. Having spent much time in Montana myself I couldn't help wondering was this a true story with names changed? or researched fiction? Sadly in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho there is no shortage of the character types described in the book.The biggest surprise in the book for me was not the portrayal of ranchers, environmentalist, or wolves. It was the trapper that caught me off guard. You see, my father was a similar type person who had a similar, fitting end. Who could have guessed there would be more than one of those!

Stories about wolves, like the tales of centuries past, have suffered the animal to a yoke of unforgiving malevolence into a shroud of deepening despise. No animal on Earth has incurred the pen of cruelty, nor has any creature endured the cuts of loathsome fiction as much as the gray wolf. Now, Nicholas Evans, in his masterful novel, The Loop, turns the reader’s attention toward the only animal with rightful ownership of hate itself: Man.Buck Calder, a philandering, yet influential rancher and his cattleman cronies exemplify the purest of evil and ignorance towards the beleaguered canids. Helen Ross, a biologist, commissioned to save the wolves from the hostility of ranchers’ detestation, finds herself embroiled in a hopeless fight against the townsfolk of Hope Montana with her biggest ally and love, Luke, the shy, unassuming son of the ruthless Buck Calder.Nicholas Evans fleshes out his characters so well that I am at times wishing for less detail of their backgrounds so I may get on with his storyline. Regrettably, this is my bad, not Mr. Evans’, for his knowledge of wolf behavior allows us to see the canid character as it truly is: a creature of high intelligence, with devotion to its young and a capacity for love and compassion well beyond all animals below the primates. As a writer, I found the brutal cruelty of Man toward the wolf in The Loop difficult to read, much less fathom, but there is more honest truth written here than most wolf antagonists dare speak of. Much a reflection of us, Evans depicts the gray wolf more realistically than in any book of fiction, save my novel Cry Wolf, Cry.

The Loop was a gripping account of cultural clash between ranchers and individuals concerned about preserving what they considered an endangered wolf population even after the Federal hunting restrictions were lifted. It includes well defined characters making sometimes surprising choices during conflict. It was believable, gripping and definitely kept my attention to the end.

Nicholas Evans is an extraordinarily gifted writer in that his characterizations are perfection itself. He elicits the emotions of the reader, as well as moving the story along at a captivating pace. This book compares favorably with his THE HORSE WHISPERER. Its setting in cattle country near national parks where wolves are being loosed in hopes of promoting their preservation, and his development of complex relationships between people and wolves, people and people, is phenomenal. After reading this, I promptly ordered (in hardback) his THE SMOKE JUMPER and THE DIVIDE, both of which are equally fantastic reading. I understand THE SMOKE JUMPER is going to be made into a movie.

I’ve read this book before and really liked the story. It is a thoughtful look at hunting practices and human emotions. This book is not for everyone regarding graphic descriptions of killing of wolfs.

In my opinion, all of Mr. Nichols's books were really great reads, but "The Loop" was tops. A story you will not soon forget and so profound. I highly recommend this book to all.

My 91 year old mother listens to books on CDs. She is not an mp3 person. When buying her a book on CD it is expected to play. If a CD says it is mp3 ready, for 45 dollars I erroneously thought an mp3 was attached. I hopefully can transcribe this to wave file, place it on CDs and... well, I'm disappointed.

This was a good read after starting a bit slow.

I love this author's work which are all stand alone novels but this one is my favourite, and the reassembled for the audio book brings the story to life. It can be a hard listen but I wanted to keep listening to it, it took me five days to listen to in its entirety but it took me away to another world.

Unlike other reviewers I found the similarities to The horse whisperer, in pace, attitude and similar story. The accident at the beginning that shadows the secondary character thoughout the story, the main character being a fractured maternal figure, the meeting and healing through the interest in animals - more similarities would be plot spoilers.I expect the next volume may be a depressing story about the healing of broken lives, and beavers.

Having read "The Smoke Jumper" I bought "The Loop and "The Horse Whisperer". They were both great and I have since bought ALL his other books. Good decision!

This book was simply amazing, gripping, dramatic and Wow!!! It was such a great story line and had you on the edge of your seat. The characters were so well written and so full of emotion and character. You felt as if you were right there watching it happen. I would give this book a ten star rating if I could. The plot was full of suspense and drama, and I could not put the book down. This is a MUST read because it is simply one of the best books.

I much enjoyed this novel by Nicholas Evans who is one of my favourite authors.