A review by writesdave
Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Ree Dolly has ascended to the pinnacle of American literary heroines as she tracks down her deadbeat addict dad to save her family's house. It's an amazing odyssey in a forgotten part of America, one I would not have even considered were it not for Woodrell's firsthand experience in that rural hellscape. The prose is beautiful, at times over-the-top, and the plot moves quickly. In essence, a uniquely American novel about hardscrabble Americans struggling in a world threatening to leave them behind, but somehow finding a way.