Wrangler Dani

I went to a writing conference a few months ago, (and won a little something, *cough* shameless plug *cough*) and one of my favorite break-out sessions was led by Mary DeMuth. I’d been following her online for a while before the conference, because she was teaching a memoir class that I was trying desperately to get into. (Non-spoiler: I didn’t get in. But I did meet her! And attend one of her classes! See, I took lemons and made lemonade. I like to think that could apply to life.)

Anyways, her class was really awesome and seeing her in person made me like her online presence even more. Although I’d never read one of her books before, when she offered a preview copy of The Muir House on her blog, I was raising my hand in the back of the class like the over-eager, nerdy student that I am, and thankfully, she sent me a free copy to review.

Y’all. I read this book in TWO DAYS. I’ve been slogging through heavier things lately, like Atlas Shrugged (which I’m also using to improve my biceps) and other pokey political tomes, and The Muir House was a refreshing, engaging read. DeMuth’s writing style is everything I admire about good writing. It’s clear, vivid and balanced – not so poetic that the reader gets lost, but not a dry listing of the facts either. It’s really beautiful.

I also loved the story. The lead character is Willa Muir, a young woman living in Seattle who heads to her hometown in Texas to find herself and hopefully answers to questions that have plagued her. I love the juxtaposition of the whole-grain hippie Northwest against sensible, sweet-tea Texas, having moved from the Northwest to Texas myself in college. Her references to the chilly mornings in Seattle and the warm welcome of Texas made me homesick for both places in different ways (yet more proof of DeMuth’s powerful descriptors). Also, I’m not usually one for emotional dramas – if the lead character spends most of the book “finding” herself inside her own head I expect to be bored – but The Muir House was different. I related to her character many times in the story, scared of love, reconnecting with old friends and finding “home”, to name a few, and I was surprised at how much I cared for Willa and her future by the end of the book.

SO. Since this book was freely given to me, I’m going to share it with you! My copy is still in great condition and it needs a new home, so I’m giving it away on the blog. Simply leave a comment on this to enter the giveaway once, and if you want a second chance, trot on over to Facebook and “like” my Facebook page, leaving a separate comment here that you did so. I’ll leave the giveaway open until Monday, July 18th at 10 p.m. PST and I’ll announce a random winner on Tuesday!

Happy Friday and good luck!

(Legalese: Mary DeMuth sent me this book in exchange for a review, all opinions are my own. Also, I grabbed the photo from Amazon.com, let’s face it, my photos don’t come out that well.)