The World Made Straight: A Novel
Apr 2007 · Sold by Henry Holt and Company
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9 reviews
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304
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About this ebook
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING NOAH WYLE, JEREMY IRVINE, MINKA KELLY, ADELAIDE CLEMENS, STEVE EARLE, AND HALEY JOEL OSMENT.
ALA ALEX ALWARD WINNER
"ONE OF THE MAJOR WRITERS OF OUR TIME."—THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
Vivid, harrowing yet ultimately hopeful, The World Made Straight is best-selling author Ron Rash's subtlest exploration yet of the painful conflict between the bonds of home and the desire for independence.
Travis Shelton is seventeen the summer he wanders into the woods onto private property outside his North Carolina hometown, discovers a grove of marijuana large enough to make him some serious money, and steps into the jaws of a bear trap. After hours of passing in and out of consciousness, Travis is discovered by Carlton Toomey, the wise and vicious farmer who set the trap to protect his plants, and Travis's confrontation with the subtle evils within his rural world has begun.
Before long, Travis has moved out of his parents' home to live with Leonard Shuler, a one-time schoolteacher who lost his job and custody of his daughter years ago, when he was framed by a vindictive student. Now Leonard lives with his dogs and his sometime girlfriend in a run-down trailer outside town, deals a few drugs, and studies journals from the Civil War. Travis becomes his student, of sorts, and the fate of these two outsiders becomes increasingly entwined as the community's terrible past and corrupt present bear down on each of them from every direction, leading to a violent reckoning—not only with Toomey, but with the legacy of the Civil War massacre that, even after a century, continues to divide an Appalachian community.
“An intellectually satisfying work of suspense . . . Reminds us of the sort of compelling literature a brave artist can fashion from the shards of such experience.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review
ALA ALEX ALWARD WINNER
"ONE OF THE MAJOR WRITERS OF OUR TIME."—THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
Vivid, harrowing yet ultimately hopeful, The World Made Straight is best-selling author Ron Rash's subtlest exploration yet of the painful conflict between the bonds of home and the desire for independence.
Travis Shelton is seventeen the summer he wanders into the woods onto private property outside his North Carolina hometown, discovers a grove of marijuana large enough to make him some serious money, and steps into the jaws of a bear trap. After hours of passing in and out of consciousness, Travis is discovered by Carlton Toomey, the wise and vicious farmer who set the trap to protect his plants, and Travis's confrontation with the subtle evils within his rural world has begun.
Before long, Travis has moved out of his parents' home to live with Leonard Shuler, a one-time schoolteacher who lost his job and custody of his daughter years ago, when he was framed by a vindictive student. Now Leonard lives with his dogs and his sometime girlfriend in a run-down trailer outside town, deals a few drugs, and studies journals from the Civil War. Travis becomes his student, of sorts, and the fate of these two outsiders becomes increasingly entwined as the community's terrible past and corrupt present bear down on each of them from every direction, leading to a violent reckoning—not only with Toomey, but with the legacy of the Civil War massacre that, even after a century, continues to divide an Appalachian community.
“An intellectually satisfying work of suspense . . . Reminds us of the sort of compelling literature a brave artist can fashion from the shards of such experience.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING NOAH WYLE, JEREMY IRVINE, MINKA KELLY, ADELAIDE CLEMENS, STEVE EARLE, AND HALEY JOEL OSMENT.
ALA ALEX ALWARD WINNER
"ONE OF THE MAJOR WRITERS OF OUR TIME."—THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
Vivid, harrowing yet ultimately hopeful, The World Made Straight is be...
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Ratings and reviews
9 reviews
A Google user
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March 3, 2012
A wonderful easy reading but packed with history, comedy, adventure, and drugs. It was assigned for my college english class at western carolina university which is where mr. Rash held the parrish seat. I started reading it on my family vacation trip and by the end of our first day I was done with it. I liked it so much I read it two more times that week. Great book and would suggest to anyone who is open minded or just looking for a good book to related to if you are from small town USA.
Bradley Deal
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September 20, 2024
This is a great novel by a great artist.
About the author
RON RASH is the author of the PEN/Faulkner finalist and New York Times bestselling novel Serena, in addition to other prize-winning novels, including The Cove, One Foot in Eden, and Saints at the River. He has written several collections of poems and stories, among them Burning Bright, which won the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, and Chemistry and Other Stories, which was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. Twice the recipient of the O. Henry Prize, he teaches at Western Carolina University.
RON RASH is the author of the PEN/Faulkner finalist and New York Times bestselling novel Serena, in addition to other prize-winning novels, including The Cove, One Foot in Eden, and Saints at the River. He has written several collections of poems and stories, among them Burning Bright, which won ...
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