From the author of "Snow Falling on Cedars" comes this bestselling novel about a dying man's final journey through a landscape that has always sustained him and provided him with hope and challenges.
Read More
From the author of "Snow Falling on Cedars" comes this bestselling novel about a dying man's final journey through a landscape that has always sustained him and provided him with hope and challenges.
Read Less
Add this copy of East of the Mountains to cart. $0.99, good condition, Sold by More Than Words rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Knopf Publishing Group.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. . All orders guaranteed and ship within 24 hours. Your purchase supports More Than Words, a nonprofit job training program for youth, empowering youth to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business.
Add this copy of East of the Mountains to cart. $0.99, good condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Vintage.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Fast Shipping.
Add this copy of East of the Mountains to cart. $1.25, good condition, Sold by Once Upon A Time Books rated 2.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tontitown, AR, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Vintage.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
This is a used book in good condition and may show some signs of use or wear. This is a used book in good condition and may show some signs of use or wear.
Add this copy of East of the Mountains to cart. $1.29, good condition, Sold by Orion Tech rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Vintage.
Add this copy of East of the Mountains to cart. $1.29, fair condition, Sold by Orion Tech rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Vintage.
Add this copy of East of the Mountains to cart. $1.85, good condition, Sold by Goodwill of Colorado rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Knopf Publishing Group.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
This item is in overall good condition. Covers and dust jackets are intact but may have minor wear including slight curls or bends to corners as well as cosmetic blemishes including stickers. Pages are intact but may have minor highlighting/ writing. Binding is intact; however, spine may have slight wear overall. Minor shelf wear overall. Please note that all items are donated goods and are in used condition. Orders shipped Monday through Friday! Your purchase helps put people to work and learn life skills to reach their full potential. Orders shipped Monday through Friday. Your purchase helps put people to work and learn life skills to reach their full potential. Thank you!
Add this copy of East of the Mountains to cart. $1.99, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Vintage.
Add this copy of East of the Mountains to cart. $1.99, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Vintage.
Add this copy of East of the Mountains to cart. $2.00, good condition, Sold by Blue Vase Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Interlochen, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Knopf Publishing Group.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Add this copy of East of the Mountains to cart. $2.01, good condition, Sold by Off The Shelf rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Imperial, MO, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Knopf Publishing Group.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
David Guterson's novel "East of the Mountains" is set in the Columbia Basin of central Washington in the late 1990s. It tells the story of Dr. Ben Givens, a renowned heart surgeon who has recently lost his wife, retired, and learned he is suffering from terminal colon cancer. With the goal of saving himself and his family from unnecessary pain and suffering, he sets out with his two dogs on a hunting trip with the intention of committing suicide.
The book has strong components of a picaresque novel, with Dr. Givens's adventures in his brief journey, and of an American coming-of-age novel with its protagonist an elderly, successful man rather than a youth struggling to reach maturity. In some ways, this book reminded me of Kerouac's "On the Road" with an older and wiser hero. "Huckleberry Finn" for the ageing also lurks somewhere in the background
In his journey, Dr. Givens has a variety of experiences and meets many different sorts of people emanating from an automobile accident he suffers at the outset. He meets a young couple going skiing, a drifter who provides him with marijuana, a graduate student to whom he is briefly attracted who is studying Rudolph Steiner (the founder of an esoteric movement somewhat similar to Theosophy), illegal immigrants picking apples, a young woman veterinarian, and many others. He also recollects during his journey his past life, particularly his loving wife, his wartime experiences and his decision to become a physician.
Each of the people he meets along the way has something to teach him towards recovering (or gaining) a degree of self-understanding and acceptance of his condition. I found it striking and good that most of the people are rather ordinary in intelligence and achievement, with something valuable to teach a famous and skilled heart surgeon.
The book explores the theme of life as a journey and a quest for self-knowledge for someone with the experience of age. It speaks of the value of this our world, the only world we know. I was reminded of the American poet Wallace Stevens's observation that "The greatest poverty is not to live in a physical world". The book celebrates the beauty of the West, the emotional and erotic beauty of women, the beauty of using one's skills to help others, and the beauty of trying to understand oneself. The descriptions are good, and the story is well-told, even though it lacks a certain sparkle. A worthwhile and thoughtful book.
