The Loop (Thorndike Basic)

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Nicholas Evans, Adam Woog

Used from £2.21

Pages: 672 (Hardcover)

ISBN: 0786216336

Pub: Thorndike Press

Pub date: 1998-12

Editorial Review:

Things aren't going too well for wolf biologist Helen Ross. At 29, she's unemployed (recently retired dishwasher), single (boyfriend of two years left her for Africa), and has just learned that her father is marrying someone younger, richer, and prettier than herself (completely accurate). Back in her lonely log cabin in Cape Cod, frantically chain-smoking, she receives a message from her former lover Dan Prior. Prior, also a biologist, works for the US Fish & Wildlife Service wolf-recovery program. In return for helping him track the lupine posse, Prior will provide her with a cabin, truck, and a snowmobile for good measure in a rustic little town called Hope, just outside of Helena, Montana. Apparently, Ross has never heard the proverb "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," and happily skips off to Big Sky Country.

Within moments of her arrival, she finds out what she's up against: a small town with a long history of wolf fear and loathing, no resources (big surprise) and a powerful rancher who will do whatever it takes to eliminate the wolves. The rancher, testosterone-saturated Buck Calder, has got the community riled up after a wolf stalked his daughter's home and killed the family dog. He won't stop until every last endangered wolf is dead, which proves problematic for Ross when she decides to romance his 18- year-old son, Luke. Cynics be warned: their love affair spawns a trove of gooey pillow talk and syrupy prose. Even so, Evans has made impressive strides as a writer since his debut novel, The Horse Whisperer, and his storytelling has reached a noticeably new level of sophistication: the plot is tight, the characterisation is realistic, and the dialogue is crisp. --Rebekah Warren

Reader Reviews:

Another triumph for Evans. (5/5 people found this helpful)

Like many, I read this after The Horse Whisper and was absolutely mesmerised. Evans has the ability to write a beautiful love story whilst maintaining a realistic view of the world that surrounds his subjects. The reader truly feels for the plight of the wolves that are the core thread of the story, whilst following the evolving relationships of the characters that live alongside them. A must for anyone who has an interest in wildlife and enjoys a good read.

One of my favourite books of all time (6/7 people found this helpful)

I read a lot of books but I loved this one and can't recommend it enough, I can read it and re-read it. The characters are so rich, you feel like you know them. Wonderful!

If you thought the Horse Whisperer was as good as it got... (9/9 people found this helpful)

I finished reading The Horse Whisperer, a book I thoroughly enjoyed being an animal lover, and was afraid that Evans' next novel wouldn't be as gripping. How wrong I was. The Loop was every bit as good as The Horse Whisperer, and I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading animal fiction, but be warned; this book is so brilliant you just won't want to put it down until you've finished!

enjoyable book on an eccological theme (5/5 people found this helpful)

I loved this book, and was gripped by the stories - that of the wolves (and their survival) and the romeo/juliet like love story. I was suprised to find myself sympathetic to the plight of the wolves and shocked by the cruelty of man. I enjoyed the horse whisperer, but preferred this book - perhaps because the eccology of the survival of species makes this book quite topical.

A love for the Rockies and the Big Sky Country (3/3 people found this helpful)

I absolutely loved this book. Having been to Montana and other places in the Rocky Mountains and loved it, I couldn't wait to read the book. I did a small Wolf study myself in Montana a while ago and the descriptions of the environment and of the animals themselves is excellent. The story is rich with well descibed characters; some fragile and some obviously not.

If you are a slow reader like me, you'll find yourself at the end of this book in next to no time; it's a real page turner.

Go ahead, by now or buy it for your holiday.

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