The Smoke Jumper - Nicholas Evans

Firstly, thanks to pania22 (angela) who recommended this book to me :) Nicolas Evans is a writer whose work I hadn't read until recently - I had however, heard of his most popular book 'The Horse Whisperer' - but only because of the film adaptation. As 'horse whispering' doesn't really interest me (or at least I don't think it does) I started out by reading his wolf-based second book 'The Loop', which I generally enjoyed. This particular review focuses on Evans' third offering 'The Smoke Jumper', which was released in 2001, and can currently be purchased from Amazon for £5.49. 'So what is a 'smoke jumper'?' I hear you ask - I know it ...  Read the complete review

Nicholas Evans' most famous story is The Horse Whisperer, made famous in full glossy Hollywood style by Robert Redford ten years ago. Like that book and Evans' other masterpiece The Loop, the heart of The Smoke Jumper lies very much in the American West, and uses those grand surroundings as the primary backdrop for a tale of love and loss. In a small town in Montana we encounter two apparently sensible men, good humoured musician Ed and taciturn farmer Connor. I use the word 'apparently', because the activity that acts as glue to these two men's friendship is smoke jumping - parachuting from planes to put out forest fires. They are a tight knit pair with an ...  Read the complete review