Name: Shotgun Lovesongs
Rating: 4 (18 reviews)
ISBN: 9781250039811

Nickolas Butler

Sharing a childhood in small-town Wisconsin before going their separate ways with careers and families, Hank, Leland, Kip and Ronny are reunited during a visit marked by culture clashes, respective pursuits of meaning and a woman who inspires passion in each of them. A first novel. 150,000 first printing.

A Novel

Shotgun Lovesongs

Henry, Lee, Kip and Ronny grew up together in rural Wisconsin. Friends since childhood, their lives all began the same way, but have since taken different paths. Henry stayed on the family farm and married his first love, whilst the others left in search of something more. Ronnie became a rodeo star, Kip made his fortune in the city, and musician Lee found fame – but heartbreak, too. Now all four are back in town for a wedding, each of them hoping to recapture their old closeness but unable to escape how much has changed. Amid the happiness of reunion and celebration, old rivalries resurface and a wife’s secret threatens to tear both a marriage and a friendship apart . . . This is a novel about the things that matter – love and loyalty, the power of music and the beauty of nature – told in a uniquely beautiful, warm-hearted and profound way and exploring the age-old question of whether we can ever truly come home.

Emir Andrés Ibañez

Esta novela narra la amistad entre cuatro amigos (Henry, Lee, Kip y Ronny) que crecieron en un pueblo pequeño de Wisconsin. El único que se quedó fue Henry, los demás se fueron a probar suerte a otro lado... pero las diferentes circunstancias de la vida los hará volver.
Alternando capítulos con la voz de cada uno, nos vamos enterando de cómo surgió esta amistad, los planes de cada uno, cómo les fue en sus proyectos, la idiosincrasia de los pueblos pequeños...
Les soy sincero, es un libro que no va de nada. Está cargado de muchísima nostalgia, como cuando alguien se pone a contarte sus recuerdos o anécdotas específicas que los han marcado.
Me gusta cuando los autores me sorprenden con su narrativa y con la construcción de sus personajes. No cualquiera te escribe una novela sin argumento y que te mantenga enganchado por más de trescientas páginas.
Aunque debo admitir que a partir de la segunda mitad un poco se me desinfló la emoción. Y esto no tiene nada que ver con el libro en sí, ni con la escritura. Mi conflicto viene en relación con la naturaleza de los conflictos que llevan la poca trama que hay y que constituyen, en gran parte, la construcción de estos personajes.
Era un drama muy dramático sin necesidad de serlo. Una exageración a muchos niveles de algo que, vamos, ya tienen casi cuarenta años, dejen de romper las pelotas y compórtense como adultos, supérenlo. No tolero personajes irracionales y estancados sin ningún tipo de motivo creíble para el lector, cosa de acompañarlos en ese camino y poder empatizar. Me faltó eso.

Amy Buckle

I’ve not read anything by Nickolas Butler before, but I was intrigued by this plot as it sounded like something I would enjoy. Henry, Lee, Kip, and Ronny are childhood friends who grew up together in Wisconsin. As they grew older, they grew apart as their lives took different turns, and each became their own person. A farmer, rodeo star, city high-flyer, and famous musician, those who didn’t stay are eventually drawn back to their hometown of Little Wing and question why nowhere else could ever be called home. When the four of them are back for a wedding, each has the opportunity to reminisce and compare their lives against their friends’, but for each of them there are regrets, heartbreaks, mistakes, and betrayals – Shotgun Lovesongs tries to address whether childhood friendships can stand the test of time and the strains that the trials and tribulations of life present.

The characters are really the heart of this book, and as much as there are moments of hurt and heartbreak, the love presented between all the characters ebbs reassuringly through just about every page. These friends have a lot of history behind them and while you can see how it weathered them, you can also see how it made their bonds stronger too.

Lee and Ronny were my favourite characters in this novel because they are the most tormented, but also their loyalty is the most unwavering. Lee has to deal with being very famous, and on the flip side, Ronny must deal with the reality that his life will not turn out in the way he thought. Both have their moments of insecurity, but both will put the other’s needs first as well – it’s a paragon of what friendship should be.

What I found most interesting about this book is how explores the small decisions we make and how that can ricochet throughout the rest of our lives. These four men all had more or less the same start in life, but they turn out four very different people. And what makes it all the more interesting is that all four of them are jealous of each other in one way or another – almost as if they are envious of a life they might have had if they’d made different choices.

Shotgun Lovesongs reminds its readers that we are all far from perfect, but that to love other people and the love they give you in return is something you should cherish, and something which will ultimately protect you and keep you sane. This book will resonate with anyone from a small town who dreamed big, or was just happy to get by and find their place in the world. It’s a small-time premise with a big-time message and I urge everyone to read it!

NATIONAL BESTSELLER "Impressively original." --The New York Times "Sparkles in every way. A love letter to the open lonely American heartland...A must-read." --People "The kind of book that restores your faith in humanity." --Toronto Star Welcome to Little Wing. It's a place like hundreds of others, but for four boyhood friends--all born and raised in this small Wisconsin town--it is home. One of them never left, still working the family farm, but the others felt the need to move on. One trades commodities, another took to the rodeo circuit. One of them hit it big as a rock star. And then there's Beth, a woman who has meant something special in each of their lives. When all of them are brought together for a wedding, Little Wing seems even smaller than before. Lifelong bonds remain strong, but there are stresses--among the friends, between husbands and wives. There will be heartbreak, but there will also be hope, healing, even heroism as these memorable people learn the true meaning of friendship and love. Nickolas Butler's Shotgun Lovesongs is that rare work of fiction that evokes a specific time and place, yet movingly describes the universal human condition. It is, in short, a truly remarkable book--a novel that, once read, will never be forgotten.

Shotgun Lovesongs A Novel

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