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The Which Way Tree
The Which Way Tree | Elizabeth Crook
16 posts | 18 read | 25 to read
The poignant odyssey of a tenacious young girl who braves the dangers of the Texas frontier to avenge her mother's death "When I began to read this book its unique voice appealed to me immediately. Elizabeth Crook has written a beautiful novel with wonderful characters." --Robert Duvall "A small-scale masterwork, richly detailed and beautifully rendered." --S. C. Gwynne, New York Times bestselling author of Empire of the Summer Moon Early one morning in the remote hill country of Texas, a panther savagely attacks a family of homesteaders, mauling a young girl named Samantha and killing her mother, whose final act is to save her daughter's life. Samantha and her half brother, Benjamin, survive, but she is left traumatized, her face horribly scarred. Narrated in Benjamin's beguilingly plainspoken voice, The Which Way Tree is the story of Samantha's unshakeable resolve to stalk and kill the infamous panther, rumored across the Rio Grande to be a demon, and avenge her mother's death. In their quest she and Benjamin, now orphaned, enlist a charismatic Tejano outlaw and a haunted, compassionate preacher with an aging but relentless tracking dog. As the members of this unlikely posse hunt the panther, they are in turn pursued by a hapless but sadistic Confederate soldier with troubled family ties to the preacher and a score to settle. In the tradition of the great pursuit narratives, The Which Way Tree is a breathtaking saga of one steadfast girl's revenge against an implacable and unknowable beast. Yet with the comedic undertones of Benjamin's storytelling, it is also a timeless tale full of warmth and humor, and a testament to the enduring love that carries a sister and brother through a perilous adventure with all the dimensions of a legend.
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review
Jas16
The Which Way Tree | Elizabeth Crook
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Pickpick

A teenage boy writes letters to a judge to give his testimony about a crime but enjoys writing so much that he tells the judge the story around the story- about his half sister who is determined to have her revenge on a panther and the hunt she drags him on along with two men they fall in with along the way. It is a western but don‘t be put off if westerns aren‘t usually your thing. Ben‘s voice and his sister‘s determination make for quite a tale.

BkClubCare Stacked 2y
54 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Tamra
The Which Way Tree | Elizabeth Crook
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Pickpick

A highly descriptive coming of age epistolary adventure western. The end is satisfying in that it‘s not tied up with a pretty bow. Definitely not a saccharine family saga; Crook writes some raw honesty into the relationships.

Narration is well done. 🎤

I love the title and it‘s use in context is perfect too.

LeahBergen This sounds great! I just added it to my ongoing Book Outlet cart 😆 5y
Tamra @LeahBergen 😬 Sounds like I‘m enabling. I hope you enjoy it! 5y
73 likes2 comments
review
hike.read.repeat
The Which Way Tree | Elizabeth Crook
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Pickpick

The first read of 2019 was a real banger! 🤘🏽

The story takes place very near to where I live and it was cool to read about all these familiar places and what they have been like in the past.

The story is mostly told through a series of letters written by a teen boy with a very unique and strong voice.

33 likes1 stack add
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hike.read.repeat
The Which Way Tree | Elizabeth Crook
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Sounds like my house.
💩🐀🐖🐓🦂

21 likes1 stack add
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HeatherBookNerd
The Which Way Tree | Elizabeth Crook
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Pickpick

I absolutely loved this! I was looking for a western for the Read Harder Challenge and was not all that excited about it. Then a fellow Rioter recommended this one and I got the audiobook from the library. I finished in no time and it is definitely one of my favorite books this year. A teenage boy and his younger sister join up with a mysterious stranger, a preacher, and an old hunting dog to track a panther through the canyons of Texas. So good!

Daisey This sounds great! 5y
40 likes5 stack adds1 comment
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HeatherBookNerd
The Which Way Tree | Elizabeth Crook
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Great books this month! I‘m on track to meet all my reading goals by the end of the year. Woo hoo!!!

#Novemberreads #readharder

rockpools What beautifully coordinated covers! 🌼 5y
37 likes1 comment
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Jillsandypants
The Which Way Tree | Elizabeth Crook
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Pickpick

This is a western set in Texas in the 1800‘s that has a Lonesome-Dove feel to it (without the heft, or the love story, or the cattle drive...ok, maybe they aren‘t that alike!) When I read in the acknowledgements that Robert Duvall read an early copy and championed the book, I thought that seemed fitting. I really enjoyed this read.

BeckyRoy This book was great! I get what you mean about the lonesome dove feel... 5y
19 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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MEGR
The Which Way Tree | Elizabeth Crook
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I enjoyed this story of a orphaned brother and sister living on the Texas frontier. After an encounter with a panther their lives are forever changed. Told through a series of letters, you get a glimpse into what life was like on the frontier the late 1800‘s. It had diverse characters and had me in suspense until the very end

17 likes1 stack add
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MEGR
The Which Way Tree | Elizabeth Crook
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Backyard reading 📖😎is my favorite (other than my bed🤣)

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GivenLemons
The Which Way Tree | Elizabeth Crook
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Pickpick

Honestly, a beautiful book. I understand the sibling relationship so much. I‘m torn between loving the open ending and wanting to know all about them! #western

9 likes1 stack add
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Anna40
The Which Way Tree | Elizabeth Crook
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I've read 60 pages. It's a great, well told story.

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PJPeski
The Which Way Tree | Elizabeth Crook
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A new and unique voice.

Anna40 This sounds great! 6y
3 likes1 stack add1 comment
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AMVP
The Which Way Tree | Elizabeth Crook
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Pickpick

An engaging adventure story in its own right, some interesting framing devices elevate the material, resulting in a moving epilogue that expands the scope of the book's themes. Also encourage you to read through the Acknowledgements section.

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AMVP
The Which Way Tree | Elizabeth Crook
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Another #library aquisition from yesterday. Have never really sought out the western genre before, but this one was blowing up on #goodreads and I've been enjoying it thus far.

13 likes1 stack add
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hike.read.repeat
The Which Way Tree | Elizabeth Crook
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I passed another 100 followers (I‘m up to 400 now) so it‘s time for another intro post. 👋🏽

My name is Sarah and I work at two libraries.
1. A little library in a town of

starlight97 Veronika, 21 years old, 3rd year nursing student in Budapest, Hungary 😊 also horse rider and lover of beer and military :) 6y
hike.read.repeat @starlight97 nice to meet you Veronika! Hungary, cool! 6y
starlight97 @hike.read.repeat not many people know where it is 😁 6y
18 likes3 comments
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Bookdodger
The Which Way Tree | Elizabeth Crook
Pickpick

Through Benjamin Shreve‘s letters the reader is carried off on a fearsome adventure in 1870‘s Texas involving 14 yr old Benjamin, 12 yr old Sam, an aging Mexican who might or might not be a horse thief, an elderly preacher and his equally elderly dog, a murdering secessionist, and an invincible panther. Crook has created engaging characters the will remain in the reader's mind long after. Fabulous!