Synopses & Reviews
Ree Dolly's father has skipped bail on charges that he ran a crystal meth lab, and the Dollys will lose their house if he doesn't show up for his next court date. With two young brothers depending on her, 16-year-old Ree knows she has to bring her father back, dead or alive. Living in the harsh poverty of the Ozarks, Ree learns quickly that asking questions of the rough Dolly clan can be a fatal mistake. But, as an unsettling revelation lurks, Ree discovers unforeseen depths in herself and in a family network that protects its own at any cost.
Review
"Woodrell's captivatingly resourceful protagonist both enchants and horrifies.... [Winter's Bone] exposes the tragedy of crystal meth in rural America in all its brutal ugliness in language that is both razor sharp and grimly gorgeous. Highly recommended." Library Journal
Review
"In spare but evocative prose, Woodrell depicts a harsh world in which the responsibilities for survival ultimately give Ree meaning and direction.... A compelling testament to how people survive in the worst of circumstances." School Library Journal
Review
"The truth both endangers Ree's life and sets her free, in a coiled-spring narrative whose precisely honed prose vibrates with arresting descriptive phrases...and unsparing doom-laden pronouncements.... And the unforgettable Ree is a heroine like no other." Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Daniel Woodrell lives in the Missouri Ozarks near the Arkansas state line. His five most recent novels were selected as New York Times Notable Books of the Year, and Tomato Red won the PEN West Award for the Novel. Two novels have been adapted as major motion pictures: Woe to Live On, filmed in 1999 by Ang Lee as Ride with the Devil, starring Tobey Maguire and Skeet Ulrich, and Winter's Bone, a 2010 film accepted to the U.S. Dramatic Competition category at Sundance.