Dalva

A Novel

By: Jim Harrison

Narrated by: Chris Henry Coffey, Stacey Glemboski

From the New York Times best-selling author of Legends of the Fall comes a beautifully crafted story of one woman’s journey to find her son.

From her home on the California coast, Dalva hears the broad silence of the Nebraska prairie where she was born, and longs for the son she gave up for adoption years before. Beautiful, fearless, tormented, at 45 she has lived a life of lovers and adventures. Now, Dalva begins a journey that will take her back to the bosom of her family, to the half-Sioux lover of her youth, and to a pioneering great-grandfather whose journals recount the bloody annihilation of the Plains Indians. On the way, she discovers a story that stretches from East to West, from the Civil War to Wounded Knee and Vietnam - and finds the balm to heal her wild and wounded soul.

One of Harrison’s most ambitious novels, Dalva explores an extraordinary family through the strong, engaging voice of an unforgettable woman, confirming Harrison as one of America’s most memorable writers.

©1988 Anna Productions. First published in 1988. Copyright © 2021 by Jamie Potenberg and Anna Hjortsberg (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing

Great story, OK narration

This has long been one of my favorite novels. It hasn't aged as well as I might have hoped - all the horn-dog stuff gets tiresome, but it's still a wonderful tale on many levels.

Dalva's 1st person narration falls a little short. It's not terrible, but Dalva's a bad-ass, and the narrator is merely good.

A worthwhile listen to be sure.

As a woman, I can finally appreciate Jim Harrison with this book.

Dalva is strong & courageous. That Harrison could write of a woman’s tenderness, independence & sexuality is a revelation I would never have believed until I read this book.

Deeply Moving novel

If you want a multi-generational epic, this is it
If you want a gut-wrenching account of the horrific atrocities this nation has committed against the Native Americans, this is it.
If you want one of the most moving, beautiful, complicated books ever, this is it.

Too much sex, not enough story

This sounded like such a great book but every other sentence was about Dalva and her crew engaging in some sex act. Boring, to hear about sexual escapades over and over.

Male fantasy of women

Hated this so much, but should say that a really smart woman in my book group loved it. Also, I only listened to book one, which is about a third, so also take that on board.
I thought the emphasis on the women all being super sexy and beautiful was such bad writing. And the way Dalva decides to take care of the alcoholic loser academic writer was gross-- felt like it was the writer's fantasy-- if a real woman did that, which she might, it would be part of a pathology, not a super-hot make-over for the loser.
I did not believe any of the relationships described. Felt very seventies, no matter what era was being depicted. the opposite of timeless.

Same old story new characters

I liked the book but it dragged at times but worth the time and money