After years of searching for the ghost of Edward Abbey across the American West, Sean Prentiss has settled with his wife, Sarah, on a small lake in northern Vermont, USA. He now teaches creative writing at Norwich University, UK and is the co-editor of The Far Edges of the Fourth Genre: An Anthology of Explorations in Creative Nonfiction.
"Finding Abbey is philosophical, poetic, a creative biography and a
loving, evocative celebration of a controversial life."--Shelf
Awareness
"[Finding Abbey] brings us on a fascinating journey. Prentiss is
especially able to describe in evocative detail the feeling of
mountains and deserts and plains. He gives us an essence of the
maddening, fiery, outspoken personality of Edward Abbey."--The
Hardwick Gazette
"[Prentiss] locates and interviews Abbey's inner circle of friends,
and in these faithfully recorded scenes his book . . . catches
fire--including a conversation with Doug Peacock, the ex-Green
Beret model for Abbey's monkey-wrenching Hayduke, who in real life
keeps a .357 Magnum by his side. The final chapters of Mr.
Prentiss's quest are suspenseful and winning. . . . Finding Abbey
is a touching book."--Wall Street Journal
"A worthy contribution to the Abbey canon. . . . Highly recommended
for all interested in the American Southwest, environmentalism, and
modern literature."--Library Journal
"Captures the true spirit of humans and our ability to mold
ourselves into what we sincerely long to become through whatever
life gives us on our own personal journeys."--Porter Gulch
Review
"Even for readers unfamiliar with Abbey or his writings, Finding
Abbey's insights into this problematic man are compelling."--Seven
Days
"If you are an Abbey fan, don't miss this book."--Wildlife
Activist
"Prentiss offers fine, thoughtful readings of Abbey's writing, and
he applies it judiciously to his life and ours."--Kirkus
Reviews
"Prentiss successfully demonstrates his ability to write an
intriguing and compelling story that simultaneously informs,
inspires, and entertains. His vivid imagery and unique interviewing
style adds depth and passion to his search, resulting in an
exceptional narrative that flows smoothly and conveys his
admiration for Abbey and the American West. Finding Abbey is a
journey well worth taking."--Foreword Reviews
"Readers will find something to envy in Prentiss's exploration.
While having all the makings of an expertly researched piece of
narrative journalism, Prentiss also turns the magnifying glass on
himself. What is most commendable about Finding Abbey is
[Prentiss's] willingness to go the distance and explore, to think
deeply about one of modern America's most outspoken critics, and to
inspire others to look for what [Prentiss] rightfully calls 'a life
worth living.'"--Vermont Sports Magazine
"The significance of Abbey in Prentiss's own life is revealed
through precise but emotional prose. The effect is both grounding
and electrifying."--Weekly Alibi
"This book isn't a biography; those have already been written.
Finding Abbey is what you do in grief. Celebrate the life you
shared. Analyze the faults. Peer into the darkness. Come out on the
other side."--Santa Fe Reporter
"What's best about Sean Prentiss's [Finding Abbey] . . . is that
the author loves and understands what made Southwest writer Edward
Abbey tick, why Abbey's writing is so resonant and why he was--and
still is--so important."--Durango Herald
"In Finding Abbey, author Sean Prentiss presents us at once with an
intriguing shotgun overview of the late southwestern literary cult
hero Edward Abbey's life and work, interspersed with an
intriguingly unfolding chronicle of Prentiss's own search for
direction, meaning, and art in life. And best of all--what Abbey
would like best--this book has soul. The somewhat sensational
title, by the way, is merely metaphorical. Or is it?"--David
Petersen, editor of Confessions of a Barbarian: Selections from the
Journals of Edward Abbey
"Prentiss reveals the power of Ed Abbey's lasting call to action,
not just as a Monkey Wrencher, but also as an ethicist who lives by
Ed's own motto, 'Follow the truth no matter where it leads.'"--Jack
Loeffler, author of Adventures with Ed: A Portrait of Abbey
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