Train Dreams, a novella by Denis Johnson

Train Dreams is a gem of a tale by Nat'l Book Award winner, Denis Johnson.  Johnson takes us back to the old American west beginning in 1917 towards the end of the 20th C.  Our hero, Robert Grainer, was orphaned early on & raised amongst various "cousins."  He found labor as a young man cutting down trees prior to railroad construction .  Grainer lived a solitary & nomadic existence for most of his life except for the few years he married & had a baby girl.  Sadly, both perished in a devastating fire that engulfed an entire region.  Johnson's prose is both clear & ephemeral.  We view the changing landscapes and developments of the 20th C through the eyes of Grainer.  Train Dreams is a little jewel and should be valued for both its lyrical prose and magical glance back into our country's western expansion.