Book: That Old Ace in the Hole

Author: Annie Proulx

Review: It took until the very end of the book, for me to say that I enjoyed it.  For one thing, I found the book too similar to Proulx other stories.  An odd character moves to a new place, where every resident is full of quirks and oddities.  I find it hard to believe that the people of the panhandle are so wildly different than elsewhere in America, but perhaps I do not have the artist's eye.  A young man, with only an Uncle as family, gets a job scouting locations for commercial hog farms.  The Texas panhandle already has many farms, so Bob is sent there.  Of course, he becomes enchanted by the outlandish residents, yet feels compelled to complete his first mission.  Again, Predictably, he does not do so in the end, but it is primarily because of Ace.  Ace was a windmill repairman, who planned on buying his own farm with the money he had saved over the years with his windmill business, but instead struck it rich in oil.  Overall, the book will be too long for leisure readers, I would recommend the shipping new instead, or go see Brokeback Mountain.