"Very appealing.[Andrews] can write beautifully. Andrews describes the weapon, a Smith & Wesson revolver, almost lovingly. Its craftsmanship, intricate reliability and directness of purpose engaged his artistic sense." -- Washington Post "In this beautifully observed book, Bryce Andrews takes us on a courageous and necessary journey toward reconciliation that is as visceral as it is transcendent. The West and its varied inhabitants come alive with every shining line and, when I was done, I found myself wishing for the world that Andrews and his family are daily working toward. This jewel of a book belongs on the shelf with our best Western writers - Norman MacLean, Pam Houston, and Annie Proulx." -- John Vaillant, bestselling author of The Tiger and Fire Weather "Bryce Andrews' vibrant, candid account of working as a cowboy in Montana provides a moving meditation on the fragility of life and inevitability of death.
As Andrews ruminates on his personal history, he dots his musings with descriptive, emotive prose. Holding Fire is a meditation on the past, present and future of not only Andrews' own life but also the lives of all mortal creatures." -- BookPage "An astonishing call to attention. Bryce Andrews' story corrals despair and offers understanding, douses anxiety and offers wonder. This isn't mere memoir, Holding Fire is a song to the West, a talisman of ferocious beauty for a world on edge. Compelling and compassionate, a must read for all who seek peace in uncertain times." -- Debra Magpie Earling, award-winning author of Perma Red and The Lost Journals of Sacajewea "A powerful meditation on a rural life of hunting in a world of guns--some of them used for sinister purposes. A welcome, eminently sensible contribution to the literature of the American West--and responsible gun ownership.
" -- Kirkus Reviews "Regardless of one's stance on guns, Andrews offers insightful reflections on their role in the history of the West." -- Booklist "Andrews's heartfelt reflection on the American West confronts one of the region's essential paradoxes: that a place defined by innovation and beauty also has a legacy of horrible violence. For the author, the catalyst is inheriting his grandfather's Smith & Wesson handgun, which carries its own awful history. From his ranch in Montana, Andrews turns to neighbors and family as he seeks a new way to live in the West." -- Alta "Bryce Andrews writes gorgeously of what lies underneath the idealized glamour of the American West. In a voice that is honest and humorous and introspective, he explodes the fetishization of the rugged individual and interrogates the hard realities of what Western gun culture boils down to: killing, with guns designed to bring food and mercy, and with guns designed for killing people. How do we live together in this landscape knowing the horrible things we've done to others, and to each other? That is only one of the many questions Andrews asks himself in Holding Fire, and we are fortunate to experience his struggle to find answers." -- Chris La Tray, author of One-Sentence Journal.