Unsatisfying. Clay was likeable but had no direction. I kept waiting for him to settle down and accomplish anything. The scenes of early-1900s Oregon were interesting and educational. The character descriptions were good, although there wasn't an admirable character in the book. Everyone was a loser in one way or another. I have no idea what the point of the book was apart from a description of Oregon, but things couldn't have been this unstable or the area would never have been settled.