Very descriptive without being overbearing, rife with strange moments that explore the depths of the human mind. Anger, grudges, frustration, the need for human contact, all explored in this unique, somewhat comical, tale.

While well written the story did not appeal to me. Story reads more as a fairy tale rather than an adventure.

I couldn't get into this story. Read several chapters, skipped ahead a bit to see if it improved, but just wasn't something I was interested in reading.

A charming fable, much sweeter and less crazy than I expected from the blurb and other reviews. It makes no sense, of course, and the narrator's voice is like that of a children's story, but this is no children's story. The array of characters is unexpected, and I found myself rooting for them (the good guys). It's a story of alienation and connection, of stubborn silence and sudden realizations. It's quite beautiful in a homespun kind of way.

I got a free copy to review from Net Galley.

Two brothers fall in love with the same woman. Instead of settling it sensibly, or at least by dueling, one of them climbs up an enormous ladder they've been constructing, and refuses to come down for years. And rather than just letting the ladder fall, the other props it up till he dies and is replaced by his son.

Thus begins the premise to "Froelich's Ladder," which occupies a space somewhere between magic realism and the American tall tale. It's set in 19th-century Oregon, but a 19th-century Oregon in which carnivorous clouds travel in herds and eat unwary creatures. There's plenty of humor of a very certain sort, which is perhaps best described as "Huck Finn meets Blazing Saddles": everything is semi-recognizable, but with at least one foot in the world of the absurd, which is used both for simple humor and for social commentary. Is this a story about pointless stubbornness? The illusory nature of perception? Immigration (most of the characters are immigrants)? The harmful results of attempting to control women's bodies? Or is the author merely spinning a great big fireside yarn?

The voice and prose style of the book are distinctive, and I suspect that readers will either enjoy it, or not. The story is too goofy to be standard literary fiction, too bizarre to be fun-of-the-mill genre fiction, and there's a certain element of spikiness to it that prevents it from being just another silly little humor book. Personally, I found it fascinating, while still finding it difficult to warm up to the characters--they're too complex to be archetypes or cliches, while still too weird to be particularly relatable. In any case, "Froelich's Ladder" is both unusual and thoroughly grounded in myths and literature, and, in spite of and because the main characters are immigrants, a decidedly American work.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Somewhere between a surreal folk-legend and magic realism, Froelich's Ladder gratifies the childhood need, that never quite leaves us, for stories to reflect their morality via strange, exciting, or amusing incidents rather than cleaving to a strictly realist narrative. I enjoyed it - but then, I get on well with my inner child! :)

It was moderately interesting, but also confusing and sometimes difficult to follow.

I received a copy of Froelich’s Ladder from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Immediately starting the novel, I was dazzled by the author’s wry wit, quirky characters, and sense of place. From the magical mysticism of the forest to the dangerous grit of the Wild West to the unsettling winds of the American coast, the novel is very much a tall tale of epic proportions with an equally strange and telling message. Many of the characters are faced with the difficult decision of either leaving home or facing an unhappy, ordinary life at home fulfilling the needs of others – while the answer is simple, the follow-through proves more difficult. With an underlying theme of alienation, the characters find their solution in friendship, finding they can pursue their ambitions and still remain loyal, only now, on their own terms.

I loved the opening of this - I was transported to a wet, rainy Oregon forest. The banter between the brothers was fantastic; at one point one of the brothers describes a local's mouth as looking like 'the back of your knee' and I laughed out loud at that. However, this book confirmed for me that I am just not a fan of fairytale/magical realism type stories. It was so resolutely confirmed because this one is done SO well in that style, and I thought - if I can't get into this one, when it's a perfect example of this type of genre, then I can be pretty sure this type of story just is not for me. I don't know if that makes sense, necessarily - I just mean to say that this was done REALLY well, but I am the wrong reader for it.

For fans of stories with a hint of fairytale and a humorous feel, this will be a smash hit.