From Publishers Weekly
In this conclusion to the McCaskill trilogy, moody widower Jickyes,JICK , his feisty photographer daughter, Mariah, and her ex-husband, Riley, celebrate Montana's 1989 centennial by criss-crossing the state in a Winnebago. Doig "displays a masterful skill in depicting the American West which few writers match," said PW. "This entertaining ramble blends travelogue, family drama, history and newspaper lore." Author tour. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
To explore the meaning of Montana's century of statehood, 65-year-old Jick McCaskill, his photographer daughter Mariah, and her newspaper columnist ex-husband Riley Wright tour the Treasure State in Jick's Winnebago. While Riley writes on-the-scene dispatches and Mariah takes photos of the places they visit, Jick, the narrator, recounts the state's--and his family's--good and bad times. A lengthy picaresque with innumerable well-crafted vignettes, this leisurely novel could easily serve as a tour guide of Montana's historic places. As the miles go by, Riley and Mariah again fall in and out of love, and Jick, a widower, unexpectedly finds a new mate. The culminating volume in the McCaskill trilogy, which includes English Creek ( LJ 10/1/84) and Dancing at the Rascal Fair (Macmillan, 1987) , is highly recommended for its depiction of the past's impact on the present.- James B. Hemesath, Adams State Coll. Llb., Alamosa, Col.Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Review
"Spiced with Doig's inimitable dialogue and colorful characters, Ride with Me, Mariah Montana preserves a cherished bit of America's landscape and history for all of us."-- USA Today


Book Description
This greathearted novel is the finale of Ivan Doig's passionate and authentic trilogy about the McCaskill family and their alluring Two Medicine country along the hem of the northern Rockies.Jick McCaskill, the illustrious narrator of English Creek, returns as the witty and moving voice in this classic encounter with the American road and all the rewards and travails it can bring. Jick faces his family's -- and his state's -- legacy of loss and perseverance from the vantage point of Montana's centennial in 1989 when his daughter Mariah enlists him as Winnebago chauffeur to her and her ex-husband, the magnificently ornery and eloquent columnist Riley Wright, when their news-paper dispatches them to dig up stories of the "real Montana." Just as the centennial is a cause for reflection as well as jubilation, the exuberant travels of this trio bring on encounters with the past in "memory storms" that become occasions for reassessment and necessary accommodations of the heart.


From the Publisher
10 1.5-hour cassettes

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Spurred by the 1989 centennial of Montana's statehood and the recent loss of his wife, Jick McCaskill, criss-crosses the state in a Winnebago with his photographer daughter, strong-willed Mariah and her ex-husband Riley, an eccentric journalist.

While Riley writes on-the-scene dispatches and Mariah takes photos of the places they visit, Jick recounts Montana's, as well as his family's, good and bad times, Personal history mixes with Montana history as the trio dodge buffalo, visit the site of Chief Joseph's surrender and deal with unresolved family conflicts.

"A paean to Montana and frontiersmanship--but also a casually artful and triumphant end to Doig's trilogy." (Kirkus Reviews)

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Spurred by the 1989 centennial of Montana's statehood, moody widower Jick McCaskill, turning 65, criss-crosses the state in a Winnebago with his photographer daughter, strong-willed, feisty Mariah, and her ex-husband, Riley, a reporter. In this crowning volume of a trilogy, which includes English Creek and Dancing at the Rascal Fair , Doig again displays a masterly skill in depicting the American West which few writers match. Instead of patriotic hoopla, the canvas is dotted with failing ranches, oil pumps clanking away in farmed fields, Montanans tensely poised between an uncertain future and a frontier past. Jick, who narrates this road story with brash humor, faces two emotional crises: Mariah precipitously announces plans to remarry Riley; and Leona, Riley's mother, who once had an ill-fated fling with Jick's dead brother, joins the caravan. This entertaining ramble adroitly blends travelogue, family drama, history and newspaper lore. (Sept.)

Library Journal