Einar is taking care of his friend Mitch Bradley (Morgan Freeman), who was attacked and seriously wounded by a bear, and he does not know that he has a grand-daughter. Jean and Einar are disaffected, since he blames her for the death of his beloved son in a car accident. Gallmeister published it in French, so the translation will have to do.In order to escape from the abusive boy-friend Gary Winston (Damian Lewis), Jean Gilkyson (Jennifer Lopez) moves with her young daughter Griff Gilkyson (Becca Gardner) without previous notice to the ranch of her father-in-law Einar Gilkyson (Robert Redford) in Wyoming. I would have liked to read it in English but it’s OOP. Now, I want to watch the film and read Spragg’s memoir about his growing up in a ranch. I understand why Lasse Hallström made it into a film. Not very far from fictional Ishawooa, actually. I loved An Unfinished Life, a novel written by an author born and raised on a ranch near Yellowstone National Park. And the said grizzly is now kept in Ishawooa’s amateur zoo. He’s as much a predator as the grizzly who attacked Mitch. How the wilderness surrounding them impacts their way of life.Īnd on top of this family reunion and journey to redemption, Spragg artfully adds a touch of adrenaline with a volatile character, Roy Winston, Jean’s ex-boyfriend. Life in small town Ishawooa (alt 5313 feet, pop. Their interactions and friendship are refreshing. Mitch is an engaging side character, bringing depth to Einar as a character. As any neglected child, she tries to blend in and to please Einar to gain acceptance. A wisdom acquired in the years of rocky parenting her mother provided. Griff’s voice is marvelous, and wise beyond her years. Spragg changes of POV and the reader understands the characters’ motivations better.

His life is not finished yet.Īn Unfinished Life is an excellent novel in every aspect. This predictable ending derailed when Griff was thrown into his life and his routine. It’s Jean’s life with Griffin which remains unfinished until she stops grieving and manages to forgive herself for his death.Īnd Einar’s life seemed on a clear path toward old age and death: nurse Mitch, get older, have one’s body betray you and die. They had unfinished business and now is the time to make peace and be a family. His shadow looms over his wife, his father and his daughter. It’s written on Griffin’s grave, who died in his twenties. To me, the Unfinished Life of the title has several meanings. How will they all manage to live together, build or rebuild their relationships? She knows Roy won’t give up on her and that he’s a threat because he’s obsessed with her. Jean finds a job in town, tries to reacclimate to life in Ishawooa. She’s up for anything and quickly grows on Einar and Mitch. He opens his home to Jean for the sake of his newly-discovered granddaughter. She has just enough cash to hop on a bus to her hometown, Ishawooa.Īnd that’s how Griff discovers that she has a grandfather.Įinar isn’t happy to see Jean again as he thinks she’s responsible for his son’s death but he got rounder around the edges and he welcomes Griff with open arms. With no money to buy another one, their trip to California is aborted and she caves in. Jean’s old and battered car dies on them rather quickly after they left Iowa. Einar feels responsible for the accident and nurses him.

He’s on morphine to ease the pain and he’s slowly dying of his injuries. Mitch is disabled after a nasty encounter with a grizzly. He rents his land to his neighbor and takes care of his friend and former ranch hand Mitch. He lost his only son Griffin ten years ago. Meanwhile in Ishawooa, Wyoming, Einar drags in seventy-years old frame around what is left of his ranch. The time has come, Jean decides to keep her promise and they drive away from their town in Iowa to go to California. She has made her mom promise that the next time Roy hits her, they’ll leave. Roy is a violent man and every morning Griff packs all her essentials to be able to leave at a moment’s notice. Griff counts the boyfriends as a way to assess the passing of time in her young life. He died before she was born and now her mother Jean lives with her boyfriend Roy Winston in a trailer park. Griff is a ten-years old little girl who never knew her father.

Little girl in an unfinished life