That Old Ace in the Hole

The brilliant novel from Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx, author of THE SHIPPING NEWS. A richly textured story of one man''s struggle to make good in the inhospitable ranch country of the Texas panhandle, told with razor wit and a masterly sense of place.''An absolute corker of a novel which manages the dual feat of being a serious satire on the evils of global capitalism, and a personal comedy of Dickensian dimensions.'' A N Wilson, Daily TelegraphSome folks in the Texas panhandle do not like hog farms. But Bob Dollar, the newly-hired hog site scout for Global Pork Rind, intends to do his job. Bob must contend with tough men and women like ancient Freda Beautyrooms who controls a ranch he covets, and Ace Crouch, the windmiller who defies the hog farms. As Bob settles in at La Von Fronk''s bunkhouse and lends a hand at Cy Frease''s Old Dog Café, he is forced to question everything.''Proulx''s own ace in the hole is her brilliance at evoking place and landscape. She sets about