If there’s one thing that warms my heart when reading novels it’s a bit of well-placed nostalgia from someone who knows what he’s talking about. Driving on the Rim by self-taught Montana rancher Thomas McGuane offers just that and more.

The 70 year old writer, once taught to be a mad dog in his close-knit Montana community and amongst fellow writers, was recently interviewed by the New York Times to discuss his tenth novel and how his life as a rancher has effected his work.

The novel about a young doctor who lands himself in a modern malpractice case draws on both McGuane’s own experiences of living in Montana when it was still regarded as the Wild West, and how the new ways of the 21st century and heightening blows made by the recession have impacted on it. McGuane’s recent work features conflict between the old and new ‘West’ often depicted as an internal battle within the characters.

The book focuses on the protagonist who isn’t quite at home in this changing world and uses the stunning Montana landscape and nature itself extensively to relive the ‘good old days’ through the eyes of the character, and perhaps McGuane himself..

The extremely successful author told the NY Times how, back in the 60s when he first headed out to Montana from Detroit, he felt he needed somewhere to call home. It’s easy to see how a home like Montana, and the rancher lifestyle could inspire so many novels and books McGuane wrote over the years.

The summer months are all work for ranchers, so much of his writing is done either early in the morning, late at night or during the winter months when there are less chores to be done. But according to a ranch hand of McGuane’s, just like ranching, the writing isn’t about profit. It’s about the lifestyle and fulfillment.

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Dean has 6 post(s) at Free Writing Center