A riveting story of love, envy, and betrayal set in the dying days of the lumber industry. It’s the mid-twentieth century and the Canadian lumber industry is dying. Only men who are strong in body and spirit, men like Will Jameson, can lead the expeditions to harvest timber in the perilous mountain landscape. But when Will dies in a tragic accident, it falls to his younger brother, Owen, to take command. Recently returned from military duty, Owen watches his war-hero status quickly fade as he becomes entangled in a triangle between Reggie, the man he saved on the battlefield, and Reggie’s wife, Camellia, the woman he desires. As the town turns against him and the logging expedition becomes more treacherous, Owen seems trapped in a destiny full of betrayal, love, envy, and jealousy. David Adams Richards creates a devastating portrait–rich with passion, ambition, and mythic vision–of a pre-mechanized time where greatness and weakness hinge on the relentlessness of fate. A compelling work, The Friends of Meager Fortune proves that Richards is one of the finest novelists writing today.