Missouri Books

I was really disappointed by "Forgiving Solomon Long" by Chris Well. I found it to be far too violent. Shooting a priest in the confessional, stabbing a pastor in an alley, garroting a homeless man for his clothes, murdering a store keeper and impaling a note on his body with his own store's longest screwdriver, ect.... It was just too much gore. In places I found it disgusting.

I also did not like the writing style. There was flopping back and forth between present tense and past tense which made the reading clumsy. The dialogue was contrived, and inconsistent to the characters.

To me there seemed to be no main character. The scenes flip back and forth erratically. It found that confusing. There also were far too many character and none were very well developed. The assassin "Solo" had a horrific childhood which seemed to be revealed as the book progressed, but Solo's mother quoted Scripture and murdered his dad (said the dad was taken away like Enoch) yet she had buried him in the basement. She also abused her child severely, which the author seemed to relish dribbling out the details.

None of the characters were consist, nor believable. The crime boss's family was a stereotypical "Italian mob" family, but I found the descriptions bogus and superficial.

I am sure somewhere in the book is some message, but I found the book so poor that I could not finish it. After wading through the first 200 pages and finding nothing rewarding or even entertaining I gave up. It was all just too much of a jumble and way too dark for my tastes.

If you've read "Deliver Us From Evelyn" or "Tribulation House" from Chris Well and are expecting a book on the same par in "Forgiving Solomon Long", you will definitely be disappointed. Although Well's engaging style and humor do come through in this novel and at least keep one entertained through about half of the book, the high level of violence (nearly everyone gets killed or at least shot) and constant jumping from sub-plot to sub-plot make for a dissatisfying - if not disturbing - read. In some chapters, Well becomes almost incomprehensible. There is a dark, morbid atmosphere to this book that does not exist in Well's later fiction. I do highly recommend the sequel, "Deliver Us From Evelyn", as well as the most recent book in the series, "Tribulation House". But don't waste your money and your time on this particular volume.

"We distrust fiction that has a palpable design on us," as someone wrote. In my view, all fiction has a palpable design. That said, there are designs and there are designs. The designation "Christian Fiction" cannot help but suggest a design, but this isn't the place to wrangle over the merits of such a heading. I'm quite aware that some readers read just for such a design, although I read a work, if I do, apart from or in spite of it. A blurb on one of Well's later works reads "Even though it's an amusing romp, it's not light on spiritual truths." I would far rather reverse that and say, "Even though it's not light on spiritual truths, it's an amusing romp." Spiritual truths you can get anywhere, but only in fiction an amusing romp.

That said, this book appears to be, no matter how lightly handled, crime fiction, which is certainly not my cup of tea. I am perhaps the only one in America who would rather see Little Steven in the E Street Band than The Sopranos, but there it is. So I probably did read it for the amusing romp in spite and not because of its gangster setting. I also hasten to add that while Well has been criticized because his toughs don't cuss, I wouldn't read the book if they did. A great many believers have written without being saddled with the rubric of "Christian fiction", including Flannery O'Connor, Madeline L'Engle and C.S. Lewis. I venture to suggest that Well need not wear it either.

This book reads fast, and is laid out like a play, with three acts. I like short chapters and this 280 page novel has, believe it or not, 124 of them. It's a clever way to write. While there is an omniscient narrator, as it were, each chapter shifts characters and points of view, with new members of the dramatis personae being introduced in the early chapters, as in a play. It's a very visual book, almost written as a screenplay, with, curiously, the most visual part left out: descriptions of the characters. Because of this, it's slightly difficult to follow the story and keep track of all the players. If it were a screenplay, however, which is to say a movie or TV show, that wouldn't be a problem, since the viewer would see the actual characters.

Arguably, some of the gangsters are cardboard cut-outs, but others are quite astute. Well obviously enjoys dusting the crops with pop culture references, including a few covert ones as when someone echoes a Carole King song or a preacher is named for the rock band, Daniel Amos. This is a first novel, so far as I know, and if other reviewers are to be believed, they get better. But even here Well has tackled the all- important element of the novel, which is finding a consistent tone and voice, and solved the problem of how to sustain that voice for the length of the book. Needless to say, I can't wait to read the next Well- written novels.

This debut novel for Mr. Well I found was fresh and a very entertaining read. I thought the story moved along at the right pace and there was just enough action to make be turn page after page, but not too much that the action scenes were down right boring. The character were believable, which I always enjoy and in summary I hope that the author will release another sequel as soon as possible.

I came across Forgiving Solomon Long while searching for interesting and edgy books that didn't leave me feeling like I needed a bath. I appreciate how Chris Well does not shy away from the darker sides of life yet does not dive into them himself. As a Christian artist I am often faced with the difficulty of remaining true to life without losing my principles. Chris Well's approach is a great study in how to accomplish that. I also liked all the theater and Shakespearean references.

The book is a very good one. If you like the Little House series, you will like this too because it stars Rose (Laura Ingalls Wilder's daughter). I think this book is okay for anyone. I think it was very good. So I hope you can read it anytime!

I remember being about 8 years old when "The Rose Years" series of books originally debuted with "Little House on Rocky Ridge," an easily pleasing story for readers who enjoyed Laura Ingalls Wilder's original books. Now, with the entire "Little House" collection (including Laura's stories and the tales written about her mother Caroline, grandmother Charlotte, and great-grandmother Martha) getting a little makeover with these brand-new editions, there are a couple of things to keep in mind before buying.

If you remember when this book first came out in 1993, you may recall that it contained 368 pages. This condensed version--complete with the photographic cover of an adorable little rosy-cheeked child--is comprised of only 176 pages.

I was stunned when I discovered that the new editions of these books (except for the original 9 from Laura's collection) will all be made up of abridged text. The updated covers are one thing. Okay, they wanted to maintain the stories' "contemporary relevance" with these flashy new covers, also eliminating the Garth Williams illustrations that helped make the series so successful in the first place. This is at least understandable, but passing these stories off in condensed versions is both inappropriate and unacceptable for books that are so timeless and important for all generations.

I am not usually the type to get upset about things like this, but because I remember reading these Rose stories as a child, I feel compelled to at least let consumers here know exactly what they are purchasing. I just happened to get a close-up look of the back cover on the Internet, and if I hadn't seen the tiny word "abridged" on the bottom, then I would have been very quick to purchase this. The publishers' motives for doing this are not quite clear, but come on--omitting nearly 200 PAGES OF TEXT is completely ridiculous, and I can't honestly believe that most people would buy this if they were aware of that fact. They must have cut out entire chapters to accommodate this drastic size change, perhaps in an effort to make it easier for young children to read. Well, let me just say that I have read my share of children's literature, and part of the charm of these "Little House" books is the authors' simplistic writing style.

Are the publishers trying to convey the fact that they feel the original versions were too difficult for American children to read? If I remember correctly, this past summer, millions of children camped outside bookstores across America the day before "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" was released, and that book was crammed with 784 pages--and that wasn't even the longest one in the 7-book series! (That honor belongs to "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," which contained a shocking 870 pages.) Despite this, however, several of the most hard-core Harry fans have pored through those books in less than 24 hours, and we're afraid that these softer, simpler, and far more timeless tales of a prairie girl's childhood require severe condensation for future printings? Please.

The new covers for these books are cute, for sure, but I won't be getting rid of my original versions for these. The interesting thing is that these makeovers have been applied to the first two books of Rose's, Caroline's, Charlotte's, and Martha's story collections. They have all been shortened and spruced up with a whole new look for today's kids. Perhaps the publishers are "testing the waters" to see if these books sell, and if that's the case, I hope they sell poorly so they can recognize what a mistake it was to tamper with the original text. If they want to modernize the outside of it to increase the appeal for the current "flashier is better" society, then that is perfectly fine, but sometimes you have to put a little more thought into it than this.

In the meantime, if you have any of the old editions, hang onto them. If you want to complete your collections before the old versions go out of print, act quickly and purchase them before Ebay starts selling them away for sky-high prices. Laura Ingalls Wilder's original books are obviously the best thing to get, though, for the sake of the Garth Williams illustrations that may very well become virtually extinct within the next few years. With a little luck, the remainder of Rose's, Caroline's, Charlotte's, and Martha's books won't get the condensed treatment, and like they did with Laura's stories, maybe they will just stick with the new covers and keep the content exactly as it always was--that is, the complete, endearing tales that the public has treasured the most.

Roger Lea MacBride rode the tails of the spoiled and ungrateful Rose Wilder. He fabricated characters and used someone else's material as his own just like Rose. Abe and his brother and sister in law never existed. Laura based her stories on truthful events maybe sometimes embellished or diminished but always truthful. Rose wrote, "Young Pioneers," and "Free Land," from Laura's accounts that were not recommended to young readers. Rose and Roger loudly complain about Laura and her harsh manner and that Rose was the writer behind Laura's books. Laura loved her mother and Rose resented her mother and everything she stood for. Rose was embarassed and only helped out finacially until many years later after she used Laura's material to gain monetary and in the publishing world. She never credits Laura for her material which, would've been non-existent if Laura was her mother. Laura helped at a very young age, and never complained or announced or flaunted her kindess. Rose Wilder was never an accomplished author that she thought she was but she was very manipulative and knew how to punish Laura. In the dual book, The Rose Wilder story both MacBride and Wilder make sure Laura is depicted with a temper and lack of character. The only person who lacked character and was selfish was Rose and MacBride.

The book is a very good one. It is also like a book to go in Rose's years. I think this book is okay for anyone. I think it was very good. So I hope you can read it anytime!

The kids I know seem to enjoy the continuation of this servies. This is good and I certainly would suggest they be encouraged to read this and the rest of the continuation series by MacBride. After all, reading is reading and if they enjoy them I am certainly not one to cast stones. On the other hand, for those that grew up on the originals, i.e. the Wilder books, will be very, very disappointed in this and other works by MacBride. The narrative is forced, the historical data is very, very faulty, and the overall dialogue has a sticky cloying quality about it. The stories simply are not of the same quality. But, as I said, these were written for young folks and if they enjoy them, more power to them. It is difficult enough to get kids to read anything. At least these books are familiar ground for them and certainly won't hurt them. I am giving this one the fours stars for that reason and no other.

This Laura Ingalls Wilder diary is somewhat dull in parts, but the introduction by her daugher, Rose Wilder Lane, is worth the price of the book. Lane gives a first-hand account of the days before and after the journey that puts Laura in a new light. There are also several good photographs unavailable in other LHOTP books.

It's often said in tones of this-is-true-but-it's-also-heresy that Rose Wilder Lane, daughter of Laura and Almanzo Wilder, is the real unsung heroine in the Little House books, because while she let her mother have credit for the famous series, it was Rose, via her careful, invisible editing and re-writes, that turned cheery memoirs into beloved classics. I suspect that's true, but in the case of this book, it is beyond all doubt what happened. Rose took her mother's raw diary and prepared it for publication, and the product is the book On The Way Home, which tells of the journey Rose and her parents made in 1894, from DeSmet, South Dakota, setting for the final half of the Little House books, to the Ozark country, where the family would spend the next sixty years. The description is unsentimental, not glamorized (as it tends to be--for the sake of betterment--in the other books) and it paints a portrait of the difficult traveler's life on the by-then crowded prairie overrun with east-central European immigrants, many of whom being exactly the type portrayed in novels such as My Antonia. The Wilder family completes its draining re-location by covered wagon and arrives in Missouri, a state so much a promised land to them that a reader cannot help but share their relief when they safely arrive.

The Book, On The Way Home, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, is basically what it says it is. It is a Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894. This book was not that enjoyable just because it was just diary entries, like "today we ate meat." But other wise it was quite intriguing to discover the ways in which people traveled back in the day. In one part of the book it talks about how their covered wagon is not a covered wagon at all but that, "It had been a two-seated hack though now it only had the front seat." I also found it very enjoyable to read about the worth of money back then and compare it to now. It talks about how Laura had earned a whole one hundred dollars which today is like penny cash but back then was a fortune. In the beginning of the book there is a setting by Rose Wilder Lane, Laura's Daughter, which is a great piece of writing, it is like the rest of Laura's books in that it makes you want to read the rest of the book. I found this book interesting but a drag because of the slow pace in the book. If you would like to take a slow dip into history you should definitely read this book.

This book is written in a much different style than the other Little House books. Laura kept a journal of the trip and these are her day-to-day entries. It can sometimes be dry or confusing. I have been reading the series with my daughter and this one has been a little more difficult. We enjoyed it, but not as much as the others.

I can see why Laura Ingalls was able to write such good books about her early life on the Prairie. Her diaries were packed full of information and detail which she could later draw on. This is one of her diaries, with notes and a setting by her only child, daughter Rose Wilder Lane who was just a girl during this trip.

Laura Ingalls Wilder is, of course, famous for her little House books describing her childhood growing up at the edge of American settling in the mid Nineteenth century. Constantly pushing to new territories and places Ingalls father lead them west into Indian territory and later to Dakota where they settled. Laura met and Married Almanzo Wilder in de Smet, Dakota (Those happy Golden Years, and First Four Years) however those books left a me feeling a bit downhearted. Especially teh First Four Years, in which Almanzo 'Manly' and Laura seemed to be struck with tragedy (the house burning down) etc.

I found this diary to be hugely uplifting. It is not the detailed stories of her childhood, or living in a wagon as an adult settler, but it is a great tale detail of a family moving, of finding something which they could call their own, but far away in the Ozarks.

The most interesting thing to me about it, was that while they were on the road they were constantly being passed by other settlers, some going north and others going south, but the number of people on the move was amazing. At one point Rose adds a note that she looked back while they were about to cross the 'muddy' and there was a stream of covered wagons behind them.

Little details of what life was like really draw this out - tomatoes 10c a bushel and so they bought 2c worth. Huge watermelons for 5 c, Almanzo selling fire mats (ASBESTOS!) and all those little everyday details about life for Laura.

While she did not put her stories down until many decades later, clearly she was a writer in the making right from the beginning. Rose, her daughter has provided much of the detail necessary in here, but it would be really nice to see an illustrated edition of this showing the place as it was and as it is now. It was interesting to use Google Earth to view some of the trail which you can see right now. It gives it a sense of scale which I will not be able to do myself unless I acutally visit.

The only reason this has four stars is it is not as gripping as Ingalls novels - it is still a great read and highly recommended.

This books tells of a pioneer emmigrant that survives the panhandle Nebraska, as a farmer(more his 4th wife than him), when most people thought it couldn't be done. What a great story of a man, and what he puts his family through. This is no Little House on The Prairie.

I found this book to be very interesting. I have ready only one other book by Mari Sandoz - but recognized many of the titles listed inside. It's a tough thing to write about your father - and capture the uniqueness. She was able to describe him and keep herself as a "bystander" when much of his disciplinary methods were directed at herself and her siblings. She was also able to give the reader a preview of what the Nebraska panhandle was like as it opened up to settlement and beyond. I have lived in the Black Hills about 30 years ago - and I could picture her descriptions of the land very well. This is a book that supplements historical accounts - a "looking glass" view into the life of one man and how he viewed his corner of that world. I especially liked the end where she listed all the people who came to his sickbed. He was a force - and the reader should decide a "force for what?"

This is a book you can't put down once the first sentence leaps off the page at you. Vividly told, with accompanying pictures of the land and the people, it is one that was surely deserving of the literary honors it received upon it's first publishing. It is a story of a highly intelligent, manipulative, yet visionary man driven by many things; unrequited love which forever tormented him, an abusive inner nature that only needed the urging found on the untamed primitive Nebraska plains to emerge and effect the "control of others"; the obsession to "settle the country" and bring farms and families into a community that could survive all hardships toward a common goal. He was married six times; drove the weakest one of them into the insane asylum; and nearly drove his last and most tenacious wife to suicide during an incident where he struck her with a strand of barbed wire when she couldn't "hold a calf down firmly enough to keep it from kicking" while being worked.

It is also a history of the Valentine, Nebraska area, backed by historical facts "gleaned from the newspapers" of the times for a series of incredible events; including vigilante justice, a brush with a pleasant horse thief ("Gentleman Jim") in the hills where he was saved only by his ignorance of the circumstances; inhumane treatment of the plains indians (but amazingly, not by Jules) and persecution of his own kind by still others.

I found it amazing that Ms. Sandoz could write so objectively about her father in the effort to tell his story, but she considered it not only an honor, but a duty since he asked it of her on his deathbed; and I am sure the only reason that could be was perhaps at least partially due to the fact that Old Jules never established a bond with any of his children. They were a "product" to him; a means to accomplish a goal; a workforce. Therefore, it may have been easier for her to be brutally honest when writing of him.

Perhaps it was meant to be that way. Because the story is in a class apart and therefore, I highly recommend it to anyone seeking Western American History the "way it was" (although assuredly not all families were headed up by an Old Jules) rather than the "way it is sometimes told" in movies and other types of literature. I have a "First Edition" of this book - a priceless item, it holds a very special place in my home library since my own parents were early settlers of Wyoming.

Old Jules is not a bad book, it's just too long for one thing. The characters and their lifestyle are quite unique but their lackluster day to day existence needn't have taken up so many pages. If you want gripping, white-knuckle excitement, look elsewhere. The book is interesting from a historical point of view maybe but it just wasn't my kind of read. (Ho-hum........)

It's a long, boring book about some old dirt farmer out in bumf&*k, Nebraska beating his wife and having kids he doesn't love. The end.

Ghetto Luv by Mary L. Wilson

The story of three best friends: Libra, Mya, and Reesie take place in the sometimes ruthless streets of St. Louis, Missouri. The reader is introduced to the everyday happenings of the three young ladies as they ride through the streets and clubs in St. Louis living the high life. Love, lies, and murder surface as the three protagonists find themselves fighting for their lives. While the plot of the story is riveting, the art of the storytelling leaves a few things to be desired. At some points the diction is so heavily based on the dialect of the area that I found it hard to comprehend. The switch of point-of-view and questionable reliable narrating also makes the storyline a bit choppy in some areas, yet the tale is told with vivid detail which makes it an easy, interesting read. Anyone looking to get a sneak peak into how three "sistah-girls" make it on the streets would enjoy the book. I look forward to reading the second installment of the series, Still Ghetto.

Shantelle G.

Atlanta, GA

Literary Lovers Book Club

I LOVED THIS BOOK, I CAN'T WAIT TO READ PART 2 OF THE LUV SERIES. I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN.

Ghetto Luv was a very ghetto books. It displayed alot of slang and not enough details.

Libra is a beautiful and sexy lady with "heart". She is together with her friend, Reesie and Mya. Reesie is in a relationship with a well-know hustler, Caelin Ross. Mya is single and enjoying every bit of it.

Lamarr (Ke-Ke) is another hustler who has to make his ends meet. Tyron (Nutcase) is a trouble maker makings it hard for everyone to eat.

This summer in the Lou(St. Louis) will be the most remembered summer for this group.

This was an okay read but I believe the author will do better on her next novel. I will look for her books in the future.

This book was from the hood of St.Louis' West Side. Told the tale of a trio Mya, Libra and Reese ture gutter girls that always packed a pistol. It told about love and hate. They where sassy chicks that did'nt take no mess but could always be found in one. Libra was in lust with two men Ke-ke and nutcase, they both fell head over hills for her, ready to pay the full price for her love. So all kind of Drama unfo1lds as the story goes on. I enjoyed reading M. Wilson book and it was full of slang that could only be understood by those who live in the Lou. I would surely read a book of hers again.

This book had drama from the first page..it was a fast paced read that kept me turning the pages...I loved how these friends were down for each other no matter what...

the only setback with this book..was the overage of the slang...sometimes it made it a little hard to figure out what was going on...besides that, the writer did a good job at keeping my interest

Living in Colorado, and having hiked and driven the western part of the United States, I think this book is great. It tells the story of Mountain Men and the areas they covered. The adventures they lived, and the skill it took to survive. What legends of the West!

Across the Wide Missouri

Mr. DeVoto has a passion for this subject and a passion for the characters that live in it.

Here are some excerpts from the book:

"There were few delicate feeders in the mountains...The river tribes liked the green, putrid flesh of buffalo drowned while crossing the ice and hauled ashore weeks later, `so ripe, so tender, that very little boiling is required.' They ate the kidneys raw... the white man would eat the liver raw as soon as it was taken; he seasoned it with the gall or sometimes with gunpowder...he had no more tableware than his belt knife - gravy, juices and blood running down his face, forearms and shirt. He wolfed the meat and never reached repletion. Eight pounds a day was standard ration for Hudson Bay employees [but often eat twice that amount]...melted fat was gulped by the pint. Kidney fat could be drunk without limit...Hump and boss boil in a kettle, cracked marrow bones sizzle by the fire...Camp is pitched by a small creek or a rushing mountain river...Here is the winesap air of the high places, the clear, green sky of evening fading to a dark that brings the stars within arm's length, the cottonwoods along the creek rustling in the wind. The smell of meat has brought wolves and coyotes almost to the circle of firelight. They skulk just beyond it; sometimes a spurt of flame will turn will turn their eyes to gold...Horses and mules crop the bunch grass at the end of their lariats or browse on leaves along the creek. The firelight flares and fades in the wind's rhythm on the faces of men in whose minds are the vistas and the annuls of the entire West."


If you are yearning for a dry narrative of the fur trade, this is not your book. This book gives you a feel for the land and a feel for the kinds of men involved in the fur trade. It gives you a feel for the hardships that they faced, the cutthroat business practices of the trade and how instrumental these men were to opening up the west for settlement. He does not sanitize history or historical figures. He presents the good and the bad of both the individual fur traders and the various Indian tribes that were most closely linked to the fur trade.

As it turns out, this is not a simple story to tell or to organize into a linear narrative. There were many different characters and crosscurrents cutting through the entire period. He weaves this story together with the sinew provided by the movements of a few of the most important mountain men: Jim Bridger, Tom Fitzpatrick, Joe Meek, Bill and Milton Sublette and Kit Carson.

He runs another colorful thread through the story made of missionaries. These are clearly the most foolish, most spiteful and most disagreeable people in the narrative. Some of them are also the most well-intentioned and tragic characters in the grand story. Of the missionaries' desire to convert the Nez Perce and Flathead Indians to Christianity, he says, "[Nez Perce] were superior Indians, they made no trouble, they liked and admired white men...Their desire for instruction in the mysteries was genuine and paramount, as clean as the desire of these Christians to give them what they wanted. Both desires were simple and altogether hopeless...The Indians receiving instruction were men of the age of polished stone...They tried, both Indians and whites. There they stood, the seekers and the bearers of truth...the sincerity of these Indians' desire for religious instruction could not be doubted." And yet this first wave of missionaries met with frustration, failure and murder.

But the primary and repeated organizational thread that runs through this story is a fascinating and completely unlikely man named William Drummond Stewart. This man won the respect and deep friendship of all the great mountain men. He was kind, generous and good humored. Captain William Drummond Stewart of the British Army "was in his thirty-seventh year. He was the brother of Sir John Archibald Stewart, eighteenth of Grandtully and sixth baronet, and was next in succession to him...He went through the Hundred days with his regiment and fought at Waterloo." He traveled the prairies and the mountains in comfort, elegance and style. He was as tough, as adventurous and as skillful as any of the mountain men. Yet there was not even a hint of royal superiority about him.

Mr. DeVoto is a magnificent writer. If you are looking for an outstanding overview of the fur trade, this is your book. He also provides fascinating notes in the appendix and an extensive bibliography for those who are interested in further reading.

DeVoto's "Across the Wide Missiouri" is good history in search of an even better editor.

I learned some valuable things about the Sioux migration, trading between tribes on the plains and White/Indian ecomomic relationships of the fur trade, but DeVoto is too front and center. He jumps back and forward of the period under study in the book and goes into what I can only describe as historical diatribes every once in a while.

The book is very readable in spite of these faults and his pictures of Whitman, Spaulding & company add real flesh to people that are often overlooked or treated as one demensional.

Two thoughts about editing: At the time "Missouri" was written, in the mid 40's, DeVoto was unquestionably the expert in the field and so he probably edited his own work. Not the best situation. Maybe he should have edited an updated edition of Chittenden's "The American Fur Trade of the Far West" instead and published a collection of historical essays on the period under his own name.

As someone interested in the west I am glad I read it but will only be recommending it to a select few and maybe only parts of the book to others.

I AGREE W/NAICHE. AUTHOR HAS(HAD) GOOD COMMAND OF SUBJECT MATTER BUT PRESENTS IT IN A MADDENINGLY DISORGANIZED MANNER. POORLY INTRODUCED PERSONAGES & EVENTS SEGUE THROUGH EACH CHAPTER NOT TO BE ADEQUATELY DISCUSSED (IF AT ALL) UNTIL MANY PAGES LATER. I FOUND MYSELF FLIPPING AHEAD & BACK IN FRUSTRATION TRYING TO MAINTAIN CONTINUITY. MR. DeVOTO SEEMS MORE CONCERNED WITH DEMONSTRATING HIS LITERARY WIT THAN CLEARLY PRESENTING HIS SUBJECT MATTER. I FOUND ROBERT UTLEY'S "A LIFE WILD AND PERILOUS" FAR EASIER TO READ & LEARN FROM.

DeVoto's biggest problem is the confusing manner in which he presents his story. There is a wealth of information in this book, but it will take a determined reader to decipher and translate just what DeVoto is trying to say and you just might find yourself re-reading paragraphs more often than not. I'm surprised his editor didn't force a rewrite. Fur trade novice's beware, this book is for those with more than a passing interest in the topic. But again, there is a wealth of information here if you have the time and patience to give this book.

I was very satisfied with the level of customer service that I recieved from Amazon.com. I also enjoy the opportunity to leave feedback, because I feel that it helps other people to navigate and purchase from Amazon.com with more ease.

I feel that the story of Celia is better than the book. I say that because the book can be very vague and too narrow at the same time. The author will go on and on (for pages at a time) about an irrelevant political issue in great detail and frequently makes statements like, "it is possible that..." and "it is unknown what happened..." about Celia's story. To me, it felt like the author was trying to fill the holes left by Celia's lack of historical evidence with other, well-documented events of the time period. I understand some background information is important but that was too much and it happened too often. Despite some of the issues with the book, the story itself is great. I was completely sympathic to Celia and wished that things turned out differently.

Based on the content and the depthness of the book, it would be a great book to discuss and read in a college course on African American history/literature.

I agree with another reviewer that this book read like a story out of a history textbook. Although interesting, I think this book would have better served its purpose if written as a historical fictiopn. Plus, I got tired of having to turn to the Notes section for supporting details and background information.

"Yet the lives of lesser figures, men and women who lived and died in virtual autonomy, often better illustrate certain aspects of the major issures of a perticular period than do (others who achieve national prominence)". The introduction my Melton A. McLaurin sets up a well researched and thought out work regarding the life of a female slave, caught killing her owner for raping her over a period of years. The author does two very important things very well in this book. He demonstates in very real terms the hopelessness of women in particular during this sordid period or American history AND he places in a timeline perspective just before the outbreak of the Civil War when tensions were high, especially in her "home" state of Missouri, where the stakes could not have been higher with the question of the expansion of slavery into newly admitted states was being hotly contensted. While it would be impossible to argue that she would ever get a fair "trial" McLaurin astutely walks us through a real defense team doing their best in a time period where ANY notion of fairness is null and void and, specifically, why this is the case.

This book is a must read for any serious students of the "peculiar institution". It is remarkable how the author takes an "anonomous" life and demonstrates how and individual could be and was treated as property and degraded to the depths of our ability to comprehend while weaving in the fast moving antibellum period and the legislation, politics and emotions of the time.

Everyone! Buy Celia, a slave! She's Celia, a slave! Buy four or five at least!

Jonis Agee is an ambitious novelist who'll take a risk. In "The River Wife" she has written a "Western" (how many women writers have tried THAT?) that explores - through the eyes of five very different women - the settlement of a small parcel of land along the Mississippi River in Missouri from 1811, the year of the New Madrid earthquake, until the 1930s.

The life of each woman in this sprawling saga has been touched by her relationship with the French fur-trapper and amoral river pirate Jacques Ducharme. From Annie Lark, the teenager left for dead by her family after the earthquake, who Ducharme rescued and loved, to Hedie Rails, the woman Jacques' bootlegger grandson would marry in 1930, Agee weaves a tapestry of complex themes: isolation, hardship, identity and independence, loyalty and friendship, unspeakable violence and desolation.

Not all the women are as beautifully drawn as Annie Lark and Omah, Jacques' partner in crime. Laura, Jacques' second wife, is manipulated more like a paper doll than a human character. (Perhaps I have a bias against gold-diggers?)

The violence in the book may not be suitable for young or squeamish readers.

Agee's risk pays off. "The River Wife" offers its characters remarkably rich personal histories and explores the consequences of their decisions. The action and uncompromising violence are compelling. If only a thoughtful movie producer would buy this book, we'd be treated to five strong female roles and a potential Oscar-winning male role in a gritty compelling drama. An "Unforgiven" with a feminine twist.

I am enjoying this book and find it to be a page-turner. The prose is lush and, being a Missouri native, her description of how the river influences life is accurate and reminds me of home.

Well done.

This, grand, sweeping, epic novel makes for great summer reading. Full of cinematic scenes, this book is richly detailed and beautifully executed, beginning with a vivid evocation of the New Madrid earthquake, and including a violent attack by pirates of a merchant vessel on the Mississippi, a lushly romantic encounter between two women taking a cure at Hot Springs, ghostly visitations, and a harrowing barn fire. The many marriages of long-lived Jacques Ducharme and his descendants are an album of the types of love possible in relationships: passionate, devoted, protective, companionable, and enduring. Read this book!

The past continually haunts the present in Jonis Agee's historical novel THE RIVER WIFE, the story of four generations of women whose lives are intertwined with charismatic, larger-than-life Jacques Ducharme.

The first woman to be introduced (but last chronologically) is Hedie Ducharme, a teenaged, pregnant bride who, in 1930, comes with her new husband Clement to live at his family's house in Missouri's far southeastern bootheel region. The house is known as Jacques' Landing. Estranged from her family, often left alone by her husband for days at a time, Hedie turns to the journals she finds in the house's library. In their pages, she discovers clues not only to Jacques, the house's namesake, but also to the several women whose lives were intertwined with his.

The first woman --- who stands at the spiritual and emotional heart of the novel --- is Annie Lark, who has been trapped in the wreckage of the devastating 1812 New Madrid Earthquake. Abandoned by her family, nearly dead of starvation and thirst, Annie embraces her savior and gladly joins him in a new kind of life on the fringes of society. When Jacques decides to settle down and build a house and an inn on land near the Mississippi, she gladly joins in his dreams of prosperity and wealth.

Crippled for life by her injuries, soon beset by a devastating personal tragedy and with a series of betrayals, Annie gradually grows disillusioned with Jacques and with their marriage. After her death, her ghostly presence seems to haunt the women who follow her --- including a former slave, as well as Jacques' conniving second wife and their daughter Maddie.

As Hedie reads these journals, Annie's presence also haunts her life 100 years later. Hedie's life, from her pregnancy to her relationship with Clement, seems to have precedents in the lives of those women who came to Jacques' Landing before her. Surrounded by mystery and violence, these women find solace and safety in small magic, charms and talismans that often reappear over and over again. Hedie reflects on these protective objects: "We have so little that isn't too fragile to bear our living."

The novel's Ozark setting, particularly the threat of earthquakes and the simultaneously benevolent and menacing presence of the Mississippi River, informs much of the action. Living on the fringes of society, Jacques and his women are freed to live an almost lawless existence, isolated from both progress and propriety. Southern Gothic elements are also at work in the novel, from supernatural sightings to grotesque violence to an almost suffocating atmosphere. Agee, for the most part, ties together the women's stories effectively, only occasionally bogging down in explanations of the tangled family tree. As a whole, though, the story of Jacques' women sweeps along as relentlessly and compellingly as the Mississippi River itself.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

Agee's fascinating story bridges the lives of two women over a century apart, Annie Lark Ducharme and Hedie Rails Ducharme. Annie is trapped in the earthquake of 1811, her family's cabin near the mighty Mississippi collapsing in the earth's sudden violence. Immobilized by a roof beam, Annie is left to die by her family, clinging to life day by day while in agonizing pain. When French trapper and river pirate, Jacques Ducharme, rescues the helpless girl, it is inevitable that she fall in love with this rough but tender man who wants only to protect her and build a home that will stand as a testament to them, Jacques Landing, a place of refuge for weary river travelers and traders. Annie becomes his "river wife", living rough until they return to the banks of the river and begin building Jacques' dream, Annie pregnant with their child. The building progresses against all odds, although Jacques and his cohorts revert to their piracy to find the means.

Despite her older husband's flaws, Annie is happy, reluctant to defy this man of such great ambition. Then a truly monstrous event destroys any forgiveness that exists between them, neither able to recapture their prior hopefulness. Though other Ducharme women people Jacques' life, including his second wife, Laura Burke Shut Ducharme, who gives an ageing man a new lease on life, none can replace his passion for Annie. In 1930, Hedie Rails Ducharme arrives, the naïve young bride of the older Clement Ducharme, returning with him to Jacques Landing where they act out the fate of a family blighted by tragedy and ill-starred relationships. Like Annie, Hedie is hopelessly in love; like Jacques, Clement lives outside the law, leaving his pregnant wife alone at night with the unfamiliar groaning of the house while he pursues whatever criminal enterprise draws him away night after night.

Hedie's only solace is in Annie's diaries, which she pours over through the long, dark hours waiting for Clement to return, aware only that she is connected to Annie and the other river wives who have been a part of the Ducharme legacy. Detailing the private hopes and sorrows of these women, from Annie, Laura, the enigmatic Omah, who learns the ways of piracy from Jacques himself, to Hedie, who will add her story to Annie's, this novel is rich in regional history. Agee's images rise from the past, the waiting, patient river, the aggressive, dangerous men, the Landing that draws all manner of traveler and the women who bring heart to a tale of tragedy and violence begun with Jacques and ending with Clement. The river runs in the blood of these men and the women seduced by their natural charm, even when that love is defeated by greed, ambition and disillusion. A powerful tale, here is the essence of the river, the country and the women blinded by their passions. Luan Gaines/ 2008.

I think every person who was born and raised in Kansas and Missouri should be required to read this book. Lots of history in it and very inspiring to know how these states history affects us all.

While it does assume you know a fair bit about the Civil War period in America (I didn't), this is a good solid bit of history. Good to see someone challenge the previous historical versions of Quantrill and his raiders.

Donald L. Gilmore's book is unadulterated rubbish. It is revisionist history at it's worst. His absurd exhortation that the Missouri guerrillas "were not ordinary men but members of the elite class of western Missouri," is utter nonsense. Perhaps what he meant to say was some of the guerrillas came from elite families. Quantrill, Anderson, and Todd certainly did not spring from the upper crust of society. Those Missouri guerrillas who did in fact come from elite families probably had more in common with Vice President Dick Cheney than with Quantrill. Like the VP during the Vietnam War, the elite guerrillas seem to have had "other priorities." I would think, that if they really cared about the war effort, they would have signed up for the Confederate Army. When a real Missouri elite, General Sterling Price, met Anderson for the first time, he was shocked and dismayed, and promptly sent Anderson away. Like most real Missouri aristocrats, Price wanted to maintain as much distance as possible from these reprobates. Gilmore's work ranks with those who would have us believe there were legions of Black Confederates and that the South was right. Simply stated, Gilmore's book does a great injustice to history.

Gilmore's book rightly covers the time period before 1861, as well as after, and he notes that history is written by the victors. But instead of offering a more balanced view of both sides of the border war, he becomes an apologist for the secessionists and rides the pendulum in swinging too far the other way. Of course, since I live in Lawrence, Kansas, I have a hard time feeling sorry for Quantrill! Gilmore's references to other conflicts in history don't always work, either. Instead of comparing Missouri bushwackers to U.S. troops in Vietnam, he should have referenced the VC and NVA. Gilmore's own ancestors may have worn blue, but he sees everything through gray eyes. This actually obvious in the title of the book, since it says the Missouri-Kansas border, instead of the more common and alphabetical Kansas-Missouri. Which came first - the border ruffians or the Jayhawkers?

[...]

CIVIL WAR ON THE MISSOURI-KANSAS BORDER, Donald L. Gilmore, Pelican Press, Gretna, LA, 2006, 376, $[...].

Donald L. Gilmore has written a vivid, enlightening account of events along the Kansas/Missouri border from 1854 to 1865. He discusses the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Compromises of 1820 and 1850, and other problems that led to the border conflict. This was a time that challenged men's souls as they experienced life and death in "Bloody Kansas" and in western Missouri's "Burnt District," and Gilmore describes it well.

Gilmore breaks new ground by offering a version of the border war from mostly the Missouri point of view. In doing so, he provides an in-depth study of why good men do bad things. The book highlights infamous Kansans such as John Brown, James Montgomery, Daniel Anthony (brother of Susan B. Anthony), James Lane, Charles Jennison, and the "Red Legs" whose solution to problems were to terrorize, murder, pillage, and burn (a practice otherwise known as jayhawking). Many of the Red Legs' actions (not unlike the exploits of Genghis Khan and Attila the Hun) would be considered war crimes today.

The book discusses law-of-war violations in Missouri, such as scalpings, the severing of extremities, executions of prisoners of war, illegal use of civilians on the battlefield, robberies, the burning of homes and businesses, and the round-up and confinement of insurgent families. According to Gilmore, these events help explain why William "Bill" Quantrill transitioned from a school teacher to a bushwhacker, and how he overcame his moral scruples to raid Olathe, Paola, and Lawrence--the latter resulting in the massacre of every townsman from 16 to 60.

Quantrill wasn't the worst of the lot: Many of his men considered his actions insufficient to stop the Union plague in Missouri and took it upon themselves to fix the problem. One Quantrill apostate, "Bloody Bill" Anderson, earned his nickname in 1864 by wiping out a 115-man Union force and by massacring 24 unarmed Union soldiers during a train robbery. Anderson's father had been killed by abolitionists, and in 1863 some of Anderson's sisters were killed and the others maimed in a make-shift Union prison. He was already a killer, but these events made Anderson psychotic. Frank and Jesse James, who were part of Anderson's party, learned devious lessons from him for their postwar careers as bandits.

Gilmore also provides insights into insurgency and counterinsurgency operations before and during the Civil War. The book discusses the tactics, techniques, and procedures of seasoned Civil War insurgents, the experiences they had and the lessons they learned during the first 2 years of the war, and how they developed into seasoned, hard-edged raiders.

In sum, Civil War on the Missouri-Kansas Border is a captivating account of western life during the violent years prior to and during the Civil War. A thorough, well-researched study of the realities of life during a particularly volatile time, it should appeal to scholars and laymen alike.

--MAJ Jeffrey Wingo, USA, Retired, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Janis Harrison's first book (1999) "Roots of Murder" is a typical cozy. Suspects grow like weeds and topics are cast across the pages like so many seeds. That is part of the problem. Though the characters are unique, they rush past you like leaves on a windy day, not always easily identifiable. I spent too much time trying to keep all the characters straight. Once I did have them straight, I thought I knew the murderer just past the midpoint. I was sure of it before the potentially interesting protagonist, Bretta Soloman. She is a recently widowed owner of a florist shop who just lost 100 pounds and can't help branch out into other people's business especially after an Amish friend is murdered. More depth into the copious topics raised and a less hurried pace to character introduction would have helped. For me, it is a three. For lovers of cozies, its real audience, it would harvest four.

In this debut novel in Harrison's Gardening Mystery Series we are introduced to Bretta Solomon a recently widowed woman who in addition to learning how to deal with her grief, owns a flower shop which she describes as her life's passion, the towns reaction to her recent weight loss and the murder of Isaac Miller an Amish farmer.

If that sounded confusing, well then you get the gist of this book. Too much was going on - too many tangents. It was all roughly connected, but too many storylines and an over abundance of metaphors.

I bought this book after reading the reviews for it and I am not disappointed. I am having a hard time putting it down, it is just so enjoyable. I don't know if it is the story, the writing style, the characters or what, but I am having a great time with it and nothing else is getting done around the house while I am immersed in the story! When I first started, I thought maybe I would pick a different book to read, then something happened about 3-4 pages into it and I was hooked. I also liked that I was not reading about a 20-30 something ingenue with her issuses. This is a 45 year old working woman with mature issues. We also have alot of Amish families in my area so I had an understanding of the characters. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

This book wasn't as interesting as I had hoped, but its not bad. I just didn't feel a connection with the characters or the setting. The plot seemed very contrived.

In the first book in the Gardening Mysteries by Janis Harrison, we meet florist shop owner, Bretta Solomon. Bretta is a widow, still trying to come to terms with the shocking death of her husband. She blames herself for not being awake during his heart attack, and avoids the bedroom in which he died. Bretta has found solace with flowers, and running her business, simply named the Flower Shop. When an Amish flower grower dies under mysterious circumstances, Bretta is summoned by his brother. With her business involvement with the Amish family, she feels responsible for helping to locate the killer. It seems improbable that the man was killed over a few flowers...was he working on something a little more lucrative? Or did someone in the Amish community have issues with him raising flowers?

I really enjoyed this first book in the series. Unlike some other reviews, I did not find the prose to be too simple. I like a straightforward book; one that isn't wordy just to fill extra pages. The action was very fast moving, and I liked the way nothing was dragged out. The ending was a bit different however. Without giving too much away, this ending didn't tie everything up in a neat bow like many other mysteries do. Having read many books, I like to see something a bit different in the new series I try. If you are fond of cozy mysteries, this would be a good series to try. Enjoy!