Missouri Books

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.

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.

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........)

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!

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.

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!

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.

SOME NERVE is a contemporary novel featuring Ann Roth. Honesty and integrity are not the tools for a celebrity journalist, and nice is not what her editor is looking for. When told to get a story on the most reclusive personality since Howard Hughes, Ann pulls out every creative trick in her arsenal. It isn't enough. She must face her paralyzing fear of heights. Physically unable to do so, she goes back to her magazine empty-handed. Fired, she returns home defeated. Taking on local fanfare of hair salon openings and the like, Ann is given a second chance when the man who cost her her job is admitted to the local hospital. Geared up, she is determined to get her job and her reputation back.

With great minor characters and no sluggish areas, this book was very easy to get into. Ann had a great voice and personality that I found endearing. (I did find it jarring with the number of parentheses the author used.) I could feel the anxiety as Ann tried to overcome her fear, get the story, and prove herself. In the middle of the book, the story took a sharp turn, almost with a feeling of being a different book. Although we see growth and change in the character, the amount that was shown seemed out of place with the style of the story up to this point. There were a few believability issues that I struggled with, and I thought the ending was predictable.

Overall, I'm glad I read it.

Carol A. Spradling, author
CarolASpradling.com

This book was definitely light entertainment. It was very predictable, but there were a few funny moments. There were a couple of plot lines I was hoping would get wrapped up that never did (the possible hospital corruption and Richard's involvement as well as her mom's progress). I think 3 out of 5 is very fair for this book and would recommend it for a quick easy read.

This is the first of Ms. Heller's books I've read but it certainly isn't the last. Her writing is witty, her characters realistic, and her plots keep the pace lively. I'll definitely be back for more!

I've read most of Jane Heller's books. I really liked her earlier ones, like "Cha Cha Cha" and "Sim Boom Bah", but I feel her newer ones are becoming a bit too predictable, like this one. But hey, us writer gals gotta stick together, so I say, "Go Jane!" I only hope that someday I'll be as well known for my writing!

Yes, this plot may not be that hard to figure out, but it's a lot of fun. Plus, it is an easy read that just flows. So if you're looking for something deep, this isn't it. If you are looking for a light, fun treat, this is it.

Others I like: Whitney Gaskell, Emily Giffin, & Janet Evanovich

My wife bought me two new books for Christmas. They are:

Petersen, Paul R -- Quantrill of Missouri : the making of a guerilla warrior : the man, the myth, the soldier; and

O'Flaherty, Daniel -- General Jo Shelby : undefeated rebel.

I just finished reading Petersen's book last night. I had heard a lot about the book before from Missouri Civil War online discussion groups to which I belong. Due to my family history, I have a very personal interest in Quantrill. Events in my life have led me to have a very emotional response to Petersen's book.

Before getting into my personal reaction to the book, I would like to say that it is very well written and very well researched. The only other book I have read about Quantrill was Edward E Leslie's: "The Devil Knows How to Ride : The True Story of William Clarke Quantrill and His Confederate Raiders." If one reads one of these books, it might be a good idea to read the other to get a more balanced view. If you haven't seen "Ride With the Devil", it might be worth your time to watch it.

Petersen gives much more detail then Leslie. He has clearly read many sources and accounts of the career of Captain Quantrill. Quantrill's career is surrounded by controversy. Petersen resolutely takes one side. I tend to believe that no one can ever know "the truth" about Quantrill.

I tend to doubt his claim that he had only been a Jayhawker to get revenge against Jayhawkers who had attacked him and killed his "brother." My view of Quantrill was that he was attracted to the life of a partisan, and the side made little difference. His story makes much more sense if it is seen as a way to gain the trust and confidence of the Bushwhackers he later joined and led. Petersen consistently refers to "Colonel" Quantrill, although that title is very much in question.

One of my reasons for reading this book was to get more information about the lives of my ancestors who lived through the events. My McFerrin and Porter ancestors lived in Cass County, about ten miles east of Harrisonville. The Porter's lived near Dayton, which was burnt by Jennison's Jayhawkers, led by Susan B Anthony's brother, early in The War. The McFerrin's lived on Eight Mile Creek. Three couples of McFerrin and Porter children married each other. They also lived in the area. Samuel Burton McFerrin, on whom my SCV membership is based, served first in the 8th Battalion Missouri Infantry (State Guard). He and his father were at Lone Jack. Burton later served in the 9th Missouri Confederate Infantry, against Banks on the Red River, and against Steele in the Camden Expedition.

My Deay and Vitt ancestors lived about fifty miles away in Eudora, Kansas, about seven miles west of Lawrence. Some of them enlisted in Kansas regiments after Quantrill's raid on Lawrence. During that raid, Quantrill sent a company to Eudora. The farmers in Eudora had heard the sounds of the battle. They were armed when Quantrill's raiders attacked, and turned them away. The children of William H Musick, on whom my SUV membership is based, married into the Deay and Vitt families. Members of William's regiment served under Steele in the Camden Expedition. My great-great-grandmother, Lena Vogel, was born in 1863 in Macon, Missouri, about thirty miles north of Centralia.

Due to these family connections, I have a very personal interest in the events of the Kansas/Missouri War. I received my Master of Divinity degree from Thomas Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, California. This is a Unitarian Universalist seminary. Starr King was a Universalist. He is credited with keeping California in the Union. He was a colleague of Theodore Parker, the Unitarian minister who agitated for war against the South. Parker was a member of "The Secret Six" who raised money for John Brown. My deep personal feelings against Parker may be the main reason I did not pursue a Unitarian ministry.

Unlike Paul Petersen, I cannot make a hero of Quantrill or Bill Anderson. I place these two in the same group with James H Lane, Charles Jennison, and Theodore Parker. These are people who chose War and killing as a way to advance their personal agendas. I do not see any of these as being the "protectors" of either branch of my family. I see them as being the reason that my family's lives were terrorized. I very much blame both Quantrill and Jennison for the fact that my ancestors' homes were burnt to the ground, and that they were forced into exile or concentration camps.

If you want to know what William Clarke Quantrill was really like, then this is THE book for you. Petersen really did his homework, questioned all the assumptions closely and paid attention to the answers he got back. This is the story of the War Between the States from the Missouri Point of View. Quantrill is shown for the hero he was instead of the psychopath his detractors have painted him to be (without substantiation, I might add.)

The author seems bent on tipping the balance from the negative portrayal of previous biographers such as Connelly to the extreme opposite. Indeed, this weighty tome seems to be not much more than a response to Connelly's biography at the expense of objectivity. William Quantrill may not have been the devil incarnate but he was also no saint. The author seems to put a lot of stock into "God-fearing people" who followed Quantrill as if to impute their righteousness to him - instead of guilt by association it is the equally unjustified righteousness by association. In the end we are given not an historical biography but an idolatrous apologetic of the Confederate guerrilla leader.

As a biography, this portrayal in an attitude of deep reverance for the subject only perpetuates the neo-Confederate myth. The same fault makes it untrustworthy as a political or military history. Perhaps the value is in it's adoption and example of the Confederate apologetic method. Truly the Confederate side of the history has been vilified to an unfair degree outside the context of the times. But countering the vilification with the opposite extreme does not provide balance. It only makes the Confederate side seem ludicrous and makes one question the purpose for their fight altogether rather than explaining the background of the conflict.

The fact that the text seems a response only to anti-Confederate biographers is evidenced further by little mention of more balanced biographies such as _The Devil Knows How to Ride_ by Edward Leslie. I would highly recommend that book for a more balanced approach. I was pleased to find that many of the works of Mr. Donald Hale and Ms. Joanne Eakin are identified as sources since I have found their work very helpful in my own study of the guerrilla war in Missouri. Their research has led them to gather many of the primary and secondary sources into collections for publication into single volumes. It is a labor of love for them that will help current and future researchers immensely in this study.

In contrast to the portrayal given in the text, the photographs and maps provided are first rate and help to place the reader in the context of the time.

I have done extensive reading and research on this topic over the last decade and this is the most well researched, complete, and accurate account that exists today. If you are looking for a book that just re-enforces your already preconceived notions - then try something much shorter and less well done. Otherwise I would highly recommend it to those looking for a complete, accurate, and well researched account. It is probably much more of a neutral view than a souther view. Since most of the related history that I have found has been an extreme "slant" on history by Northen side of the war, who got to control how history was recorded, this may appear to be a southern view. If you have researched this topic as much as I have done, it will appear as probably one of the few attempts at accurately recording this most difficult time in the history of the mid-west.

From a woman's point of view this book was fascinating reading. Mr. Petersen's book is by far the best book yet written about William Clarke Quantrill. Not only his new insights but his understanding and experience as a combat veteran enables Petersen to give the reader a clear understanding why guerrillas fought so desperately. For the first time a complete account has been compiled written in a clear and easy-to-read style professionally edited and produced by a leading publisher. Reviews by critics who claim their self ascribed knowledge, is immaterial compared to someone who has done years of research and has tangible proof to show for it. Critics who once lamblasted Quantrill's men were labeled as unqualified and irresponsible. Modern reviewers lacking education or credentials are still critical of anything not demonizing Quantrill by showing their bitterness and mean-spiritness in what Petersen has expertly portrayed in his new book. One man with courage makes a majority and I'm glad Petersen had the determination and fortitude to see this work put into print. It should set a new standard for books about the border war in Missouri.

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!

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.

On February 7, 1812 the New Madrid earthquake - the largest quake ever recorded in the United States - hit Annie Lark's Missouri house, trapping her beneath a roof beam. Unable to move the massive timber and terrified by the aftershocks, her family decides to leave the sixteen year old girl to her fate, but death is slow coming and she lingers until a French fur trapper named, Jacques Ducharme, rescues her days later. What follows is the story of Annie's life as Jacques' "river wife," which Jacques' descendant Hedie Ducharme discovers among the family papers along with the histories of three other Ducharme women. Together these stories take the reader from 1812 Missouri, through the Civil War and up to the bootlegging days of the 1930's. I was riveted by Annie's story. Her legs never fully recover from their earthquake trauma and her fearless determination to adapt to both this setback and the rough, sometimes violent, life she leads with Jacques is captivating. Agee's skill as a storyteller is evident throughout the novel, yet, try as I might, once the novel shifted away from Annie I wasn't able to maintain my initial interest. I enjoyed the tales of Omah, Laura and Maddie, but Hedie's story is lukewarm at best. While the other women are strong willed and clever in their own ways, Hedie is timid and willfully ignorant of her husband's true nature. There were more than a few moments when I couldn't help but think, "Come on Hedie, you haven't figured it all out yet? Gimme a break." Hedie's story is interspersed between chapters, so naturally her character influences the entire novel - especially the ending, which uses her life to conclude the Ducharme tale.

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

I found this to be a wonderfully deep and enjoyable book. The characters were fascinating and well developed. The plots and themes twisted around seamlessly and I never felt lost between generations. I found the descriptions of the places and events to be accurate and of a place and time (early 19th century, Bootheel Missouri)that we don't often read about. I would recommend it highly to friends and to my book club. I would read it again and that doesn't happen very often.