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Showing posts with label Western. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Western. Show all posts
10 October 2014
Title
| By all Men's Judgements |
Author
| Brad Cotton |
Publisher
| Prinia Press |
Publication Date
|
April 2014
|
Pages
| 418 |
Genre
| novel, Western |
Blurb:
Knowing she doesn’t have long to live, Liza Meacham summons local newspaper writer Nathaniel to her bedside to share a story she’s kept to herself for seven decades. It’s the story of a man named Joseph Tilley, a man she came to know quite well. With her granddaughter, Madeline, also by her side, Liza begins to reveal how an innocent Oklahoma farm boy fell into a life of crime to become a notorious outlaw in the early 1920s.
Over the following weeks Madeline and Nathaniel begin piecing together the mysteries that remain where Liza’s recollection leaves off. The secrets they uncover may change their lives forever – if they can find their way to the end . . . and to the truth.
Over the following weeks Madeline and Nathaniel begin piecing together the mysteries that remain where Liza’s recollection leaves off. The secrets they uncover may change their lives forever – if they can find their way to the end . . . and to the truth.
My review:
This sweet story needs more exposure.
I absolutely loved this book from the very first page and it is clear that Brad Cotton can tell a story and keep you hooked. The book has structure and the writing style is not over-complicated. (I have a pet-hate for long and windy sentences in books. Books are meant to entertain - I don't want to read an academic essay)
By all Men's Judgements plays in two different time frames. Firstly, there is grandma Liza, her niece Madeline and writer Nathaniel in present day. Liza is terminally ill and knows she has not a lot of time left so calls local writer Nathaniel to her house. She has a story to tell and wants Nathaniel to write it down. Not quite sure what to expect, Nathaniel and Madeline is quickly enthralled with the story - and so are we as readers.
Liza takes us back to the 1920's Oklahoma where young Joe witnesses his parents murder and gets send to stay with his cousin's family. Joe quickly develops a friendship with his cousin Buck.This is prohibition-age America, and Buck knows where money is to be made with home-brewed alcohol. They quickly start to make a name for themselves, starting out as rookies working for the big boss and almost innocently going about their business. But Joe, of course, can never forget what has happened to his parents. The story cuts back in intervals to Madeline and Nathaniel who slowly start to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
There is a bit of a 'Western-like' feel to this story. I am not usually one for Westerns and surprised myself that I liked this book so much. It had me rooting for Joe and ... and I finished the book in 2 days. A story about friendship to the end, betrayal, courage. And yes, there is a twist at the end which I did not see coming.
Anything I didn't like? I think I would have liked a different cover. Maybe a 1920's style picture of Joe? The current cover picture is, in my humble opinion, a bit non-descriptive and as many readers do pick up their books by the cover (yes, it has been proven to be true!!), I think this lovely little book will be overlooked.
I absolutely loved this book from the very first page and it is clear that Brad Cotton can tell a story and keep you hooked. The book has structure and the writing style is not over-complicated. (I have a pet-hate for long and windy sentences in books. Books are meant to entertain - I don't want to read an academic essay)
By all Men's Judgements plays in two different time frames. Firstly, there is grandma Liza, her niece Madeline and writer Nathaniel in present day. Liza is terminally ill and knows she has not a lot of time left so calls local writer Nathaniel to her house. She has a story to tell and wants Nathaniel to write it down. Not quite sure what to expect, Nathaniel and Madeline is quickly enthralled with the story - and so are we as readers.
Liza takes us back to the 1920's Oklahoma where young Joe witnesses his parents murder and gets send to stay with his cousin's family. Joe quickly develops a friendship with his cousin Buck.This is prohibition-age America, and Buck knows where money is to be made with home-brewed alcohol. They quickly start to make a name for themselves, starting out as rookies working for the big boss and almost innocently going about their business. But Joe, of course, can never forget what has happened to his parents. The story cuts back in intervals to Madeline and Nathaniel who slowly start to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
There is a bit of a 'Western-like' feel to this story. I am not usually one for Westerns and surprised myself that I liked this book so much. It had me rooting for Joe and ... and I finished the book in 2 days. A story about friendship to the end, betrayal, courage. And yes, there is a twist at the end which I did not see coming.
Anything I didn't like? I think I would have liked a different cover. Maybe a 1920's style picture of Joe? The current cover picture is, in my humble opinion, a bit non-descriptive and as many readers do pick up their books by the cover (yes, it has been proven to be true!!), I think this lovely little book will be overlooked.
14 May 2014
Title
|
The Gunslinger / Dark Tower Book 1
|
Author
| Stephen King |
Publisher
| Hodder |
Publication Date
|
10 June 1982
|
Pages
| 238 |
Genre
| Fantasy, Western |
Blurb:
Beginning with a short story appearing in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1978, the publication of Stephen King's epic work of fantasy -- what he considers to be a single long novel and his magnum opus -- has spanned a quarter of a century.Set in a world of extraordinary circumstances, filled with stunning visual imagery and unforgettable characters, The Dark Tower series is King's most visionary feat of storytelling, a magical mix of science fiction, fantasy, and horror that may well be his crowning achievement.
Book I
In The Gunslinger (originally published in 1982), King introduces his most enigmatic hero, Roland Deschain of Gilead, the Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting, solitary figure at first, on a mysterious quest through a desolate world that eerily mirrors our own. Pursuing the man in black, an evil being who can bring the dead back to life, Roland is a good man who seems to leave nothing but death in his wake.
In The Gunslinger (originally published in 1982), King introduces his most enigmatic hero, Roland Deschain of Gilead, the Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting, solitary figure at first, on a mysterious quest through a desolate world that eerily mirrors our own. Pursuing the man in black, an evil being who can bring the dead back to life, Roland is a good man who seems to leave nothing but death in his wake.
My review
There are two kind of Stephen King fans - the ones who love the Dark Tower Series and the ones who….just can't get on with it. I admit that I belong to the latter.
Book 1 introduces us to Roland, the Last Gunslinger (think John Wayne-type Western). He travels to the vastness of an empty world which is not unlike ours, but in an alternate / parallel universe. Roland is on a mission to find the man in black and the Dark Tower. Unfortunately, I never managed to get into the book. I didn't understand Roland's quest and even though the book is not very long, it seems to me not a lot was happening.
There are parts in the book which I loved, most notably when he meets a boy called Jake who was killed in our world whilst going to school and ends up in this alternative world with the Roland the Gunslinger. This is when I felt 'my usual SK' was coming through and I was glad I stuck with the book, but it didn't hold for me. Maybe because the Western genre is not really for me?
I read this book a while ago now, and I know that there are many King fans who are devoted to the Dark Tower series. Maybe I should give it another go.
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