abroadwell's review against another edition
4.0
I quite enjoyed this book.
The narration begins with a young bugler in the Civil War and ends just after the Battle of Little Bighorn. Along the way, he meets Walt Whitman, Ulysses Grant, and Custer.
Insightful about the greed and corruption that were central to so much of 19th century American history. (And which continue today!) Particularly poignant on the destruction of so much that was precious in the West.
The narration begins with a young bugler in the Civil War and ends just after the Battle of Little Bighorn. Along the way, he meets Walt Whitman, Ulysses Grant, and Custer.
Insightful about the greed and corruption that were central to so much of 19th century American history. (And which continue today!) Particularly poignant on the destruction of so much that was precious in the West.
amypeasewrites's review against another edition
5.0
I randomly chose this book while perusing the new fiction shelf at the library. I've been reading a lot of duds lately and I was worried that this would be another. But it looked nice and short, and I like historical fiction so I gave it a go. The writing is very impressive, right from the beginning. Every sentence is clever and poetic, and the plot is engaging and weird enough to seem like a story that's never been told before, despite the fact that it's basically an American history lesson as seen through the eyes of a fictional character. Surprisingly excellent.
jaclynday's review against another edition
4.0
This slim book is spare and powerful, with our protagonist finding himself around major historical figures and events over and over again. It starts with Moran as a cynical 16-year-old Union bugler. He’s wounded because he picked up a gun that subsequently misfired and took out his eye. His–err, creative–retelling of the event leads to his appointment as the official bugler accompanying President Lincoln’s funeral train tour in cities throughout the northern states. This is what good historical fiction should be. Lock doesn’t embellish unnecessarily, but simply moves his character through a brutal and tumultuous period in our country’s history.
celestelee's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not really sure what I just read. Or why. Historical fiction? Narrated by a bloviating fellow who fancies himself key in our nation's history. It was a fairly entertaining read, I'm just not at all sure their was a point.
ashhulksmash's review against another edition
3.0
Captivating narrator, the plot just couldn't hold my attention. I had some familiarity with photography in that time from Michael Crichton's, "Dragon Teeth," but I couldn't quit thinking that this lacked the charm of that story. I wish there would have been something that grabbed my attention. I gave it three stars because it was nice background noise for a day in the office, and I could focus in and out as needed without feeling like I missed plot points. I just left this book feeling underwhelmed, but not disappointed. Overall forgettable for me though.
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