jcschildbach's review against another edition
5.0
I am not one for much historical fiction, or for Westerns in general, but this book is incredible at drawing the reader into a particular world and time. A blurb from a Newsweek review on the cover of the edition I read said Hansen made "low history" into "high art," which is a near perfect way of explaining this work. Hansen is extremely gifted with language and clever turns of phrase, as well as having a solid period feel to the diction. Occasionally, Hansen's writing can call attention to itself for being too clever, but that was rarely the case here. In addition, Hansen fully fleshed out plausible mannerisms and personalities of characters that were hardly the subject of reliable historical accounts of their lives. Hansen also weaves in newspaper accounts of events in a seamless manner, adding to the sort of in-the-time feel of the book. In Hansen's characterization, James becomes nearly superhuman in some abilities, and extremely flawed in other areas. Ford becomes the tragic figure, almost an obsessed Jesse James fan at the outset of the book, turning to a somewhat rightly paranoid, but wrongly conspiratorial figure in the second act, with the third act of the book devoted to Ford's life in the aftermath of the assassination. The other revolving members of the James gang are treated to quite a bit of page time as well, with a careful tracing of the events that built their reputations and undid their lives.
thisotherbookaccount's review
Maybe books about the The Great American West are not for me? Or maybe it is the way Hansen writes in period-accurate style. Either way, 16% in and I am willing to call it quits. No big losses, but still. I would recommend the amazing film adaptation of this book rather than its source material.
tarmstrong112's review against another edition
3.0
This was an incredibly boring book, yet the story and characterization was good. The author obviously did some deep research for their book and it often reads as a non-fiction account of the last days of Jesse James. This is great, however it also led to some very very long passages in this book and were boring or didn't really add much to the story. I enjoyed the story, but often felt like it was work to read the book itself and that disappointed me.
cmcrockford's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
One of the rare books that isn't quite as good as the movie adaptation, maybe because there's more of a poetry and epic quality to Dominek's film. Both though are these visceral cries of despair. Maybe within a novel I just find that more suspicious, like Hansen is fetishizing the sadness of his American West.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Medical content, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Violence, Death, Medical trauma, Racism, Murder, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Blood, Chronic illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Infidelity, War, and Alcoholism
Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
jorgegamboa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
jokos's review against another edition
4.0
Really didn't think I would enjoy a western this much. Very entertaining with interesting characters.
epersonae's review against another edition
4.0
Reads very much like the movie, which is to say slow but in a good way. Laconic would be the word, I think.
gizmoto16's review against another edition
2.0
The movie was pretty good, so I thought the book would be too. The first half was ok, but after the assassination, it got boring and I stopped caring...and reading.
callumdingley's review against another edition
3.0
The first few acts of this novel blew my expectations out of the water by introducing a unique cast of characters that showed considerable personality alongside exciting descriptions of their actions. Once the book starts to lose momentum in it's actions, it seems what made the characters so great fades away as well. That's not to say it didn't have other great moments spread throughout, but it struggles to keep up with the consistency in both action and character. Overall, as I was pleasantly surprised with how well an action-focused book could portray interesting and complex characters, breaking away from the negative connotations of a classically styled western, but it fails to keep up with every aspect of it's occasional brilliance, making a tough book to rate.