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A review by cmaldo
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford by Ron Hansen
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Forgot about this place! Currently bored at work so I figured now's as good a time as any to write this.
This book is fascinating. Hard to find any info about Ron Hansen's writing process or research, but from what I understand, it's historically accurate aside from the conversations between the characters. This makes the overall structure tough to process since these events didn't happen in a traditional storytelling form. Hansen leans into this by making the book very contemplative and loose. We'll be introduced to a person and - in a brief, throwaway sentence - get a summary of what the rest of their life looks like and how the main subjects of the book effected that. Very stream-of-conscious.
I saw the movie twice before reading this book, so I have no clue how this reads to someone who hasn't seen it, but the movie takes these contemplative aspect and dials it up a lot. Lots of nuance in the looks and silences between the characters. That really helped inform my reading of the book and more-or-less prepared me for what to expect.
I was actually drawn to read it when I learned that the voice-over narration from the movie was lifted straight from the book. It's very poetic and abstract at times, and I was intrigued. It really was my bread and butter to be honest. The sentences this guy crafts are really interesting, beautiful, and often silly. It helped add to that stream-of-conscious free flow of ideas.
Now, for the main subjects of the book: Jesse James and Robert Ford. The amount of depth that is poured into every character - but especially these two - is astounding. So many nuances in their words and actions. With these two men as a vessel, Hansen thoroughly explores celebrity, American individualism, greed, and struggles with mental health and self-identity.
As the book itself notes, Jesse James was as popular as the Sphinx of Egypt during this time. So many legends were created about him, many of which were hyperbolic if not outright false (as Robert Ford discovered himself). Hansen sheds them of their legendary status and paints a complicated portrait of two men trying to make sense of their place in this world. However, even with this empathetic look into who they were, it never shies away from the truly nasty aspects of their personality and actions.
Was Robert Ford a coward? At times I think he was, but more so I believe he was naive. He bought into the Jesse James legend, thinking it was something he could attain. In reality, not even Jesse lived up to his legend. They were just two men.
With my deep dive into the movie and this book, Jesse James and Robert Ford have occupied a lot of real estate in my mind for the past eight-ish months. I'm not sure why I feel so attached to the American West - aside from the obvious - but this journey has been very rewarding!
This book is fascinating. Hard to find any info about Ron Hansen's writing process or research, but from what I understand, it's historically accurate aside from the conversations between the characters. This makes the overall structure tough to process since these events didn't happen in a traditional storytelling form. Hansen leans into this by making the book very contemplative and loose. We'll be introduced to a person and - in a brief, throwaway sentence - get a summary of what the rest of their life looks like and how the main subjects of the book effected that. Very stream-of-conscious.
I saw the movie twice before reading this book, so I have no clue how this reads to someone who hasn't seen it, but the movie takes these contemplative aspect and dials it up a lot. Lots of nuance in the looks and silences between the characters. That really helped inform my reading of the book and more-or-less prepared me for what to expect.
I was actually drawn to read it when I learned that the voice-over narration from the movie was lifted straight from the book. It's very poetic and abstract at times, and I was intrigued. It really was my bread and butter to be honest. The sentences this guy crafts are really interesting, beautiful, and often silly. It helped add to that stream-of-conscious free flow of ideas.
Now, for the main subjects of the book: Jesse James and Robert Ford. The amount of depth that is poured into every character - but especially these two - is astounding. So many nuances in their words and actions. With these two men as a vessel, Hansen thoroughly explores celebrity, American individualism, greed, and struggles with mental health and self-identity.
As the book itself notes, Jesse James was as popular as the Sphinx of Egypt during this time. So many legends were created about him, many of which were hyperbolic if not outright false (as Robert Ford discovered himself). Hansen sheds them of their legendary status and paints a complicated portrait of two men trying to make sense of their place in this world. However, even with this empathetic look into who they were, it never shies away from the truly nasty aspects of their personality and actions.
Was Robert Ford a coward? At times I think he was, but more so I believe he was naive. He bought into the Jesse James legend, thinking it was something he could attain. In reality, not even Jesse lived up to his legend. They were just two men.
With my deep dive into the movie and this book, Jesse James and Robert Ford have occupied a lot of real estate in my mind for the past eight-ish months. I'm not sure why I feel so attached to the American West - aside from the obvious - but this journey has been very rewarding!