tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post7162087033635853242..comments2024-03-28T22:25:23.698-05:00Comments on Western Fictioneers: Review Roundup: All the Gold in CaliforniaWestern Fictioneershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01683314579075461026noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-73820059541229786232014-02-10T17:42:15.730-06:002014-02-10T17:42:15.730-06:00Hi, gang! Sorry I'm late to the party again. M...Hi, gang! Sorry I'm late to the party again. My schedule runneth over lately. :-D<br /><br /><b>Doris</b>, I'm like you, it seems. I'm far from squeamish, but the emotional toll of some of these stories is staggering. Charlie's book, for example, uses things like buffalo skinning, a gruesome death by lightning, and a couple of other pretty awful events to evoke a tremendous sense of loss. The book isn't gory by any stretch of the imagination, but it IS chilling. And you're right: The anti-fairy-tales are as important as the happy stories...maybe even more important. :-)<br /><br /><b>Cheryl</b>, <i>The Forty-Niners</i> is an eye-opener. I always learn from Charlie's books, because like you said, that man puts one heckuva lot of research into everything he writes. I didn't know much about the time period when I started reading the book either. Now I feel like I could make the cross-country trip myself -- but I should would hate to have done it back then! :-D<br /><br /><b>Charlie</b>, I'm not kind. I try to be honest and helpful without giving away too much. I still remember how emotionally difficult a read <i>The Grapes of Wrath</i> was, and <i>The Forty-Niners</i> evoked a similar response in me. I may have to hate you for that. ;-) Seriously, though, I think your book is one people who are interested in getting a handle on the era SHOULD read. Too often, as Doris noted, we tend to look back at the Gold Rush era as a period when fortunes were made. The quest for wealth during that period killed a good many folks, though, and ruined others. <i>The Forty-Niners</i>, while it has some heartwarming, happy, and uplifting spots, presents a side of the Gold Rush era we tend to overlook. Very, very nice, sir. :-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05740371055384281988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-57472566236252776532014-02-10T13:37:20.460-06:002014-02-10T13:37:20.460-06:00Kathleen,
Thank you! Very thorough, very kind.
...Kathleen,<br /><br />Thank you! Very thorough, very kind.<br /><br />CharlieCharlie Steelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16992330591519249699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-85874366634736475632014-02-10T12:10:23.127-06:002014-02-10T12:10:23.127-06:00Kathleen, excellent review, as always. I look forw...Kathleen, excellent review, as always. I look forward to reading The Forty-Niners because I know what a thorough, meticulous writer Charlie Steel is. This sounds like a real winner. I don't know much about that time period, so I'm looking forward to learning, and being entertained while I'm doing it!<br />CherylCheryl Piersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18116526340220274282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409887812566625284.post-31627731962822446962014-02-10T10:19:18.960-06:002014-02-10T10:19:18.960-06:00We sometimes forget in our look back at the past t...We sometimes forget in our look back at the past that it was not all fairy book stories. While not squeamish, it is not always easy to read, but sometimes necessary. Thanks for a most enlightening review. DorisRenaissance Womenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09045401344374224512noreply@blogger.com