Declare Appertaining To Books The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
| Title | : | The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford |
| Author | : | Ron Hansen |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 320 pages |
| Published | : | February 26th 1997 by Harper Perennial (first published October 12th 1983) |
| Categories | : | Westerns. Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction |
Ron Hansen
Paperback | Pages: 320 pages Rating: 3.91 | 2563 Users | 281 Reviews
Narrative As Books The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
One of the great classic tales of The Great American West... IT IS 1881. Jesse James, at the age of 34, is at the height of his fame and powers as a singularly successful outlaw. Robert Ford is the skittish younger brother of one of the James gang: he has made himself an expert on the gang, but his particular interest - his obsession - is Jesse James himself. Both drawn to him and frightened of him, the nineteen-year-old is uncertain whether he wants to serve James or destroy him or, somehow, become him. Never have these two men been portrayed and their saga explored with such poetry, such grim precision and such raw-boned feeling as Ron Hansen has brought to this masterful retelling. 'Wonderful. This is great storytelling, not undermined by our knowin how it turns out. The reader is driven - by story and by language and by history... the best blend of fiction and history I've read in a long while!' -- John Irving, author of The World According to Garp
Mention Books In Pursuance Of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
| Original Title: | The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford |
| ISBN: | 0060976993 (ISBN13: 9780060976996) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Jesse James, Frank James, Robert Ford, Charley Ford, Wood Hite, Dick Liddil |
| Literary Awards: | PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Nominee (1984) |
Rating Appertaining To Books The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Ratings: 3.91 From 2563 Users | 281 ReviewsCrit Appertaining To Books The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Absolutely, and without any shred of doubt, one of the best books I have read ever. Period. No argument. Mr. Hansen's writing is so clear and precise that it cuts straight through you. He splendidly weaves the tale of the infamous Jesse James, the lives he touched (and changed forever), as well as paints a complete portrait of the ever-expanding American West (and the industrialization that followed--how everything was changing so quickly). For my money, the novel is quintessential reading, andThere is a detachment in the writing style that is unengaged. Once you adjust to this punctuated attitude towards the characters, it is easier to absorb the stark beauty of the words. For example: He was one to read auguries in the snarled intestines of chickens, or the blow of cat hair released to the wind, and years of bad luck that moated and dungeoned him. Throw away details like the conditions of Jesses teeth or the smell of a sweating horse accumulate unconsciously to create a startling
What makes this book is the language. Though I am no authority, it has effectively captivated the language we would expect from the time. Hansen is definitely a researcher and it shows, but on top of that, the story seems removed from the contemporary. It breathes forward to us from another time, even though it was probably composed on a computer. The language and tone, generating that removal from the contemporary, provide the elevated platform to be awed at, Jesse James is a realized
It is not often that Ill buy a book after enjoying the movie adaptation, but this is something of a special case for me. I saw Andrew Dominiks film on its release back in 2007 and have adored it ever since. Its one of those rare movies which I found not only technically superb (a great story well performed, beautifully shot, with a lovely and haunting score) but also deeply affecting on a personal level. I wrote about it here, a long time ago.After seeing it, I was vaguely aware that it was
Poetic, haunting, and kind of cryptic, this novel is a little Old West golden nugget. Hansen pokes at the insides of both Jesse James and his homicidal groupie, Bob Ford, in an elegant and fascinating way, making their complicated relationship an intricate web of admiration, jealousy, and wariness that plays out like a cat-and-mouse game without drawing a definite line between the cat and the mouse.
Ron Hansen entitled this remarkable book "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" not because he agrees that Robert Ford was coward, indeed, Bob Ford spends much of the last third of the book attempting to prove that he was not a coward, instead, Hansen seems to be drawing our attention to the fickle attitudes of a public that romanticized Jesse and demonized Bob. Yet Hansen's Jesse James, while one of the most compelling and well wrought characters ever committed to a novel,
Historical fiction of the last few crimes of the James Gang, the death of Jesse James, and the subsequent struggles of those involved in his death, particularly the man who pulled the trigger, Robert Ford. I had purchased this book thinking it was non-fiction; however, it is clearly historical fiction. From subsequent research, it appears to be based on facts. The dialogue, which obviously had to be invented, is believable. James is portrayed as a complex personality. He is simultaneously a
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