Ghosts of Gold Mountain

Ghosts of Gold Mountain: the epic story of the Chinese who built the transcontinental railroad   by Gordon H. Chang,  312 pages

This is indeed an epic story of the Chinese who were primarily responsible for building the western and most challenging section of the U.S. transcontinental railroad which was completed about 150 years ago. Gordon Chang's story begins by describing the politics and life of the Guangdong province in southern China from which most of the railroad workers, young and male, were recruited and it ends with a description of Chinese women working in San Francisco brothels and Chinese people being driven from the western cities that they populated. Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR), financed by an act of congress, initially did not want to hire Chinese laborers but other workers deserted and the Chinese proved their skills, work ethic and willingness so they became the primary builders of the challenging western section of the railroad. 

The planned route required traversing steeper grades and than any other railroad previously built; it would involve more dynamite to blast tunnels through parts of the mountain, and great human risk to builders who packed and lit explosives and hammered chisels to cut beds into its cliffs. CPRR did not even keep a record of the names of its Chinese workers nor did they ever publicly acknowledge the death of a single railroad worker. But by drawing on reports of Chinese benevolent associations, newspapers, historical associations, reports of freight cars carrying remains from mass accidents, Chang fills in some silence from the railroad records and estimates that 1,200 of them died in the project. The railroad Chinese worked harder and faster than other crews but were paid less so, without a union, they organized a strike which approached parity in  wages along with recognition and  time to celebrate Chinese holidays. 

Railroad Chinese were not only killed by the engineering feat for which they worked, they were also killed by "the great purge" to rid the country of them: In October of 1871 a mob of 500 attacked the Chinese quarter in Los Angeles, burned buildings and lynched 18 Chinese in the streets: the largest lynching in American history. Twenty five people were indicted for murder but none were convicted. Five years later, the white citizens of Truckee, a town made possible by the railroad, formed a Caucasian League, burned the cabins of Chinese woodcutters and then shot them as they fled. Truckee citizens used violence, arson and intimidation to drive other Chinese citizens out until the town's 1900 census indicates that there were only two Chinese people left in town. Such were the bitter ironies of the Chinese workers who built the transcontinental railroad. Their men were recruited to build the wealth of those who planned it and then their women were enslaved to satisfy the lusts of men.

Vengeance Road

Vengeance Road, Erin Bowman, 327 pages

Kate Thompson’s father has been murdered by the notorious gang of outlaws the Rose Riders, and she is determined to get her revenge, no matter the cost. But she finds mentions of a lost cache of gold in her father’s diary, and her quest for vengeance risks becoming sidetracked by gold fever.

I’m not sure I liked this one. For a book with a protagonist as single-mindedly focused on vengeance as Kate is supposed to be, Vengeance Road meanders quite a bit and ends up feeling like a cautionary tale on the risks of greed. The action scenes felt flat, and although it seems Bowman tried to avoid tired, racist tropes when dealing with the Apache who live nearby, I’m not sure she succeeded, which is of course always a risk when writing a Western. The romance felt uninspired as well, until the end when it redeemed itself somewhat. I’ve heard good things about the standalone sequel, RetributionRails, but I’m not sure if I feel like giving it a try.

The Quick and the Dead

The Quick and the Dead by Louis L’Amour        Paperback: 154 pgs. (155, including the author information at the end, which I read)     

     This book is quite a departure for me: I had never read a Western before, but a co-worker convinced me to try reading Louis L’Amour, the classic Western storyteller.  It was a good book and very much what you would expect in a Western.  But this story— and all L’Amour’s books— is truer to the real Old West than many Hollywood stories, as L’Amour does a lot of research to make his fiction as true to history as possible.  Of course, it’s still fiction— the characters and the story are made up— but it is based on authentic situations in the Old West.  It revolves around a family setting out for the West and the tremendous challenges they face, which they never came up against back east— especially a gang of rustlers, intent on robbing them and kidnapping the wife, that chase them across the prairie.  A stranger, Con Villian, shows up in the first few pages to help the greenhorns deal with these difficulties throughout their journey.  Villian is an excellent backwoodsman: a laconic, plain-spoken crack shot with amazing awareness of what is going on around him (rather like an Old West Jason Bourne).  These are necessary skills on the frontier and greatly increase the odds in the life-and-death struggle the family has with the gang.  The man of the family, Duncan, in contrast to Con Villian, believes he can reason with the bad guys and so thinks he can avoid having to kill them.  Yet he finds out that the rustlers are not reasonable; things don’t work out like Duncan hoped they would.  I can’t tell you how things do turn out (that would be a spoiler!), but it is worth the read to find out, especially since it’s a short book.  Enjoy, partner!

The Gunslinger

The Gunslinger by Stephen King (2 stars, audiobook, 231 pages)
 Tag: character’s name (arguably, anyway - I guess his name is Roland, but the book calls him The Gunslinger 90% of the time)

The Gunslinger Roland Deschain is a hardscrabble western hero-type, tracking the mysterious sorcerer he calls the Man in Black across an endless desert. The Gunslinger must find him and learn what he knows about a place called The Dark Tower, while also protecting the young man named Jake, who comes from a very different world.

I liked the worldbuilding, language, and mythology, and it’s fun to see the Gunslinger’s influence in a large swath of popular culture. I liked the Gunslinger’s flashbacks, especially to his coming of age. The demons and mutant creatures gave a compelling glimpse into the hazards of this desolate world, not to mention the fascinating Man in Black himself. What I didn’t like was the plot. The slow, plodding, philosophical pace did nothing for me this time through a King novel. I was not invested in the Gunslinger’s quest, I didn’t know why I should care about the Dark Tower, and the characters evoked very little emotion in me. I’m not even remotely curious about what happens next. It seemed to be written well enough, and I certainly liked several parts of it, but it does not hold my interest. This series was just not intended for me, and I’m fine to leave it at that.

I listened to the audiobook version. The narration by George Guidall was flawless, but it was not enough to invest me in the story.

Peace in the Valley

 Peace in the Valley by Ruth Logan Herne        352 pages

Welcome to Book 3, and the final book, in the Double S Ranch series.  It’s nice to meet up with the Stafford clan again.

This adventure centers on the third, and youngest, son, Trey. Trey is actually a cousin to brothers Colt and Nick. His uncle/now father Sam adopted Trey after his parents overdosed and died in California when he was three years old. He remembers a bit about that life but is grateful that Sam rescued him.

Trey is a country mega-star. He seems to have it all, but that’s just on the outside. He still suffers from growing up without a mother’s love. He is still trying to prove that he was right to pursue his music dream, no matter how much Sam disapproved. And he is still reeling from the death of his wife, Cathy, also from drugs.

Now Sam is sick; he needs a liver transplant. Ironically the one person who is not a full-blood relative is the best match. Trey doesn’t hesitate to donate part of his liver to Sam. It’s a painful and dangerous operation, but Trey knows that it’s the right thing to do.

On his way back home to Gray Glen, Washington, and the Double S Ranch, Trey has a little fender-bender with the single mom on the neighboring farm. Things have never been easy between Sam and Lucy Carlton, but that’s about to change.

Sam is trying to make up for his past and the way he treated the other residents in the valley. Back then, he didn’t care who walked over to get what he wanted…and he did. Often.

While waiting to hear from a San Francisco hospital for the go-ahead with the surgery, Sam sends Trey over to Lucy’s farm to help. The place is falling apart and it’s up to Trey to make it whole again.

The plot is predictable from there on, but I knew what I was getting into when I selected this book to read. It does go on a too long, with the same basic scene being repeated over and over. There are a lot more Bible verses in this episode than the first two. I felt as if Herne was trying to get those in than crafting the story. Still, it’s a fun read with a happy ending, so Peace in the Valley receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

I received this book from Blogging for Books  in exchange for this review.

Home on the Range

Home on the Range by Ruth Logan Herne    352 pages

Return to the Double S Ranch in Gray’s Glen, Washington, in this second novel of the Double S Ranch Series. 

In the first book, we met the Stafford family. Patriarch Sam is grievously ill. Oldest brother, Colt, came home after losing his job on Wall Street. And while Colt was the star of the first book, the second book concentrates on the middle brother, Nick, and his shattered family.

Home on the Range seems to pick up practically where the first book, Back in the Saddle, left off. Both brothers, along with the youngest, Trey, know the feelings of a mother’s abandonment; feelings Nick two little girls, Cheyenne and Dakota, are wrestling with. 

Nick has finally agreed to get his girls professional help. Recommended by the school principal, Dr. Elsa Andreas, is grappling with problems of her own. She left Seattle after a devastating outcome with two of her patients. She’s living in the woods, far off the beaten path, outside Gray’s Glen.

When Nick first pulls up, he feels attracted to the beautiful young woman. His oldest daughter immediately hates Elsa but feels the strong tug of attraction.

The story is about forgiveness, redemption, second chances and new beginnings.

Home on the Range  is predictable, but nonetheless a worthy read. A perfect beach reads. It’s well written, follows a well-planned story arc and is sprinkled liberally with some interesting plot twists.  I found myself eagerly awaiting my evening read-time so I could see how it would all turn out.  I enjoyed getting to know the Stafford family, Nick especially, better. Home on the Range gets 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. Why 4 stars? It’s a formulaic plot that is a good read. I would recommend it to those looking for a light, happily-ever-after- novel.

Back in the Saddle

Back in the Saddle by Ruth Logan Herne      304 pages

Years ago, Colt, the oldest of the Strafford brothers, left the Double S Ranch for Wall Street. He exchanged his boots for wingtips and became successful. But one bad investment, and his world came crashing down around his ears. Readers aren’t privy to Colt’s demise, but Herne provides enough information that readers can’t help but know if they’ve read a newspaper or heard a news report. He has come to the Double S. Not only due to his setback, but the family patriarch, Sam, is ailing.

The Double S’s housekeeper is the beautiful Angelina Morales. She not only cooks and cleans, but helps with Sam. She has secrets of her own that she’s trying to hide. She is well-respected by the Strafford clan and those who live in Gray’s Glen, Washington. It’s a tiny town, made up of ranchers and small business people.

There is no love lost between the town and Sam Strafford, who had always been more interested in creating an empire than paying attention to his boys or other people. 

Spark start to fly the moment Colt and Angelina meet…and they both feel them. I loved that Back in the Saddle is not your typical romance where boy meets girl, they hate each, boy and girl fall in love. There isn’t much conflict in the first half of the novel. It’s not all bad considering that this is the first book in a series. Herne does an excellent job in allowing readers to get to know who the characters are, so I’m sure that they’ll be popping up in other novels. Still, that slow, slow beginning is why Back in the Saddle receives 4 stars out of 5 in Julie’s world.

This is Book One in the Double S Ranch Series.

 I received the book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.

Hop Alley

Hop Alley by Scott Phillips.   192 pages

This book is a follow-up to Cottonwood (2004) which featured a Kansas town in 1872 and saloon owner and photographer Bill Ogden.  Eventually, Bill turns up in San Francisco in 1980, but it's not clear what he's been doing in the interim.   Hop Alley answers those questions, and gives us Bill Ogden, now living as Bill Sadlaw, in the frontier town of Denver in 1878.  He's now running a photo studio near the Chinese part of town knows as Hop Alley, and carrying on an affair with Priscilla, a singer addicted to laudanum.  However, Bill's life isn't easy; he has to face the murder of his housekeeper's brother-in-law, Priscilla's increasing instability, and the riot that is simmering in Hop Alley.

Admittedly, I would not have picked this book up if it hadn't been part of a project I'm working on right now.   I don't usually read westerns (Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry is the exception).  The fact that this is a western written by an author who is known for his noir writing does make it more interesting.  However, I never warmed up to Bill, or really cared about him too much.  The fact that he has a lively sex life (not romantic life; there is a distinction) didn't really add much to the story for me.   What I found more interesting was that he is a photographer, and I would have liked a bit more about that in the story.

I'm not sure what kind of reader I'd suggest this book to.  It's not noir, but I don't know if it has enough appeal to readers who really enjoy westerns.  My suggestion, if this sounds like an interesting story to you, would be to read about it on Goodreads and see if it sounds like your kind of book.

Six Gun Tarot and Shotgun Arcana

The Six-Gun Tarot and Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher, 762 pages

Beyond the pitiless 40-Mile Desert lies Golgotha, a cattle town that hides more than its share of unnatural secrets. Some say the Sheriff he is a dead man whose time has not yet come. His deputy is kin to coyotes. The mayor guards a hoard of mythical treasures. A banker's wife belongs to a secret order of assassins. And a shady saloon owner, whose fingers are in everyone's business, may know more about the town's true origins than he's letting on. A haven for the blessed and the damned, Golgotha has known many strange events.

This is Belcher's debut series, and so far it is coming along into what will hopefully become an interesting series. While the first book was little slow, and focused a little to much on getting characters introduced it easily mad up for it towards the end. With most of the character introduction done in the first book the second book was able to explore some of the characters a bit deeper. Overall this could become a good supernatural western series that I look forward to reading.

Blood Meridian

Blood Meridian, or, The Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy, 351 pages

The kid set out for the West, fleeing violence at home.  He found a place with the Glanton gang, a band of murderous Indian-hunters paid by the scalp.  He did violence and violence was done to him, and whether there was more of the one or the other is impossible to say.  With Glanton rode the expriest, who was never a priest, and the judge, though what he is a judge of is never revealed.  The kid became the man, and was swallowed up by darkness.

What is written in the blood and fire poured out across the West?  Cosmic wisdom?  Gibberish?  McCarthy asks his questions amidst a pounding, numbing succession of atrocities.  A novel of terrifying ideas, not for faint hearts.

P.K Pinkerton And The Petrified Man

P.K Pinkerton And The Petrified Man by Caroline Lawrence, 309 pages

P.K. is the sole private eye in Virginia City in the Nevada Territory, has come across another case.  A young servant girl, Martha, has witnessed the murder of Miss Sally Sampson, and believes that the murderer is now after her.  P.K. takes her case and sets out to find the murderer, because, although Martha was a witness, she has poor eyesight and didn’t get a good look at the man.  She only knew what Miss Sally called him and that Miss Sally had referred to him as an old friend.  P.K., being only 12, is able to slip into places unnoticed, unlike an adult, but also finds that some people do not take him seriously.  However, he also finds himself being taken too seriously when he, himself, is arrested for Miss Sally’s murder.  Now, it has become much more important to figure out who the real killer is.  Despite P.K.’s Thorn, Foibles and Eccentricities, he does have quite a few friends, and hopefully, with their help, he can solve the case before time runs out.  For kids who like mysteries and historical fiction, this is a fun and exciting story with plenty of action.  This is the second book in this series.