NO LESS THAN THE JOURNEY - Book review

E.V. Thompson’s novel No Less Than the Journey was published in 2008. To all intents and purposes it’s a western

The epigraph is ‘I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars’ from Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself: ‘the poet implied in the scheme of things a blade of grass is no less important in its way than the stars in the heavens’ (p331).

The tale primarily concerns young Cornish miner Wesley Curnow who has arrived in the United States in order to seek out his uncle who is working in the mines in Missouri and find work. On his way he befriends US Marshal Aaron Berryman. While sailing on the riverboat Missouri Belle the pair get to know two Mexican women working at the casino tables – Anabelita and Lola – and become close...

Wes’s journey takes him to the mountains where he learns to handle a sixgun with the help of mountainman Old Charlie, and then travels to a number of towns where he puts the guns to use helping the innocent.

The geographical and political background sound solid – some ten years after the end of the Civil War, and the characters are interesting but I wasn’t invested enough in Wes or Aaron. The writing is not as involving or as descriptive as his earlier works, the people are not as fleshed-out as others he has created. Still a worthwhile read, but having enjoyed several of his books, this one didn’t grab me nearly so much.

Sadly, the novel pales in comparison to Thompson’s other book set in the West, Cry Once Alone (which I read in 2012). I felt that there was too much repetitive explication. The ending seemed rushed – and while it may have given a nod to the stark realism of those days, I found it was unsatisfactory. Four more of his books were published after this; two of them in the year he died (2012) aged 81.  

(The cover, while well-painted, seems slightly off; the saddle doesn’t appear to have a cantle; Wes wore a gunbelt with two holsters, none of which is in evidence; the cowboy is wearing chaps but at no time was this apparel worn by Wes...)

Editorial comment:

Thompson relates how the Missouri Belle sailed the river at night. Yet as a rule riverboats didn’t attempt passage at night, it was too dangerous – hidden snags and rocks had claimed too many boats over the years.  (Explained in my book Death for a Dove...)

Book review - Fire Canoe Finnegan

Set shortly after the American Civil War, historical western novel Fire Canoe Finnegan (2015, paperback, 249pp) by Denis J Harrington and Charlie Steel offers an enjoyable read for fans of the period and readers in general. ‘Fire Canoe’ is the term attributed by the Indians to the riverboats that brought countless white men to their territory.

Young Clint Finnegan is seeking adventure and a new life and is hired by Captain Glazer of the riverboat Dakota Dawn. His role is to be assistant master. Glazer paints a troublesome picture for Finnegan: ‘Gales, thunderstorms and tornadoes coming off the land will sink a steamboat faster than you can blink.’ (p21) Then there are winter’s ice floes and summer’s migrating buffalo, Indians and river bandits to contend with. ‘This isn’t a business for the faint of heart.’  Despite the sad fate of previous assistant masters, Finnegan accepts the offer!

Clint Finnegan is a likeable character who stands up for what’s right, no matter what.

We’re introduced to the workings of the Missouri River steamboat and several crew members, some of an unsavoury nature. Finnegan speedily learns to handle all the chores required of him. 

But it wasn’t going to be plain sailing, especially since a number of Army officers are escorting a payroll strongbox.  Before long, Finnegan meets attractive Elisha Parkinson, who is on her way to join her widowed father at his fort up-river.

As events escalate, the action is removed from the river to the land of the Sioux as Finnegan, aided by an Army scout, attempts to rescue the kidnapped Miss Elisha and recover the stolen money.  

Resourceful and brave, Finnegan encounters Colonel Parkinson, a firm fair soldier who commands the respect of his men, Liver Eating Abner Mosely, a scourge of the Sioux, and Hump, the Miniconjou Sioux warrior hankering after killing a few interloping white men. All are well-drawn characters, including the kidnappers and thieves.

The scene is set for a fiery and bloody confrontation, and the pace of the narrative quickens as we race towards the satisfying denouement. Throughout, the description puts us in the scene and the action.

The silhouettes on the cover depict Finnegan and his faithful dog, Duke.

I for one wouldn’t mind meeting Finnegan again. Sadly, co-author Denis Harrington died July, 2015.

***

Editorial comment: For third person narrative, it’s preferable to consistently use only one name, either the given name or surname, not interchangeably both – either Clint or Finnegan. Obviously, relating characters will have a preference of one or the other, as appropriate.

FFB - A Small Part of History

Peggy Elliott's 2008 book is a fictional account of a wagon train journey from Missouri in the 1840s to Oregon. The trek took them just under eleven months, often only travelling a few miles a day.

It’s told from the women’s perspective: there’s Sarah’s diary and the Journal of Rebecca Springer, recently wed to John. She’s his third wife, his previous spouses, Hannah and Mary, having died. Travelling with them are John’s only daughter Sarah and his three sons, Matthew, William and Daniel; Daniel’s new wife Elizabeth and their baby daughter Betsy.

In all there were fifty wagons, 200 people but only fifteen were women; these statistics were quite normal for the time.

Another character observes in her notebook: ‘Friends find one another by instinct, no matter how unlike they may be.’ This is certainly true of the characters in this wagon train. Circumstances shoved them in close proximity where privacy was tenuous and privation was commonplace. Combatting rain and mud and sweltering heat took its toll. Accidents were unavoidable and some perished as a result. The weak and the obstinate fell by the wayside; many gave up and went back to Missouri. The trail was littered with discarded furniture and utensils and graves both adult-sized and small.

A heartening and often heart-rending story about the tenacious women who helped win the West against tremendous adversity.

The story is well told and engrossing, though I feel that the male characters don’t seem to have been brought to life as much as the females. It's still a rewarding read.

The title comes from a notation made in Rebecca’s Journal: ‘Like it or not I was going to be a small part of the history of the nation.’

Recommended.