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Lädt ... The James Boys: A Novel Account of Four Desperate Brothersvon Richard Liebmann-Smith
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Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. The premise sounded promising: What if Henry and William James were actually the brothers of Frank and Jesse James? Leibmann-Smith has written the book in a literary/historical biography style, which I thought I would find entertaining but unfortunately found tiresome after 70 pages. Abandoned and returned to the library. Zeige 3 von 3 keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
Someone once said that the entire story of America in the nineteenth century is encompassed in the saga of the James brothers: psychologist William and novelist Henry James in the east, and outlaws Frank and Jesse James in the west. This inspired humorist Richard Liebmann-Smith to wonder: what if William and Henry's actual troubled younger brothers became Frank and Jesse James? On a train in 1876, Henry James is returning home from his journalistic tour under a cloud of psychosomatic symptoms. Across the aisle sits the beguiling Elena Hite, the daughter of a railroad baron, who will soon know all of the James boys' secrets. But their conversation comes to a halt when the train is stopped and boarded by the notorious James Gang, led by Frank and Jesse, who stride into the coach with guns ablaze. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999Klassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
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This is the premise of Richard Liebmann-Smith's farcical book The James Boys.
Working from the premise that the two youngest brothers of the east coast James family did not, in fact, die fighting in the civil war, but instead deserted, taking on the names Frank and Jesse and disappearing into the wild west, Liebmann-Smith weaves these two families together with the help of a free spirited young woman by the name of Elena Hite.
While on a return trip from a book tour, Henry James makes the acquaintance of Ms. Hite only to have their flirtations interrupted by the arrival of Jesse James, in the midst of robbing this very train. To Henry's surprise, he not only learns that his brothers are, indeed alive, but are notorious and about to take him on the ride of his life.
As an alternate history, The James Boys is a lot of fun. Liebmann-Smith takes these characters on a fascinating ride through 19th century America and into Paris at the height of it's artistic era. Introducing many historical figures, seamlessly, throughout the story.
Unfortunately, the seams not only show, but rip wide open when the author insists on noting actual biographical works, as he does throughout the book. This technique works fine in the introduction, before the story begins. And it works well again in the epilogue, once the story has ended. But, within the story itself, this practice only distracts the reader and sends one's mind into wondering, among the unfamiliar names, who is and isn't real.
This is Richard Liebmann-Smith's first novel and, even with this critique, I look forward to his writing another. I think he just tried to do more than was needed with this one. The idea, itself, is original and well written enough without the extra "gimmick" of noting his research. ( )