Review by ohlendorfbe -- Flat Top Mountain Ranch -- the ...
3 posts
[Following is a volunteer review of "Flat Top Mountain Ranch -- the beginning" by James E Doucette.]
In the book Flat Top Mountain Ranch: The Beginning by James E. Doucette, we have chronicled for us the aftermath of the Civil War in the United States for two soldiers of that war. Jack Donaldson from New York fights for the Union side, but he suffers a gunshot wound at Gettysburg and is mustered out. Ty Jones, a half-black young man from Louisiana, becomes a Confederate soldier to keep out the Yankee invaders. After the defeat at Vicksburg, Ty leaves the army and goes home. Both men decide to seek their fortunes out West, where there are plenty of occasions to start over. From far different backgrounds, the two meet on the Santa Fe Trail, and they soon become fast friends and partners. They share the goal of starting a cattle ranch somewhere in the west, so when the opportunity comes to buy a ranch on the Texas plains, they pool their money and head west.
During their journey, their education about the West begins to take shape. They discover the joys and pains of being a cowboy and of herding cattle for hundreds of miles. They find out about the Native American way of life, and the poor treatment they are receiving from the U.S. government and most white men. And to enrich their lives, they both fall in love and marry their first loves – one a Native American girl and the other a Hispanic girl. This story covers their lives from the beginning of the war until their marriages, resulting in several children each.
I really enjoyed the setting of Flat Top Mountain Ranch and the premise of the book. There was mention made of historical characters and events from the Civil War era, such as the battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg, to add authenticity. Since I've been out west numerous times to visit some of the very places mentioned in the book, this section was also of great interest to me.
The thing I liked the least about this book was the writing style. I feel that Doucette could have been much more descriptive in his writing about the places and events that transpired. There were times that I just couldn't get into the story because of the lack of details and descriptions. At other times, the story flowed quite nicely; for instance, the cattle drive and journey to the ranch itself had a good flow of details. However, throughout the book, the sentences were very short and choppy. There was little variety in style – they were mostly just simple sentences: “Tears streamed down Jack's father's face. He embraced his son.” (page 46) Most of the sentences were just subject-verb-predicate complement. This choppy style makes even the most endearing or exciting scenes seem “cut and dried.”
There were very few actual typographical or spelling errors in the book, which leads me to believe that it was professionally edited. The lack of detailed descriptions and choppy style, however, prompts me to give it a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. There are virtually no graphic scenes of sexual innuendoes and just a few instances of mild profanity. Therefore, I believe it would be acceptable to readers of all ages and religious affiliations. If you enjoy reading historical fiction based on real events and some authentic characters, I would recommend Flat Top Mountain Ranch: The Beginning by James Doucette for your reading pleasure.
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Flat Top Mountain Ranch -- the beginning
View: on Bookshelves |
In the book Flat Top Mountain Ranch: The Beginning by James E. Doucette, we have chronicled for us the aftermath of the Civil War in the United States for two soldiers of that war. Jack Donaldson from New York fights for the Union side, but he suffers a gunshot wound at Gettysburg and is mustered out. Ty Jones, a half-black young man from Louisiana, becomes a Confederate soldier to keep out the Yankee invaders. After the defeat at Vicksburg, Ty leaves the army and goes home. Both men decide to seek their fortunes out West, where there are plenty of occasions to start over. From far different backgrounds, the two meet on the Santa Fe Trail, and they soon become fast friends and partners. They share the goal of starting a cattle ranch somewhere in the west, so when the opportunity comes to buy a ranch on the Texas plains, they pool their money and head west.
During their journey, their education about the West begins to take shape. They discover the joys and pains of being a cowboy and of herding cattle for hundreds of miles. They find out about the Native American way of life, and the poor treatment they are receiving from the U.S. government and most white men. And to enrich their lives, they both fall in love and marry their first loves – one a Native American girl and the other a Hispanic girl. This story covers their lives from the beginning of the war until their marriages, resulting in several children each.
I really enjoyed the setting of Flat Top Mountain Ranch and the premise of the book. There was mention made of historical characters and events from the Civil War era, such as the battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg, to add authenticity. Since I've been out west numerous times to visit some of the very places mentioned in the book, this section was also of great interest to me.
The thing I liked the least about this book was the writing style. I feel that Doucette could have been much more descriptive in his writing about the places and events that transpired. There were times that I just couldn't get into the story because of the lack of details and descriptions. At other times, the story flowed quite nicely; for instance, the cattle drive and journey to the ranch itself had a good flow of details. However, throughout the book, the sentences were very short and choppy. There was little variety in style – they were mostly just simple sentences: “Tears streamed down Jack's father's face. He embraced his son.” (page 46) Most of the sentences were just subject-verb-predicate complement. This choppy style makes even the most endearing or exciting scenes seem “cut and dried.”
There were very few actual typographical or spelling errors in the book, which leads me to believe that it was professionally edited. The lack of detailed descriptions and choppy style, however, prompts me to give it a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. There are virtually no graphic scenes of sexual innuendoes and just a few instances of mild profanity. Therefore, I believe it would be acceptable to readers of all ages and religious affiliations. If you enjoy reading historical fiction based on real events and some authentic characters, I would recommend Flat Top Mountain Ranch: The Beginning by James Doucette for your reading pleasure.
******
Flat Top Mountain Ranch -- the beginning
View: on Bookshelves |
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