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35th out of 66 books
—
59 voters
The Wild Girl
by
Jim Fergus
Now in paperback, a stirring historical novel from the author of One Thousand White WomenWhen Ned Giles is orphaned as a teenager, he heads West hoping to leave his troubles behind. He joins the 1932 Great Apache Expedition on their search for a young boy, the son of a wealthy Mexican landowner, who was kidnapped by wild Apaches. But the expedition's goal is complicated wh...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
April 4th 2006
by Hyperion
(first published January 1st 2004)
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I had not read this authors first book, therefore didn't know what to expect. I really did enjoy the story, which was based on a true rumor that actually happened. It was a quick read, and interesting in that it shared a lot of insight into the Apache Indians that were living in Mexico near the first of the 20th century. I was intrigued more by a side character, that was based on a true story of a white boy that was kidnapped and raised by Indians in the late 1800's and became a huge chief of th...more
Jan 15, 2011
Jill
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Jill by:
Christina Wygant
Shelves:
historical-fiction
I was randomly offered this book to read and very much enjoyed it. The book takes place in 1932 along the Arizona/Mexico border and is based on historical events in which a local 3-year old boy had been captured by Apache Indians. After 3 years of trying to find his boy, the father sought help from the authorities. A joint American/Mexican expedition was formed made up of wealthy men supposedly to find the boy, but really it offered them an adventurous opportunity to hunt and fish and maybe catc...more
The Wild Girl is the latest by Fergus. It is based on some historical facts telling the tale of a white person's entanglement with Native Americans. Only this time it is a young, white man mixing with a young Apache girl in Mexico. Moreover, the story is mainly conveyed through the journals of the main character.
The prologue sets the stage: an old man is having his first art show. A potential customer asks him about a specific photograph of a young girl curled into the fetal position lying in a...more
The prologue sets the stage: an old man is having his first art show. A potential customer asks him about a specific photograph of a young girl curled into the fetal position lying in a...more
A very, very good read. As with Fergus' earlier novel, "A Thousand White Women", this book was set in the culture of the native American tribes in the southwest and spoke to how they managed to survive to an extent despite the constant attempts at genocide by the Mexican and American governments and military. It is also the story of couples who make the cross cultural connection and their take on this whole situation. It is the story of the journalists brought along on an expedition to find a ra...more
I was blown away by how much I loved this book. While I found the prologue of the "author" (Ned Giles) a little unnecessary, I immediately lost myself in the world that Jim Fergus creates. Ned Giles is an immediately sympathetic character- a good guy, a nice guy, adrift in a difficult world. In spite of the book's title, this is really Ned's story, and it's a rich, complex, and extremely compelling one. I suppose, at its heart, it is a story of good vs. evil, depending on which side you sympathi...more
This was a local reading group selection. Our group all enjoyed "One Thousand White Women" which is why we decided to splurge on the author's trade sized follow-up. We're usually to cheap and after reading this we all decided never to do it again.
The beginning of the story immediately throws you into the past where a young Apache girl (the "Wild" Girl named in the title) has just lost everything familiar to her in the most brutal of ways imaginable. The story then shifts gears and dishes up some...more
The beginning of the story immediately throws you into the past where a young Apache girl (the "Wild" Girl named in the title) has just lost everything familiar to her in the most brutal of ways imaginable. The story then shifts gears and dishes up some...more
It's the height of the Depression. 1932. After the death from cancer of his mother and the suicide of his struggling car-dealer father, 17 year-old Ned Giles leaves Chicago with his father's Studebaker, the proceeds from his life insurance policy and the Deardorff camera purchased from those proceeds. He leaves behind an empty house, a pile of foreclosure notices, and the prospect of a foster home.
Working at the Chicago Racquet Club, Ned sees a flyer seeking volunteers (who would be willing to p...more
Working at the Chicago Racquet Club, Ned sees a flyer seeking volunteers (who would be willing to p...more
The Great Apache Expedition heads into Mexico to rescue a young boy living among the Apaches.
This book was clear, cleanly written, interesting and entertaining. Fergus takes on race, sexuality and gender relations, and he creates well-defined characters that manage to stay just shy of stock. I would give this book a higher rating, but there is something about it that somehow stays too "light," despite addressing the destruction of a race and containing plenty of graphic violence. I finished this...more
This book was clear, cleanly written, interesting and entertaining. Fergus takes on race, sexuality and gender relations, and he creates well-defined characters that manage to stay just shy of stock. I would give this book a higher rating, but there is something about it that somehow stays too "light," despite addressing the destruction of a race and containing plenty of graphic violence. I finished this...more
Wonderful story about an orphaned teenager, Ned Giles who left Chicago in 1932 to travel to Douglas, Arizona. Ned was an aspiring photographer and wanted to be part of an expedition being formed to travel into Mexico to rescue a young boy who had been kidnapped by the Apache Indians several years before. He kept a journal of his adventure, which began when a young Apache girl was captured by a hunter and brought to Douglas. She was like a wild animal and was placed in a jail cell for lack of a b...more
I really enjoyed the story in this book. I found the relationships between the Apaches, the Mexicans and the Whites very interesting--and sad. I especially appreciated the character development. I loved the main character, Ned Giles. I also loved the wild girl. Even though she never said very much, I had a real sense of who she was. It's terrible how much violence men have committed against one another, all because of a lack of understanding of cultural and religious differences, as well as raci...more
The Wild Girl is the story of Ned Giles, a wannabe photojournalist looking for his big break in 1932. After the death of his parents he heads to Arizona with the prospect of joining an expedition to rescue a boy who was kidnapped by "wild" Apaches living in Mexico. He becomes a part of a band of outsiders that include a young gay man sent on the expedition by his father to "prove" he's a man, a female anthropologist, a little Mexican boy, two reservation Apaches, and a New World/Old Testament "p...more
Jim Fergus is a master storyteller. While not quite as compelling as "One Thousand White Women", Fergus draws the reader into yet another crazy story of white people and their clashes with the Indians. In this adventure we follow young Ned, an orphan and aspiring journalist as he heads off to join a volunteer group setting off to rescue a kidnapped boy from the Apaches. Along the way Ned meets up with an entertaining cast of characters from a female anthropologist, to a homosexual rich kid whose...more
I wavered between 3 stars and 4 stars but I decided on the latter because the ending really tugged on my heartstrings. The way it all came together--or rather unravelled particularly left that melancholy taste in the back of my throat. There were a few spots that seems to stagger along, but on the whole the characters were well developed, their ties were effectively communicated to the reader, and reader in turn can positively fall in love with the characters. I'm going to check out One Thousand...more
I enjoyed this book. Not quite as much as I enjoyed Jim Fergus's One Thousand White Women though. I still gave it 5 stars though because I liked it more than just "really liked it". I liked the storyline, and I especially liked the friendship between Ned, Margaret, Tolley, Albert and Mr. Browning. (but Ned, Margaret & Tolley in particular). To me their dynamics and friendship were very reminiscent of the friendship between the characters in Bram Stokers Dracula. The book left me wanting to k...more
This book was an enjoyable read and very interesting, showing the last vestiges of the Apache culture in the southwest United States and Northern Mexico, as seen through the eyes of a 17-year-old orphaned boy from Chicago during the Depression. Ned, an amateur photographer, signs on with an expedition formed to retrieve the young son of a Wealthy Mexican rancher from the Apache band that had kidnapped him three years earlier. The characters are colorful and well-written, and the story moves alo...more
A very interesting story - I enjoyed the unique setting and plot. Fergus is an excellent writer and the book had a nice easy flow. He has a wonderful way of describing the scenes, and this is one of the few books where I could very vividly inmagine the sights and sounds of the scenes and really have a sense of being there.
I really liked Ned, the main character, but some of the other characters and their dialouge drove me insane! Their somewhat "witty" banter, particularly after having been captu...more
I really liked Ned, the main character, but some of the other characters and their dialouge drove me insane! Their somewhat "witty" banter, particularly after having been captu...more
While American history isn't usually my favorite subject to read about I read this book because it was picked in my book club. It was set in the 1930's and was about this big American expedition of rich men who were wanna be hunters that thought they could track down a little Mexican boy who had been kidnapped by an Apache Indian tribe.
I really got into the book about halfway through and successfully finished it during car rides to and from Milwaukee, WI & Sycamore, IL over the holidays. Wh...more
I really got into the book about halfway through and successfully finished it during car rides to and from Milwaukee, WI & Sycamore, IL over the holidays. Wh...more
Ned Giles is orphaned at 17 by the death of both his parents. In a few short months he goes from a young man in college to a kid trying to avoid being placed in foster care. Ned has been working in an upscale men’s club, he sees and advertisement for the 1932 Great Apache Expedition, Apaches have taken the son of a wealthy Mexican rancher; the expedition hopes to rescue the child. Ned sees this as the solution to his problem; he will quit school, head out of Chicago before the social workers ret...more
Did you like One Thousand White Women? Thinking of picking up The Wild Girl to get the same satisfaction? Don't bother. And while you're at it, re read the first book again because the problems that I glossed over in Fergus's first attempt are glaringly obvious this second go around and definitely not as excusable. In my defense, I was recovering from surgery and under the influence of pain medication when I read the first book so a suspension of reality was natural. But I digress...here is my h...more
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I read this because I loved his previous book One Thousand White Women.
A very nice turn of the century story about the last wild Apache tribe in New Mexico. Those who have visited the Ruidoso Mescalero Apache reservation will feel a better connection. Interesting, diverse characters. Helped me to understand the savagery on both white and indian sides. It was a steady read but not a "can't put it down" , got better towards the end. Not as good as One Thousand White Women but still a good read.
A very nice turn of the century story about the last wild Apache tribe in New Mexico. Those who have visited the Ruidoso Mescalero Apache reservation will feel a better connection. Interesting, diverse characters. Helped me to understand the savagery on both white and indian sides. It was a steady read but not a "can't put it down" , got better towards the end. Not as good as One Thousand White Women but still a good read.
This is a fast moving fictional story which takes place on the Arizona Mexican border in 1932. A band of wild Apaches has kidnapped the 3 year old son of a rich Mexican rancher. (The boy is by no means the first such victim.) A posse of Mexican soldiers, wealthy American young men seeking adventure (together with their servants,) plus asssorted others head to the Sierra Madre in Mexico to find the boy. This is a well written adventure story with some very interesting characters.
Southwest Book of 2005... Great southwest history, romance (not mushy) and adventure. A young 17 year old Chicago boy runs off to the Wild West to be a photographer on what proves to be a very complicated expedition against Apaches. Author's research added great depth and interest, giving authenticity to the background. The characters were engaging, the plot line filled with credible complication. Made you think about human behavior and perspective. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
While I sadly agree with most readers that this was not as good as Fergus previous novel "A Thousand White Women", it was still VERY good! Fergus' descriptive writing style kept fooling me into believing I was in the mountains with the Apaches! He writes with such ease and flow that I just drift away to wherever he takes me. He doesn't sugarcoat his stories or endings, but is wonderful at showing both sides to the same story. I'll be watching for his new releases forever.
This book is a bit of a sleeper. It's a great story, incorporating adventure and romance with a dose of history about the American West and Mexico in the 1930's. It will not give anything away to say that it's the story of a young man traveling to Arizona and getting involved in an effort to trade a young, wild Apache woman ('the wild girl') for a young Mexican boy abducted and held by the Apaches. The tone of the story reminded me a bit of 'Water for Elephants', another fine story. There is mor...more
I really liked his first book, but at times I liked this one even more. It was a creative and original story based on some horrific historical facts - shows the writer's talent that he can imagine something entertaining from all of this conflict...it did have more conflict and violence than "A Thousand White Women" along with sarcasm and dark humor...maybe "Wild Girl" would make a better movie than "A Thousand White Women"...Fergus makes me feel that I did not waste my time reading his fiction.....more
Another good book by Jim Fergus. In both 1,000 White Women and in The Wild Girl, I believe the best thing that he does is show human fallibility. Not only is nobody perfect, but people are often quite horribly wrong. He's able to highlight the "alienness" of the other culture from both sides of the fence, while still explaining how these people believe what they do.
As for the story, told from the perspective of Ned Giles - the characters were interesting (Tolley was something "special"!), and th...more
As for the story, told from the perspective of Ned Giles - the characters were interesting (Tolley was something "special"!), and th...more
When I first started the book I enjoyed how it went back and forth between all the characters. I liked old Ned and wished his viewpoint continued on through the book or at least have the last chapter be through his eyes. I like books that end all wrapped up, with no lose ends. I read books to be entertained and transported to another world not guess at what happens when I get to the end! It ends with Ned still only being what? 17, 18? I found myself skimming through Margaret's speeches (god she...more
Loved. I knew from the first chapter that I was really going to like this book and knew I loved it when I was up until 2am finishing it. A great work of historical fiction that shed some light into the "old west" and the trials that have been put on Native Americans since the beginning of the country. The characters are great and the story is captivating! Definitely recommend!
It was an interesting read, but rather silly. None of it rang true. I loved the section about how the posse was chosen, which read like comedy. But, when it tried to deal with serious subjects, it fell short. You always knew the main characters would survive because the author needed them to complete the story. It is a nice fantasy. very loosely based on some historical facts.
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Jim Fergus was born in Chicago on March 23, 1950. He attended high school in Massachusetts and graduated as an English major from Colorado College in 1971. He has traveled extensively and lived over the years in Colorado, Florida, the French West Indies, Idaho, France, and Arizona. For ten years he worked as a teaching tennis professional in Colorado and Florida, and in 1980 moved to the tiny town...more
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“Yet only the atrocities of the conquered are referred to as criminal acts; those of the conqueror are justified as necessary, heroic, and even worse, as the fulfillment of God's will.”
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“...the Sierra, a region so quiet and pristine that we have the sense of being the first human beings ever to set foot in it. We fall silent ourselves in its midst, as if conversation in a place of such primaevl solitude would be like talking in church.”
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2 people liked it
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Feb 02, 2009 03:30pm