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Gunman's Rhapsody
Spenser creator Robert B. Parker turns his eye to the Old West with his stirring rendition of the legendary exploits of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, the Clanton Gang, and the fateful gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
ebook, 336 pages
Published
June 4th 2001
by Berkley
(first published 2001)
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A retelling of the story of Wyatt Earp and the gunfight at the OK Corral. At first this book came off as straight out of the movie Tombstone, but a little ways into it, it began to differentiate itself. It goes far more in depth into the reasons and machinations that led to the gunfight, and it follows the Earp brothers for a while afterwards to detail all the ramifications. From what I could tell from a quick internet search, it's pretty historically accurate. In fact, I think this book and the...more
Summary: [2] Parker, best known for his Spenser detective novels, writes about the Earp family — both well-known and non- — and the Gunfight at OK Corral, and a time when men were men, women were women, and, not to belabor the point, men were men. Spenser (and most other Parker heroes) would fit in just fine here, as we see the Earp brothers banded together in Tombstone, dealing with their own quiet passions and the vanity and violence of the world around them. Strong, silent types, the Earps, e...more
Decades ago, I went through a western phase. Max Brand, Louis L'Amour, Zane Grey, Owen Wister (I once lived in the Wister house in Germantown, PA, and I still think The Virginian is one of the great western novels along with Shane by Jack Schaeffer,); all could be counted on for a reliable and consistent story with good (always slightly flawed) triumphing over evil. Then came writers like Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove, a classic that, with prequel and sequel, raised violence and ambiguity to an...more
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Aug 22, 2009
Greg
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fans of Robert B. Parker or Wyatt Earp
Shelves:
fiction-and-humor
Since my childhood, I've been intrigued with Wyatt Earp. My understanding of him has changed during that time from hero worship to something a little less and a little more. Like most of us, Earp was some combination of good and bad, earthy and celestial, hard and soft. He made mistakes and did some terrible things that were not mistakes, but he also did much that was good, and mostly that which was simply human. Most of the details of what he really thought, said, or did is now lost in the shad...more
A personal background story of Wyatt Earp in Tombstone Arizona. He arrived in winter 1879 and stayed 2 years, sometimes serving as a lawman, sometimes riding shotgun for Wells Fargo, always as a gunhand. Wyatt's brothers Virgil, James, Morgan, and Warren banded together in Tombstone to protect one another in gun battles and enforce their code of honor. In Tombstone Wyatt met the love of his life, Josephine Marcus. Gunmen Bat Masterson and Doc Holliday joined the Earp brothers in a posse searchin...more
I have an intense interest in the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday since I read Doc by Mary Doria Russell. In that book Doc Holliday was a more well rounded character, all of the good, bad and ugly were revealeed.
This book dealt more with Wyatt Earp and his brothers. It especially told what happened at the OK corral which was never really addressed in Doc. In Gunman's Rhapsody, Doc was just the kind of crazy, constantly drunk, loyal friend that they took with them. But the scene after Morgan is k...more
This book dealt more with Wyatt Earp and his brothers. It especially told what happened at the OK corral which was never really addressed in Doc. In Gunman's Rhapsody, Doc was just the kind of crazy, constantly drunk, loyal friend that they took with them. But the scene after Morgan is k...more
I find it miraculous that anything dealing with whores, gunfights, and cattle rustling can be this boring. Parker, normally a master of pace and dialogue, seems asleep at the reins on this one. Sure, it may be an accurate snapshot of Tombstone at that time, but who cares? The scenes read like incidents being ticked off a list acquired from the historical register. Which wouldn't be so bad if this wasn't supposed to be a novel. I've gotten used to the fact that Parker's women all have the flavor...more
Robert B. Parker's novel depicts the events leading to the gunfight at the OK Corral and Wyatt Earp's vendetta after his brother Morgan was killed. It gives as the cause of Wyatt's trouble his taking Josie Marcus away from Johnny Behan who as a sheriff was more of a political animal. Behan couldn't face the Wyatt direct in a gunfight so goaded the cowboys leading to that famous gunfight. The dialog, characterization, and feeling for the time isn't as good as those in Parker's Virgil Cole series....more
I found this book somewhat odd. It's a retelling of the events leading up to the gunfight at the OK Corral and subsequent events. It more or less revolves around Wyatt Earp. As far as I could tell from some superficial web research, the events and all the characters of any substance are all real and recounted exactly as they occured. Which means the fictional part is just the words and thoughts of the characters. It's an interesting story, but I found the book rather disconnected and slow moving...more
Wyatt Earp and his brothers; gunfights; Tombstone; frontier conflicts. It's all here in Parker's crisp style. And it's not simply a transplanted Spenser detective plot superimposed on a western setting. Parker has a grasp of the setting and the events of the time and places his story seamlessly in it. And he understands much of what is known about the historical characters he's dealing with, and provides them with plausible dialogue. It's a good read!
Another great one from Parker. A "one-off" historically based recounting of the life of Wyatt Earp in Tombstone, AZ. By luck my wonderful Tivo recorded the episode of "American Experience" about Earp, nearly everything written in the book is presented as fact in the documentary, although Earp's teetotlling is not mentioned. Josie, who plays a large part in the book, and her relationship with Wyatt inTombstone, are mentioned as a final note and Parker's portrayal of Behan's grudge against him is...more
This was my Summer beach read. It's pretty decent as far as biographical fiction goes. The narrative has a strong historically accurate ring to it while remaining relatively uncluttered by the sorts of heavy facts and details that would slow down the pace. The characterization is good, but I couldn't help thinking that Wyatt Earp is more than a little bit uninteresting. I'm looking forward to reading Parker's Virgil Cole stories.
Apart from the movie "Tombstone," this is quite possibly my favorite retelling of Wyatt Earp's tale. It is a bit hard to follow the various jumps in points of view, but its worth it once the reader is able to get into it. Brilliant work from a brilliant author more known for his mystery novels. Gunman's Rhapsody also serves as a perfect intro to Parker's other (amazing) westerns - the Appaloosa series.
I think Parker gets this story right. Wyatt Earp's bio and the OK Corral have been done to death. This book is the only one I've read where I didn't question anything. It struck me as more plausible than any of the others. I did enjoy Tombstone very much, but it was overly theatrical compared to this wonderfully spare, intense tale.
I really like how parker writes about the Old West. This book is based on real-life charaacters Wyatt Earp and his brothers, Coc Holliday, Clay Allison, & bat masterson. Shoot out at the OK corral. I think he wrote this book first and then went on to write the trilogy Apaloosa, Resolution, and Brimstone. This is a good match for parker
After reading Appoloosa, looked for another western by Parker. Good telling of the backstory leading up to the gunfight at the OK corral such that the actual gunfight in the book is limited to only a couple of sentences. Good portrayal of the Earp brothers and their loyalty for each other.
Interesting take on the Wyatt Earp legend. Having read it after the four Cole and Hitch novels, I see this book (Parker's first Western) as an exercise in fine tuning his voice to the Western genre, a voice he prefected in the Cole and Hitch series.
Wyatt spends a lot of time sipping coffee and looking at glaring at people over the brim of his cup. I would recommend a coffee drinking game while reading this book. Have a cup of coffee every time Wyatt does and see how long it takes you to finish.
Rather disjunct...it's as if he starts several stories and then stops and starts a new one...the Resolution/Appaloosa, etc. series is better. I think this was his first attempt at the Western genre.
Robert B. Parker has turned his writing skills to the Earp brothers and their time in Tombstone, Arizona. Mostly concentrating on Wyatt Earp, his frienship with Doc Holliday and his love story with Josie Marcum.
A "Read Alike" selection for the 2012 Reading List Historical Fiction category.
For the complete list of 2012 Reading List Winners, please visit RUSA Awards 2012
For the complete list of 2012 Reading List Winners, please visit RUSA Awards 2012
Wyatt I need to see you.
You gonna see me one too many times Johnny!
So detailed and full of great lines like that, even if you don't like westerns read this one.
You gonna see me one too many times Johnny!
So detailed and full of great lines like that, even if you don't like westerns read this one.
Parker's take on the Gunfight at the OK Corral. From what I gather he pretty much nails the historical details but it's not as much fun as some of his other books.
This book is so great! No one can write a story (like Robert B Parker) on a tale told so many times about the same subject. Parker is the BEST!
An excellent retelling of the Shootout at Okay Corral, strong history, great characters, and very true to the spirit of the Western.
Western, more historically-based than the Appaloosa series (but I liked those better). I thought the ending on this one was weak.
A good read although the ending is rushed and less dramatic than much that comes before. It was fun to read about the Earp Brothers. I think Appaloosa is a much better read.
Parker's deft dialogues are always a treat. If you remember tales of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, this story is for you.
Fantastic treatment of the classic Wyatt Earp / Doc Holiday saga set to the tune of Robert Parker's great voice.
Good book. Took two days to read it. Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson western book. Would recommend if you like westerns
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database named Robert B. Parker.
Robert Brown Parker was an American crime writer. His most famous works were the novels about the private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the late 1980s; a series of TV movies based on the character were also produced....more
More about Robert B. Parker...
Robert Brown Parker was an American crime writer. His most famous works were the novels about the private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the late 1980s; a series of TV movies based on the character were also produced....more
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