Sign in with FacebookAmy Sturgis's Reviews > Doc
Doc
by Mary Doria Russell (Goodreads Author)
by Mary Doria Russell (Goodreads Author)
Amy Sturgis's review
bookshelves: 21st-century, western, first-reads, historical-fiction
Apr 16, 11
bookshelves: 21st-century, western, first-reads, historical-fiction
Read from March 18 to April 16, 2011
I received this novel as part of the Goodreads First Reads program.
Mary Doria Russell still has "it," that indefinable storyteller quality that made The Sparrow one of my favorite novels of all time.
In this work of historical fiction, Russell paints a portrait of Doc Holliday's years in Dodge City, Kansas. It's a very compelling and moving story, and in the telling the reader gets to know famous figures such as Wyatt and Morgan Earp, and not-so-famous figures from different races, nationalities, and walks of life. Russell does an exceptional job of revealing the many disparate threads that came together to form the tapestry of the West, from whores and cattlemen to missionaries and runaways. She's at her best allowing the characters to represent different perspectives and underscore various prejudices. When conflicting interests collide in Dodge, the politics are fascinating, and Russell through Holliday gives us a front row seat.
The part of this history I know best -- that is, Native America -- is well handled here, and I applaud the effortless way Russell worked in the important story of John Horse and the Black Seminoles.
Holliday's story is incredibly poignant, as is that of his companion Kate, a Hungarian-born noblewoman-turned-frontier prostitute. I especially appreciated the trouble Russell took to introduce the characters in the front matter (both historical and fictional) and explain in the back matter where she took the greatest poetic license (and why). Russell de-emphasizes the shooting at the OK Corral with good reason, but provides enough information to give closure to Doc's story.
Furthermore, Russell uses Holliday as a window into big ideas (about education, about power, about nobility), and therefore the novel really transcends its genre. In other words, it has something to say even to those who aren't particularly smitten with the history of the West.
Anyone looking for excellent, well researched, thought-provoking fiction that provides both insights about the historical time period and a rewarding journey with a meaningful character will enjoy this a great deal.
Mary Doria Russell still has "it," that indefinable storyteller quality that made The Sparrow one of my favorite novels of all time.
In this work of historical fiction, Russell paints a portrait of Doc Holliday's years in Dodge City, Kansas. It's a very compelling and moving story, and in the telling the reader gets to know famous figures such as Wyatt and Morgan Earp, and not-so-famous figures from different races, nationalities, and walks of life. Russell does an exceptional job of revealing the many disparate threads that came together to form the tapestry of the West, from whores and cattlemen to missionaries and runaways. She's at her best allowing the characters to represent different perspectives and underscore various prejudices. When conflicting interests collide in Dodge, the politics are fascinating, and Russell through Holliday gives us a front row seat.
The part of this history I know best -- that is, Native America -- is well handled here, and I applaud the effortless way Russell worked in the important story of John Horse and the Black Seminoles.
Holliday's story is incredibly poignant, as is that of his companion Kate, a Hungarian-born noblewoman-turned-frontier prostitute. I especially appreciated the trouble Russell took to introduce the characters in the front matter (both historical and fictional) and explain in the back matter where she took the greatest poetic license (and why). Russell de-emphasizes the shooting at the OK Corral with good reason, but provides enough information to give closure to Doc's story.
Furthermore, Russell uses Holliday as a window into big ideas (about education, about power, about nobility), and therefore the novel really transcends its genre. In other words, it has something to say even to those who aren't particularly smitten with the history of the West.
Anyone looking for excellent, well researched, thought-provoking fiction that provides both insights about the historical time period and a rewarding journey with a meaningful character will enjoy this a great deal.
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Reading Progress
| 04/06/2011 | page 202 |
|
49.0% | "Mary Doria Russell still has "it." This is fantastic thus far." |
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James M.
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Feb 23, 2011 07:53am
Mary posted on Facebook about this book while she was writing it. It sounds great, Amy!
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I can't wait to read it! I've loved everything she's done - The Sparrow is one of my top ten favorites of all time - and the subject matter/setting of this novel is of special interest to me. Not too long to wait now! :)
Okay, I am going to add Doc, and, The Sparrow to my "want to read" list!Sherry Kelly, Author of The Big Life of a Little Man: Michael Dunn Remembered
Ooh, I didn't know she had anything new out. I loved the Sparrow as well! I've read it probably four or five times over.
I think this comes out next month. I got an ARC from the Goodreads First Reads giveaway. This is an amazing biographical novel of Doc Holliday, but it's also so much more: a real panoramic view of the different races, cultures, and ambitions of the men and women who settled the frontier west. Amazing thus far (as you'd expect with Russell).
