Publishers Weekly
07/31/2023
Jiles (News of the World) captivates with another reliably rugged western odyssey. Wounded in the head in the final months of the Civil War, Union Army lieutenant John Chenneville survives and, after recovering in a field hospital, is eventually sent home to St. Louis to recuperate. There, John is informed that his sister, her husband, and their infant child were all murdered by a deputy sheriff named Albert Dodd. After a year of rehabilitation, John decides he is strong enough to go after Dodd, who is on his way to Texas. Crossing into Indian Territory from Fort Smith, Ark., John meets Aubrey Robertson, an English telegrapher who gives him shelter during a snowstorm. But when Robertson is murdered, possibly by Dodd, John comes under suspicion, with a dogged U.S. Marshal named Giddens on his trail. As he enters Union-occupied Texas, John receives help from telegraph operator Victoria Reavis, who keeps him apprised of both Dodd’s and Giddens’s movements as all three men head for a fateful showdown in San Antonio. As usual, Jiles impresses with vital characterizations, well-honed dialogue, and a granular depiction of the Old West. She also steeps readers in the lore of 19th-century technologies such as the telegraph, and dramatizes how it transformed society. This tale has true grit. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Master storyteller Jiles elegantly ropes in the reader’s heart.” — NPR
"Jiles creates an unforgiving Western landscape filled with memorable, morally ambiguous characters who are self-reliant in the face of adversity." — Washington Post
“There can be no quibbling with the dramatic tension in her rendering of the chaotic, wretchedly despoiled landscape Chenneville encounters.” — New York Times
“A gritty, atmospheric revenge story, set in a nation shattered by the Civil War . . . . [John Chenneville] becomes, in Jiles’ skilled hands, a shrewd and fearless bear of a (unbathed) man seeking justice.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
"A beautifully written novel illuminating society across a wide swath of the lower United States. . . . The writing is poetic and descriptive, leavened with a hint of romance.” — Library Journal (starred review)
“In her richly lyrical prose, acclaimed author Jiles (Simon the Fiddler, 2020) turns to the waning weeks and months of the Civil War, a period when the scales of justice felt heavily tipped toward the war's administrators and beneficiaries. Jiles uses John's lawless quest to interrogate the inequalities in the justice system—inequalities that still echo loudly today.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Jiles (News of the World) captivates with another reliably rugged western odyssey…As usual, Jiles impresses with vital characterizations, well-honed dialogue, and a granular depiction of the Old West…This tale has true grit.” — Publishers Weekly
“News of the World is . . . [an] exquisite book about the joys of freedom; the discovery of unexpected, proprietary love between two people who have never experienced anything like it; pure adventure in the wilds of an untamed Texas; and the reconciling of vastly different cultures. . . . That’s a lot to pack into a short, vigorous volume, but Ms. Jiles is capable of saying a lot in few words.” — New York Times
“Paulette Jiles’ spare Western packs a powerful punch. And, boy, can Jiles write. . . News of the World is surprisingly tender, but never soft. It’s lovely.” — USA Today (4 out of 4 stars)
“[A] sleek and entertaining novel . . . [W]hat stands out amid the gun smoke and the period detail is the moving friendship between a girl with no place to fit in and an old man who has outlived his usefulness. Add them to the list of the Wild West’s great odd couples.” — Wall Street Journal on News of the World
“The reader is treated to a kind of alchemy on the page when character, setting and song converge at all the right notes, generating an authentic humanity that is worth remembering and celebrating.” — New York Times on Simon the Fiddler
“Jiles’ sparse but lyrical writing is a joy to read. . . . A beautifully written book and a worthy follow-up to News of the World.” — Associated Press on Simon the Fiddler
“Imbued with the dust, grit, and grime of Galveston at the close of the Civil War, Simon the Fiddler immerses readers in the challenges of Reconstruction. Jiles brings her singular voice to the young couple's travails, her written word as lyrical and musical as Simon's bow raking over his strings. Loyal Jiles readers and fans of Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See and Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge will adore the author's latest masterpiece." — Booklist (starred review) on Simon the Fiddler
Booklist (starred review)
Jiles turns to the waning weeks and months of the Civil War, a period when the scales of justice felt heavily tipped toward the war’s administrators and beneficiaries. Jiles uses John’s lawless quest to interrogate the inequalities in the justice system—inequalities that still echo loudly today.”
Library Journal
★ 07/21/2023
Jiles (Simon the Fiddler) continues her exploration of the tumultuous post—Civil War years with a beautifully written novel illuminating society across a wide swath of the lower United States. John Chenneville is a Union solider from a French-speaking Missouri family. He's been in a Virginia field hospital, recovering from a serious head injury, but now he's ready to carefully make his way home. When he gets there, he discovers that his younger sister and her family have been murdered. This sets him on a path of vengeance, as he implacably tracks down the man responsible for this crime, a serial killer only seen through Chenneville's eyes. This structure allows Jiles to describe the landscapes and social conditions across the South, from Virginia to Missouri, through Oklahoma to Texas. The writing is poetic and descriptive, leavened with a hint of romance. Chenneville's character is strong and unyielding; once he's made a decision, he commits—but the novel's unexpected conclusion sends him in new directions. VERDICT With memorable and compelling characters, this slower-moving story will appeal to readers of history or Westerns. Recommended for fans of Jiles's other titles or novels such as Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove.—Melanie Kindrachuk
JANUARY 2024 - AudioFile
Grover Gardner brings the Old West to life in this slow-burn tale of vengeance set against a backdrop of post-Civil War lawlessness. John Chenneville is a Union soldier who is struggling to regain his memories while recovering from a head wound on his family homestead in St. Louis. Gardner gives Chenneville a light drawl and a steady, even tone that belies his fierce determination to find the man who murdered his sister and her family. With only a name to go on--Dodd--Chenneville sets out on a manhunt that will take him deep into Texas. Gardner's Missouri French accents are impressive, particularly with Fermin, the family's anxious manservant. A must-listen for mystery and history fans alike. E.E. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
