Larry Hayward

This is a book you have to work at a bit, but the excellent writing makes it well worth the effort. I liked the way in which the protagonist's character in the two stories was handled. With Lurie we see him develop from a childhood of abandonment, working in a pestilence house to a grave robber to a petty thief and stage-coach robber to a life on the run as he is pursued by the law. Nora, however, comes to us already formed as a wife, a mother of three boys, a deceased baby girl, a caregiver for Granma Harriet and for her niece Josie, and a pioneer homesteader. Her character is developed by looking back languorously and is so layered and multi-dimensional that it is just one of the best female character developments I have read in a long time. Add in some mystical realism, the evil eye talisman, talking to the dead, the historical information on the camels used by the U.S. Cavalry, the ghost town of Indianola,Texas, and the physical descriptions and deprivations of the western territories, and you have one heck of a good story. This was a book club recommendation, and I am so glad I read it and look forward to our discussion.