From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress:
I read a lot of historical romance novels. Sometimes I like to go in a totally different direction to clear my palate. This time around I chose Chenneville, a historical fiction novel set in the American post-Civil War western frontier. Like the rough country and characters that protagonist John Chenneville encounters, readers will find Paulette Jiles’ tale gritty and riveting, offset by lyrical prose.
Reminiscent of the classic western stories by Louis L’Amour, and Owen Wister’s, The Virginian, our hero John Chenneville is, “a man on the edge of lawlessness, but so was the entire country.” He is the strong silent type, with a troubling past, tracking a ruthless killer from St. Louis, Missouri to Texas.
I started this novel thinking that I would give it a try but was quickly entrenched in the characters and caught up in the drama. Along with Jiles’ stunning historical research encompassing the wake of the Civil War and Reconstruction, there is a surprise slow burn romance between our rough-and-tumble-out-for-revenge hero and an elegant telegraph operator who we hear from by Morse code during John’s travels. They do not meet until three-quarters into the story which keeps the reader guessing. The buildup of romantic tension between them was electric, and their in-person meet cute straight out of a classic romance novel.
If you are a fan of iconic western heroes in books like Shane, The Searchers, and True Grit, all of which became classic western movies, you will enjoy Chenneville.
Best, LA
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Consumed with grief, driven by vengeance, a man undertakes an unrelenting odyssey across the lawless post–Civil War frontier seeking redemption in this fearless novel from the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of News of the World.
Union soldier John Chenneville suffered a traumatic head wound in battle. His recovery took the better part of a year as he struggled to regain his senses and mobility. By the time he returned home, the Civil War was over, but tragedy awaited. John’s beloved sister and her family had been brutally murdered.
Their killer goes by many names. He fought for the North in the late unpleasantness, and wore a badge in the name of the law. But the man John knows as A. J. Dodd is little more than a rabid animal, slaughtering without reason or remorse, needing to be put down.
Traveling through the unforgiving landscape of a shattered nation in the midst of Reconstruction, John braves winter storms and confronts desperate people in pursuit of his quarry. Untethered, single-minded in purpose, he will not be deterred. Not by the U.S. Marshal who threatens to arrest him for murder should he succeed. And not by Victoria Reavis, the telegraphist aiding him in his death-driven quest, yet hoping he’ll choose to embrace a life with her instead.
And as he trails Dodd deep into Texas, John accepts that this final reckoning between them may cost him more than all he’s already lost…
ADVANCE PRAISE
- “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. —Publisher’s Weekly
- “…one powerful man’s intimate journey of experiences that stretch his physical and emotional endurance while effortlessly carrying the reader along for the ride—for better and . . . for worse.” —Novels Alive
- “Jiles tells a beautiful, multi-layered tale rich with the historical details of the past.”—Southern Review of Books
AUTHOR BIO
Paulette Jiles is a novelist, poet, and memoirist. She is the author of Cousins, a memoir, and the novels Enemy Women, Stormy Weather, The Color of Lightning, Lighthouse Island, and News of the World, which was a finalist for the 2016 National Book Award and was made into a movie in 2020 starring Tom Hanks. She lives on a ranch near San Antonio, Texas.
BOOK INFORMATION
- Chenneville: A Novel of Murder, Loss, and Vengeance, by Paulette Jiles
- William Morrow (September 12, 2023)
- Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook (320) pages
- ISBN: 978-0063252684
- Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
AMAZON | PUBLISHER | ADD TO GOODREADS
We received an advanced readers copy of the book from the publisher. Book description, author bio, and cover image courtesy of William Morrow © 2023; text Laurel Ann Nattress © 2023, austenprose.com, an Amazon affiliate.
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Now, this sounds like just my thing. Thanks for putting it on my radar, Laurel Ann!
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My pleasure, Sophia. Not my usual genre, but it was great. I am still thinking about it. That’s a good sign.
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