Robert Lewis Taylor (1) (1912–1998)

I found this book quie interesting, and am sorry that there have not been reprints. As a book with heavy references to Huckleberry Finn by Twain it is quite complex and interesting. There is a good deal of humour but a small number of references using racial slurs may make it risky for modern publishers to deal with. Pity. Our hero is in his early teens and is forced to flee Kentucky over a small matter of a killed Klansman. With his uncle and a black servant he ends up in the Florida keys. Read it if you find a copy.… (altro)

Although The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters is grounded in fiction its bibliography indicates Taylor made extensive use of letters, memorandums, maps, memoirs, guidebooks, journals, and sermons to give the novel sincere authenticity. In a nutshell, it is the adventures of young Jaimie McPheeters as he journeyed with his father to seek gold in the mid 1800s. [As an aside, I could not help but think of Natalie Merchant's song "Gold Rush Brides" when I read The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters.] The story has everything: clashes with Indian tribes (including kidnapping, torture and murder), gambling, religion (Mormonism and the question of polygamy), humor, weather, and the hardships of the trail. This was the wild west; a time when at plate passing someone could offer a live rattlesnake in lieu of money. Confessional: I didn't know if I liked audacious Jaimie McPheeters when I first met him. My favorite parts were the interactions he had with his father. The interesting conversation about Latin and who killed the dead language was one of my favorites. Taylor has an interesting way of using words. The words 'pranced' and 'shotgun' usually do not go together in the same sentence.
A word of warning: speaking of language, it is a bit dated with derogatory and racist words.… (altro)

"The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters" is an epic tale of the wild west. In the years 1849-1850 rumors were afloat that there was gold to be found in California, and if that wasn’t enough to attract the adventurous, there was also an abundance of free land and opportunity. The biggest challenge was getting there.

The plot: Dr. McPheeter’s is an educated, intelligent well-known respected family man from Missouri with one major vice. He gambles. And when his debt reaches unsustainable proportions his most attractive option is to head west to dig for gold. And Jaimie, his teenage son gets the pleasure of tagging along. Jaimie is the narrator of this audacious tale.

In this story we hear of the trials and tribulations of a wagon train bound for the wild west, and the treacherous journey into unknown territory. It is akin to watching someone descend into Dante’s "Inferno" in search of the utopia at the end of the rainbow. Much of the path taken by the wagon train is similar to that of A. B. Guthrie’s classic "The Way West", encountering Indian attacks, shortages of food and supplies, difficulties in navigating the rough terrine, and a variety of personal issues. Jaimie’s precocious personality tends to cause a lot of aggravation and trouble along the journey.

If this novel hadn’t won the Pulitzer Prize, I may have never invested the time to read it – simply because it is repetitive of many books I have read in the past. However, it is amusing to hear the tale from the perspective of a naïve, young teen who has no fear and boundless amounts of energy.

Several interesting twists to the plot include a stay at the Mormon village in Utah which was at that time viewed as a dangerous cult, and the suspenseful outcome upon reaching the final destination of San Francisco.

Robert Lewis Taylor authenticates his tale by meticulous research citing over 130 references, and basing the plot in parts on the historic journal of a real gold-digger.… (altro)