John Brandon (2)

Gritty adventure story in barely-post-civil-war Florida, as a 12 year old boy crosses the state alone, on foot. His mother has just died and he is searching for a father who is unaware of his existence. Reminded me of “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy and also True Grit by Charles Portis. Lots of terrible situations, lots of being saved by luck and people who help him. Maybe a bit cliched in bits but that’s made up for by great language and descriptions of the natural and human environment of Florida in the mid 1860s.… (altro)

A bit hard to get into, but well worth the while. Gussie's mother is a "working woman" who has recently died leaving him with a gold watch that is supposedly from his father who lives across the peninsula of Florida. At age 12, Gussie sets out to find the man and give him the watch wanting only to be called "Son" by the man. At the same time, his father, ? Searle, is saddened by his errant son and at the same time seeming losing his assets due to lawsuits from his former partner's family. Julius, the son, gets word from Abraham, the Searle servant that a letter has arrived from Gussie annoujncing that he would be seeking his father.

Julius, makes the trip back to Florida in order to stop the alleged son and keep him from getting any inheritance. The story takes the form of one adventure after another as Gussie moves westward. First he is followed by his mother's former employer, he meets thieves, and he meets people of unbelievable kindnesses - all interesting characters.

Abraham, as the Searle servant, is an interesting character and the ending focuses as much on him as on Gussie. An interesting read although due to the language, somewhat hard to read at times. I would read other books by this author… (altro)