Customer Reviews

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I agree with the reviewers who laud Mr. Hansen's superb novel and give it five stars. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is sprawling and precise, Shakespeare out of Camus crossed with Peckinpah. I don't think that the book is too detailed or slow, as one reader reports. I think that the detail helps make the book what it is: An absolutely convincing account of the men and the times, taut all the way, and not romanticized. In my opinion, there are two great novels of the American West that transcend the genre and become real literature:Elizabeth Fackler's "Billy The Kid: The Legend of El Chivato," and this novel about Jesse James and Bob Ford by Mr. Hansen.

Ron Hansen's book relies extensively on archival research of newspaper accounts, courtroom accounts, and memoirs, all of which contribute to this intelliegent, exceptionally well-written tale of the death of Jesse James. Focusing on the individuals involved, as opposed to the deeds of the James gang, although these are described as required by the narrative, this book develops an understanding of the personal dynamics at work in the undoing of the great Jesse James. A gripping and ultimately satisfying read, The Assassination of Jesse James is a must-read for anyone with interest in the old west.

Hansen uses an even approach to all the characters in this story: No demons or straw men, here. I began with the common view that honorable Jesse was killed by the detestible coward Robert Ford. But Hansen made me understand the motives, the differing natures of real people with warm blood in their veins, not the card board cut-outs of popular legend. I came to understand, through Hansen of course, that Jesse and Bob had few other options, given who they were, than to live and die as they did. Jesse born the killer; Bob born the Judas. This, the insistance that the story must be as it is told, indicates the very "true-ness" of the story as told by Hansen. In that respect, they are nearly elevated to Shakespherian status (Hamlet born to avenge his father), and the language does indeed inspire to reach far beyong the pitiful, common mode of the genre. A great book

An astonishing book--literary fiction, not genre fiction (as the title's allusion to MARAT/SADE reveals--and a dazzling exploration of greed for money and fame; violence; psychology; the way we invent oursleves. I agree with the above reviewer; this book is Shakespearian. I have read and taught much historically based American fiction and this us a masterpiece.

Hansen is an exemplary wordsmith and this is a wonderfully written book. Steeped in vivid detail and obviously painstaking research, it's enlightening and informative. If it fails at all its in its excesses. Can there be too much detail? Too deep an examination of the people and events surrounding the principal players? Unfortunately the answer is "yes," and those excesses make this book a tough, slow read. The fine quality of the writing, however, will certainly make up for some of the lapses in storytelling for many readers, especially those with higher literary standards.

Ron Hansen's research is evident but the story is seemless as the
reader is pulled inside the head of Robert Ford and the "reasoning"
involved in his decision to gun down Jesse James. The mental health of
Jesse James is examined by the modern-day reader when given this
accumuation of facts and observations about the infamous anti-hero.
Unlike any other novel I've ever read, because few writers possess these
skills. On a par with Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian

Following one of the best lead paragraphs ever written, a story unfolds into a definitive biography of Jesse James by a master writer. Hansen's works are literary masterpieces. He deals with fact and clears up fiction in a brilliant writing style, and transports you into the life of Jesse James. A must for every serious student of outlaw history

....die by the sword. Or gun. Or treachery. That is an over simplistic way of looking at this book, but it gets the message across. There are several ways to determine if a man is a "legend"....one is that at least some people think of him as a fictional character...another is the sighting of him alive after he's dead. Jesse Woodson James was indeed real, and he did indeed die on April 3, 1882, shot from behind by a coward named Bob Ford. He was sighted "alive" as late as 1951, but that's either rubbish, or mistaking son for father. I certainly have an interest in the topic; my wife is a direct descendent of Captain George Todd, company commander of Jesse, and several of the gang, during the Civil War. Our son will be happy to tell you about it.

I suppose that this novel is more a character study than a straight history. Of course, it only claims to be a novel. Starting in 1865, we get a look at the last 17 years of Jesse, then we continue with the last 10 of Bob. We see the life of crime, the damage done, the women who stood by criminals. Jesse James certainly has brains, courage, strength of character, and even a certain nobility. Of course, he put his God-given talents to some very questionable uses. Bob Ford may have had brains, but the rest of Jesse's good points were WAY beyond him. Jesse, Bob, and all the others...Frank, Cole, both Zereldas, Dick...come to life. The author means for us to see them as real people, the mixture of good, bad, and indifferent, common to humanity; he succeeds. Still, he never attempts to fathom just why Jesse went the way he did...maybe, only God knows that.

On the whole, I can recommend this book...the writing is a bit stilted, the detail a bit too verbose...still, it's worth your time. If you REALLY want to know about Jesse, try "Jesse James Last Rebel of the Civil War" by T.J. Stiles. That book IS history, it covers cradle [and before] to grave, and is a lot better written...it even goes into motivation. Of course, there is a whole further area of speculation about Jesse's career...gold, Indians, the Masons, Albert Pike, the next Civil War...that is beyond the scope here. Overall, four stars is about right...

A tapestry of fact and fiction, recounting the last years of James' life and the entirety of Ford's. The prose in this is amazing, dense-packed and grimly poetic, an unsentimental depiction of hard lives and moments of lyrical beauty. The experience of reading the text was so thoroughly absorbing, impossible to skim through, that it almost made me overlook the feeling I had afterwards of not really having much more insight into James and Ford as characters by book's end than I did at the start.

Hansen's James is a force of nature, beyond good or evil or human judgement, a tyrant and a child, cruel and kind. "Rooms seemed hotter when he was in them, rains fell straighter, clocks slowed, sounds were amplified: his enemies would not have been much surprised if he produced horned owls from beer bottles or made candles out of his fingers." A great character, yes, but it's hard to get at the heart of such a cipher. Hansen's Ford is even more obscure - although Ford is the other half to this story and a poignant lost-boy figure, the way he's presented here is almost a cliche, an overlooked child crying for attention in a society which seems to reward infamy. All of this, by the way, is clear from the first few chapters - Hansen doesn't seem to really move beyond these ideas, never reveals more about who *he* thinks these men were.

But, you know, I can forgive a lot when the man writes like this. "No one talked as Jesse moved - it was as if his acts were miracles of invention wondrous to behold. Martha stared at Jesse as she cooked, Ida was moonstruck as she set down another dish, Charley and Wilbur grinned gregariously whenever his eyes floated near." Beautiful.

I saw the movie first and while I applauded the lush cinematography and attention to detail. The performances were great but unfortunately the overall effect was mired down in often excrutiatingly slow storytelling.

It's faithful to the book in that manner. Beautifully written with immense detail, the character study and history is frequently lost in the dense prose. It is a novel worth sinking your teeth into, but it IS a commitment of your time and attention.