Customer Reviews

Behold the Shining Mountains (History As It Happens)

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The names are real. The places, dates and events are real. For those who fancy history in a novel type of setting, this is a worthy book. After reading numerous books on the fur trade and early western Americana, it was also an enjoyable read for myself.
The story centers around famed mountain man Bill Sublette and all the people in his immediate circle (his brothers Andrew and Milton, Tom Fitzpatrick, Jim Bridger, Ashley, Astor, Robert Campbell, the Whitmans and Spaldings, etc.)
The 1830's legendary fur trade with all the nit-picking rivalry between these companies, the romanticized rendezvous', Indian confrontations, personal relationships, missionaries, pleasure seekers, etc. are all brought to life in this book.
The authors breath air into these individuals from the past by having them conversing with each other throughout the book, and if one is familiar with these names and places from previous readings, all the more meaningful to the reader. The "backwoodsy" grammar can become somewhat of an obstacle in the reading itself, but once overcome, is a pleasure to read.