Customer Reviews

Not Between Brothers

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Quite simply, one of the finest novels I have ever read. Wilkinson is a gifted storyteller. From the opening scene, I was completely caught up and it never let me go. I found myself looking for excuses to sneak away and read it. I am eagerly awaiting Wilkinson's next book.

Though the characters of Remy and Kills White Bear are fictional, the events in Texas that propel them are real. One can see the faults and the goodness in all the characters. Wilkinson is deft at explaining how the collision of cultures (Anglo, Mexican, and Commanche) created what we now know as Texas. As much as it's an in-your-face lesson in history, it is an equally moving, epic love story that plays out across the plains. I will never look at Texas the same way again but, make no mistake, this book is bigger than Texas. It quite beatifully says something about us all.

I have recommended "Not Between Brothers" many times, and will continue to do so. So far, it has never disappointed.

Having received this book as a gift several years ago, I am now sorry it took me so long to get around to reading it. I assure you that once you start reading Not Between Brothers, you will find it hard to put down.
Others have rehashed the story in their reviews to some degree or another, so I'll try not to do that here. Author Wilkinson does an excellent job developing both the characters and his story. There's a surprise at nearly every turn, although the reader somehow knows that chief protagonist Remy Fuqua is going to survive.
This is not just a story of a titanic clash of cultures, it is a story of hard men and women in a harsh land, where nearly every day brings an often life-threatening challenge. It is written in an heroic fashion that reminds me sometimes of Michener and sometimes of Fraser (of the Flashman series), but nearly always in a way that keeps the reader wondering what's coming next. Wilkinson writes a balanced story with a great understanding of the points of view of all the cultures that once claimed Texas as theirs.
Those who know the parts of Texas where this story takes place will almost literally be able to visualize it, to taste it and to smell it. Those who don't know Texas will come away with a pretty good picture of its geography and climate. And everyone will come away with a greater knowledge of the forces that shaped Texas and made it what it is today.
This is said to be Wilkinson's first novel and he's done a heck of a job researching and writing it. His command of the language is impressive as is his attention to detail. I found only one major factual error about a third of the way through probably missed in the proofreading( see if you can find it too). There are also a couple of times where I was able to guess why a particular incident occurs ahead of it being explained, but most of the time the reader is left in breathless anticipation of what's to come.
Despite a few missteps and a weak final chapter after the dramatic and surprising climax, my overall impression of Not Between Brothers is that I have just read an epic blockbuster. A blurb on the cover claims that it was a finalist for the Spur Award for best novel of the West in 1996. Well, if some other book beat this one, I'll have to read it and see why, because Not Between Brothers is one of the finest books about Texas or the West I have read in years!

David Marion Wilkinson's "Not Between Brothers" is at once absorbing and at the same time fascinating. This is a thorough story of Texas, or rather, a story of a slice of Texas. It is done with precision, depth, and a dedication to its purpose.

Additionally, Mr. Wilkinson does not try to be a "chauvinistic Texan" and paint only the "boasts" that this state is sometimes known for. His intriguing characters come to us, warts and all,and we are the better for it. The author does not seem to want to give us a story of a state through rose colored glasses; he seems intent upon actually telling a story, one that is believable, sensitive, viable--one that will stay with us.

He has succeeded. To say I enjoyed this book is an understatement. I look forward to his continued writings, whether it's about Texas or not!

Remy Fuqua is a crossbred Anglo orphan - disadvantaged and cheated from the start. This book follows Remy from that beginning, through his victories and defeats in marriage to a disapproving wealthy Mexican's daughter, through his and their wars of will and survival with a Comanche warrior, through clashes of cultures and varying moralities. The novel transpires in the unique borderland region of Texas and Mexico, which at the time neither country truly held; the conflicts presented are brutally honest and thoroughly engaging. Wilkinson is a gifted storyteller: politically incorrect, detailed, precise. He has been recognized grandly for this effort - Not Between Brothers won the Violet Crown Award, it was a finalist for the 1996 Spur Award for Best Novel of the West, it is recognized as an Editor's Choice by the Review of Texas Books - ... I must tell you that this novel is definitely one of my favorites. It is a must-read! This book gripped me from beginning to end - I recommend it to all of you, my brothers.

Through the captivating reading of a fictional tale, "Not Between Brothers" gives the reader an understanding of Texas life from the early days of Stephen Austin's Colony of Anglo settlers to the beginning of the Civil War (1816-1861). Based on historical research and "for historical accuracy first and foremost", the author provides an unromaticized perspective of Tejano ranchers, Anglo settlers and Comanche warriors and the clash of these three proud societies.

Read the author's Amazon.com posting to understand the intent of this book and his desire to portray the characters "warts and all". For it is this more realistic and human portrayal of the three different cultures that defined Texas that make this book an award winner.

Experience the history of Texas from the perspectives of fictional early settler Remy Fuqua, his Tejano wife, rancher father-in-law and vaqueros, and Comanche warrior Kills White Bear-their values, aspirations, attitudes toward each other and motivations for dramatic actions during these formative years in Texas and American history.

The book will give you the easy reading escape of a good novel while stimulating your thinking and awareness of our heritage.

This is one of the very best western epics I've had the pleasure to read.
Laced with historical characters and important moments in Texan history, this book will keep you reading until your eyes droop. I am now a huge fan of this author and have moved on to other of his books. I don't know if it's possible someone would want to make a film of Not Between Brothers but I surely wish they would. This book is a cracker.

Texas is a huge state with a rich multicultural heritage. It takes a real tour de force, such as David Marion Wilkinson's "Not Between Brothers" to do it justice. In this epic view of Texas history, Wilkinson uses fictional characters Remy Fuqua and Comanche Indian Kills White Bear to tell the story of life on the frontier between the years 1816 and 1861. Remy is a Scotch-Irish orphan who grows up in Louisiana and is permanently scarred by his unhappy childhood. He carries a "never-say-die" attitude and a quick temper throughout his life. Kills White Bear is a Comanche warrior who nurtures a hatred for the white people whose diseases rob him of many of his loved ones. Remy and his cousin move to Texas where they negotiate a piece of land from Stephen F. Austin. Remy meets and falls in love with a beautiful, wealthy Mexican woman, and this causes problems for both of them throughout the rest of their lives. Remy and Kills Bear's lives weave their separate paths until at last they intersect, with predictable dire consequences for both of them. Wilkinson's wonderful prose and unforgettable characters make for an excellent read. He weaves in a lot of history and the reader is treated to up-close looks at Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, Jim Bowie, and others who are painted in wonderful shades of gray and who are not made to look like saints. For anyone who enjoys historical fiction or who has an interest in Texas, this is highly recommended reading.

In Not Between Brother author David Marion Wilkinson relates the epic story of Texas spanning the years from 1816 to 1861. Wilkinson uses the life story of his primary protagonist, Remy Fuqua, to tell the Anglo, Tejano, and to some extent the Mexican parts of the tale. On the other side, Wilkinson puts the reader into a virtual alternate universe by following the life a Comanche warrior named Kills White Bear. The lives of Remy and Kills White Bear become inextricably bound together through a series of unfortunate incidents that are mostly fueled by their mutual desire for vengeance. Indeed, the book closes with one final tragic encounter between them.

On the larger stage of history, Wilkinson's book tells the story of Texas (or Tejas) from its days as part of the Spanish colonial empire, through its Mexican statehood, its days as an independent republic, and its annexation to the United States. The book closes as secession fever strikes and the state legislature withdraws Texas from the Union over the objections of its governor, Sam Houston.

Fuqua wants to ranch and by hard work and fortuitous marriage achieves an extraordinary level of success. All the more bitter, then is his struggle against the Mexican government, The Texas Republic, and Confederate Texas to keep what he has built. The eternal struggle, however, is between the Comanche, especially the Penatekas led by Kills White Bear, and the Anglos and Tejanos. The Comanche fiercely defended their hunting grounds and with some degree of success on the sparsely settled Texas plains. Both sides fought viciously - it injury to the truth to romanticize it. In addition to their sheer numbers and technological advantages, the whites brought diseases that no amount of courage or tenacity could resist. On the whole, the Comanche chose to resist, seemingly beyond all reason, rather than submit.

Wilkinson sprinkles his tale with historical characters such as Sam Houston, Buffalo Hump, Santa Anna, Juan Seguin, Indian agent Robert Neighbors, and Captain Jack Hay of the Texas Rangers. Wilkinson also puts the reader in the midst of historic events such as the Alamo (necessarily told second-hand to Remy), the Battle of San Jacinto where Houston won his fame and Texas its independence, and the Council House Fight, where the army's ham-handed handling of treaty negotiations led to a massacre of Penateka chiefs and warriors, which in turn led to the slaughter of captive whites and touched off a major round of Comanche raids.

The one negative review of this book asserted that the author is no McMurtry or' Mitchner' (sic - presumably the reviewer meant James Michener) - a range of literary skills nearly as large as the Texas plains, in the eyes of this reader. Wilkinson does not reach the heights that McMurtry can, but exceeds Michener in developing real characters in an historical setting (as opposed to the rather simplistic characterizations in Michener's `Texas'.

Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction and the American West. The insights into the Comanche and Tejano side of the story set Wilkinson's book apart.

Excellent! This is a gripping tale that pulls the reader into the life of a young Texas boy. The book chronicles his life beginning in East Texas in the early 19th century, and it ends in the latter part of that century in far West Texas. After the first chapter, I could not put the book down! Strongly recommended for all historical fiction buffs, especially those with an interest in Texas history.

I love Mr. Wilkinson's writing style. Incredible descriptions of characters and environment. I quickly fell in love with the characters and learned more about Texas history than I had in school! There are many short chapters which made it easy to pick it up whenver I had a minute to spare. Not Between Brothers created a realistic window into Texas - the savagery of the Indians, the plague of the white settlers and pride of the Mexicans who settled Texas. I will be ordering the next Wilkinson book immediately.