The Killings of Stanley Ketchel: A Novel [Paperback]

James Carlos Blake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 25, 2006

Hailed as "one of the greatest chroniclers of the mythical American outlaw life" (Entertainment Weekly), James Carlos Blake turns to the blazing story of Stanley Ketchel, the legendary ragtime-era middleweight boxing champion and daring rakehell, whose brief and meteoric life burned with violence and tragedy in and out of the ring. The Killings of Stanley Ketchel is a sweeping and powerful literary adventure by one of our most daring novelists.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The short, brutish life of Stanley Ketchel, the middleweight champion of the ragtime era who ruled the ring until his murder at age 24, serves as inspiration for Blake's action-packed new novel (after Handsome Harry). Blake follows Ketchel's career as he runs away from a loveless, violent farm home at age 15, "rides the rods" with the hoboes to Butte, Mont., where he first steps in the ring, and then goes pro in San Francisco. When Jack Johnson becomes heavyweight champ, the nation goes mad, and none more so than Ketchel, who itches to vanquish the confident black pugilist in a rematch. From Gibson Girl Evelyn Nesbitt, who enjoys a passionate liaison with Ketchel, to Emmett Dalton, last of the old-time outlaws, Blake brings to life a huge cast of characters across a glittering, vital America. The author writes with a loopy narrative drive, equal parts Dos Passos and Doctorow, suggesting vaguely that Ketchel's rage and murderous passions were at least in part inspired by a nostalgia for the Old West he had missed by a mere decade. Though the liberal embellishments of sex and violence can sometimes tip the book into weary cliché, Blake has spun a fascinating tale. (Aug.)
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Review

“Quite simply astonishing . . . a tale that resonates long after the last page is turned.” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram )

“A masterful story . . . impossible to resist . . . an absolute knockout.” (Denver Rocky Mountain News )

“Probably the best boxing book ever written.” (Salt Lake City Tribune )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (July 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060554371
• ISBN-13: 978-0060554378
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,431,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hold On People. This is fiction., October 10, 2005

By 

Quixote Me "Faith & Mirth" (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Killings of Stanley Ketchel: A Novel (Hardcover)

I've been reading reviews. The more I read, the more I see that readers are believing this novel is Stanley Ketchel's biography. It may be well written as readers who are fans of Mr Blake's stories, will attest. But, do not be regaled, into believing this, smarmiest of the smarmy tale. The elder Mr. Kiecal was not Stanley's step-father. Stanley Ketchel did not leave home because of any violence between he and his father. At 12 years of age, his mother gave him permission to leave home. He was not an alcoholic, he seldom drank at all, he was a prankster, and he only smoked cigars, when he attended social events. The factual tale, is fabulous without benefit(?) of fiction. So, please, don't settle into this story. This fictional composite, dabbles more, in folk-lore, than what actually happened in this courageous, and powerful young man's short life. Thank you, and please remember. This is written from imagination. Creative, but predominantly, a fabrication, none the less.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Author JCB has done it again!, October 10, 2005

By 

M. Bell (Tampa, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Killings of Stanley Ketchel: A Novel (Hardcover)

In this engrossing novel based on the life of middle weight boxing champion Stanley Ketchel the Ragtime era of the early 1900's is brought vividly to life. The story begins with Ketchel running away from home and riding the rails as a teen-aged hobo after a fight with his step father which he believes has resulted in his death. It progresses smoothly into his discovery as a boxing prospect while working as a bouncer in a saloon out West. It then chronicles his rise and astonishing record of wins and K.O.'s both in and out of his weight class. The descriptions of the fights are edge-of-your-seat exciting and gory in places. His womanizing ways are also marvelously and entertainingly evoked. The dialogue is crisp, realistic, and humorous throughout which is one of this author's major strengths along with painting a vivid picture of that time period. Boxing fans and readers who like historical/biographical novels will really get their money's worth out of this book!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars His Best Yet, August 28, 2005

By 

Lawrence A. Strid (Mission Viejo, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Killings of Stanley Ketchel: A Novel (Hardcover)

Having read everything he has written and having great anticipation for the release of each new book he puts out, you might say that I am prejudiced to state this is definitely Blake's best work to date. As good as Red Grass River and Wildwood Boys were, this work just slightly outdistances them both in making you live the life and times of one of the great boxers in history, and following the pace of the story as it follows Ketchel as anti-hero. This is an absolutely entralling read, and the depth of research that he has undertaken to write it when combined with his gritty and realistic prose makes this a near-impossible book to put down once you pick it up. Blake has cornered the market in basing his novels on actual historical characters living on the edge of society, usually viewed in historical retrospect as less than stellar citizens, and who are ultimately pushed toward tragic ends by the circumstances of their times and the course of their self-created destiny. Why none of his works have been turned into a movie baffles me, as they are replete with action, historical detail, and pathos that would translate well to the big screen. The only bad part about reading this book is that you then have to realize that you are probably a year away for him to publish his next novel.