Customer Reviews

Leaving Whiskey Bend

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

 

 

Dorothy Garlock always makes me feel that I am at the place where the action is. Great book. I couldn't put it down until I was finished.
A must buy book. Lots of action and a few laughs.

I have read nearly all of Dorothy Garlock's books and always look forward to new offerings from her. She never disappoints. I especially enjoy her stories about life in the 30's and 40's. That would have been MY youth. Leaving Whiskey Bend is not one of my favorites of hers, although it is a good story. It is nearly impossible to imagine people behaving the way they do in this story, especially in today's society, and getting away with it!

Leaving Whiskey Bend is a disappointing out for Dorothy Garlock. The plot of three women escaping the rumor mill and evil Chester Remnick of Whiskey Bend is weak and the character development of all the main characters, weaker. Garlock puts misguided energy into the creation of sympathetic Caleb Morgan in the book's prologue, only to have him come to an untimely end by page 8. Sadly, like Caleb's ludicrously disfunctional family, the novel never recovers from the loss. As the story progresses, the balance of characters--none of whom are particularly likeable--are one-dimensional and never fully defined as tragic or comedic.

Garlock's trademark ability to make landscape and characters come to life on the page doesn't begin to glimmer through the murkiness of this volume which reads more like a first effort than the work of a seasoned writer who's talent is best showcased in the Missouri series and particularly in The Edge of Town (Missouri, Book 1).

Garlock's publisher is fond of using the line, "There is nothing better than Dorothy Garlock at her best," Sandra Brown, New York Times bestselling author. Unfortunately, Leaving Whiskey Bend is far from Garlock's best work. If you haven't read her, don't start here. Check out her Missouri series.

Wonderful reading. Dorothy never fails to deliver a good story. I have never read a book of hers that I did not like. Recommend very highly.

In 1890 Whiskey Bend, Colorado, Chester Remnick beat up his stepsister Mary in public; none of the men intervened. Mary's friend Pearl Parsons warns Chester to stay away from her and his stepsister or she will use her rifle to convert him into a hen; she does shoot him in the leg. The two women and schoolteacher Hallie Wolcott decide to flee the brutality and abuse of the town.

A previous victim of abuse, Pearl vows to find a safe haven for her friends. A storm almost kills Mary, but she is rescued by a rancher Eli Morgan, who gives them shelter at his rundown spread while she heals over the objection of his malicious mother who knows the women mean trouble and wants them to leave. Outraged from the affront Chester is hunting the women with plans to take the friends to teach them a lesson and bring home his stepsister to take care of his shack. Eli has his own issues as his mom never forgave him for abandoning the family years ago and a need to find out who murdered his younger brother Caleb. As he and Hallie fall in love, neither are prepared for an unknown adversary who wants him dead.

Although intriguing with the premise of late nineteenth century abuse and with solid key characters, the romance fails to come across as realistic; as that and the climax seem abrupt. Still fans of Dorothy Garlock will enjoy her western romance as family issues threaten the lives of Eli and the three women he vows to protect.

Harriet Klausner

Hallie Wolcott and her friend, Pearl Parsons keep believing that there has got to be better places to live then Whiskey Bend, Colorado. So when their friend, Mary needs to escape from her abuse stepbrother, they seize this opportunity to leave Whiskey Bend. The three ladies make their way across the plains to anywhere but Whiskey Bend. An unforeseen incident takes place and the women are beside themselves on what to do next.

Eli Morgan, a rancher comes upon the ladies and takes them back to his ranch. Eli has come back home, after being gone for four years in the military. He didn't know what to expect about his homecoming but he never imagined rescuing three woman or falling for one of them. The more time Eli spends with Hallie...the more he realizes how lonely he has been for a companion. Hallie and the rest of the women barely know Eli but they will have to trust him as Mary's stepbrother is after them.

It was like I had my own homecoming with reading Leaving Whiskey Bend. I have always enjoyed reading any book by Dorothy Garlock. It has been a while since I have picked one up to read. This story was just what I would expect from Mrs. Garlock. It had characters you could call in love with as well as a good storyline. Hallie, Pearl and Mary showed that through adversities that women can rise to any occasion when they put their minds to it. I would recommend Dorothy Garlock to anyone who was looking for a good book to read.

I have read many Dorothy Garlock books that I really liked, so when I saw this one on the shelf at my library I snapped it up immediately. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I felt the characters were never really very defined, and most of them seemed like caricatures to me. At first I thought Hallie would turn out to be a strong woman, but she never really showed that strength when it was needed. I would have liked an explanation of why Mrs. Morgan was so witchy and hard to live with, but it was never really explained at all. As exasperated as Eli was with his mother's abusive behavior, I was always waiting for him to firmly tell her why he left and that he had a right to live the life he wanted. Never happened. I did stay with it to the end, just because I don't like to read only part of a book, but I was very glad when it was finished.

As to Ms. Garlock's writing style, that also was a disappointment. I don't think I'm a prude, but it seemed that the excessive cussing was very unnecessary and gratuitous. For example, Pearl, who used language that would make a sailor blush, supposedly picked up that habit when she worked in a saloon--but she is a mature woman, and it's not as if she couldn't clean up her act if she wanted to. Another thing about her style that irritated me was her use of italics and exclamation marks when something especially dramatic happened. For example: "Chester was coming through the open window!" [Sorry--computer won't let me use the italics.] If this had happened once I could have overlooked it, but she did it every time some danger was about to happen. Quite immature writing, I think, from a seasoned writer. I hope if Dorothy Garlock continues to write, she will take a lesson from some of her earlier, much better, books.

Leaving Whiskey Bend is another of Dorothy Garlock's winning books. This is a story of three women sticking together to fend for themselves, against the brutality of a male oppressor. Set in the early western days, when you traveled by horse or wagon, they find help from the hero of our book, a rancher with family problems of his own. A book that will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next.

This is the first Dorothy Garlock book I've read. Not so great. I felt the plot was weak and the characters underdeveloped. They whole thing was a tad unbelievable and I never felt any sort of relationship with the characters. I felt like the end was just thrown together. All in all, it was just okay...I don't feel like I lost hours of my life by reading this book, but I wouldn't recommend it. I have a handful of other Garlock books to be read and I hope they prove better than this one.

Dorothy Garlock has long been one of my favorite authors. Her perceptions of depression-era life and settling the American west mirror those of my grandparents and great-grandparents. "Leaving Whiskey Bend" is an adventure on which I could see myself and my women friends. Loyalty, integrity, and gritty character shine in this one.