Customer Reviews

Lottie Deno: Gambling Queen of Hearts

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

 

 

If anything, the biography LOTTIE DENO: GAMBLING QUEEN OF HEARTS is too short--but it is obvious that author Cynthia Rose has made the most out of the information she has unearthed.

Inescapably, she was unable to find enough detail to present a long and thorough work; much to Rose's credit, she does not resort to speculation or filler just to make this biography into something larger.

Her topic is well-chosen. According to the author, Lottie Deno (born Carlotta Thompkins) was famous in the American West as a successful gambler. She certainly had chosen an occupation unusual for a woman in an era when women did not work at all, and she went to a place where decent women rarely dared to go.

The daughter of a rich planter who was killed in the Civil War, and a member of a family that was rendered destitute by that War, Lottie took off after the War's conclusion with an unsuitable fiance for points west. The author reports that a move to the frontier was not unusual for formerly rich Southerners impoverished by events, but those moving usually were male.

Lottie became friends with some of the more famous tough guys of that period, notably Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. It is believed that she was the inspiration for several fictional women, including "Miss Kitty" on the old television series, GUNSMOKE.

Cynthia Rose has included some wonderful photographs in this book. As a young woman, Lottie was a great beauty.

Lottie lived to be almost 90, dying in 1934, and Rose has included reports of subsequent interviews with people who remembered her well.

It is a pity that the author was unable to find enough information to present a more detailed story of Lottie's life--but the information that she did find is fascinating.

The author uses such dramatic license, that although Lottie Deno MAY have been a real person, this book is pure fiction. The plot IS entirely predictable and there is nothing of interest in it, except some historical name dropping. It is poorly written complete with typos throughout the obviously self published work.

Actually Mrs. Thurmond was very real. Considering that this is a Biography and not a Novel, it would not be likely to have a plot contrived or otherwise. Historical fiction has a plot, but this is not historical fiction.
Now, if someone is truly interested in history, I would recommend this book. Until recently facts about Ms. Deno were a bit elusive and research was difficult. The author has worked hard to research and share the facts about this lady gambler. There are spots where improvement could be made, but on the whole I would recommend the work as a glimpse into the life of someone worth learning about.

Ms. Crincoli take note: this is not a work of fiction, but of biography. A "predictable plot" is irrelevant.
Cynthia Rose is a little naive on some points of history. (She thinks the deadwood is the dregs of society rather than the discard pile in poker, for example.) On the whole, however, her work is well researched and provides a refreshing look at a very real woman.

A poorly written story that occurs in the old west. The main character is a female con artist, gambler. The entire plot is totally predictable.