Madewell Brown [Hardcover]

Rick Collignon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 5, 2009

As recorded in Rick Collignon s second novel, Perdido, a tall black man with one arm longer than the other walked into Guadalupe, New Mexico one morning about 50 years ago, stayed pretty much to himself for seven years, and then walked back out of town. No one knew who he was or what became of him. Now, as his last act, an old man named Ruffino Trujillo tells his grown son Cipriano a story about what became of the black man. After Ruffino s death, Cipriano discovers an old canvas bag bearing the name of Madewell Brown. Inside are a hand-carved doll, an old blanket, an unlabeled photo of a Negro League baseball team, and a small, yellowing envelope that was never posted. Thinking it the least he can do, Cipriano mails the letter. When it arrives in Cairo, Illinois, it comes into the hands of a young woman named Rachael, who believes it is from her lost grandfather. She believes this because of all that she s been told by the raggedy old man who taught her everything: Obie Poole, who was Madewell s friend and the orphaned Rachael s anchor, the man who gives this eloquent novel its authentic sense of history lived. Drawn magically forward on Rick Collignon s direct and haunting prose, we follow Rachael to Guadalupe in search of her own identity and we watch as Cipriano tries to make sense of the story his father told him about a dead man who didn t belong there. This fourth installment in Collignon s beloved Guadalupe series is as magical as its predecessors, as emotionally honest, as surprising and it firmly establishes Rick Collignon as a master American storyteller.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this wheezy, melancholy tale, Collignon returns to the fictional New Mexico town of Guadalupe (from his previous novel, Perdido), this time by way of a young woman named Rachael. Rachael grew up an orphan in South Cairo, Ill., and carries on a grudging yet loving connection with an elderly man named Obie, who tells her about her grandfather (and his childhood friend), Madewell Brown. When Obie dies, he leaves her his memoirs of his and Madewell's glory days on an African-American baseball team. Meanwhile, in Guadalupe, an elderly man tells his son, Cipriano, about a long-ago desert encounter with a strange black man. Cipriano later finds the man's bag—emblazoned with the name Madewell Brown—stashed in the shed and pulls from it an unsent letter, addressed to Obie, which he drops in the mail. From there, the two stories begin to converge to sketch out Madewell's story, punctuated by Obie's too-nostalgic remembrances of baseball games past. It's decent enough, but there's nothing especially memorable about it. (May)
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Review

...a compelling tale. Think Tony Hillerman with a dash of Cormac McCarthy. --Library Journal

...a compelling tale. Think Tony Hillerman with a dash of Cormac McCarthy. --Library Journal

Mr. Collignon has created a distinct and meaningful world. --Atlantic Monthly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Unbridled Books; 1 edition (May 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932961658
• ISBN-13: 978-1932961652
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,861,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Whatever happened to Madewell Brown?, May 5, 2009

By 

K. Herbrand - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Madewell Brown (Hardcover)

This is the story of Madewell Brown, told in flashbacks by his friend and fellow ballplayer Obie Poole. Obie and Madewell grew up in South Cairo, Illinois and together with a band of other boys created the South Cairo Greys - an African-American baseball team. For most of the players, the team was the only family they ever really had. As you can tell from the first sentence, Obie is the only one who ever returned to South Cairo - all the other ones dropped out or died or were killed while they were on the road. Madewell just walked off the pitcher's mound in El Paso, Texas and Obie never did know what happened to him.

Many years later, back in South Cairo, a young girl named Rachel wanders by Obie's house - he recognizes her at once as the granddaughter of Madewell Brown. Over the years they form an unlikely friendship, as she provides him company and an outlet for all his stories - and he provides her a link to her past and becomes her surrogate grandfather. When Obie dies, he leaves his few possessions to her - among them a box filled with his memoirs. As she begins to read, she longs to believe that his stories of his baseball days were true.

In Guadalupe, New Mexico Ruffino Trujillo tells his son Cipriano a tale about a black man that he encountered out on the Mesa when he was a boy. It is the last and pretty much the only story, that he shared with his son about his childhood. Cipriano is perplexed by the story, but searches and finds a canvas bag in his father's shed with the name Madewell Brown on it. It is old, waterstained, covered with dust. Inside is an old blanket, some clothes, a photo of the South Cairo greys and a letter addressed to Obie Poole. Not knowing what to make of his father's story or what to do with the belongings, he mails the letter. It falls into the hands of Rachel.

As the stories converge, Madewell's history is told and what really happened up on the Mesa is divulged. It is told in simple language, but hints at the violence and racism that existed in that time.

This is the fourth book in Collignon's Guadalupe series, and I enjoyed it enough that I am going to look for the first three. It was an easy to read book, which would be good for a lazy summer day sitting on the porch with a glass of tea.

The first four books are Perdido, The Journal of Antonio Montoya, and A Santo in the Image of Cristobal Garcia.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great storytelling., July 12, 2009

By 

Julie Peterson "Booking Mama" (Central PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Madewell Brown (Hardcover)

It seems like every Unbridled book that I've read, I've enjoyed; and the latest one, MADEWELL BROWN by Rick Collignon, is no exception. This book isn't very long, a little over 200 pages, but it does leave a big impression on the reader.

Now here's my issue: I have been putting off writing this review for a week now because I'm having a very hard time articulating my feelings about this novel. I realize that sounds like a negative thing, but it isn't. I really did like this book -- a lot, but I just can't get my hands around why I enjoyed it so much. I'm venturing to say that it was all about the way Mr. Collignon told this story.

The basic premise of this story is interesting, but I don't know if I would have picked up this book on that alone. An old man tells his son the story of a black man who showed up in Guadalupe 50 years ago -- Madewell Brown. When the old man dies, his son Cipriano finds a duffel bag with Brown's possessions including an old letter that he decides to mail. Rachel, a young woman who believes she is Brown's granddaughter, receives the letter and sets out for Guadalupe to learn more about her past.

There are really two separate stories being told in this novel -- Rachel's search for information about her grandfather and Cipriano's attempt to resolve questions about his father's story about Brown. Both stories are interesting in their own right and contain just enough of a mystery to keep the reader interested; however, I thought the beauty of the novel was how Collignon wove these two stories and the characters together. Both Rachel and Cipriano were each trying to discover the truth, and I loved how the author took turns telling their stories while also showing their individual struggles.

I truly believe that Mr. Collignon is a fabulous writer! I thought his descriptions of New Mexico were perfect. You could not only get a sense for what the land looked like, but you could almost feel and even smell the town of Guadalupe. I also really appreciated the honesty in this novel -- both in the story and the characters and their actions. I thought he did a wonderful job of developing the characters, and I have to admit that they have remained in my mind for many days.

MADEWELL BROWN is the fourth book in Collignon's Guadalupe series. I haven't read the first three to compare them against this one; however, I am interested to go back and learn more about this town and its inhabitants. I realized that there were references in this book to characters from the prior novels, and I'm curious to learn more about them. But having said that, MADEWELL BROWN definitely stands on its own. In fact, I had no idea that this novel was part of a series until I began looking for more information about Mr. Collignon and his books. I definitely intend to read the entire series, and I am so excited that the first book, THE JOURNAL OF ANTONIO MONTOYA, is being reintroduced by Unbridled in Fall 2009.

5.0 out of 5 stars Quiet but poignant novel about seeking the past to find the future, July 9, 2009

By 

Christina Lockstein "Christy's Book Blog" (Oconto Falls, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Madewell Brown (Hardcover)

Madewell Brown by Rick Collignon is the sequel to Perdido that takes place in the fictional town of Guadalupe, New Mexico. When his father dies, Cipriano finds an old leather satchel with the name Madewell Brown on it. In the bag are some old baseball clothes, a picture of a group of fourteen black baseball players, and a letter addressed to Obie Poole in South Cairo, Illinois that appears to be over fifty years old. Cipriano drops the letter in the mail setting off a chain of events that will expose a town's wounds and bring peace to a woman's soul. With a few deft strokes of his author's brush, Collignon brings to life each and every character. The small town of Guadalupe itself is a character with its dusty mesas and the fierce loyalty shared between its citizens. With just over 200 pages, this novel is a quiet meditation about seeking truth and finding yourself.