Customer Reviews

Pale Truth (The California Chronicles #1)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A great book from cover to cover. I read a review about it in the American Library Association's Booklist and decided to get the novel. Pale Truth is one of the best books I have read in some time. Alef really develops his characters. They are not two-dimensional. He has a good grasp of hooking the reader from chapter to chapter. And the setting of the story in San Francisco in the gold rush era is nothing short of amazing. It's hard to imagine all the remarkable things that took place, the vigilantes, the Hounds, the political corruption, and the flow of inconceivable wealth. Alef really blurs the line between fiction and history, but the Afterword gives some clarification. I love a novel with illustrations, and Pale Truth has great ones. My only complaint: lack of sleep because I couldn't put the book down. Can't wait for the sequels.

I love a book that develops its characters, and Pale Truth delivers. Mary Ellen, the woman who passes herself as white, Thomas Brand, the Scottish investor, and that dark, mysterious New Yorker Colbraith O'Brien, are just some of the amazing men and women who inhabit Pale Truth. The amount of research required to write a novel like this is almost incomprehensible. Everything that happened in the 1800s is so real. In his afterword the author, Daniel Alef, says that when he wrote the book it was as if he were transported back in time. Well, the same goes for me. Fast-paced and fascinating events. This will surely end up as a movie or mini-series before his sequels come out.

Set against the San Francisco gold rush fever of 1849, Daniel Alef's Pale Truth finds Mary Ellen, whose cultured demeanor masks a deeply held personal secret. Neither the "Vigilante Committee", the U.S. government, nor a group of San Francisco thugs called the "Hounds", can stop Her growing political and financial empire, nor her dedicated determination to end slavery in American and transform the city by the bay into the Pearl of the Pacific. But every aspiration and dream has a price -- one that even Mary Ellen must pay. Pale Truth is a fabulously entertaining historical novel of intrigue, clashing interests, and the indomitable human spirit.

I don't usually read a 600 page novel unless I really like it. Does anyone? Perhaps highly distubed masochists. I read it because it was an enjoyable story. The author takes us on a journey with Mary Ellen, a freed slave, and Colbraith, an ex-Tammanite, as they weave their tale through the intricate web of California's history. And a fascinating history it was. I do have one criticism: the author at times digresses into historical vignettes that are not germane to the story, though they are interesting vignettes (hence the deduction of one star in the rating). But overall it kept my interest and the story actually got better and better the deeper I delved into the novel. I understand there will be a sequel and I will read it.

I met the author at a booksigning in Memphis, bought the book and finished it in less than a week, not unremarkable for a 600 page tome. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's not literary fiction, but it is a great tale. Not unlike Clavell or Michener's earlier works. The history is fascinating. Alef explained that his trilogy is one story, and the characters evolve through the three books. So I'll buy the next one, too. I want to know more about the characters and the times. This is a unique work, with a bibliography no less. If I have a gripe, it's based on what I found incomplete -- I want to know more about what was real and what was fiction.

This is one of the best books on early San Francisco I have ever read. I can hardly wait for the next one to come out. A very interesting story line that would appeal to both sexes.

I heard about Pale Truth by Daniel Alef through the grapevine while at a conference in San Francisco a couple weekends ago. I didn't think I had the time to fit recreational reading into my busy schedule but, as the cliche goes, from the moment I picked it, I couldn't put the novel back down. Alef describes the struggle of three incredible individuals striving against all odds to succeed in the cut-throat world of early California. Mary Ellen is a cunning woman who joins her lover to establish financial, political,and social power in San Francisco. As she endures everything from the fires that demolished lives to financial wars to relationship drama, the novel's main male characters engage in battles of their own. Both will stop at nothing to gain political power. However, no matter how hard each try to escape it, they are continually reminded of their painful, controversial, and dangerous pasts. Alef's vivid description and clever plot twists combine with history to tell a story true to both human desire and California's youth. Another unique detail is that his novel contains beautiful illustrations that gave me just the taste of visual enhancement needed. They are actual pieces from libraries and other collections throughout the nation. Not to mention, you should see the cover. My only complaint is that the ending left me a bit unsettled and I hate having to wait around for sequels. Enjoy!

This book was published 5 years ago and as yet, there is no Part Two. The ending left me hanging in mid air...so many unanswered questions!!! I totally enjoyed "Pale Truth", but if I had known the ending (or lack of it) was going to cause this much frustration, I would have waited until all three parts had been released.

Pale Truth is an impressive undertaking by a new author.

Common to a debut author, Alef has a weakness or two in the novel (e.g., a handful of short deviations from the main plot that are fascinating but unnecessary in advancing the heart of the story). Nevertheless, I enjoyed the tale very much. Pale Truth stands as a solid account of the events that shaped early San Francisco.

The central character, Mary Ellen, is faced with daunting obstacles as she rises above her station in life (one can't help cheer her every success). The author covers a lot of ground--her birth, early childhood, and as a young woman on her journey westward. The psychological tension of Mary Ellen's "secret" and her desire for intimacy is an element that I found to be very powerful as well.

The strengths of Pale Truth are obvious: historical depth; accurate and vivid scenes; and an endearing main character.

I bought Pale Truth because of Dr. Fracchia's review in the Nob Hill Gazette. I'm glad I did. Pale Truth is a memorable and joyful story of early California and San Francisco. The characters are wonderful and, I understand, based on real people. Now, as I drive through San Francisco the streets names come alive. I may be prejudiced -- I love San Francisco -- but I've got to say that I challenge anyone to come up with a more fascinating history for a city. This novel is great, an easy read, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys the kind of book that occupies all your attention.