Customer Reviews

Redeye

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

 

 

It must be said at the outset that "Redeye" is not only slim but lightweight, and its storyline a fragile structure indeed. Having said that, I have nothing left but praise for this book. Edgerton deftly weaves together an adventurous present in 1892 Colorado, a tragic past from 1857, and a framing text from 1915, by which time historic sites and scenic grandeur have degenerated into new ways to separate the unwary tourist from his money. He draws his characters, from the sweet and naive to the most dastardly, with a light and loving touch. He knows and appreciates his setting, and can instill this appreciation in his readers. He has worthwhile things to say on important matters--multi-ethnic society, the role of archeology, the profit motive--but makes his points without being moralistic or pedantic. And, oh yes, the man can be very funny. Edgerton knows what he's about, and has the talent and humanity do it well. An evening with "Redeye" is time well spent.

I don't know what I was expecting after I heard the author talking about this on NPR. Certainly I knew it dealt with weighty matters like massacres and history and retribution. What I was definitely not expecting was that this would be the funniest book of the year. Sneaky funny. There I was trying to take it seriously when a line like "obviously blow up a Chinaman means something different here than in Georgia" comes along. Suddenly I found myself rolling on the floor, not even remembering what I had been worried about a few hours early

Not the best of his works. Try Raney or Walking Across Egypt to know why there are Clyde Edgerton fans who will even read Redeye: A Western. And don't ever miss an opportunity to hear him talk and tell tales.

I read it on a business trip because that's all I had to read, but once I got access to a different book- only a few scant pages from the end, I happily traded it in.

I found this book an entertaining read. There is more to it than that, but you can enjoy it on any level you like. It offers good prose, a plot that moves along at a comfortable pace, and an interesting historical setting. This is my first exposure to Clyde Edgarton but it will not be my last.

I loved Raney and Walking Across Egypt, but only got 60 pages into Redeye.
The situations and characters are intended to be odd and humorous, in the wry manner Edgerton does so well - and yet I wasn't laughing. Could be me or my current mood - the writing is good and clever - but Redeye didn't do it for me.

Read it. Not much more to say