Redeye: A Western [Mass Market Paperback]

Clyde C. Edgerton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1995

A tale of American expansionism, opportunism, religious fanaticism, and adventure pivots around the discover of ancient Native American cliff dwellings and the 1857 slaughter of pioneers by Mormons and Native Americans near Salt Lake City. Reprint. NYT.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in turn-of-the-century Colorado, Edgerton's comic tall tale mixes historical fact with such unreliable narrators as the dog after whom the novel is named.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Edgerton (In Memory of Junior, LJ 9/1/92) has strayed from the familiar North Carolina setting of his former novels to tell a rollicking tale of cowboys and Indians, Englishmen and maidens, all set in Colorado 100 years ago. The cliff dwellings of southwest Colorado attract a motley crew of explorers in 1892, each with a personal agenda. Abel Merriwether, a local rancher and amateur archaeologist, wants to explore and protect the site; Andrew Collier, an Englishman, wants to write about it; Billy Blankenship, a local businessman, wants to develop it for tourism; Bishop Thorpe, a Mormon saint, hopes to find proof that Jesus visited there 2000 years before; and Cobb Pittman, a drifter with a red-eyed dog, seeks revenge on Thorpe for the Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1875. How this diverse bunch converges for an ill-fated tour of the site is unforgettable. A master storyteller, Edgerton proves that he is in full command of his craft no matter what the setting. For all collections.
Thomas L. Kilpatrick, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib, Carbondale
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140254919
• ISBN-13: 978-0140254914
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #430,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Clyde Edgerton is the author of ten novels, a memoir, short stories, and essays. He is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers and teaches creative writing at UNC Wilmington. He lives in Wilmington, NC, with his wife, Kristina, and their children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Topnotch Light Fare, November 8, 1998

By 

Bob Burton([e-mail]) (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Redeye (Hardcover)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Funniest Book I've Read This Year, September 12, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Redeye: A Western (Mass Market Paperback)

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

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Read other Clyde Edgerton, May 24, 2001

By 

Katherine P. Sharp "TN Wildflower" (Woodbury, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Redeye: A Western (Mass Market Paperback)

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.