Summer of Pearls [Hardcover]

Mike Blakely (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2000

Ben Crowell remembers the Great Caddo Lake Pearl Rush of 1874. He was fourteen that year, and his home, the riverboat community of Port Caddo, was dying. By the end of the summer, the pearl boom was over, Port Caddo was doomed, and the mystery over who killed Judd Kelso began. It took Ben forty years to solve the mystery, and once he did, the proof came only for him to witness. He is the only living soul who will know what happened that September night in 1874.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Homespun western charm flavors Blakely's slim historical fiction about one of the many "pearl rushes" that occurred between 1850 and 1910. Ben Crowell is 14 when his riverboat town of Port Caddo, Tex., erupts with pearl fever the summer of 1874, a season that also experiences a mysterious murder and the town's inevitable decline. Ben's tale begins when a riverboat explodes and a heroic stranger named Billy Treat saves Ben's life. Billy then settles into town, as does Judd Kelso, the cruel captain of the steamship whose engine blew. Suave Billy and vulgar Judd join young Ben in being infatuated with lovely Carol Anne "Pearl" Cobb, so nick-named because she trades sexual favors for the irregular and discolored pearls found in local freshwater mussels. No one guesses they are worth anything until Billy, a one-time pearl trader, introduces Pearl to Captain Trevor Brigginshaw, a burly international gem buyer who sets off a rush when he purchases her collection for $3,000. Treasure hunters barrage Caddo Lake, bringing business to an old-fashioned town and attracting the notice of a Pinkerton detective. Accused of skimming off the top, Brigginshaw goes to prison, only to be freed by a flood that literally sweeps him and Billy out of town. Pearl, heartbroken for Billy, now needs protection from Judd, and Ben is just the lovesick boy for the job. When Judd ends up with a knife in his chest, Port Caddo is left to ponder who killed him. Seven decades later, the nostalgic Ben, now an old man, treats readers to the romantic but perfectly pat answerAa less suspenseful but dependable denouement. Blakely (Too Long at the Dance; Comanche Dawn) offers an easy, sentimental read, though some of his ambitious 19th-century gem seekers lack the luster of their best finds. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Ben Crowell, now in his 80s, looks back on what was the most wonderful and meaningful time of his life-the summer of 1874-his 14th year. Port Caddo, TX, a once-thriving riverboat community, is struggling for survival in the face of the threat of coming railroads. A series of events, starting with the suspicious explosion of the steamboat Glory of Lake Caddo, on which Ben was a passenger, and his heroic rescue by the steamboat's cook, Billy Treat, resurrect the dying community. Billy Treat decides to remain there, and his discovery of a perfect pearl sets off the "Great Caddo Pearl Rush" of 1874, which at least for that summer brings prosperity to the town. Readers meet "Pearl" Cobb, Ben's first love; his friends; and Judd Kelso, the villain of the story whose murder remains a mystery for 40 years. The well-developed and carefully defined characters, the detailed setting, and the humor and adventure make this spare novel totally satisfying.-Pamela B. Rearden, Centreville Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (September 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312875169
• ISBN-13: 978-0312875169
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,877,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's About to Get Southern, September 13, 2000

By 

Russ Hall (Marble Falls, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Summer of Pearls (Hardcover)

Though Blakely is known for his historical westerns, SUMMER OF PEARLS is a languorous and warm tale of the South. It is a retrospective -- reminiscent of the style and strength of Mark Helprin's A SOLDIER OF THE GREAT WAR. The detailed growing-up revisit to the past is told by a narrator now in his 80s, but who relates the most eventful summer of his life when he was a boy of 14. The tale is told with the wisdom of years, with language painting a rich and detailed picture, and with the narrator's enduring love for the setting and people around a very real lake on the Texas/Louisiana border.

Ben Crowell is an engaging and real character who encounters romance and treachery as he observes and experiences the emotional spectrum of a town swelling in a boom that is destined to be short-lived. But it is a window of time all the more fiery for it. This summer casts the mold that teaches Ben respect, the value of friendship, and how to be a gentleman.

From the hero Bill Treat, to that low-life Judd Kelso, the book is peopled with fully-realized characters in conflict. The beautiful Carol Anne "Pearl" Cobb, booming Captain Trevor Brigginshaw and Ben's closest friends, Adam and Cecil, all contribute to the shaping of young Ben. As old Ben looks back on that summer, his quest is one of discovery, and that quest will work equally well for the reader who will be caught up in turning the pages of this compelling story. There is adventure, wonder, and discovery enough for everyone.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SUMMER OF PEARLS a real jewel, March 29, 2001

By 

David M. Wilkinson "David Marion Wilkinson" (Alpine, the Taos of Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Summer of Pearls (Hardcover)

The more I read Mr. Blakely's novels, the more I'm intrigued by his creative vision. SUMMER OF PEARLS, as far as I can tell, is a departure from his epic American Indian epic, COMANCHE DAWN, and his finely crafted westerns, like SHORTGRASS SONG and TOO LONG AT THE DANCE. What the author demonstrates in his most recent novel is his God-given ability to tell a compelling story--in this case the quiet saga of a dying east Texas town that explodes after the discovery of pearls in Lake Caddo. In my opinion, Blakely has yet to receive the acclaim he deserves. Read this book despite its horrendous cover and see if you don't agree that he's one of the best living writers mining the American historical vein.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Summer of Pearls is a real gem. . . ., January 8, 2001

By 

Timothy C. Moore (Wyckoff, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Summer of Pearls (Hardcover)

Mike Blakely is a gifted writer. Make no mistake about it. Some of his books are epic in scope, theme and characterization. Some, like this one, are set in one little place and involve only a few people. And Mike does each with great grace and skill.

SUMMER OF PEARLS is a wonderful book: a story set in a small town, told by an old man as he looks back on the most enjoyable and meaningful summmer of his life. In scope and feel, the book reminds me very much of that classic movie, DAYS OF HEAVEN (Richard Gere's first movie, I believe). It is contained, the style is spare and crisp, the characters are rich and full, and you leave the novel with that sense of poignancy that we all have when we look back on those bitter sweet times in our lives.

SUMMER OF PEARLS is a beautiful book, in many ways. If you want to find out just how good a writer Mike is, read this, then read COMANCHE DAWN. You will wonder how the same guy could write each. Both very fine novels, but so different from one another.