Texicans [Paperback]

Nina Vida (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007

“A completely engaging tale following a handful of remarkable settlers.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Lively. . . . Vivid characters. . . . Enthralling reading.”—The Miami Herald

“Compelling. . . . That Vida brings so much fresh energy to the timeworn Western genre—complex characters, engaging stories, cutting-edge historical revisionism—is no small feat.”—Austin American-Statesman

“An imaginative and thoroughly researched tale driven by intriguing characters.”—Denver Post

“Should be placed on the same shelf with Lonesome Dove, Texas, and Pale Horse, Pale Rider.”—The Monitor (Texas)

When cholera strikes San Antonio in 1843, Aurelia Ruiz discovers that she might have the power to heal—and also to curse. Meanwhile, Joseph Kimmel, a schoolteacher in Missouri and the son of a Polish Jew, learns of his brother’s death in San Antonio and sets off for Texas. On his way, a runaway slave steals his horse. After being rescued by Henry Castro, a man who is importing immigrants to populate his planned city, Castroville, Joseph agrees to marry a young Alsatian girl to save her from a Comanche chief who has demanded her. Then Joseph encounters Aurelia and becomes enamored with her.

Comanches, Tonkaways, Mexican vaqueros, immigrant farmers, and runaway slaves all play a part in Joseph’s rebirth as a rancher, but when a renegade band of Texas Rangers descends upon the ranch, everything changes.

Nina Vida is the author of six previous novels: Scam, Return from Darkness, Maximillian’s Garden, Goodbye Saigon, Between Sisters, and The End of Marriage. She lives with her husband in Huntington Beach, California.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Vida's luminous, dramatic seventh novel finds Joseph Kimmel, a Missouri school teacher, heading to mid-19th-century Texas to claim his recently deceased brother's belongings; he's left for dead when his horse is stolen. Across the plains, after her Texas Ranger husband dies fighting Comanches, Aurelia Ruiz takes refuge at a Comanche camp and adopts their ways. Henry Castro, a Frenchman with dreams of creating an Alsatian-immigrant–populated town in his own name, not only rescues Kimmel but marries him off to Katrin, an unattached white émigré whom a Comanche leader had espied and wanted for his own. The newlyweds head off to create a distinctive ranch, one that welcomes members of the Tonkaway tribe, Mexicans, escaped slaves, free African-Americans and others in distress. Affairs of the heart are never neglected in Vida's novels (Goodbye, Saigon, etc.), and Kimmel soon finds himself enraptured when he meets the beautiful Aurelia, just as a posse of xenophobic ranchers wreak havoc on the ranch. This radiant work of historical fiction—vibrantly atmospheric and emotionally dense—spans 12 years in the lives of many engaging characters, who come to life on every page. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–Texas in the mid-19th century is the background for this novel. Aurelia Ruiz, daughter of a Mexican man and his Anglo wife, earns money for her family by curing people during a cholera epidemic. Once the outbreak is over (and the money is gambled away), her father sells her to a Texas Ranger. Mistreated by him, Aurelia wishes he would disappear, and soon enough he is killed fighting the Comanches. She then takes refuge in a Comanche camp. Meanwhile, Joseph Kimmel, a Polish Jew and former mountain man, fur trapper, and schoolteacher, sets out for San Antonio. He stops to help a runaway slave, who takes his supplies and money. Fortunately, Kimmel encounters Henry Castro, who is leading a wagon train with Alsatian immigrants to form a new settlement. Castro recruits him as treasurer. Kimmel ultimately becomes an independent rancher and obsessed with Aurelia, who has fled the camp. The exciting plot is rich and complex, and the author successfully enables readers to see events from the viewpoint of the many well-drawn characters.–Sandy Freund, Richard Byrd Library, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Soho Press (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156947477X
• ISBN-13: 978-1569474778
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,170,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A different take on Texas, November 4, 2006

By 

A. Rosen (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Texicans (Hardcover)

This is a view of Texas we're not used to. An exciting story of outcasts and misfits and unexpected Western heros(and heroines). Every persecuted ethnic group is represented and the usual good guys (like Texas Rangers) aren't good. With a cowboy in the White House and the Mexican border an immigration battleground, this book gives the historical background for Texas' current events. But best of all, it's a surprising and fascinating tale.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ASTONISHING, November 5, 2006

By 

Kate - See all my reviews

This review is from: Texicans (Hardcover)

I loved this book. It's not Hollywood's Texas - it's the real deal - full of characters that leap off the page & stay with you. It's a wonderful mix of Indians, runaway slaves, a Jewish cowboy, vicious renegade rangers, a young Alsatian immigrant girl and a Mexican bruja (witch) with healing powers, among others. Besides which, the writing and detail are astonishing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Reading!, June 25, 2009

By 

B. Davis "crazy about books" (Beautiful Northwest USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Texicans (Paperback)

The Texicans, by Nina Vida, is a novel of historical fiction, which takes place on the frontier of Texas, and spans the years between 1843 and 1855.

Although Joseph Kimmel was a quiet, simple man who loved to read, and keep to himself, he was also a tough, rugged individualist. In his twenties he had been a mountain man and fur trapper, but was now a teacher of Greek, Latin, and math at the Independence Missouri Boys School. It was a job that seemed to suit him.

Just before the end of the school term, Joseph receives a letter saying his brother, Isaac, a shopkeeper, has died in Texas, and that Joseph should come to the frontier to receive any profits that may be left from his business.

Joseph has decided to make the trip alone on horseback and knows the trek will be difficult, at best. Having been an outdoorsman, he's sure he can take care of himself and in fact, he looks forward to the solitary life he will experience as he travels across the plains.

If Joseph thought he was going to have a peaceful journey, he was sadly mistaken. Not only is riding alone in Comanche country fraught with the constant danger of being brutally slain, but he, unfortunately, finds a variety of rag-tag strangers who desperately need his help to survive.

The author weaves an exciting story of danger, incredible hardship, sacrifice, and unrequited love.

This is absolutely one of the best books I have recently read. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a remarkable Texas adventure story.