Too Long at the Dance: The sequel to 'Shortgrass Song' [Paperback]

Mike Blakely (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 1998

Mike Blakely again takes us on the trail with cowboy musician Caleb Holcomb. Caleb now becomes embroiled in Wyoming's Johnson County War, the Arapaho uprisings, the West's bloody cattle wars, the great cattle drives, and the wild, lawless land rushes that settled the Indian Territory.

Through it all Caleb finds music, friends, and wonderful women. But will he ever settle down with Amelia Holcomb, his brother's widow, the only woman he's ever loved? Or will he stay too long at the dance?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Blakely's sequel to Shortgrass Song (1994) picks up the story of Caleb Holcomb, the cowboy fiddler with a nose for trouble, after the death of his brother, Pete. Caleb's attraction to Pete's widow, Amelia, at first sends him far from her since he doesn't accept his attraction as "proper." But circumstances and his own subconscious longing bring him closer to Amelia. As he moseys home with a series of colorful partners, he ignites and then settles a Holcomb family feud, fights in the infamous Johnson County War, survives an Indian uprising, and sidesteps many a potentially deadly, man-to-man confrontation. Through it all, Caleb maintains his composure, his humor, his music, his loyalty to his friends, and his own moral compass. Though packed with adventure, Blakely's tale is one of dogged human determination to lead a civilized life of hearth and home in spite of deadly obstacles. Caleb is a simple, good-hearted man, and readers won't be able to stop themselves from rooting for him on every page. Wes Lukowsky --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Crisp, enticing....Highly recommended." -American Cowboy

"The only formula here is talent. Blakely is a superb storyteller in the gritty tradition of Elmer Kelton and Benjamin Capps, and this is one of those Western novels with an unmistakably genuine spirit and style." -Books of the Southwest

"Plenty of good-guy-bad-guy action, a poignant love story, and an unerring sense of contemporary detail make this historical novel sing." -Texas Monthly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books (July 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812548329
• ISBN-13: 978-0812548327
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,394,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Blakely's best, December 30, 2000

By 

James Drury - See all my reviews

This review is from: Too Long at the Dance: The sequel to 'Shortgrass Song' (Paperback)

Howdy, folks, I'm James Drury. I used to play the Virginian on TV, for those of you who might not know me. I just saw that last review on Mike Blakely's book, Too Long At The Dance, and I couldn't let it stand without an argument. I have read several of Mike's books, and a lot of other western novels, including narrating Kirby Jonas' books onto Audio Tape for Books in Motion. I hope that qualifies me as one who can judge a good or a bad Western novel.

This novel by Mike is superb. It is packed with high quality research and excitement and very believable characters, and it brings a very satisfying ending to the story begun with Shortgrass Song. I hope you folks who read these reviews will take my review to heart. I have no idea what the last reviewer was doing when he was supposed to be reading this book, but he obviously knows nothing about the West and perhaps has never read a Western book before in his life. This was a very good novel and well worth anyone's time, if you like authenticity in your reading.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "It's a Texas Thang", January 8, 2001

By 

William S. Tiffee (Ingram, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Too Long at the Dance: The sequel to 'Shortgrass Song' (Paperback)

As a member of a sixth-generation Texas family, I cut my teeth on traditonal western novels. In my fifty-eight years of life on this planet, I have managed to get a master's degree, work in numerous foreign countries, as well as many states of the US. During that time I drifted away from the written works of my youth, but Mike Blakely's novels have brought me back into the fold. Although, I would not consider Blakely a traditional western writer, in the style of Louis L'Amour,et al., I would deem his works as fresh and envigorating as the breeze that sweeps across my hilltop just above the Guadalupe River. Upon returning to Texas to live, I taught history, among other subjects, in an adult education program. "Too Long at the Dance" and other Blakely novels ("Comanche Dawn" being my favorite) have been an inspiration to continue learning more about the West. This novel and other Blakely works have been not only a source of enjoyment, but a wonderful learning experience as well. Keep up the good work, Mike.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knock 'em dead, Mike, November 13, 2001

By 

Kirby Jonas (Pocatello, Idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Too Long at the Dance: The sequel to 'Shortgrass Song' (Paperback)

Okay, right off the bat I'm gonna say something that may lead you to believe I'm biased, but I swear I don't make recommendations unless I like a book. If a friend writes up a yarn and I hate it, I just won't say anything. Folks, I'm Kirby Jonas, the guy James Drury was talking about in the review he did down below. Being a Western novelist myself, I am very critical of the writing of others. I want the history to be correct down to the proper dialogue (to a certain extent), the right guns and clothing and horses. I also want a fast moving book and good characters, and I want a book that's going to make me laugh and cry and give me goosebumps (I stole that from a review James Drury did on one of my books! :) ) Too Long at the Dance was all of these things, folks. It wasn't a fast read for one afternoon like Shane or a Louis L'Amour book. It was deep and insightful and lyrical and plain good. You need to read Shortgrass Song first to do it justice, but I'm telling you, if you want to learn history without thinking you're having a history lesson, PLEASE pick up this book. You will not for one moment regret it. Mike Blakely did a knock-down superb job here, and I enjoyed it from beginning to end. AND--for me this is a bonus--you don't have a bunch of sex and graphic violence and swearing to wade through, so you can even let your younkers and granny latch onto this'n. Give Mike a try. You'll get hooked.