Customer Reviews

The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (Arbor House Library of Contemporary Americana)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Some enterprising publisher of lapsed titles--perhaps Dalkey Archives or someplace similar--should publish a new edition posthaste. "The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters" is a walloping good read, full of excitement, humor, and vivid characters. In places it reads as if Mark Twain and Henry Fielding had put their heads together for a collaboration. Robert Lewis Taylor wrote several books about teenage boys coming of age on the frontier, but "Jaimie McPheeters" was the first and by far the best.

This is quite possibly the most enjoyable work of fiction since "Huck Finn." Reading it was a pure delight--it is very well written, the story is gripping, and I was simultaneously satisfied and sad when I finished the last page.

I think of the best nonfiction as "brain candy." This novel is more, shall I say, "soul candy" or perhaps (without sounding smarmy, I hope) I can call it "heart candy."

As several others have noted, I also read this book as a teenager (actually pre-teen) when it was first released. It was my first experience with a book annotated with references to research concerning the period.

It is every bit as well written as classics such as Tom Sawyer, Oliver Twist, or Treasure Island. I really cannot imagine such a wonderful piece of literature being lost to other generations.

I could not put this book down. It was my library's discussion choice and we had a delightful journey together with Jaimie and Sardius McPheeters. The historic detail keeps it interesting on a serious level, Jaimie gives us the wit and mischief. For something written in the 1950's to stand up to today's standards of political correctness is also important. This is a wonderful story for all ages. If you're looking for a book and can't decide, look no further.

This was a thrilling read, at times heart rending often humorous. A historical tale enveloping the reader in the intrigue and danger of the western travels of the early settlers and gold venturers of the mid to late 1800's. It is filled with chronologic reference to place and event that gives accurate insight and depth into the struggles of the time. I highly recommend this book to one and all. A character builder for the young! Even found the bibliography was inspiring.

I can only echo the sentiments of the other reviewers. I recently picked up an old mass-market paperback at a yard sale and loaned it out to a dear friend, remarking how it was hard to find, and how strange considering it won a Pulitzer and could easily be considered by many the "great American novel." Not knowing Taylor's history, if and when he died, I can only surmise that his family has blocked publication, because if I were a publisher I would love to get the rights and make this a bestseller again. America needs this book!

I read this book back in the 1970's - it belonged to my Father. I found that it was absolutely rivetting, even though I could only have been about 13 at the time. I reread Jaimie McPheeters at least twice again but unfortunately, when my Father died, the book was sold along with a lot of his other personal effects. I have often wondered where I could get a copy and when I have visited the States, have endeavoured to find one - to no avail! It really is a brilliant read - I still remember some of the passages quite vividly. That 'The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters' is no longer in print is a crying shame. Would some kindly publisher please read these many and unified reviews and resurrect this great novel.

This is a touching, funny epic story of a boy's travels across the Wild West. It has remained on my personal list of favorite books since I first read it nearly 20 years ago. I promise I will buy the first fifty reissued copies to give as gifts.....men, women, young and old would love it. But don't take my word for it; it won a Pulitzer!

An excellent story of a boy and his father, an inveterate dreamer and ne'er do well, as they travel the Oregon Trail. Mr. Taylor weaves a host of interesting characters into this tale. Dr. McPheeter's dreams are sometimes side tracked by his gambling and drinking, but what a great human. This book is thoroughly enjoyable book.

Perhaps not entirely forgotten, but not as well known nowadays as it should be. I picked it up a few days ago at my wife's suggestion, and was off and running. Several reviewers have compared it to Twain and Dickens, and I agree. The Pulitzer jury knew what they were about in '58, too.

Based on several true accounts of the overland journey and the California goldfields at the end, it is a perfect blend of poignancy and humor. I hated for it to end.