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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Welcome to the Real , Real West, May 18, 2000
This is Doctorow's sleeper novel. It hasn't received much critical attention in comparison to his other works, but this one is a real gem. It provides us with a picture of what kind of hardscrabble existence the western settlers actually endured, as opposed to the sanitized images Hollywood has provided us. The only other author I've seen perform this so effectively is Harte Crane. The characters are stereotypes (the bullying villain - the noble prostitute - the unwilling hero, etc) but Doctorow invests the plot with enough quirky twists and injects enough black humor to keep the reader from noticing how one-dimensional the characters are. And they do undergo transformations, which keeps them from remaining so one-dimensional. If you are a Doctorow fan or are just looking for a diverting, yet intelligent read, give this one a try.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Ghost Already in Hell While The Body Lives, August 11, 2000
For the better part of the novel he has no name, he is simply referred to as the Bad Man from Bodie. And in Welcome To Hard Times harrowing first few pages he single handedly rapes, vandalises and burns an entire town. He never says a word. He is, as one character descibes him "a force of nature, like the weather", an inexplicable destructive force that strikes at random. Those who survive the Bad Man's wrath choose to leave, to seek better fortune elsewhere. Only the town's unofficial mayor Blue, a local Indian healer, a half burnt prostitute and a murdered carpenter's son stay behind. Blue is the narrator, and it is not some angry venomous determination to fight back that makes him stay to found a new town, but a defeatest acceptance of their fortune. If life has to go on, then this burned down town is as good a place as any. Doctrow's debut novel is a grim and dirty slice of bleak frontier life. A novel that sets out to destroy the myths of heroism in the old west. In Welcome To Hard Times heroism results in death and cowardice merely delays it. The only kind of accomplishment to be proud of is survival. As Blue narrates how the new town of Hard Times comes into being, how the Russian's bordello has brought prosperity and how the money is ever flowing, his tone is unmistakably regretful. The tragic outcome is never in any doubt, we are left to ponder who will be left behind next time a force of nature strikes. Like Robert Altman's film McCabe & Mrs.Miller, this is a novel with no illusions about the period. Relishing the grim pictorals of Buzzards feeding on the dead, fire burning over ice, it marches to its inevitable end. The downfall is never in question, only one thing can make these character's life worse. Hope.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Destroyed my idealism of the wild west, November 23, 2004
We each have our conceptions of how the west was in that period when America was coming into itself, and the American or newly minted immigrant, with all his ideals and aspirations, was exploring hitherto unconquered frontiers in search of wealth and opportunity. This is a somber work, and for that reason, refreshing and real.
Blue is a leader of sorts, also kind of a coward, but human in all respects. He rises and falls with the town he exists in. He ekes out a position of modest respect, while also inciting a level of revilement in those with whom he desires closeness. He is in a way a tragic character, but fully human. The Bad Man of Bodie is the dark force of evil in the story, hovering around ready to destroy the meager gains that Blue and his fellow settlers find. One senses Blue's disappointment and self-loathing in his recounting of the rise and fall of the inconsequential town and a rueful sense of what could have been, personally and socially.
This was a very entertaining read; thoughtful, subtle and as satisfying as a cold beer on a hot day.
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