Last of the Dixie Heroes (Hardcover)

by Peter Abrahams (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
With his diverse settings, quirky characters and intriguing story lines, Abrahams (Crying Wolf; A Perfect Crime; etc.) has set himself up as a master of engrossing, off-the-beaten-track suspense yarns. However, although his latest effort starts out promisingly, it runs out of steam just when it should be revving up to a climax. Though he doesn't realize it at first, Roy Hill's life in Atlanta is coming apart at the seams. His company has been taken over by a megacorporation (resulting in Roy's losing out on a promised promotion), he's divorced (with an 11-year-old son) and his ex-wife's new squeeze "doesn't even bother to get dressed in the morning" (he's a lumpy online trader). But when Roy becomes intrigued by the off-hours activities of one of his business colleagues a Civil War reenactor our hero seems to have found a comfortable niche. At first, Roy finds Gordo's hobby amusing ("harmless fun in funny clothes"), but the peace of 1863 life begins to look better and better and the boundaries between contemporary reality and historical playacting begin to blur with increasingly disturbing repercussions. It's clear from the outset that the Abrahams style is still in high gear the deadpan humor, often expressed as wry one-liners; the trenchant observations on motivation and behavior. But the author gets bogged down in historical details and a myriad of vaguely developed characters, and readers may find that Roy's confusion becomes their own. This is a case where the journey (read: Roy's gradual dissolution) proves more enticing than the ultimate destination. (June)Forecast: This won't be Abrahams's Appomattox, but it sure won't be his greatest triumph, either.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Roy Singleton Hill's life is falling apart, but he isn't very quick to realize it. Not only has he convinced himself that he is going to get a big promotion, but he is also confident that he can win back his estranged wife and help his 11-year-old son settle down and succeed in school. When his present and future problems finally hit him, he begins to uncover his family's past. He joins a group of Civil War re-enactors and finds himself more comfortable in the simpler and more violent world of his great-great-grandfather, a Confederate hero whose name he carries; reality and fantasy start to blur. Although this work is suspenseful, its climax is rather abrupt, and the actions of some of the minor characters seem contrived and unlikely. If Abrahams (Crying Wolf) had been able to maintain the tone and pacing throughout, this would have been an excellent book. Still, it is a good summer read and is recommended for all public libraries. Patrick Wall, University Cty. P.L., MO
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (May 29, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345439376
• ISBN-13: 978-0345439376
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,169,177 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars "The Fan" meets the Civil War Re-enactment Scene, July 3, 2001

By	Brian English "benglish2004" (Cranford, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

However, LAST OF THE DIXIE HEROES is subtitled "A Novel of Suspense," but it's hard to figure out why. There really isn't much in the way of suspense in this book.

Regardless of this, Abrahams had me there for a while. For two thirds of LAST OF THE DIXIE HEROES, Abrahams weaves an interesting tale of a guy stuck in a dead-end white collar job. Roy Singleton Hill is buffetted by the forces of corporate mergers, cuckolded by his floozy of a wife, and desperately trying to salvage his relationship with his son. Abrahams is at his best as he paints this uncomfortably realistic portrait of a man's world falling apart.

As Hill begins to get involved in reenacting the Civil War, we see him gradually move away from his grim present and live increasingly in his rose-colored view of the past of his great-great-grandfather and namesake, a Confederate hero who rode with Nathan Bedford Forrest. In spite of Abrahams' acknowledgement that he consulted men from the 22nd Massachusetts reenactment group in his research, he gets the reenactment scene a little wrong. But these are forgiveable errors, which can be put down to poetic license.

Less forgiveable is how the story implodes in the last seventy or so pages. Hill's relationship with Lee, a fellow reenactor who is not what he seems develops and peters out meaninglessly. Hill runs into what could be a long-lost relative, but this fascinating storyline is left undeveloped and without a real payoff. An incredible encounter with his one-time boss at an amazing point of the story come totally out of nowhere, and passes by without incident. But the worst part is where, for some strange reason, a group of rival reenactors escalate to a scale of real-life violence for no apparent reason. The climax of the book is so silly as to completely strain the credulity of even the most forgiving reader.

And in spite of all the momentus and over-the-top events that happen in the last two chapters, there is an incredibly brief two-page wrap up of all the plot lines that wraps up everything up in a way that is not only too convenient, but too implausible.

As I say, Abrahams had me there, and had orchestrated a nice set-up. But then he just tossed it all away by turning the whole thing into a silly action movie. Which kind of reminded me of "The Fan," a movie based on an earlier Abrahams book of the same title. Actually, THE FAN and LAST OF THE DIXIE HEROES both feature fathers who have been separated from their sons by divorce. This doesn't come across as a theme in Abrahams' work; it's more like he took his manuscript for THE FAN and tweaked the setting from baseball to Civil War re-enactment. Unfortunately, the changes didn't improve the absurdity of the story.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Marching Back in Time, February 21, 2005

By	L. Dunn (Paris, TN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Last of the Dixie Heroes (Mass Market Paperback)

In the praise for this book (on the back cover) it makes this book sound like a "crime story". To me it was more fantasy...sort of trying to see if history will repeat itself.

The first part of the book is somewhat gripping...a man down on his luck, having his life unravel before your eyes. Yes, Roy Hill's life slipped out of control, but to then have him reborn as a Confederate War Hero was a bit of a stretch.
I enjoyed reading the parts of the book dealing with Civil War Reenactments. Up until the end of the book, some of it was believable. The last few chapters were pretty bad. I think most people are annoyed at this book for unravelling in the same way the main character did.
I expected more. I hate books that wrap everything up neatly on the last page...that just isn't real life.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Brainless, June 19, 2003

By	"irish28ma" (Norwood, Ma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last of the Dixie Heroes (Mass Market Paperback)

This book had a catchy title and I picked it up. It was a great read from the start but was so twisted near the end.

The main character Roy seemed so clueless. The author's constant uses of "What?", "I don't know what you mean", and Roy's constant state of bewilderment was almost laughable. He had no clue of what people were saying around him. In fact, a whole page is dedicated to someone trying to clue him in. For example when Roy was told his whole department was let go he didn't get it. Even though all of the furniture, computers, and cubes were gone Roy was still wondering when he was going to start his new job as the boss of a department that was missing. The conference call with NY was classic, Roy ripping his shirt off because he couldn't breathe... correction Curtis's shirt, because Roy forgot he was wearing a UGA Football T-Shirt. The ending made no sense. I should write a book if they publish this junk.