Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful characters, March 12, 2009
Michael Kasenow clearly did his research for "The Last Paradise: A Novel" a wonderful testament to the enduring fortitude of the outcast and underprivileged in Galveston, TX circa 1900. In Paradise, Kasenow paints a vivid portrait of a bustling, thriving port city alive with ambition and progress. Indeed, by 1900, Galveston was dubbed the "Wall Street of the Southwest," being home to the largest wholesale houses west of the Mississippi. Galveston enjoyed Texas' first medical college, first opera house, first naval base, and the list goes on.
However, all of this progress came at a cost. During the age of unregulated capitalism, the trench between the haves and the have-nots was enormous and oftentimes insurmountable. Good old boys wearing police uniforms, (or judicial robes, or three-piece suits for that matter) by day donned KKK hoods by night, ensuring that Jim Crow laws were strictly and enthusiastically enforced. The stench of corruption and racism permeated the entire city, but nowhere more so that the alleyways inhabited by the poorest of Galveston's citizens.
Lest you get the idea that this is a depressing novel about a wretched underclass, let me assure you nothing could be farther from the truth! Kasenow's cast of characters is one of the most endearing motley crews I've had the pleasure of joining since John Steinbeck's Tortilla Flats!
Kasenow constructs a diverse group of souls including Newt, the Harvard-educated blasphemous rogue, Maxwell, the prison-escapee who could teach a class on personal integrity, Scurvy, the sailor who burned down a ship while frying bacon in the galley while in a drunken stupor, and many more wonderful and rich souls. The most moving characters are the novel's oppressed African Americans, for whom Kasenow reserved the kid gloves:
"The Galveston alleys were filled with...black women who cherished their freedom and who refused defeat during the age of Jim Crow - who pushed their husbands, cajoled, gave them confidence and aspiring wisdom - who whispered secrets into the tired and weary ear of hard-working men - who bathed and dressed their children, worked ten hours a day...kept the faith, believed in righteousness, followed the path of goodwill - who mended their tears and patched up broken souls."
It is this kind of evocative writing that makes "The Last Paradise" so enjoyable. I highly recommend "The Last Paradise."
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great historical fiction about Galveston, Texas, March 5, 2009
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (3/09)
Michael Kasenow resourcefully tracks the plight of the oppressed and exploited "alley people" of Galveston, Texas in the post Civil War era. "The Last Paradise" is a stirring story of the strength and endurance of these unwavering men and women fighting to keep their dignity through the trials of injustice and bigotry in the age of Jim Crow.
In an environment where hypocrisy and corporate corruption are intent on spawning racism, prejudice, and poverty, Michael Kasenow weaves a powerful story of the courage, strength and survival of downtrodden men and their families. The alley people reflect an inner strength of character lacking in the affluent, town "bullies," the bigoted police officers, and the unscrupulous civic leaders in an atmosphere of political tension.
The story moves forward with well-chosen words that begin at a lazy pace, casual, yet compelling - a nonchalance in keeping with the era and locale - Galveston in the early 1900s. Kasenow uses friendly moving banter among friends mixed with cutting barbs, sarcasm and prejudice to develop his characters. His descriptive word pictures draw the reader into his narrative as he describes the "crooked ambiance of Tin Can Alley" or how "the docks bustled with organized chaos."
Vivid and detailed descriptions bring to life the architecture and commerce of downtown Galveston, the harbor, St. Mary's Orphanage, the salt marshes, and the wetlands.
A master at character development, Kasenow's colorful cast include the regulars a Bleach's Bar, the "working girls" upstairs, Boss Conner and his wharf crew, the nuns and children at St. Mary's orphanage, Bishop and his family, Jenny and Sara Conner, Newt, and Maxwell and young Cody.
Kasenow writes with such realism I felt the shame and humiliation of Bishop and his family as they were intimidated and harassed brutally before their friends by representatives of the law. In his account of the after effects of the Great Hurricane of 1900, Kasenow engaged the reader in all five senses: the stench of fear and death, the tenderness of touch in providing comfort, and the seeing of loved ones - thought dead. I felt the cooling water on a parched throat, heard the thrashing of hurricane force winds, and was left with the haunting memory of devastation left behind after the storm.
"The Last Paradise" contrasts the emptiness of greed and the lust for power with the hopefulness and moral fiber of the alley people of the Galveston wharf. The novel is brutally forthright as it portrays an honest look at the brutality of evil men. On a lighter note Kasenow includes both rollicking and subtle humor and a thread of romance throughout the story.
As in his poetic writings, Kasenow reveals the strength and triumph over despair, which produces healing through kindness with the reward of hope during harsh and chaotic times. "The Last Paradise" an editors choice book, is destined to establish Michael Kasenow as a serious historical fiction author.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A top pick for those looking for a good story about people, June 11, 2009
The Union's treatment of the former Confederacy was in no way saintly. "The Last Paradise" is a fictional tale focusing on post-Civil War Galveston, Texas. Focusing on the town as a whole several decades after the conflict, author Michael Kasenow draws a picture of a town trying to forge their way in the world. A tale of fighting upwards against societal and corporate pressures, "The Last Paradise" is an inspiring story and an utterly fascinating read. "The Last Paradise" is a top pick for those looking for a good story about people.
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