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Press Associates
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BOOK REVIEW: A Wind of Many Colors
Reviewed by Benjamin J. Wolf
John H. Brown's A Wind of Many Colors (MAJEC Publishers, 2007, 420 pages, $28,95) is a page-turning novel that combines a love story, a murder mystery, and a swashbuckling adventure; set against the background of pre-Civil War events. So accurately does he weave the plot of characters and actions of the day that the reader is challenged to distinguish between fact and fancy. In his first attempt at fiction, Brown displays a natural storytelling talent as he weaves events around historical developments and customs of mid-19 th- century America . Brown's breadth of knowledge displays an encyclopedic grasp of a burgeoning period in the country's frontier expansion, and his story becomes a fascinating and moving chronicle of these unfolding circumstances and human experiences..
The tale is rooted in a tapestry of robust characters whose parents and grandparents reached America's shores in ships powered by the wind; before the Civil War these people and their descendants considered themselves as Irish, English, German, Spanish, French, or Negro, all living among the American Indians.
Brown deftly describes how a remarkable group of this ethnic mix in 1859 leave their mansions or shacks to ride the difficult trails or cruise on luxurious steamboats. The author vividly describes how they congregate briefly on the edge of civilization in what he depicts as one of the most unruly places that the frontier ever harbored. And this is where he brings into focus a remarkable group of women who, for a while, kept a thin veneer of civilization in place — in tough river settlement that became known as Kansas City . The story's journey, however, first travels through New York , Philadelphia , down the Shenandoah, through the Cumberland Gap to Louisville and Paducah , on down to New Orleans through Memphis then up to St. Louis , out the Missouri to the famous trails and back to Kansas City .
In riveting rhythmic prose, Brown first crafts a thriller sequence of attacks on the successful Purdy family. These fierce assaults prompts John Purdy, a third-generation Irish American business visionary, to gain the assistance of this coterie of smart women in assisting the ethnically diverse strike force he assembles to deal with the circumstance. Purdy turns out to be a tactical visionary as well and a genius in organizing what will become a man hunting special force — to mobilize their help to carry out his brilliant plan to capture the half-crazed woodsman who is determined to seize his beautiful German wife, Mattie. The woodsman is obsessed by her beauty and will stop at nothing to have her as his pet. The plot thickens when the woodsman vows to kill her when he realizes he can't possess her.
Brown sensitively portraying the group's warm devotion to each other as he artfully makes his readers anxious cheerleaders for the team, while infuriating them with a gripping account of senseless violence against the Purdy family. He continues to provide a captivating description of Purdy's spirited search up and down the Mississippi , across Missouri , out the famous tails, through the territories, then to the mines, and finally the team closes on its prey which has returned to the Mid-Missouri Ozark Hills.
How the author finally leads Purdy to his intended goal is one of the compelling scenes in current fiction. Brown's novel, reminiscent of the breadth of Gone With The Wind , and the suspense of North and South is an enjoyable and informative picture of a harrowing period on the American landscape. He conveys a compassionate insight into the motivations of his characters, while revealing a delicate balance between the rugged determination of the men and the resourcefulness, strength, and intelligence of the women.
Brown's narrative moves smoothly. His plot develops with intriguing suspense. His dialog is crisp. And his use of dialect realistically captures the flavor of the times. When readers reach the last chapter, they will feel this was too good to end here. No doubt they will be clamoring for a sequel.
International
Press Associates
Steinhardt Direct, Inc.
sdirect@sbcglobal.net
BOOK REVIEW: A Wind of Many Colors
Reviewed by Reene Jefferies
By John H. Brown (MAJEC Publishers, 2007, 420 pages, $28,95)
This love story-murder mystery-adventure is set in pre-Civil War America . Brown, a master story-teller, weaves a plot that challenges one to distinguish between fact and fiction as he displays an incredible grasp of America 's pre Civil-war period. A Wind of Many Colors is a moving chronicle of America 's growth.
In ships powered by the wind, Brown's characters, or perhaps their parents or grandparents, reached these shores where they still considered themselves as Spanish, English, Irish, German, French, or Negro, all living among the natives. He deftly describes how in 1859 an extraordinary group of this mix leave their mansions and cabins and take to the trails or steamboats to congregate briefly on the edge of our civilization. They pause in what he depicts as one of the most unruly places that the frontier ever harbored. Along the way he has introduced us to an astonishing group of women who happen to congregate in this tough river settlement that became known as Kansas City . The story's journey, however, begins by traveling through Philadelphia, down the Shenandoah, through the Cumberland Gap to Stone Mountain Georgia , then proceeds to Louisville and Paducah . Next comes Memphis to New Orleans before turning up river to St. Louis , then west joining the greatest migration America ever had.
Brown first crafts a suspenseful story of attacks on John Purdy's family, These assaults prompts Purdy, an enormously successful western Kentucky merchant, to gain the help of this collection of gifted women and an ethnically diverse “delta” force he gathers about himself to deal with the circumstances. Purdy, turns out to be a genius in organization who first mobilizes, then executes a dazzling plan to capture the half-crazed man who is determined to seize his beautiful German wife, Mattie. The culprit has become so obsessed by her beauty that he is driven to possess her as his pet. Failing that, he feels compelled to kill her to gain peace for his troubled mind.
Brown infuriates his readers with spellbinding accounts of violence against the Purdys, then makes uneasy cheerleaders of us all. He provides a fascinating portrayal of Purdy's search up and down the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers . While headquartering in Kansas City, Purdy's team heads out the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails, and to the mines, then doubles back to finally corner their prey in the Mid-Missouri Ozark Hills.
The end of Purdy's chase is one of the most gripping scenes in contemporary fiction and may well represent a chapter out of Brown's own military service. This novel, reminiscent of North and South, is an enjoyable history lesson on 19 th century American and conveys a compassionate insight into the rugged willpower of those men and the creative intelligence of the women. Most of us will see some family history here.
On the negative side there are a lot of characters and some of the circumstance and customs should be a story unto themselves.
Still, the narrative moves effortlessly, the plot develops with absorbing anticipation and the dialog is crisp. One becomes truly concerned with these characters, while wondering whatever could happen next.
Certainly he cannot leave us here.
