Frances Hunter (2)

Once there was a time, at the turn of the century before the century before, when the United States was an infant country clinging to the Atlantic seaboard and just barely clawed together out of the original colonies by the stubborn valor of a handful of men. But even at that early date, twenty years after the Revolution, the far-sighted were already spilling over the Appalachians and into the unexplored wonder of those lands beyond, to the Mississippi River. Once there was a time, when having gone toe to toe with the parent nation of England, emerging victorious by the skin of their teeth, it seemed as if the United States might also take on another European power; that of Spain, which controlled the lower Mississippi. This time again, it seemed the former colonists could call on the aid of France, caught in the throes of their own revolution.

This is the dangerous political milieu in which two young Army officers meet and become firm friends, stationed at a crude frontier outpost commanded by a gouty and irascible hero of the Revolutionary War, General Anthony Wayne, nick-named by his comrades “Mad Anthony” and by his sometime Chickasaw Indian allies “The Black Snake Who Never Sleeps.” Both young William Clark and Meriwether Lewis have connections of a sort – Clark’s older brother is the hero of the Revolution in the west, George Rogers Clark, and Lewis is a neighbor and admirer of Thomas Jefferson. This is a small country – everyone knows everyone else, a circumstance that is very well drawn by the author. Both young men have a passionate interest in exploring the vast and untouched country which is just opening to the United States – but threats of war and treachery swirl around them both. George Rogers Clark is planning to redeem himself with a free-lance march on Spanish-held New Orleans, aided by French funding and the reluctant assistance of naturalist Andre Michaux. And among the senior officers of Wayne’s garrison is the slippery and amoral James Wilkenson; paid agent of the Spanish, persistently undermining Wayne’s authority as commander and for what ends? As the tightly-woven plot unfolds, the question of who is gaming who, and who is set on betraying who - and will they get away with it? - becomes ever more urgent. Woven into this tangle are such disparate characters as Clarke’s family, especially his sister Fanny and her brutish husband, fascinating details of the natural world, folk-medicine, and military practice and custom of the time.

“The Fairest Portion of the Globe” is a very readable and lively portrait, not only of a period of American history which is underserved in popular fiction, but of the foundations of an enduring friendship between two young men, who within a few years would make an epic journey of exploration – a journey which like themselves, would become legend.
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Why I read it: I've always had a bit of fondness for Lewis and Clark, being two people in history who accomplished something by working equally and happily together rather than, say, killing or one-upping someone. And, ok, honestly, their close friendship seemed like slash fodder. Interesting it's about the end of Lewis' life rather than the surely more popular to write about journey west.

Pros: Nicely character-focused adventure story. A lot of effort put into showing the dedication and respect Lewis and Clark have for one another. At times humorous. Was very engaged by the first part of this novel when Lewis was still in town, interacting with Clark and various antagonists, watching as the author built the image of him as a great man being dragged down by his flaws and circumstances, and observing what other characters thought of him.

Cons: Despite biggest draw for me (and I got the impression one of the biggest interests/focuses of the writer) being Lewis and Clark's relationship, a lot of the portrayal of that is in them merely thinking about one another, since the two are apart for most of the novel. Though there's a political plot at work, story eventually boils down through the entire middle to little but Lewis being sick but journeying onward, Clark chasing him, the occasional attack or complication. I think perhaps we were supposed to be engaged by the character interaction/changing relationships , but this didn't entirely work as most characters were somewhat developed, but not to the extent they could carry the novel so entirely with little happening on the plot front. Villains were cartoonishly evil.

Conclusion: I can't say if the characters came off as more complex in the beginning when I enjoyed it, or if their simplicity just didn't hamper the novel so badly when things seemed to be happening. The rest (mostly traveling through the woods) was readable. Overall the book was a bit of a let-down, but it leaves me curious if the author may have improved their character development technique in their next Lewis and Clark novel (set earlier of course), or if they chose a time in their history that could allow for a more eventful plot and thus better rounded novel.… (más)