Review - Threads West by Reid Lance Rosenthal

TITLE:    Threads West: An American Saga
AUTHOR:    Reid Lance Rosenthal
INFO:    Paperback, Fiction, 215 pages
PUBLISHED:   Rockin' SR Publishing, 2010
HOW I GOT IT:   Received from Author and Publisher for Review

FROM GOODREADS:  USA Book News National Best Book Awards ... Threads West is a WINNER in the Fiction & Literature: Western category and FINALIST in the Fiction & Literature: Romance category.

The romance of America, her people, her spirit, and the West. The ongoing story of us. This first book and namesake of the six-novel series is being compared by reviewers and authors to Lonesome Dove and Centennial. The tale bursts with the adventure, romance and promise of historical America and the West. The epic saga of Threads West begins in 1855 with the first of four richly-textured, complex generations of unforgettable characters. The separate lives of these driven men and independent women are drawn to a common destiny that beckons seductively from the wild and remote flanks of the American West. They are swept into the dangerous currents of the far-distant frontier by the mysterious rivers of fate, the power of the land and the American spirit. Their turbulent journeys are heartbreaking quests intertwined with romance and adversity, passions and pathos, despair and triumph. This is not only their story. It is our story. It is Threads West, An American Saga.



MY TAKE:    I started this book with high hopes as I absolutely love Larry McMurtry's stories which some have compared this series to.  Unfortunately I had a couple of issues with it.  First and foremost, there is a graphic rape scene that took me by surprise and pretty much colored my reading experience.  While I'm not opposed to sex scenes, I don't go for those that are graphic and gratuitous, especially involving rape.  While this act may have been an important point in the story, I could have done without the detailed account. 

The majority of the book was spent telling us about the characters and their backstories.  The action didn't really start until they were either on their way to or already in St. Louis.  Unfortunately that is also where this book ends.  It might have been a better idea to not cut this saga into so many volumes.  Six books are planned where I think three larger tomes might have been preferable.  Especially if the reader is going to be left with a cliffhanger five times.

All of that being said, I DID enjoy meeting the characters and think there is a lot of promise in this journey.  The author has created some interesting and memorable players that I will be curious to see what happens to.  As this book progressed, their lines or threads, if you will, began to intersect.  With all of this starting to finally come together, the ending was a bit abrupt, leaving me frustrated. But I do still want to check out the next installment: Maps of Fate when it becomes available.

Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:

(It would have been closer to a 3 if not for the rape scene.)

WHERE TO BUY IT:    Amazon and The Book Depository

 
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