Etta: A Novel (edition 2009)

Etta, the novel, felt to me like a western Robin Hood. Yet I enjoyed it, anyway. With so little known about the historical Etta, the author’s imaginings of how a society lady may have come to such a place in her life seemed perfectly plausible. I enjoyed the natural weaving together of the imaginary and the historical figures. Theodore Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt sharing pages with the likes of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Kid Curry, Annie Oakley, and Siringo. The personalities he gave to each of them were very fitting to his story, and his settings were, likewise, quite real. Using news articles, Pinkerton files, and fictional diaries to ice things together was a nice touch. The only parts I didn’t enjoy were the Trotsky/Marxism segments. I suppose that must have been part of the actual history, but its inclusion felt forced into the story line. In the author’s notes, there was an explanation of which subjects had been “tampered with” for the sake of the story, and which characters were fictional. Nicely done. Altogether, a very enjoyable western. ( )

I have long been fascinated by the American West, how it was discovered and settled, and the legends and stories of the people behind it’s history. The Wild Bunch, led by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid , were some of it’s last outlaws. The beautiful and mysterious Etta Place, Sundance’s companion has certainly developed into a legend herself. Etta by Gerald Kolpan takes the few facts known about this woman and gives us an entertaining story of what “might have been” weaving famous people and actual events throughout.

This turn-of-the-century story shows us both the last days of the wild west and the booming growth of the eastern States. It was a time of great change in America with new people, new inventions, and new political ideas pouring in. Gerald Kolpan envisions Etta as a daughter of a prominent Philadelphia family. Her mother id dead and her father has become an alcoholic and a gambler. He takes his life leaving his daughter to face the mess of debts he has left behind. The worst of these debts was owed to “The Black Hand” a criminal mob who intend to collect. With help from the family lawyer, she gets a new identity and is hired on to be a Harvey Girl in the new railway restaurants that were springing up along the western rails. She eventually comes into contact with Harry “Sundance Kid” Longbaugh and they fall in love.

I really enjoyed this imaginative story and the author’s use of letters, diaries and newspaper articles woven together gave me a real sense of time and place. My only drawback, and it is a big one, was that the characters felt a little one dimensional and flat. So kudos to the author for a great story, and giving me lots of information about the time period, but unfortunately Etta never became a book that involved me deeply or one that will linger in my memory. ( )

This debut work of historical fiction is based on the real-life Etta Place, the woman who had a romance with Harry Longbaugh, aka the Sundance Kid. Very little is known about her, so Gerald Koplan took real people and events and crafted a work of fiction around them.

Lorinda Jameson is a young woman when her father commits suicide because of his overwhelming debts. She is forced to flee Philadelphia when her father’s debtors come knocking. She becomes a Harvey Girl, waiting tables in Grand Junction, Colorado. Forced to kill a kill a prominent citizen who was attempting to assault her, she finds herself on the run once again. She ends up in the company of the Hole-in-the-Wall gang with the Sundance Kid and Butch Cassidy. And there her adventures really begin when she becomes one of the gang, robbing banks and trains.

It was interesting to read Koplan’s story about a woman we know so little about, but I felt the writing could have been tighter. Hopefully with time and practice his writing will improve. ( )

What amazing imagination and skill Gerald Kolpan has! He has artfully created an entire life for the nearly unknown Etta Place, a compatriot of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Kolpan used the known timeline of real-life people to create a rich, fascinating story of love and adventure, but little to none of the detail is true. I had to constantly remind myself of this while reading. I imagine the real Etta Place would love for this to be her true life story. If you aren't a fan of westerns, don't let that deter you. This book is far more than a western. It's a beautiful tale about a remarkable woman, and the best historical fiction I've read since The 19th Wife. I would recommend this book to any reader. ( )

I enjoyed the characters in this book. It began to drag a little toward the end,but all in all a pretty good read. ( )