Stephen Harrigan

Stephen Harrigan has produced a fine novel centered on the siege of the Alamo, peopled by both fictional and historic characters from both sides. Along the way, he provides an overview of the political situation in Mexico at the time and takes several healthy swipes at some of the most prevalent Alamo myths.

By and large, none of the Texas Pantheon make it through with their historical haloes intact. Travis, Austin, Bowie, and Houston are presented as flawed, even vainglorious men. Of them show more all, Davey Crockett comes off as the most human, though even he is portrayed as driven not so much by a fight for some nebulous political freedom as he is by the opportunity to withdraw from a humiliating political defeat and make a fresh start with headright land in an independent Texas.

The fictional characters tend to come off as much more admirable, and are well-drawn and believable. The description of the final assault on the mission is grimly realistic, and Harrigan extends his story past the iconic battle, painting the aftermath in broad strokes that nevertheless provide a reasonably clear picture of the events that led to Texas independence. show less

Harrigan is a novelist, journalist, and a pretty good writer. He has immersed himself in the secondary and printed primary literature of Texas for years, and, with ample amounts of money and time, has created a fine narrative account of Texas history. This is a T. R. Fehrenbach history of Texas for the twenty-first century. It is comprehensive, it is interesting, it reads quickly, etc.

Harrigan mentions historical and historiographical problems, he mentions art and artists, he mentions Texas show more as a cultural object. He hits all the main parts of Texas history. Reading it, I can't say anything is really missing (except, maybe, Thurber, Texas, see my <i>Oysters, Macaroni, and Beer</i>). The images are excellent, the maps are cartoonish, but okay.

I will say that when Harrigan gets to the 1900s and 2000s his Texas Democrat/Liberal leanings come out. Republicans are not as good as LBJ, racists are "conservatives," the city of Dallas was really mean to Kennedy (before he segues quickly to "The resounding irony is that the person who killed Kennedy was not a murderous ideologue who emerged from the right-wing hatred of Dallas..."). George W. Bush gets a few mentions, Rick Perry just one. He ends his deep description with every Texas liberal's love: Ann Richards. (Richards was a fiasco, but no Texas Democrat will stomach that notion.)

Anyway, good. The essential complete history of Texas for the average reader. show less

Historical fiction about a West Texas rancher who commissions a statue to commemorate his son Ben, killed in France during WWI, in an attempt to heal the guilt he feels over their contentious relationship. The book is a character study, with all the primary characters and a good number of supporting characters fleshed out to a degree where I sensed their desires, motivations, internal conflicts, ambitions, and regrets.

Both the rancher and the sculptor guard hidden secrets from the past, show more which adversely impact their relationship and respective family dynamics. I selected this book since it features art in a prominent role, and was rewarded by a beautifully detailed description of how to create a bronze sculpture, not only the process but the artistic aspirations.

The plot is wide-ranging in scope, featuring such components as:
• what is was like to be a soldier during WWI on the Western Front
• descriptions of the West Texas ranching life
• an abduction by the Comanche and being assimilated into a tribe
• a daughter living in the shadow of her famous father
• a friend of the dead soldier learning to live with a severe disfigurement
• an artist’s desire to leave a legacy

I appreciated the author including relevant historical elements, such as references to Joske’s department store in San Antonio, or the methods of post-WWI reconstruction of the French countryside. Harrigan’s writing clearly evokes a past time and place.

Highly recommended to readers who appreciate stories of family dynamics, who enjoy historical fiction, who seek out books containing topics related to art, or who favor deeply developed characters. show less

In 1920 Lamar Clayton, a well known West Texas rancher, contacts the famous sculptor "Gill" Gilheaney about the possibility of a sculpture of his son who was killed in France during WWI. When the two men meet they don't like each other but the job is offered to Gilheaney and he accepts.

The truth is that both men are searching for more than they admit of this piece of art. Gilheaney recently learned the best of his public sculptures had been damaged beyound repair during a riot. In his show more sixties, he knows he has limited time to find a suitable subject that can be as meaningful as the sculpture that once defined his career.

Clayton and his son Ben had developed a contentious relationship causing Ben to enlist. Clayton didn't see him off when he boarded the train that would take him to his death nor did he talk to him the night before. Because the opportunity to talk will never come, he wants the piece to convey all that should have been said about and to his boy.

This story is powerful, complex, and emotional with other characters helping explain the weaknesses and behaviors of both men. It isn't always easy to read, particularly those pages telling about Ben's death, and while there is no happy ending tied up with string, the ending is satisfying. The book won both the Spur Award and the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Novel of 2012. show less