Pictures from an Expedition
by Diane Smith
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Description
Diane Smith is carving a niche for herself as an author of literary historical fiction set in the American West that features strong heroines, eccentric supporting characters, and surprising revelations from the natural sciences. Her new novel, set in 1876 right after the Battle of Little Bighorn, features an expedition into the Montana badlands with a group of individuals who have all suffered a significant loss during the Civil War. Their stories are told through the remembrances of show more Eleanor Peterson, a scientific illustrator in her late thirties, who travels to the Territories with her friend and mentor, an aging and utterly fascinating portrait painter named Augustus Starwood, to document a dinosaur fossil dig. What starts as a summer respite from the city is soon complicated by arguments over prevailing theories of evolution, by Indians' moving north after their defeat of Custer, and by rival scientists' attempting to steal what could be the largest dinosaur remains ever found. Ultimately, though, this is a novel of personal discovery, revealing the redemptive power of the land and the rivers that run through it. With humor and sharp insight, the novel reveals the potential all individuals have to discover love, however fleeting, and to rebuild their lives far from civilization. Pictures from an Expedition is sure to appeal to women and to all readers interested in the history of science and the American West. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
If I call this quaint or charming, it would sound demeaning. Yet the genteel language used in the letter writing encourages such a response in admiration. I think I just like to read about women during stricter historical times who act outside of the traditional female roles. Eleanor Peterson, admittedly, would much prefer to be happily married and taken care of, but she learns to support herself and try new experiences as a scientific illustrator for an archaeological dig. Intermixed with the story of natural history exploration is a story of the Native American condition in the West. I must admit, I find it fantastic that urban elite would so casually tour the contested lands. There were quite a few visitors showing up at the dig, show more during the same time frame as General Custer's battles with the Sioux. show less
This was a random purchase at a library book sale. The premise appealed - a young woman goes west to Montana in 1876 to help document the findings of an archeologist. Unfortunately, I thought the book sort of drowned in undeveloped characters. There was so much potential, but the the themes also surfaced and then disappeared without being developed (themes such as the aftermath of the civil war, native american relations, details about early archeology, etc.).
Too bad, but I wouldn't recommend searching this 20 year old book out.
Too bad, but I wouldn't recommend searching this 20 year old book out.
A woman in 1919 recalls an archeological expedition to Montana in 1876, just after Custer's defeat. The conceit is that she's writing comments on paintings that have survived by an older friend who accompanied her on the trip. But it's actually a very conventional narrative that never really captured my interest in spite of a subject matter that should have.
Very good. Exploring the west as liberating.
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Author Information
3 Works 469 Members
Diane Smith has worked for the last fifteen years as a writer specializing in science and the environment. She lives in Livingston, Montana.
Awards and Honors
Awards
Common Knowledge
- People/Characters
- Eleanor Peterson; Augustus Starwood; Dr. Patrick Lear; The Captain; James Huntington; Little Bear (show all 10); Jeb; Maggie; Ian Hacker; Chen
- Important places
- Montana Territory, USA; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Yale University, Connecticut, USA
- Important events
- Battle of Little Bighorn, 1876
- Epigraph
- We are separated, finally, not by death but life.
We cling to the dead, but the living break away.
--Carolyn Kizer - Dedication
- This one is for Barr and the triceratops skull still missing from his grandfather's ranch.
- First words
- I April of this year, I asked a Miss Eleanor Peterson, of Great Falls, Mont., to help me identify a representative list of paintings, drawings, and other effects, presumed to be associated with her friend and teacher, Augustu... (show all)s Starwood.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I wish I could tell you more about the collection, but that is all that I know.
- Blurbers
- McMurty, Larry; Barnes, Kim
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 89
- Popularity
- 359,877
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.50)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 3
