Thursday, December 4, 2014

Cathy Reviews: Wayfaring Stranger

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming my mother-in-law Cathy back to the blog to share with us her latest review!

WAYFARING STRANGER
Weldon Holland #1
James Lee Burke
Historical/Mystery
435 pages
Simon & Schuster
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Amazon)
In 1934, sixteen-year-old Weldon Avery Holland happens upon infamous criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow after one of their notorious armed robberies. A confrontation with the outlaws ends with Weldon firing a gun and being unsure whether it hit its mark.

Ten years later, Second Lieutenant Weldon Holland barely survives the Battle of the Bulge, in the process saving the lives of his sergeant, Hershel Pine, and a young Spanish prisoner of war, Rosita Lowenstein—a woman who holds the same romantic power over him as the strawberry blonde Bonnie Parker, and is equally mysterious. The three return to Texas where Weldon and Hershel get in on the ground floor of the nascent oil business.

In just a few years’ time Weldon will spar with the jackals of the industry, rub shoulders with dangerous men, and win and lose fortunes twice over. But it is the prospect of losing his one true love that will spur his most reckless, courageous act yet—one that takes its inspiration from that encounter long ago with the outlaws of his youth.

CATHY'S THOUGHTS
Wayfaring Stranger is the first book I've read by James Lee Burke. The dust jacket states this book is a thriller and Mr. Burke has won 2 Edgar Awards. Quite impressive. I was expecting a "who done it" mystery, but that's not exactly what I got. Instead, Wayfaring Stranger is a piece of literary prose. Mr. Burke's use of metaphors and literary references creates a rich and descriptive story that envelops us as we read his novel. We get an in depth sense of the post-Depression Era and WWII through the eyes of our protagonist, Weldon. By the time he rescues Rosita from the concentration camp, it's no surprise to us that he will risk everything for her, including his life.

After the war, he finds Rosita and marries her. They return to Texas and begin to make a success in the oil business. Weldon, being the principled man that he is, never backs down from his ideals and crosses the wrong people. When this occurs, we let go of the frustration and tension of the slow building story and watch with baited breath to see if Weldon can still  remain the upstanding person that we've grown to know. All while the bad guys do everything that they can to destroy him.

The intrigue that is in play is very similar in nature to how spy novels are written. Mr. Burke takes us to the last page making us wait to see if Weldon breaks down; if he caves and takes the easy way out.  These kinds of stories put me on edge because I always want good to win over evil. We are definitely kept guessing in this novel.

Wayfaring Stranger takes us through the Dust Bowl, the Ardennes, out on oil rigs, Hollywood and even insane asylums! And while we read, we can vividly picture each location and feel the tension oozing off the page. Each character comes to life so vividly that we find ourselves strangely attached to them. The biggest surprise I found about this book was the love story. The only thing stronger than Weldon's moral values was his love and dedication to Rosita.

This book may take a little patience to read, but part of that is due to wanting to know what happens to these characters. It is well worth our time to become involved in this story and wait out the end.

Rating: 4/5

Find James:


This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

22 comments:

  1. It's the first time I hear about this book and even if it's different from what you thought, it sounds quite well done. I like a book like that from time to time on this topic. It's always interesting.

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    1. It is well worth your time to read this novel. It is a very well developed and gripping story

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  2. The settings and historical times alone sound fascinating! The tension sounds terrific, I love it when a book can keep you on edge like this. I've no had to chance to try the author, so thank you for the introduction :)

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    1. So glad you found the review helpful. I am curious about his other books?

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  3. glad you liked this book ,, hope your next read will be as good :D

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    1. Thanks, hoping for something fun to read during the busy holidays!

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  4. I love this era in our history and I love that this wasn't at all what you were expecting but something entirely other instead but in a good way.

    Wonderful review!

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    1. It was definitely something other in a good way! That doesn't often happen. Glad you liked the review?

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  5. Fantastic review Cathy. I love the setting and look at the era. The fact that you were unsettled to the end has me excited.

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    1. This book covered a lot of interesting historical times. But yet the plot line stayed strong. Even to the very end!

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  6. I had not heard about this book before Cathy, so thank you for bringing it to my attention!
    Sometimes the books that require a bit more patience at first till they get going end up being our favourites once everything starts rolling!

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    1. I am so glad to put this on your radar. Yes sometimes we read so many books that I lose my appreciation of a slow build up. The anticipation was worth the wait, tho it made me anxious. :)

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  7. This definitely sounds different, but what draws me to it is the dust bowl. There aren't many books written in this era. I will have to look it up. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Cathy :)

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    1. So glad to share my thoughts on this book. It really did cover a variety of historical times and events that you don't often see in novels.

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  8. I love when my patience is rewarded in a story, and this sounds wonderful! I haven't read too many books from this time period so I definitely want to give this a try. Lovely review!

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    1. Your patience will be rewarded with an intense suspense and a devoted love story.

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  9. Great! So glad the review pushed you to add this book to your list. It is very well written and keeps up the tension all the way through

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  10. I'm not sure if I'd have the patience to read it, but I do like the sound of it. The time periods sound like ones I like to read about as well. Great review!

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  11. "Wayfaring Stranger takes us through the Dust Bowl, the Ardennes, out on oil rigs, Hollywood and even insane asylums!"

    Oh, I love the sound of that. I can deal with needing to be patient knowing it's worth it.

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  12. I do like James Lee Burke but he and his writing and his stories usually take a while to get used to. This sounds intriguing!

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  13. Never heard of this book but you do make it seem like an great read. Lovely review Cathy :))

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