Review of The Man Who Moiled for Gold
Posted: 26 Jun 2023, 21:55
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Man Who Moiled for Gold" by David G. Rasmussen.]
Sitting on the ornate stone bench by three Martin graves in 1912, Charley Martin dove back through his memories to 1892, when the influenza epidemic hit hard, taking the lives of many people, including the love of his life, Claire, and their two youngest children. He recalled how Claire used to be the strength of his family and how she supported him during his hardships. He is slowly dying of silicosis, also known as miners' consumption, due to inhaling fine crystal quartz dust for years. Even though Charley was the best miner in Butte, the Company gave him the pink slip, firing him after learning about his medical condition. Charley felt anger at the beginning but then decided to leave Butte for his cabin on Miner's Creek. He chose not to waste the remaining days of his life underground, away from the sun and blue sky. But he couldn't leave without saying goodbye to his family.
Charley sends a telegram to his eldest daughter, Kathleen, informing her of his visit to Dillon on his way to his cabin. It has been many years since he saw her and his grandson, Clifton, whom he barely knew. Charley takes the opportunity of the few days needed for his cabin to be ready to rekindle his relationship with Kathleen and to establish one with Clifton and his son-in-law, Elliot Carver. Charley can't help but notice the bitterness his daughter feels toward him and his life in Butte. He narrates his life journey in mining for gold to Kathleen, Clifton, and Elliot, hoping his daughter might understand him and his decisions better and coaxing her into revealing the reasons behind her sour mood. While telling the Carvers his story, many buried secrets come to light, relieving the burden Charley always carried, shocking his daughter, and exciting Elliot and Clifton in the process.
The Man Who Moiled for Gold by David G. Rasmussen is a historical, action, and suspense novel about the gold rush in Montana and Colorado in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The author used Western terminologies from this period to narrate his story, and along with his accurate description of the places and towns, he managed to make the book come alive. I could almost see what he was narrating vividly in my mind, which made me enjoy this book immensely. He succeeded in conveying Charley's emotions and thoughts without fault, making me sympathize, shed tears, and feel sad, angry, hopeless, lonely, and loved with him. It has been exhilarating. Although the book is from Charley's point of view alone, the rest of the characters haven't fallen short of him; he has skillfully delivered their thoughts and feelings, using the suspense element while revealing them to raise the reader's anticipation. He used this technique to uncover Kathleen's reasons for resenting her father.
I greatly appreciated how the author explored another aspect other than the usual gun battles that were common during that era. He was more focused on gold mining and its techniques, along with the historical events of the Vigilantes and the Miners' Court, which presented another part of this era rarely explored, indicating the author's knowledge and experience in those subjects.
The remarkably detailed trails and places mentioned in the book reflect the author's familiarity with them, which enabled him to provide clear images through his descriptions. However, the thorough explanation of these paths was a bit tedious, especially for readers unfamiliar with them. Looking them up on the map helped me imagine them a little bit better. Other than that, there was nothing I disliked about this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and gained loads of valuable historical information. So I believe this book deserves 4 out of 5 stars. I would have gladly given it the highest rating, but I found many errors that detracted from enjoying it.
I recommend this book to all historical and action genre fans. However, due to the mildly mature content, violence, and explicit language, I believe it isn't suitable for anyone sensitive to any of those aspects, including young audiences.
******
The Man Who Moiled for Gold
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Sitting on the ornate stone bench by three Martin graves in 1912, Charley Martin dove back through his memories to 1892, when the influenza epidemic hit hard, taking the lives of many people, including the love of his life, Claire, and their two youngest children. He recalled how Claire used to be the strength of his family and how she supported him during his hardships. He is slowly dying of silicosis, also known as miners' consumption, due to inhaling fine crystal quartz dust for years. Even though Charley was the best miner in Butte, the Company gave him the pink slip, firing him after learning about his medical condition. Charley felt anger at the beginning but then decided to leave Butte for his cabin on Miner's Creek. He chose not to waste the remaining days of his life underground, away from the sun and blue sky. But he couldn't leave without saying goodbye to his family.
Charley sends a telegram to his eldest daughter, Kathleen, informing her of his visit to Dillon on his way to his cabin. It has been many years since he saw her and his grandson, Clifton, whom he barely knew. Charley takes the opportunity of the few days needed for his cabin to be ready to rekindle his relationship with Kathleen and to establish one with Clifton and his son-in-law, Elliot Carver. Charley can't help but notice the bitterness his daughter feels toward him and his life in Butte. He narrates his life journey in mining for gold to Kathleen, Clifton, and Elliot, hoping his daughter might understand him and his decisions better and coaxing her into revealing the reasons behind her sour mood. While telling the Carvers his story, many buried secrets come to light, relieving the burden Charley always carried, shocking his daughter, and exciting Elliot and Clifton in the process.
The Man Who Moiled for Gold by David G. Rasmussen is a historical, action, and suspense novel about the gold rush in Montana and Colorado in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The author used Western terminologies from this period to narrate his story, and along with his accurate description of the places and towns, he managed to make the book come alive. I could almost see what he was narrating vividly in my mind, which made me enjoy this book immensely. He succeeded in conveying Charley's emotions and thoughts without fault, making me sympathize, shed tears, and feel sad, angry, hopeless, lonely, and loved with him. It has been exhilarating. Although the book is from Charley's point of view alone, the rest of the characters haven't fallen short of him; he has skillfully delivered their thoughts and feelings, using the suspense element while revealing them to raise the reader's anticipation. He used this technique to uncover Kathleen's reasons for resenting her father.
I greatly appreciated how the author explored another aspect other than the usual gun battles that were common during that era. He was more focused on gold mining and its techniques, along with the historical events of the Vigilantes and the Miners' Court, which presented another part of this era rarely explored, indicating the author's knowledge and experience in those subjects.
The remarkably detailed trails and places mentioned in the book reflect the author's familiarity with them, which enabled him to provide clear images through his descriptions. However, the thorough explanation of these paths was a bit tedious, especially for readers unfamiliar with them. Looking them up on the map helped me imagine them a little bit better. Other than that, there was nothing I disliked about this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and gained loads of valuable historical information. So I believe this book deserves 4 out of 5 stars. I would have gladly given it the highest rating, but I found many errors that detracted from enjoying it.
I recommend this book to all historical and action genre fans. However, due to the mildly mature content, violence, and explicit language, I believe it isn't suitable for anyone sensitive to any of those aspects, including young audiences.
******
The Man Who Moiled for Gold
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
