I have forgotten all about Jane Smiley’s The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton. That can’t be a good thing.
Hm. Now that I think about it, I do remember the book. Woman marries and moves to Bleeding Kansas. Lots of interesting detail about K.T., the which I had been largely ignorant of. About halfway through the book, the Action Kicks In and the book, perversely, becomes very dull. Not sure why.
This is another one of those Historical Novels in which famous, or at least moderately well-known, historical figures take minor part. Although, unless I am misremembering (which very likely I am, because my memory of the book is very vague indeed—there was some stuff about John Brown, and something about Charles Robinson and John Geary, I think) the Real People are all just off-screen, as it were, with their actions reported by other people, correctly or incorrectly as it might be. I suppose this would insulate Ms. Smiley against the particular criticism that she might be claiming to represent or potentially misrepresent these people. I don’t know. It’s possible that more immediate contact with the newsmakers would have heightened the story a bit. Although, really, much of Ms. Smiley’s point seemed to be a representation of the common folk on the ground, who saw only their neighbors and knew only what rumor told them.
Well, anyway.
Tolerabimus quod tolerare debemus,
-Vardibidian.