About this title: Ron Hansen's powerful retelling of the story of Jesse James's last days is deliberately unromanticized, a complex picture of a conflicted man who seems to be ready, even eager, to meet his end.
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Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Harper
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780061129018ISBN:0061129011
Description: Good. General Used Condiiton. Minor Defects may Exist. Minimal Shelf wear. Text may contain minor marking or highlighting, Binding Tight. Previous owners name or bookplate may be present. All domestic items shipped within 24 hours. International orders shipped within 72 hours. Customer Service isn't just a motto for us, its a way of life. read more
Description: New. AUDIOBOOK. NOT A BOOK! Please order accordingly! All Audiobooks are in the original factory sealed shrinkwrap box! Box may show signs of dents, etc. All CD's Are guaranteed to play! Audio CD, New, 2007, read more
Edition: Abridged
Binding: Audiobook CD
Publisher: HarperAudio
Date Published: 8/28/2007
ISBN-13:9780061129810ISBN:006112981X
Description: New. 006112981X Brand New Book With Remainder Mark. May Have Slight Shelf Wear. In-Stock Now For Immediate Secure Packaging & Delivery. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Harper
Date Published: 8/28/2007
ISBN-13:9780061129018ISBN:0061129011
Description: New. 0061129011 Brand New Book With Remainder Mark. May Have Slight Shelf Wear. In-Stock Now For Immediate Secure Packaging & Delivery. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780061129018ISBN:0061129011
Description: New. No dust jacket as issued. New Book; may have remainder mark. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 389 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Edition: First edition.
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780061129018ISBN:0061129011
Description: Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 389 p. Audience: General/trade. Book is in excellent condition. Cover and pages are clean, binding is tight. We ship daily, Satisfaction Guaranteed. read more
"This book is a hard one for me to rate and review. My true rating would be 2 1/2 stars. The book was well written and would definately appeal to anyone interested in the story of Jesse James and the events surrounding his death. I did feel that the story went on a little too long. The characterizations are very good and well developed. The story itself seems to be very well researched though I'm not sure how much of it is true since this is listed as historical fiction. All in all it was a decent book."
"Ron Hansen was the first living author of (semi)fiction I'd read in years. I'd seen the movie and LOVED it - my favorite of the year. It reminded me of "Thin Red Line" and I was not surprised to find that the director of Assassination, Andrew Dominik, had been involved with Malick.
The movie is S... L... O... W..., so if you're looking for Bruce Willis type action, skip it. There's a voice over and that's what drove me to the book. I hoped that same poetry would be there and it was.
Who uses the words 'moat' and 'dungeon' as verbs? Hansen does. His language takes you right in to the midst of the story in a way I've never read before.
One of my greatest longings is to know the American past, so I'm always reaching for anything that helps me glimpse how it may have been. Hansen delivers.
I tried to read Desperados after that, about the last living Dalton brother, but couldn't quite get into it."
"I'm biased: I thought the 2008 movie based on this book was so gorgeous, quiet, and mesmerizing that I already knight my review with five stars. Something really lousy will have to happen in the book for me to reduce this rating; so far, the book does not disappoint."
"Look, I don't know how much of the "novel" THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD is true; I don't know how much of the dialogue and interaction and actions of the characters actually took place, or were embellished by a very gifted Ron Hansen.
But does it matter? The account of the final days of infamous outlaw Jesse James (and the subsequent final days of his killer) is "historical fiction", in any case (the definitive oxymoron, if you ask me). What does matter is this tightly written tale is as fun a read as I've come across in years. Hansen has vividly captured the flavor and pysche--and grit--of post-Civil War Americana. His prose recreates the flare and panache of the 19th Century dime novel; his book is heavily (and delightfully) populated by descriptive passages such as this:
'Zerelda gazed at Bob and mushed vegetables with zig-zag motions of her gums, her lips protruding like the clasp of a purse. She looked to Jesse and said, "I don't know what it is about him, but that boy can aggravate me more by just sitting still than most boys can by pitching rocks." '
Depicting the final train robbery of the notorious James Gang, followed by the band's break-up (and some of its members exited stage left involuntarily), THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD is a fascinating look inside the head of Jesse Woodson James--a calculating, diabolical killer, yet devoted and cherished family man. As a bonus, we get to climb around inside the head of Robert Newton Ford, an undistinguished nobody who yearned for attention. Surrounded by a cast of very colorful characters--most of whom die prematurely--this is a fabulous novel, an absorbing, entertaining read. Any truth, as they say, is somewhere in between."
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