Reviews

• LIVING THROUGH THE GOLD RUSH WITH JAIME McPHEETERS

  I recently ordered 'The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters' from Amazon because I had an urge to read the book again and my original copy is literally in tatters. I first read the book as a teen - back in the '60's when my father recommended it. It was first published in 1958.I loved it when I first read it, then I read it again and my family loved it and read it again, until the book fell apart. The content, however, makes for timeless reading. It is the story of a young American boy, Jaimie, and his father Dr. Sardius McPheeters, a doctor and even more an undying optimist. Dr. McPheeters has heard that gold has been discovered in California and he insists on being part of the Gold Rush, despite his wife's misgivings. The reason is that the McPheeters' financial situation is not very encouraging. The doctor has a kind heart and does a lot of work for very little money, although he has an ability to spend money he shouldn't very freely. Taking son Jaimie with him they set off to Louisville to buy a covered wagon, a pair of oxen and join the wagon train and a guide westwards. If only finding gold were so simple. Accidents, raids, set-backs, deaths, Indians, tough tracks, overloaded wagons and violent companions all play their part in this rich and well-researched history, nevertheless treated with an often wry humour. Mainly Jaimie is the teller of the tale, his information is interspersed by his father's hugely optimistic letters home. Jaimie has a touch of Huckleberry Finn about him; He dislikes education and is more than ready for any adventure that presents itself. Some of the chapters are violent in the way that life was violent then; others are more thoughtful, and both scripture - extremely important in the 1840's, and Dr. McPheeters' medical abilities and personal insights play their parts. Do they actually get to California? Do they find that dreamed of gold mine and those big nuggets? It is a long, hard, cruel struggle west, including crossing the Rockies and meeting the early Mormons in Salt Lake City. Every page is packed with a mixture of adventure, history and human wisdom which help to make it such an exciting and truly loveable book. By the last chapter you will understand and appreciate so much more about early American immigrants; their determination, their pride, their bravery and endurance and you will have had a brilliant read over 535 pages followed by a rich bibliography for further browsing and information. I can only recommend it. A wonderful, colourful, informative true-life adventure that will keep you entertained from start to finish. I promise.

• Must Read.

  THE best adventure book I read. Please go for it. And welcome.

• This is as good as it gets - a ripping-good story for sure!

  "The Travels of Jamie McPheeters" delighted me when I first came across it in high school. Over the years, I have re-read many copies until they were so dog-eared and ratty I had to get rid of them. The fact that this book is not more widely known is a huge mystery to me. It is hilarious, laugh-out-loud funny in places, heart-rendingly sad in others, and filled with adventure every step of the way. Sardius' overblown, typically 19th-century style of narration is nevertheless hilarious in places, while Jamie's unschooled (but keen and witty) observations (and his tendency to make up words when he can't think of the right one) have stayed with me all my life, and probably added a certain edge to my own writing. This book was an essential part of my growing-up. I am shocked that such a masterpiece is out of print today. It's easy to read, impossible to put down, and a joy on every page. If you like Mark Twain, you will love Robert Lewis Taylor. They are genuinely kindred spirits.

• it held my attention from start to finish

  a rip roaring adventure , gritty in places . Both my Husband and I read it and enjoyed it.

• A Journey Worth Taking

  This terrific book, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1959, follows the adventures of fourteen year old Jaimie McPheeters and his alcohol prone, wishful thinking father, as they make their way across country to California to join the 1849 gold rush where they will "scoop up gold nuggets from the earth." Along the way they endure hardships; meet up with murderers, outlaws, Indians and Mormons, before arriving at a destination which wasn`t quite what they envisaged. This is an exciting story, at times bloodthirsty but told with black humor. (Speaking of a wagon train of emigrants, "What`d they bring that old fellow for?" "To start their graveyard with.") It is also historically accurate, much of it based on actual events and dialogue. ( the Bibliography cites nearly 150 sources, most of them primary.) As John Jakes writes in his Introduction, "Taylor brilliantly captured the innocence and bravery of the people who chased the dream of California gold. You will love meeting them, and you will love travelling with them, and you will hate to see your journey end."

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