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Chenneville
Consumed with grief, driven by vengeance, a man undertakes an unrelenting odyssey across the lawless post–Civil War frontier seeking redemption in this fearless novel from the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of News of the World.
Union soldier John Chenneville suffered a traumatic head wound in battle. His recovery took the better part of a year as he struggled to regain his senses and mobility. By the time he returned home, the Civil War was over, but tragedy awaited. John’s beloved sister and her family had been brutally murdered.
Their killer goes by many names. He fought for the North in the late unpleasantness, and wore a badge in the name of the law. But the man John knows as A. J. Dodd is little more than a rabid animal, slaughtering without reason or remorse, needing to be put down.
Traveling through the unforgiving landscape of a shattered nation in the midst of Reconstruction, John braves winter storms and confronts desperate people in pursuit of his quarry. Untethered, single-minded in purpose, he will not be deterred. Not by the U.S. Marshal who threatens to arrest him for murder should he succeed. And not by Victoria Reavis, the telegraphist aiding him in his death-driven quest, yet hoping he’ll choose to embrace a life with her instead.
And as he trails Dodd deep into Texas, John accepts that this final reckoning between them may cost him more than all he’s already lost…
Union soldier John Chenneville suffered a traumatic head wound in battle. His recovery took the better part of a year as he struggled to regain his senses and mobility. By the time he returned home, the Civil War was over, but tragedy awaited. John’s beloved sister and her family had been brutally murdered.
Their killer goes by many names. He fought for the North in the late unpleasantness, and wore a badge in the name of the law. But the man John knows as A. J. Dodd is little more than a rabid animal, slaughtering without reason or remorse, needing to be put down.
Traveling through the unforgiving landscape of a shattered nation in the midst of Reconstruction, John braves winter storms and confronts desperate people in pursuit of his quarry. Untethered, single-minded in purpose, he will not be deterred. Not by the U.S. Marshal who threatens to arrest him for murder should he succeed. And not by Victoria Reavis, the telegraphist aiding him in his death-driven quest, yet hoping he’ll choose to embrace a life with her instead.
And as he trails Dodd deep into Texas, John accepts that this final reckoning between them may cost him more than all he’s already lost…
309 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 12, 2023
527 people are currently reading
13891 people want to read
About the author
Paulette Jiles
20 books2,314 followersPaulette Kay Jiles was an American poet, memoirist and novelist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,147 reviews
August 9, 2023
I was drawn to Paulette Jiles’ writing style and storytelling from the first book I read by her, News of the World. She has a way of pulling the reader into her novels right from the beginning and taking them to the place and time. She brings her characters to life in such a way it’s as if you knew them. This is historical fiction at its best as she depicts the lawlessness and chaos of the post Civil War through the story of a Union soldier. John Chenneville returns home to St. Louis and he finds that a horrific act of violence has struck his beloved sister and her family at the hands of a vile man, named Dodd. He becomes obsessed, determined to hunt Dodd down seeking revenge. His journey takes him on a tough road to Texas, meeting and connecting with good people, with bad people as well, along the way.
With each leg of the trek, we learn more about him as the story is told in such an intimate way. With each page I liked John more, such a decent man in how he treats the people he meets. Definitely worthy of a literary crush. I rooted for him the whole way, wanting him to catch Dodd who deserved what was coming to him . Yet , I didn’t want John to have to bear the burden of committing murder, to give up his life and what it could be, wanting him to find solace and a good life moving forward. This is how good a storyteller Jiles is, making you care about her characters so much. It’s beautifully written, so descriptive, but you won’t find any flowery language here, just stunning prose and characters to remember. John Chenneville is one who will remain with me, as did Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd in News of the World and Adair Randolph Colley in Enemy Women. I have a few more to get to because I want to read them all.
I read this with Diane as our monthly read together and we continue to be on a roll. I received an advanced copy of this book from William Morrow/HarperCollins through Edelweiss.
With each leg of the trek, we learn more about him as the story is told in such an intimate way. With each page I liked John more, such a decent man in how he treats the people he meets. Definitely worthy of a literary crush. I rooted for him the whole way, wanting him to catch Dodd who deserved what was coming to him . Yet , I didn’t want John to have to bear the burden of committing murder, to give up his life and what it could be, wanting him to find solace and a good life moving forward. This is how good a storyteller Jiles is, making you care about her characters so much. It’s beautifully written, so descriptive, but you won’t find any flowery language here, just stunning prose and characters to remember. John Chenneville is one who will remain with me, as did Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd in News of the World and Adair Randolph Colley in Enemy Women. I have a few more to get to because I want to read them all.
I read this with Diane as our monthly read together and we continue to be on a roll. I received an advanced copy of this book from William Morrow/HarperCollins through Edelweiss.
October 16, 2023
We first meet Lieutenant John Chenneville in late September 1865 in City Point, Virginia. He miraculously wakes from a coma of seven months in an army field hospital.
Chenneville has survived a skull fracture and traumatic brain injury and we witness his patience and perseverance as he strives to slowly regain his balance, his strength, his memory, and the ability to read and write.
After a year in the hospital, Chenneville returns to his family estate, Marais Tempe Claire, on 700 acres in Missouri — a state of Civil War lawlessness now under martial law — and a world radically changed by the war and its aftermath.
Upon returning home, he soon learns of the murder of his younger sister Lalie, her husband, and infant son.
With an unflagging commitment to avenge his family, Chenneville doggedly pursues a murderer across a vast region of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
As the book states, Chenneville is “consumed by grief, driven by vengeance…a man who undertook an unrelenting odyssey across the lawless post-Civil War frontier.”
His enemy is pure evil. A.J. Dodd is a feral, cold-blooded killer who steals — both horses and from the corpses he kills. Dodd kills the innocent and rides many horses so hard they perish under him, literally. He has to be stopped.
Acclaimed author Paulette Jiles writes well-developed multi-layered characters and rich, illustrative prose that bring scenes on the page to life, like her descriptions of the sounds of the paddle boats on the Ohio River, or early photographs awash in gold called daguerreotypes.
Also an award-winning poet, Jiles writes with flourishes of lyricism, as when Chenneville recalls swimming in the Missouri River: “He floated in the milk-warm blood of a nation, of many nations.”
Reminiscent of another tale of retribution by Charles Portis, this novel has "true grit." 😉 Fans of Larry McMurtry and Louis L’Amour will relish this novel.
It’s a long trip from the Chenneville family farm near the Missouri River to the title character’s destination near San Antonio, Texas, but lovers of historical fiction, memorable characters, and vivid writing won’t mind a few detours en route.
Chenneville has survived a skull fracture and traumatic brain injury and we witness his patience and perseverance as he strives to slowly regain his balance, his strength, his memory, and the ability to read and write.
After a year in the hospital, Chenneville returns to his family estate, Marais Tempe Claire, on 700 acres in Missouri — a state of Civil War lawlessness now under martial law — and a world radically changed by the war and its aftermath.
Upon returning home, he soon learns of the murder of his younger sister Lalie, her husband, and infant son.
With an unflagging commitment to avenge his family, Chenneville doggedly pursues a murderer across a vast region of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
As the book states, Chenneville is “consumed by grief, driven by vengeance…a man who undertook an unrelenting odyssey across the lawless post-Civil War frontier.”
His enemy is pure evil. A.J. Dodd is a feral, cold-blooded killer who steals — both horses and from the corpses he kills. Dodd kills the innocent and rides many horses so hard they perish under him, literally. He has to be stopped.
Acclaimed author Paulette Jiles writes well-developed multi-layered characters and rich, illustrative prose that bring scenes on the page to life, like her descriptions of the sounds of the paddle boats on the Ohio River, or early photographs awash in gold called daguerreotypes.
Also an award-winning poet, Jiles writes with flourishes of lyricism, as when Chenneville recalls swimming in the Missouri River: “He floated in the milk-warm blood of a nation, of many nations.”
Reminiscent of another tale of retribution by Charles Portis, this novel has "true grit." 😉 Fans of Larry McMurtry and Louis L’Amour will relish this novel.
It’s a long trip from the Chenneville family farm near the Missouri River to the title character’s destination near San Antonio, Texas, but lovers of historical fiction, memorable characters, and vivid writing won’t mind a few detours en route.
October 11, 2023
Chenneville is a man on a mission. Recovering from a head injury during the civil war, he wakes to find his sister, her husband and their wee baby, have been murdered.
His recovery takes longer than anticipated but he takes the year to become stronger and to take the law into his own hands.
His character is hardened by war and grief. His relentlessness keeps him moving on. Whether it be on foot, on horse or on stage; whether snow or rain. But vengeance comes at a cost.
Jiles takes us on a western journey through tribal territories, the old west, the flat lands and the mountains; in a country riddled with strife.
Another beautifully crafted story and character by Jiles.
4.5⭐️
His recovery takes longer than anticipated but he takes the year to become stronger and to take the law into his own hands.
His character is hardened by war and grief. His relentlessness keeps him moving on. Whether it be on foot, on horse or on stage; whether snow or rain. But vengeance comes at a cost.
Jiles takes us on a western journey through tribal territories, the old west, the flat lands and the mountains; in a country riddled with strife.
Another beautifully crafted story and character by Jiles.
4.5⭐️
September 21, 2023
The cover of the book, Chenneville, reads “a novel of murder, loss and vengeance.” That is a good summary of the plot of this story of a Union soldier who comes home to the news that his younger sister and her family have been murdered by as evil a character as you could imagine. Recovering from serious war injuries, John Chenneville is not able to set out to seek justice immediately, but when he does, he becomes obsessed with finding and punishing Albert Dodd, the monster he follows.
The story then becomes one of the journey and the heart of the man–his need for justice, his desire for peace and to find whatever life might be left to him. The novel it most reminded me of was Cold Mountain, not that the plot has any similarity beyond the journey itself, but that the crux of the story is in the searching both characters must do of their souls and the people and incidents they encounter along the way.
This is Paulette Jiles at her best. It rivals News of the World for being enthralling and when I had reached the last page, I wanted the story to go on and on. I hated leaving John Chenneville. I felt I had walked across Texas with him.
There is, of course, Paulette Jiles amazing descriptive powers; the way she draws you into her settings and her people and makes you one with the everyday details of their lives. I picked a passage at random:
The next day he dressed and drank hot water from his mess kit pan. He was short on coffee. He had to get more water to the horses, and so he went out and went to work on the well windlass. The boxed-in opening of the well had a roof over it about eight by eight. He found a good set of tools in the barn; hammer, various sizes of nails, a handsaw, and a crowbar. They were lined up on the wall on pegs just as Mr. Parker had left them in his journey out of this world and into the next. The feel of his hand was still on them. A shaft of gray rainy light poured into the entrance, dim watery daylight on steel and cast iron. Another front had closed in.
Perhaps it will not affect others as it does me, but I feel every sense engaged in this writing. I taste the blandness of the hot water, I smell the leathery sweat of the horses and hear them shuffling as they wait for the water they need, I feel the heft of the hammer with the echo of the last hand that held it, and I smell the coming rains.
So, if you are in the mood for a long journey, you could do worse than traveling with John Chenneville. He learns some things along the way, perhaps you will as well.
The story then becomes one of the journey and the heart of the man–his need for justice, his desire for peace and to find whatever life might be left to him. The novel it most reminded me of was Cold Mountain, not that the plot has any similarity beyond the journey itself, but that the crux of the story is in the searching both characters must do of their souls and the people and incidents they encounter along the way.
This is Paulette Jiles at her best. It rivals News of the World for being enthralling and when I had reached the last page, I wanted the story to go on and on. I hated leaving John Chenneville. I felt I had walked across Texas with him.
There is, of course, Paulette Jiles amazing descriptive powers; the way she draws you into her settings and her people and makes you one with the everyday details of their lives. I picked a passage at random:
The next day he dressed and drank hot water from his mess kit pan. He was short on coffee. He had to get more water to the horses, and so he went out and went to work on the well windlass. The boxed-in opening of the well had a roof over it about eight by eight. He found a good set of tools in the barn; hammer, various sizes of nails, a handsaw, and a crowbar. They were lined up on the wall on pegs just as Mr. Parker had left them in his journey out of this world and into the next. The feel of his hand was still on them. A shaft of gray rainy light poured into the entrance, dim watery daylight on steel and cast iron. Another front had closed in.
Perhaps it will not affect others as it does me, but I feel every sense engaged in this writing. I taste the blandness of the hot water, I smell the leathery sweat of the horses and hear them shuffling as they wait for the water they need, I feel the heft of the hammer with the echo of the last hand that held it, and I smell the coming rains.
So, if you are in the mood for a long journey, you could do worse than traveling with John Chenneville. He learns some things along the way, perhaps you will as well.
September 5, 2023
3/3.5 stars
"Revenge is a dish best served cold."
Union soldier John Chenneville suffered a head injury in battle and recovery took the better part of a year. During that time, the civil war ended, and he returned home to learn that his beloved sister, her husband, and baby had been murdered.
John goes on a hunt for their Killer named Dodd. Finding him proves difficult as Dodd has several aliases and as John searches for him, those he meets tell him stories about Dodd and the horrific deeds he has done.
What cost will a good man like John pay for Vengeance? The bulk of this book takes place post-civil war, and Paulette Jiles did a tremendous job showing readers what life was like back then. Many times, while reading, I was reminded of how lucky I am to have modern plumbing, electricity, air conditioning, heating, etc.
This book was slow moving and I found myself picking up other books while reading this one. I enjoyed the beginning while John was healing and being cared for, then I lost some interest and struggled to stay engaged. I often struggle with slow moving books, but eventually I found my stride. I felt for John and the path revenge was taking him on.
I enjoyed the description of the land, the conditions, and the journey that John took while searching for Dodd. Jiles showed both the good and generosity of people, while also showing the bad and darkness in others.
Although I enjoyed this book I wasn't as wowed by it as I thought I would be. I wanted to know more about John and the thoughts in his head. I enjoyed Jiles writing and her beautiful descriptions. One thing she excels at is setting the stage and placing readers into the time and place in her books.
*Buddy read with Brenda ~Traveling Sisters Book Reviews. Please read her review as well.
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
"Revenge is a dish best served cold."
Union soldier John Chenneville suffered a head injury in battle and recovery took the better part of a year. During that time, the civil war ended, and he returned home to learn that his beloved sister, her husband, and baby had been murdered.
John goes on a hunt for their Killer named Dodd. Finding him proves difficult as Dodd has several aliases and as John searches for him, those he meets tell him stories about Dodd and the horrific deeds he has done.
What cost will a good man like John pay for Vengeance? The bulk of this book takes place post-civil war, and Paulette Jiles did a tremendous job showing readers what life was like back then. Many times, while reading, I was reminded of how lucky I am to have modern plumbing, electricity, air conditioning, heating, etc.
This book was slow moving and I found myself picking up other books while reading this one. I enjoyed the beginning while John was healing and being cared for, then I lost some interest and struggled to stay engaged. I often struggle with slow moving books, but eventually I found my stride. I felt for John and the path revenge was taking him on.
I enjoyed the description of the land, the conditions, and the journey that John took while searching for Dodd. Jiles showed both the good and generosity of people, while also showing the bad and darkness in others.
Although I enjoyed this book I wasn't as wowed by it as I thought I would be. I wanted to know more about John and the thoughts in his head. I enjoyed Jiles writing and her beautiful descriptions. One thing she excels at is setting the stage and placing readers into the time and place in her books.
*Buddy read with Brenda ~Traveling Sisters Book Reviews. Please read her review as well.
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
November 26, 2023
It must be me. I have many Goodreads friends and reviewers who rated this book very highly. I listened to it on audiobook and made it to about 50% and put it in my DNF pile. The pace was too slow for me.
I encourage readers to read many reviews on this book.
I encourage readers to read many reviews on this book.
September 25, 2023
You have to fall in love with John Chenneville, complex figure that he is. Bent on revenge toward the man who killed his sister and her family, he leaves his home in Missouri to find and kill him, despite being laid up for a year and a half after a near fatal head wound as the Civil War drew to a close. This is a simple story, intricately plotted, as we follow John on his journey, meeting the people he met, good and bad. Although the cover states this is a novel of murder, loss, and vengeance, this is more of an odyssey where our hero learns and grows and finds friendship and love. You've got to admire a man who is kind to horses and dogs, but is strong enough to protect himself and others when need arises. I especially liked the way Jiles included the descriptions and bravery of the telegraphers and their knowledge and wove them into the story.
The ending was absolutely perfect, and we even got a passing reference to Simon the Fiddler and Captain Kidd and his reading of the news. Jiles knowledge and love of the Texas landscape and history shines through in her descriptions. One reviewer mentioned that his journey reminded her in some ways of Cold Mountain, and I wouldn't disagree with that. I'm even betting that we meet some of these people again, namely, U.S Marshall Giddens and little Lemuel. Jiles has made a world of her own in her writing, but instead of narrowing it down to a particular area or community, she uses the entire state of Texas as her canvas.
Now to wait for her next one. Fortunately I still have a couple of her earlier novels on my shelf, so I can continue in the state of Texas for a while.
The ending was absolutely perfect, and we even got a passing reference to Simon the Fiddler and Captain Kidd and his reading of the news. Jiles knowledge and love of the Texas landscape and history shines through in her descriptions. One reviewer mentioned that his journey reminded her in some ways of Cold Mountain, and I wouldn't disagree with that. I'm even betting that we meet some of these people again, namely, U.S Marshall Giddens and little Lemuel. Jiles has made a world of her own in her writing, but instead of narrowing it down to a particular area or community, she uses the entire state of Texas as her canvas.
Now to wait for her next one. Fortunately I still have a couple of her earlier novels on my shelf, so I can continue in the state of Texas for a while.
September 30, 2023
4+ stars
This is a post Civil War story…
John Chenneville has had a head injury from the war..wakes up from a comatose state in the hospital, later learns that his dear sister and her husband and baby have been murdered while he was away.
He sets out to follow the evil man who did this .. to hunt him down and kill him.
This follows Chenneville on his journey through all the various states.. Missouri, Arkansas, etc. to Texas .. all the people he meets and some difficult circumstances.. while on the hunt for the murderer.
I loved John Chenneville… he’s been dealt a very bad hand, and he’s a good man. Good characterization by Jiles… also the author of NEWS OF THE WORLD (a fantastic book)
This is a post Civil War story…
John Chenneville has had a head injury from the war..wakes up from a comatose state in the hospital, later learns that his dear sister and her husband and baby have been murdered while he was away.
He sets out to follow the evil man who did this .. to hunt him down and kill him.
This follows Chenneville on his journey through all the various states.. Missouri, Arkansas, etc. to Texas .. all the people he meets and some difficult circumstances.. while on the hunt for the murderer.
I loved John Chenneville… he’s been dealt a very bad hand, and he’s a good man. Good characterization by Jiles… also the author of NEWS OF THE WORLD (a fantastic book)
December 10, 2024
The premise is simple. The execution is anything but. The result is one of the best books I've read this year.
Chenneville is the story of a Union officer who awakens in a field hospital in the waning days of the Civil War without any idea of who he is. Having suffered a severe head injury, officer Jean-Pierre (John) Chenneville must relearn to walk, bathe and dress himself, and gradually become reacquainted with his past through flashes of memory that build into an identity.
Descendent of French settlers and heir to a tobacco estate along the Mississippi River, Chenneville finds his way home, healed enough to travel, but still shattered in spirit and nearly broken in body.
What awaits in his home village north of St. Louis is a nightmare that rivals the brutality of war: his beloved younger sister, her husband and infant son have been murdered and their killer roams free. The estate is in shambles and his widowed mother has fled to New Orleans. Chenneville cannot yet ride a horse or hold a gun still to shoot at a stable target. But he vows revenge on his sister's murderer.
Nearly two years after the murders, with evidence that the killer has left a trail of victims in his wake and kills only for sport, Chenneville sets out on a mission of vengeance. His lonely manhunt wends from Missouri into Arkansas, across Indian Territory (Oklahoma) and into the wilds of east Texas. It is a journey from the "civilized" east and south, decimated by years of war, into the lawless West, breathtaking in its vastness, possibilities, and threats. Empty distances are connected only by miles of telegraph wire, a connection that becomes vital to the story. The wires hum with threat, with news, and ultimately, with passion.
Paulette Jiles captured me in the first page. I knew, because of previous encounters with News of the World and Simon the Fiddler, that I was in the hands of a master storyteller, ace historical novelist, and a poet. The realization in the opening paragraphs that you are about to embark upon a wonderful, engrossing read is delicious. It is a literal and figurative deep sigh of pleasure and of relief, profoundly welcome given the dismal state of current events and how often I'm disappointed by contemporary literature.
This is a Western odyssey, calling on the classic tropes of a strong, silent, loner bent on revenge. That's the central beauty of this novel—that Jiles can take something familiar and make it utterly riveting with her gorgeous prose and captivating characters.
Chenneville is the story of a Union officer who awakens in a field hospital in the waning days of the Civil War without any idea of who he is. Having suffered a severe head injury, officer Jean-Pierre (John) Chenneville must relearn to walk, bathe and dress himself, and gradually become reacquainted with his past through flashes of memory that build into an identity.
Descendent of French settlers and heir to a tobacco estate along the Mississippi River, Chenneville finds his way home, healed enough to travel, but still shattered in spirit and nearly broken in body.
What awaits in his home village north of St. Louis is a nightmare that rivals the brutality of war: his beloved younger sister, her husband and infant son have been murdered and their killer roams free. The estate is in shambles and his widowed mother has fled to New Orleans. Chenneville cannot yet ride a horse or hold a gun still to shoot at a stable target. But he vows revenge on his sister's murderer.
Nearly two years after the murders, with evidence that the killer has left a trail of victims in his wake and kills only for sport, Chenneville sets out on a mission of vengeance. His lonely manhunt wends from Missouri into Arkansas, across Indian Territory (Oklahoma) and into the wilds of east Texas. It is a journey from the "civilized" east and south, decimated by years of war, into the lawless West, breathtaking in its vastness, possibilities, and threats. Empty distances are connected only by miles of telegraph wire, a connection that becomes vital to the story. The wires hum with threat, with news, and ultimately, with passion.
Paulette Jiles captured me in the first page. I knew, because of previous encounters with News of the World and Simon the Fiddler, that I was in the hands of a master storyteller, ace historical novelist, and a poet. The realization in the opening paragraphs that you are about to embark upon a wonderful, engrossing read is delicious. It is a literal and figurative deep sigh of pleasure and of relief, profoundly welcome given the dismal state of current events and how often I'm disappointed by contemporary literature.
This is a Western odyssey, calling on the classic tropes of a strong, silent, loner bent on revenge. That's the central beauty of this novel—that Jiles can take something familiar and make it utterly riveting with her gorgeous prose and captivating characters.
September 7, 2023
3.5 stars.
This is a slow moving, historical fiction story set in the post-Civil War era. It is a journey of one man and his search for revenge.
In Virginia in 1865, Jean-Louis (John) Chenneville wakes up in a battlefield hospital where he has been in a coma for several months. Recovering with a limited memory due to a head injury, he learns that the Civil War has ended. He soon returns home to Missouri only to find that tragedy has struck his family while he was gone.
John spends his first year back from the war rebuilding his homestead and regaining his memories while healing his body and mind. Then, in 1866 he begins his quest to find a man by the name of Dodd, to avenge the murder of his sister and her family. He travels from Missouri to Texas, on horse and on foot, along rivers, over hills and mountains, and across the plains; all with a singular determination to chase down one man and kill him.
With the variety of possibilities available to us as we travel today, we take for granted how quickly and easily we can get from one place to another, but John Chenneville's trek is not a simple one as he encounters many obstacles and dangers along the way.
This is the type of story that grows on you as it unfolds. The main character becomes more likable as the story progresses and the reader is taken on a journey with this man over hundreds of miles and many months. Unfortunately, a lack luster ending takes my rating down to 3.5 stars.
Overall, I liked this book more than this author's last book "Simon the Fiddler", but not nearly as much as I adored her book "News of the World".
My sincere thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
This is a slow moving, historical fiction story set in the post-Civil War era. It is a journey of one man and his search for revenge.
In Virginia in 1865, Jean-Louis (John) Chenneville wakes up in a battlefield hospital where he has been in a coma for several months. Recovering with a limited memory due to a head injury, he learns that the Civil War has ended. He soon returns home to Missouri only to find that tragedy has struck his family while he was gone.
John spends his first year back from the war rebuilding his homestead and regaining his memories while healing his body and mind. Then, in 1866 he begins his quest to find a man by the name of Dodd, to avenge the murder of his sister and her family. He travels from Missouri to Texas, on horse and on foot, along rivers, over hills and mountains, and across the plains; all with a singular determination to chase down one man and kill him.
With the variety of possibilities available to us as we travel today, we take for granted how quickly and easily we can get from one place to another, but John Chenneville's trek is not a simple one as he encounters many obstacles and dangers along the way.
This is the type of story that grows on you as it unfolds. The main character becomes more likable as the story progresses and the reader is taken on a journey with this man over hundreds of miles and many months. Unfortunately, a lack luster ending takes my rating down to 3.5 stars.
Overall, I liked this book more than this author's last book "Simon the Fiddler", but not nearly as much as I adored her book "News of the World".
My sincere thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2023
I've been reading lots of thrilling books lately, so it felt a bit odd to shift gears into a slower-paced one. This one should have been right up my alley, but timing wasn't on my side.
The story delves into themes of murder, grief, and revenge as John Chenneville treks through the lawless post-Civil War frontier. His journey should have resonated with me, but I struggled to connect with his emotions; it felt more like duty than genuine grief. Despite encountering intriguing characters in the unforgiving landscape, I sought a deeper emotional bond with them.
My thriller cravings kept me searching for an exciting ending, but I lost interest and skimmed. It's more about my mood than the book itself, and I suspect I missed out on something great.
This was a Traveling Friends buddy read with Debra.
I received a copy from the publisher through Edelweiss.
The story delves into themes of murder, grief, and revenge as John Chenneville treks through the lawless post-Civil War frontier. His journey should have resonated with me, but I struggled to connect with his emotions; it felt more like duty than genuine grief. Despite encountering intriguing characters in the unforgiving landscape, I sought a deeper emotional bond with them.
My thriller cravings kept me searching for an exciting ending, but I lost interest and skimmed. It's more about my mood than the book itself, and I suspect I missed out on something great.
This was a Traveling Friends buddy read with Debra.
I received a copy from the publisher through Edelweiss.
September 23, 2023
"This is truly what we are to each other: a shape, a feeling, phantoms of love or threat or laughter."
"That this was ordinary and common and that these things were attained at great cost; they were actually fragile and could be destroyed even in a matter of days by artillery, riots,by hatred."
The above quote could certainly be applied to the present even though this novel is set in the post Civil War south. Severely injured in the war, Chenneville returns home, only to find it occupied by his servant. No one else and he soon learns much has changed and a terrible tragedy will find him seeking revenge.
I love Jiles writing. Her News of the World was my favorite book the year it was published. Her writing is so clear, descriptive but uncluttered, each word and sentence is integral, not one wasted. Her characters are well rounded, memorable. Chenneville is another such. Another terrific novel penned by a very capable author.
My monthly read with Angela and we have been in agreement on our last several reads. May our reading roll continue.
"That this was ordinary and common and that these things were attained at great cost; they were actually fragile and could be destroyed even in a matter of days by artillery, riots,by hatred."
The above quote could certainly be applied to the present even though this novel is set in the post Civil War south. Severely injured in the war, Chenneville returns home, only to find it occupied by his servant. No one else and he soon learns much has changed and a terrible tragedy will find him seeking revenge.
I love Jiles writing. Her News of the World was my favorite book the year it was published. Her writing is so clear, descriptive but uncluttered, each word and sentence is integral, not one wasted. Her characters are well rounded, memorable. Chenneville is another such. Another terrific novel penned by a very capable author.
My monthly read with Angela and we have been in agreement on our last several reads. May our reading roll continue.
February 9, 2024
🐎 The gist of the tale is a man pursuing the killer of his sister, her husband and their child. He in turn is pursued by the law as the prime suspect in the murder. The denouement is a surprise. The novel takes its time, like a fine Malbec takes its time becoming a bold red (might as well use this simile since this story is based around a French-American family in St. Louis, Missouri). Paulette loves world building that includes scent, weather, the flavor of food, the sting of burnt gunpowder in the nostrils, the beauty of a woman’s face and cologne - everything. She wants to transport her reader back to the reality of America 1865 - 1867 and get them to live the story, not just read it. That’s one reason I enjoy her fiction so much 🐎
July 27, 2023
Missouri was divided by the Civil War, the division personal, between family members and friends. After the war, the South was in chaos, a “land of criminals and casual murder.”
The Chennevilles were for the Union, the mother ardently anti-slavery. John Chenneville joined the Union army; his beloved sister fell in love with a Confederate soldier. They had a son named for John.
An explosion had left Chenneville in a coma, his recovery taking a long time. When he finally returned home to Missouri, he found the plantation in ruins, his mother having left after his father’s death. Chenneville’s fiancé’ had died. And now he learned that his sister and her family were dead, murdered by a man named Dodd.
With his family gone, the plantation had no value, no one to hand it down to. Chenneville was left with one purpose in life: to find Dodd and kill him.
Chenneville follows Dodd through the South to Galveston through a cruel winter, the land harsh and beautiful, encountering memorable people along the way, good people who offer him friendship and comfort, and duplicitous men in league with Dodd.
There’s the law and then there’s justice…Sometimes the two overlap.
from Chenneville by Paulette Jiles
I was completely enthralled by the story. Jiles brings to life the violent, lawless breakdown after the war. We meet a widow hiding alone in the wilderness and young women abducted for floating brothels, the telegraphers who offer hospitality, and desperate men hired by Dodd. Chenneville is a good man who commits himself to breaking the law in order to bring justice to his family. He didn’t expect to find love along the way, yet is willing to give up all hope of a normal life.
I loved the mentions of the man who reads the news and the fiddler who unknowingly changes Chenneville’s life, references to characters from Jiles’ previous novels News of the World and Simon the Fiddler.
The novel offers readers a fantastic tale into the post-war breakdown of society, filled with sympathetic and memorable characters struggling to survive in a hard time in a lawless land.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book.
The Chennevilles were for the Union, the mother ardently anti-slavery. John Chenneville joined the Union army; his beloved sister fell in love with a Confederate soldier. They had a son named for John.
An explosion had left Chenneville in a coma, his recovery taking a long time. When he finally returned home to Missouri, he found the plantation in ruins, his mother having left after his father’s death. Chenneville’s fiancé’ had died. And now he learned that his sister and her family were dead, murdered by a man named Dodd.
With his family gone, the plantation had no value, no one to hand it down to. Chenneville was left with one purpose in life: to find Dodd and kill him.
Chenneville follows Dodd through the South to Galveston through a cruel winter, the land harsh and beautiful, encountering memorable people along the way, good people who offer him friendship and comfort, and duplicitous men in league with Dodd.
There’s the law and then there’s justice…Sometimes the two overlap.
from Chenneville by Paulette Jiles
I was completely enthralled by the story. Jiles brings to life the violent, lawless breakdown after the war. We meet a widow hiding alone in the wilderness and young women abducted for floating brothels, the telegraphers who offer hospitality, and desperate men hired by Dodd. Chenneville is a good man who commits himself to breaking the law in order to bring justice to his family. He didn’t expect to find love along the way, yet is willing to give up all hope of a normal life.
I loved the mentions of the man who reads the news and the fiddler who unknowingly changes Chenneville’s life, references to characters from Jiles’ previous novels News of the World and Simon the Fiddler.
The novel offers readers a fantastic tale into the post-war breakdown of society, filled with sympathetic and memorable characters struggling to survive in a hard time in a lawless land.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book.
May 23, 2024
Ah, to be caught up in another of Paulette Jiles’ fabulous historical fiction tales!! I have so enjoyed my time spent on the journey and mystery surrounding John Chenneville. I loved the St. Louis connection and all of the French history of that area of Missouri. Jiles never fails to provide her readers with a rich historical element to her stories. What she does so well here is to place her readers within the ambiance and sense of confusion and chaos in the aftermath of the Civil War. Cities and towns are without law and order so anything goes.
John Chenneville, a Union soldier who has survived a major head injury during battle in the US Civil War, is a man bent on revenge when he learns of the murders of his sister, her husband, and their baby. After returning to his family’s home in Missouri, John Chenneville sets out to find the evil man. We take the journey with him south by boat, by foot and by horse through Arkansas and Indian Territory and finally through Texas. He is utterly exhausted and continually one step behind his sister’s killer, who knows that Chenneville is on his trail. He is supposed to be out for blood but what I found was a very humane and decent man who loves greatly and has a big heart. I can’t help loving a guy who rescues a momma and her pups from certain death. Hooray!!
I have loved reading Paulette Jiles’ work for many years now and I will continue to as long as she keeps writing. She’s got a huge fan base who love her work and are happy to read whatever she wants to write! I’ll be looking forward to what’s next!
John Chenneville, a Union soldier who has survived a major head injury during battle in the US Civil War, is a man bent on revenge when he learns of the murders of his sister, her husband, and their baby. After returning to his family’s home in Missouri, John Chenneville sets out to find the evil man. We take the journey with him south by boat, by foot and by horse through Arkansas and Indian Territory and finally through Texas. He is utterly exhausted and continually one step behind his sister’s killer, who knows that Chenneville is on his trail. He is supposed to be out for blood but what I found was a very humane and decent man who loves greatly and has a big heart. I can’t help loving a guy who rescues a momma and her pups from certain death. Hooray!!
I have loved reading Paulette Jiles’ work for many years now and I will continue to as long as she keeps writing. She’s got a huge fan base who love her work and are happy to read whatever she wants to write! I’ll be looking forward to what’s next!
January 1, 2024
4 1/2 stars
I've waited way too long to review this book properly - another gem from Paulette Jiles. I love (most of) her "post-civil war road trip" stories and how she weaves mention of characters from previous favorites into her subsequent books. This outing might have been a tad predictable in parts, but that did not bother me. For some reason this took me a lot longer than usual. I had to take back the hard copy and switch to audio, a format I liked better for this story of "murder, loss and vengeance". Beautifully brought to life by seasoned narrator Grover Gardner. Another Jiles winner!
Why I'm reading this: I hadn't planned to read this so soon, but it came in from the library in lightning speed. Now even more eager after seeing friend Sara's glowing review. Update: I had to take the print book back to the library and have now switched to the audiobook.
I've waited way too long to review this book properly - another gem from Paulette Jiles. I love (most of) her "post-civil war road trip" stories and how she weaves mention of characters from previous favorites into her subsequent books. This outing might have been a tad predictable in parts, but that did not bother me. For some reason this took me a lot longer than usual. I had to take back the hard copy and switch to audio, a format I liked better for this story of "murder, loss and vengeance". Beautifully brought to life by seasoned narrator Grover Gardner. Another Jiles winner!
Why I'm reading this: I hadn't planned to read this so soon, but it came in from the library in lightning speed. Now even more eager after seeing friend Sara's glowing review. Update: I had to take the print book back to the library and have now switched to the audiobook.
April 17, 2024
Chenneville has been described as a novel of murder, loss, and vengeance. It is late September 1865 in a military hospital in City Point, Virginia, when we first meet Union soldier, John Chenneville, lying under white sheets with very little idea of how he had gotten there. Regaining consciousness after a traumatic head injury suffered in battle, he realizes he doesn’t even know his name. And so begins the long journey of recovery for John as he is accompanied by his nurse, Lemuel, as they both make their way to St. Louis, Missouri, where he will go to the family home, a sprawling tobacco plantation, Marais Temps Clair.
Over the next few months, John works to increase his strength while preparing Marais Temps Clair to be fallow for a year and preserve the tobacco crops. Consumed by grief, John sets out to avenge the brutal murder of his beloved sister and her family in the lawless post-Civil War period. Traveling through the unforgiving landscape of a shattered nation amid Reconstruction, John braves the winter storms as he relentlessly pursues A.J. Dodd deep into Texas. Will this final reckoning exact more from him than he has already lost? Paulette Jiles is such a brilliant writer as one becomes immersed in her sharp and atmospheric prose. This is the time period and the landscape that she knows and writes about so eloquently in her mesmerizing books.
“Their house was built with its face toward the Missouri, where it flowed eastward and parallel with the Mississippi for five miles until the Missouri joined it at the Columbia Bottoms. There you could see its sandy waters curling into the Mississippi for miles, in cauliflower shapes, cloud shapes. For a short space, the two massive rivers ran side by side with rich bottom land between them, most of it owned by the Chennevilles.”
“He was born and brought up here, the seven hundred acres of bottomland, of which now he knew every running stream and snye, every length of woods and the gigantic trees, the last of their kind; the beautiful plow-team horses, the floods and apples, the steamboat wrecks and the long smoky rains of Missouri.”
Over the next few months, John works to increase his strength while preparing Marais Temps Clair to be fallow for a year and preserve the tobacco crops. Consumed by grief, John sets out to avenge the brutal murder of his beloved sister and her family in the lawless post-Civil War period. Traveling through the unforgiving landscape of a shattered nation amid Reconstruction, John braves the winter storms as he relentlessly pursues A.J. Dodd deep into Texas. Will this final reckoning exact more from him than he has already lost? Paulette Jiles is such a brilliant writer as one becomes immersed in her sharp and atmospheric prose. This is the time period and the landscape that she knows and writes about so eloquently in her mesmerizing books.
September 15, 2023
Paulette Jiles writes like nobody else. She manages to mine fresh material out of a genre that seemed overused without a new road to discover. Comparisons will be made to News of the World, her magnum opus, in that it is set just post-Civil War and presents a road trip, almost a picaresque journey through the midwest, but does so with such originality and with a studied purpose. John Chenneville, damaged and bent on revenge, as a character is one who a reader will relish spending time with.
February 2, 2024
A very slow moving historical fiction read filled with loss, murder, and vengance.
January 8, 2024
Chenneville by Paulette Jiles was a well written historical fiction novel that was set at the end of The Civil War. I was lucky enough to have won a print edition of Chenneville in a Goodreads giveaway. Paulette Jiles once again shone through with her superior storytelling. Her prose was so descriptive that it was easy to visualize the country as it must have been during that time period. All the characters were brilliantly crafted and well thought out. Three words were depicted on the cover of the book that described the plot of the book best. They were murder, loss and revenge.
Jean-Louis (John) Chenneville had been a first lieutenant in Company C of the Eightieth infantry in New York fighting for the Union when The Civil War was declared. During the course of the war, John had become a victim of a gunpowder explosion. It had been documented that 5,000 pounds of gunpowder that was on a barge was targeted by rebels. John had suffered a diastetic linear skull fracture as a result and was in a semi coma for almost seven months in a field hospital in Virginia. His doctor and concerned male nurse were not sure that John would even survive. To everyone’s surprise, John woke after seven long months and was able to speak and even recall some details about himself. He was told that his injuries occurred as a result of a gunpowder explosion. He was also told his head injury was further compounded when he was struck by a piece of anchor chain. John was very lucky to have survived. He was grateful to the doctor and nurse for the care they provided him during the course of the seven months he had been in the coma in the hospital. The doctor was pleasantly surprised that John was able to speak without any difficulty and in two languages. John had to use canes to walk. His balance was impaired by his injuries. Before long, John was given his discharge papers. While he helplessly remained in a coma, the Civil War had ended. John’s uncle Basile, who lived in New Orleans, helped John return to his family home, Marais Temps Clair. His doctor warned John that he still had a long road to reach a full recovery.
When John finally reached his family home, he was told that his younger sister, Lalie, had been brutally and senselessly murdered along with her husband and infant son. John felt grief for his sister seep through every pore of his body. While he laid in a coma, some monstrous person had killed his beloved sister. All John wanted to know was who was the person who had committed this murder. He questioned why the man had not been found, arrested and charged with the murder. John was informed that the local police had chosen to basically ignore the case. He was told that the murderer’s name was Albert Dodd. John was determined to find Dodd and make him pay for the murder of his sister and her family. He knew that he had to regain some of his abilities first before he could contemplate going after Albert Dodd.
John set goals for himself. Before he was able to set off to find Albert Dodd, John had to relearn how to ride a horse, walk a crossbeam, be able to balance the ledger for his property and recognize money, write with a steady hand, gain enough strength to be able to unload heavy supplies and be able to load his rifle and hit his intended targets. Then and only then would he be ready and able to peruse the murderer who killed his sister and her family. These skills took time to master but finally John was ready. His journey was about to begin. He traveled through Keota Indian Territory, the Red River Valley, the Chickasaw Nation and finally to Marshall, Texas. Along his journey, John met many people. He stayed two nights at the telegraph station in Keota. He had been caught in a snowstorm and the telegraph operator, Robertson, was kind enough to let John stay with him for two nights. When John reached Colbert’s Station, he learned from Federal Marshal, Giddens, that Robertson had been shot in the back and was dead. There was no way that John could have murdered Robertson but Giddens suspected John of the murder only because he had no other leads. As John made his way through Indian territory to Marshall, Texas, he had to stay one step ahead of Federal Marshall, Giddens as well. Would John ever get his revenge? Would he be able to find Albert Dodd? Would John finally be able to make Albert Dodd pay with his life for what he did to his sister and her family?
Paulette’s writing was so engaging and her character development was so impressive. I particularly enjoyed the woman telegraph operator, Belle and her interactions with both Robertson and then with John. It was interesting to read about this time period and discover what was occurring in the United States during that time and how the land was occupied. I can’t wait to see what Paulette Jiles writes about next. I enjoyed reading Chenneville by Paulette Jiles and highly recommend it.
Thank you to William Morrow/ Harper Collins Publishers for allowing me to read this print edition of Chenneville through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for a honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Jean-Louis (John) Chenneville had been a first lieutenant in Company C of the Eightieth infantry in New York fighting for the Union when The Civil War was declared. During the course of the war, John had become a victim of a gunpowder explosion. It had been documented that 5,000 pounds of gunpowder that was on a barge was targeted by rebels. John had suffered a diastetic linear skull fracture as a result and was in a semi coma for almost seven months in a field hospital in Virginia. His doctor and concerned male nurse were not sure that John would even survive. To everyone’s surprise, John woke after seven long months and was able to speak and even recall some details about himself. He was told that his injuries occurred as a result of a gunpowder explosion. He was also told his head injury was further compounded when he was struck by a piece of anchor chain. John was very lucky to have survived. He was grateful to the doctor and nurse for the care they provided him during the course of the seven months he had been in the coma in the hospital. The doctor was pleasantly surprised that John was able to speak without any difficulty and in two languages. John had to use canes to walk. His balance was impaired by his injuries. Before long, John was given his discharge papers. While he helplessly remained in a coma, the Civil War had ended. John’s uncle Basile, who lived in New Orleans, helped John return to his family home, Marais Temps Clair. His doctor warned John that he still had a long road to reach a full recovery.
When John finally reached his family home, he was told that his younger sister, Lalie, had been brutally and senselessly murdered along with her husband and infant son. John felt grief for his sister seep through every pore of his body. While he laid in a coma, some monstrous person had killed his beloved sister. All John wanted to know was who was the person who had committed this murder. He questioned why the man had not been found, arrested and charged with the murder. John was informed that the local police had chosen to basically ignore the case. He was told that the murderer’s name was Albert Dodd. John was determined to find Dodd and make him pay for the murder of his sister and her family. He knew that he had to regain some of his abilities first before he could contemplate going after Albert Dodd.
John set goals for himself. Before he was able to set off to find Albert Dodd, John had to relearn how to ride a horse, walk a crossbeam, be able to balance the ledger for his property and recognize money, write with a steady hand, gain enough strength to be able to unload heavy supplies and be able to load his rifle and hit his intended targets. Then and only then would he be ready and able to peruse the murderer who killed his sister and her family. These skills took time to master but finally John was ready. His journey was about to begin. He traveled through Keota Indian Territory, the Red River Valley, the Chickasaw Nation and finally to Marshall, Texas. Along his journey, John met many people. He stayed two nights at the telegraph station in Keota. He had been caught in a snowstorm and the telegraph operator, Robertson, was kind enough to let John stay with him for two nights. When John reached Colbert’s Station, he learned from Federal Marshal, Giddens, that Robertson had been shot in the back and was dead. There was no way that John could have murdered Robertson but Giddens suspected John of the murder only because he had no other leads. As John made his way through Indian territory to Marshall, Texas, he had to stay one step ahead of Federal Marshall, Giddens as well. Would John ever get his revenge? Would he be able to find Albert Dodd? Would John finally be able to make Albert Dodd pay with his life for what he did to his sister and her family?
Paulette’s writing was so engaging and her character development was so impressive. I particularly enjoyed the woman telegraph operator, Belle and her interactions with both Robertson and then with John. It was interesting to read about this time period and discover what was occurring in the United States during that time and how the land was occupied. I can’t wait to see what Paulette Jiles writes about next. I enjoyed reading Chenneville by Paulette Jiles and highly recommend it.
Thank you to William Morrow/ Harper Collins Publishers for allowing me to read this print edition of Chenneville through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for a honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
December 21, 2023
Chenneville by Paulette Jiles. I was unable to connect with this book. I wanted to. Unable to get there.
April 5, 2025
[9/10]
It was a country devastated by war and still under military rule, so life and woodcutting and everything happened on tiptoe in a tense and listening silence.
John Chenneville is discharged late in the aftermath of the Civil War, not because of his active duties but because he was recuperating for one year in hospital from a grievous head injury. The heir of an old French family from St Louis, John had volunteered for the Union Army to avoid his family being targeted as rebels, despite never working their farms with slave labor.
His return home is marred not only by his physical and mental disabilities, but also by news that his beloved sister and her family were murdered in the final, chaotic last months of the war. Since nobody seems interested in investigating the tragedy, John Chenneville decides to take matters into his own hand, Western style. But first he must put his affairs in order and recover his fitness to travel and to fight.
Somewhere ahead of him was the sort of man who would shoot a woman and her husband and their year-old baby and throw their bodies in a deep spring, to be found later by those who had loved them.
>>><<<>>><<<
The plot, in its broad outlook, and the time frame remind me of the classic book and movie The Searchers , with some major differences in the solitary protagonist, in the nature of the search [revenge instead of rescue] and in the adversary, a white serial killer instead of murderous native tribes.
The one aspect that singles out this story from the multitude of similar westerns is the quality of the writing. I couldn’t help but notice the affinity with poetry and the careful construction of the phrases, even before I checked out Paulette Jiles credentials.
This is my first novel by her, and I believe it transcends whatever genre limitations I expected from a western novel. I loved the way she takes her time with the story of John Chennevile, from his confused and painful awakening in a hospital bed, to his introspective and determined stay at the family farm, leading to the long and dangerous journey in search of the murderer.
This is truly what we are to each other: a shape, a feeling, phantoms of love or threat or laughter, those who are lucid and speak in a strange old archaic French and smell of well-worn wool, of tobacco, of apples and wine.
John Chenneville is not your usual roughneck justiciary, quick with his fists or with his six-shooter. He is a sensible, educated man who usually carries a book in his wilderness pack, is open to the rhythms of the natural world and is capable of seeing the larger picture in the land he traverses, political and social tides that define the Reconstruction period in the aftermath of the Civil War.
The giant trees reached up to one hundred and eighty feet, trees that were ten feet around and made reedy, hushing noises in the evening wind. The trees seemed to possess a huge indifferent intelligence that lay just beyond the reach of human knowledge.
From the French settlements in Missouri [Ste. Genevieve] to the wilderness of the Indian Territories, coming back later to a mostly lawless and devastated Texas, heading towards San Antonio, the story is not only atmospheric and informative – it is elegantly rendered in a concise style that somehow becomes visceral and urgent when the plot demands for action. The threats to John Chenneville’s life and the struggle of the people he meets on the journey are as powerful and convincing as his reminiscences of childhood on the farm and his musings on human nature.
My favorite parts of the novel are the scenes where Chenneville clings to his decency and his respect for justice in this feral world he must traverse in search of either revenge or redemption. A romantic subplot that is tinged with tragedy and loneliness, as well as with discussions about telegraphy and the novels of Wilkie Collins, held my interest just as much as the actual resolution of the search for a killer.
Both were very well handled in the book.
After I finished reading, I find myself wishing for more, so I am adding another western story from Paulette Jiles to my wishlist: News of the World .
It was a country devastated by war and still under military rule, so life and woodcutting and everything happened on tiptoe in a tense and listening silence.
John Chenneville is discharged late in the aftermath of the Civil War, not because of his active duties but because he was recuperating for one year in hospital from a grievous head injury. The heir of an old French family from St Louis, John had volunteered for the Union Army to avoid his family being targeted as rebels, despite never working their farms with slave labor.
His return home is marred not only by his physical and mental disabilities, but also by news that his beloved sister and her family were murdered in the final, chaotic last months of the war. Since nobody seems interested in investigating the tragedy, John Chenneville decides to take matters into his own hand, Western style. But first he must put his affairs in order and recover his fitness to travel and to fight.
Somewhere ahead of him was the sort of man who would shoot a woman and her husband and their year-old baby and throw their bodies in a deep spring, to be found later by those who had loved them.
>>><<<>>><<<
The plot, in its broad outlook, and the time frame remind me of the classic book and movie The Searchers , with some major differences in the solitary protagonist, in the nature of the search [revenge instead of rescue] and in the adversary, a white serial killer instead of murderous native tribes.
The one aspect that singles out this story from the multitude of similar westerns is the quality of the writing. I couldn’t help but notice the affinity with poetry and the careful construction of the phrases, even before I checked out Paulette Jiles credentials.
This is my first novel by her, and I believe it transcends whatever genre limitations I expected from a western novel. I loved the way she takes her time with the story of John Chennevile, from his confused and painful awakening in a hospital bed, to his introspective and determined stay at the family farm, leading to the long and dangerous journey in search of the murderer.
This is truly what we are to each other: a shape, a feeling, phantoms of love or threat or laughter, those who are lucid and speak in a strange old archaic French and smell of well-worn wool, of tobacco, of apples and wine.
John Chenneville is not your usual roughneck justiciary, quick with his fists or with his six-shooter. He is a sensible, educated man who usually carries a book in his wilderness pack, is open to the rhythms of the natural world and is capable of seeing the larger picture in the land he traverses, political and social tides that define the Reconstruction period in the aftermath of the Civil War.
The giant trees reached up to one hundred and eighty feet, trees that were ten feet around and made reedy, hushing noises in the evening wind. The trees seemed to possess a huge indifferent intelligence that lay just beyond the reach of human knowledge.
From the French settlements in Missouri [Ste. Genevieve] to the wilderness of the Indian Territories, coming back later to a mostly lawless and devastated Texas, heading towards San Antonio, the story is not only atmospheric and informative – it is elegantly rendered in a concise style that somehow becomes visceral and urgent when the plot demands for action. The threats to John Chenneville’s life and the struggle of the people he meets on the journey are as powerful and convincing as his reminiscences of childhood on the farm and his musings on human nature.
My favorite parts of the novel are the scenes where Chenneville clings to his decency and his respect for justice in this feral world he must traverse in search of either revenge or redemption. A romantic subplot that is tinged with tragedy and loneliness, as well as with discussions about telegraphy and the novels of Wilkie Collins, held my interest just as much as the actual resolution of the search for a killer.
Both were very well handled in the book.
After I finished reading, I find myself wishing for more, so I am adding another western story from Paulette Jiles to my wishlist: News of the World .
July 6, 2023
(4.5 stars) I didn’t think I could like this as much as I did the author’s News of the World, but I was wrong. It’s a captivating novel that starts a little slowly, but builds to a page-turner by the end.
John Chenneville is one of my favorite characters of recent reading. He’s well-suited to the time in which he lives, being brave and skilled in the post-Civil-War South. As the story begins, John wakes up in a field hospital, after a nearly year-long coma. He has a serious head injury and has lost nearly all of his memory. As things slowly return to him, he makes his way home to convalesce. Instead of rest, however, John finds that tragedy has befallen his sister and her young family. He dedicates his life to tracking down and killing the man responsible.
The story is simple, but the writing is heartfelt and poetic. I rooted for Chenneville as he encounters violence and unlikely love through the war-ravaged country. (Slight spoiler) I can’t say that I loved the ending. I wanted more, but it does allow for happiness for our protagonist and I wanted that in addition to wanting revenge for him and his family. I highly recommend this book to anyone who liked News of the World or Lonesome Dove, or, really, to anyone who appreciates well-written verse.
John Chenneville is one of my favorite characters of recent reading. He’s well-suited to the time in which he lives, being brave and skilled in the post-Civil-War South. As the story begins, John wakes up in a field hospital, after a nearly year-long coma. He has a serious head injury and has lost nearly all of his memory. As things slowly return to him, he makes his way home to convalesce. Instead of rest, however, John finds that tragedy has befallen his sister and her young family. He dedicates his life to tracking down and killing the man responsible.
The story is simple, but the writing is heartfelt and poetic. I rooted for Chenneville as he encounters violence and unlikely love through the war-ravaged country. (Slight spoiler) I can’t say that I loved the ending. I wanted more, but it does allow for happiness for our protagonist and I wanted that in addition to wanting revenge for him and his family. I highly recommend this book to anyone who liked News of the World or Lonesome Dove, or, really, to anyone who appreciates well-written verse.
August 11, 2024
This is a tale of revenge where an ex officer travels from St. Louis to San Antonio looking for the bad guy post the civil war. I can see now why there have been so many posts of the authors works. Glad I picked this up. Despite a suspenseful plot the prose is rich in metaphor, and a love interest is throughout. Four stars.
May 18, 2024
An extremely rich, character driven novel which reminded me of how much I love Jules’ writing. Chenneville is a story that evokes a place and moment in history so strongly, while still remaining a really personal story about its central character. This is definitely an instance where reading in print rather than listening to the audio would have enhanced my reading experience. The narration here was quite flat and emotionless which didn’t do the story service.
May 25, 2023
I wasn’t sure I’d like this book as much as News of the World, but I was wrong. Chenneville is utterly captivating.
John Chenneville was severely injured in the war with massive head injuries and woke up in a hospital not remembering much of anything. After nearly a year of trying to recover, he was finally released from the hospital, but his life was irrevocably changed. Upon his arrival home, he was told his beloved sister, her small child and her husband were murdered. Chenneville made the decision that nothing meant more to him than seeking revenge for that murder. He gets himself healthy, puts on some weight, relearns how to use his gun and hit a target, gathers supplies, gets his affairs in order and heads out to find the man who destroyed his family. As he makes his way over rugged terrain, in freezing temperatures, struggles through snowstorms and fights hunger and sleepless nights, his sights never wavered.
One of my favorite things about the protagonist, Chenneville, is that he’s so likable and unwaveringly kind, all the while being fixated on killing his sister’s murderer. I was completely enthralled from the first page to the last. This is easily a 5-star read for me. I’m grateful to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy. This is due to hit the shelves on September 12, 2023.
John Chenneville was severely injured in the war with massive head injuries and woke up in a hospital not remembering much of anything. After nearly a year of trying to recover, he was finally released from the hospital, but his life was irrevocably changed. Upon his arrival home, he was told his beloved sister, her small child and her husband were murdered. Chenneville made the decision that nothing meant more to him than seeking revenge for that murder. He gets himself healthy, puts on some weight, relearns how to use his gun and hit a target, gathers supplies, gets his affairs in order and heads out to find the man who destroyed his family. As he makes his way over rugged terrain, in freezing temperatures, struggles through snowstorms and fights hunger and sleepless nights, his sights never wavered.
One of my favorite things about the protagonist, Chenneville, is that he’s so likable and unwaveringly kind, all the while being fixated on killing his sister’s murderer. I was completely enthralled from the first page to the last. This is easily a 5-star read for me. I’m grateful to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy. This is due to hit the shelves on September 12, 2023.
November 12, 2023
Paulette Jiles writes with all the senses- you smell the sweat of the horses,taste the dry, hard bread, hear the wind tearing through the piney branches and the creak of the saddle,feel the cold grip of your gun, know the determination to wreak death upon the despicable man who casually killed a young family,Chenneville's sister. John Chenneville suffers a serious head wound as the civil war is coming to an end. Through the long months as he slowly recovers his balance, words,ability to shoot and ride his heart determines to track and kill the killer of his sister. The story is a journey full of lushly layered settings of the places chenneville passes through and with the characters he interacts. As chenneville pursues the vile man who is trying to evade him, he reckons with his sacrifice of his own future to end that of the murderer. Chenneville reveals the interior growth of his soul even as he chases death .
August 15, 2023
Five million stars. A perfect book.
September 26, 2023
Writing with dilated pupils (eye exam) and the book is due back at the library so...
Quite similar to "News of the World," generally in a good way. In fact, the hero of that book, Capt. Jefferson Kidd, makes an "uncredited" (as they say on IMDB) cameo appearance late in the novel. But generally darker than "News."
"Chenneville" has all we expect from a Paulette Giles book set in the years following the Civil War: the people damaged in body and soul, disrupted cultures, shattered psyches. We see too the land ravaged by battle or left desolate by the absence of people to tend to it: He passed small abandoned cottonfields of three or four acres here and there, hoarding their unharvested bolls behind rail fences. These fields had been cut out of the forest and prairie land in isolated squares, and now nobody to tend them, and so the wads of rain-soaked fibers had rotted and fallen like dead hair into the blackland earth.
The book's protagonist is himself a deeply damaged individual. Disfigured by an explosion that left him unable to walk, to remember, for a very long time. Driven by a fury for vengeance against the man who savagely killed his sister and her family.
Given the prominence of the Wild West in the American mythos and all the conventions we've seen a hundred times in movies and TV shows, it's a pleasure to get glimpses of what daily life must have been like. The daily struggles of surviving in harsh land, exposed to weather and violence, the steps (never seen in our national myth) that had to be taken if one wanted to stay alive in a largely lawless environment, as in this scene where the book's hero seeks shelter for his horse in a town where no one knows him. Chenneville is a very tall man with a very conspicuous scar. His appearance at night would have been startling, even terrifying:
“Who’s there?” “A customer. Come get this horse.” John stepped down stiffly, bent over briefly to relieve his aching back, and then stood and waited. The world was lightly frosted. At this hour, everybody’s fire was nearly out. A man came shivering out of a small door beside the big carriage doors of the livery stable. He was hatless and armed. “State your business, sir,” he said, and his breath bloomed out in a cold fog.
Also, little things like a throw-away expressions that grabbed me ("Shit fire and save the matches." -- a real expression, believe it or not. I surely hope to find an opportunity to drop it into a conversation.); or simple words that convey so much, as when our forlorn, driven, damaged hero makes his way through dark and storm, thinking himself to be "an unlucky man following the telegraph poles."
In short, a compelling story -- of vengeance, recovery, honor, love, of the hunter becoming the hunted. One does turn the pages eagerly to see what happens next. A couple of things lowered the book in my estimation. First, it really was quite similar to "News of the World." Like that earlier book, "Chenneville" is a quest tale set largely in Texas, and its protagonist is a veteran of the Civil War. Other readers were clearly not as sensitive to this resemblance as I was. I was more bothered by what struck me as obvious anachronisms like a man claiming to be "pissed off" (an expression, so far as I've been able to discover, that makes its first appearance in World War II) or a character commenting how the storm outside is "snowmageddon" (coined in the first decade of the 21st century, but I can't help wondering if Giles threw it in for fun). These quibbles aside, "Chenneville" is a fine book. Not quite up to "News of the World," perhaps, but a pleasure to read.
Quite similar to "News of the World," generally in a good way. In fact, the hero of that book, Capt. Jefferson Kidd, makes an "uncredited" (as they say on IMDB) cameo appearance late in the novel. But generally darker than "News."
"Chenneville" has all we expect from a Paulette Giles book set in the years following the Civil War: the people damaged in body and soul, disrupted cultures, shattered psyches. We see too the land ravaged by battle or left desolate by the absence of people to tend to it: He passed small abandoned cottonfields of three or four acres here and there, hoarding their unharvested bolls behind rail fences. These fields had been cut out of the forest and prairie land in isolated squares, and now nobody to tend them, and so the wads of rain-soaked fibers had rotted and fallen like dead hair into the blackland earth.
The book's protagonist is himself a deeply damaged individual. Disfigured by an explosion that left him unable to walk, to remember, for a very long time. Driven by a fury for vengeance against the man who savagely killed his sister and her family.
Given the prominence of the Wild West in the American mythos and all the conventions we've seen a hundred times in movies and TV shows, it's a pleasure to get glimpses of what daily life must have been like. The daily struggles of surviving in harsh land, exposed to weather and violence, the steps (never seen in our national myth) that had to be taken if one wanted to stay alive in a largely lawless environment, as in this scene where the book's hero seeks shelter for his horse in a town where no one knows him. Chenneville is a very tall man with a very conspicuous scar. His appearance at night would have been startling, even terrifying:
“Who’s there?” “A customer. Come get this horse.” John stepped down stiffly, bent over briefly to relieve his aching back, and then stood and waited. The world was lightly frosted. At this hour, everybody’s fire was nearly out. A man came shivering out of a small door beside the big carriage doors of the livery stable. He was hatless and armed. “State your business, sir,” he said, and his breath bloomed out in a cold fog.
Also, little things like a throw-away expressions that grabbed me ("Shit fire and save the matches." -- a real expression, believe it or not. I surely hope to find an opportunity to drop it into a conversation.); or simple words that convey so much, as when our forlorn, driven, damaged hero makes his way through dark and storm, thinking himself to be "an unlucky man following the telegraph poles."
In short, a compelling story -- of vengeance, recovery, honor, love, of the hunter becoming the hunted. One does turn the pages eagerly to see what happens next. A couple of things lowered the book in my estimation. First, it really was quite similar to "News of the World." Like that earlier book, "Chenneville" is a quest tale set largely in Texas, and its protagonist is a veteran of the Civil War. Other readers were clearly not as sensitive to this resemblance as I was. I was more bothered by what struck me as obvious anachronisms like a man claiming to be "pissed off" (an expression, so far as I've been able to discover, that makes its first appearance in World War II) or a character commenting how the storm outside is "snowmageddon" (coined in the first decade of the 21st century, but I can't help wondering if Giles threw it in for fun). These quibbles aside, "Chenneville" is a fine book. Not quite up to "News of the World," perhaps, but a pleasure to read.
October 26, 2023
3.5/5. Rich in historical details but quite slow-moving story. Lt Chenneville's quest to seek vengeance for the brutal murder of her sister and her family takes him through several states still reeling from the devastation and division caused by the Civil War. He made a miraculous recovery from life-changing injuries only to dedicate his life to seek another man's death. The manner of story-telling adopted by Jiles in this book left me feeling emotionally detached from the main character as I struggled to sense his true grief.
Narration was matter -of-fact and, like the writing, largely unemotive.
Narration was matter -of-fact and, like the writing, largely unemotive.
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