Catching the Westbound

by D.C. Hicks

He came into this world with two distinctive qualities-an extraordinary vision and an indomitable spirit, but at the age of ten years old, R.J. Watkins was banished from his small Appalachian community after being unjustly accused of igniting a mining accident. With a little help from fellow riders of the rails, R.J. learned how to survive on his own, but eventually his train came to rest with the Benton and Walters Best Show in America, where R.J. cultivated his unusual talents.

At seventeen, R.J. answered another whistle call of destiny, and he met the powerful McClennan family. Like a dazzling display of fireworks to their fourth of July picnic, R.J. provided the perfect blend of flavor for their family that had long since grew stale. But when he had hard time adjusting to the lavish extremes of the East Coast high society, R.J. learned to navigate their foreign world by completely transforming himself. A metamorphosis so complete that within a few short years he was the talk of the town, a man he barely recognized. Still all the talk was for naught because with the closing bell on a single autumn day in 1929, the McClennan fortune, which took generations to amass, was gone.

To stop the head-on collision with destitution, McClennan’s eldest son, Cosmo, made a deal with a devil, but it fell upon R.J. to pay the dues. No longer able to afford the luxury of other’s opinions, R.J. shed his finer sensibilities and used every trick he learned along the way to save his new family. Will his efforts be enough or ultimately destroy them?

From majestic corners hidden deep within the mountains to New York City’s finest ballrooms, Catching the Westbound chronicles the triumphs and tragedies of R.J. Watkins, a boy who came from nothing but with unparalleled determination, will, and resilience became the last great pioneer of industry.

After a lifetime of traveling paths of decadence and despair, by grace alone, he discovered the road that would lead him home.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Amazon, Drama, Ebooks

351 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 6, 2012

About the author

After graduating from Ball State University, D.C. married her first-generation Appalachian husband, David. They live in Indiana with their son. Catching the Westbound is her debut novel. She is currently working on her second novel.

Reviews

[Kris]

This is a good and imaginative story but I found the grammatical errors very distracting. Sometimes I had to puzzle over what the author was really trying to say (i.e.,"high fluting"). With a good editor to smooth out the style errors this could become a 4-star read.

[George Angus]

From my Amazon review:

I really liked the first 3/4 of this book. RJ is a character with whom it is easy to relate. Or, he is at least entertaining to watch. The story weaves through his trials and tribulations and you can't help but root for him.

I couldn't help but feel that there were a few spots towards the end of the book that would have made good stopping points for the novel. I was less enchanted with the last parts of the book and found RJ to be a bitter soul and not quite as likable as he was in the first part.

Still, it was an entertaining read and the few typos were not too much of a distraction.

[Teresa]

Bravo, DC Hicks! I was thoroughly entertained. I was drawn in by RJ's character within the first few pages of the book, and shared his life's journey with him--sometimes crying, sometimes laughing, and always rooting for him. What a bittersweet rags to riches tale, and a fantastic time capsule. I'd place CATCHING THE WESTBOUND on my book shelf between FOREST GUMP and WATER FOR ELEPHANTS.

Here, I feel compelled to mention that I did read on other reviews that there were editing issues with the book. I was unaware since I used Kindle text-to-speech to read the story to me, thus, with the MC's dialect, it would have been difficult to know if the author had made an error. I gave it five stars in spite of editing issues--based on story alone.

If there are editing issues, I hope the author reissues the book with corrections made. It'd be a shame to have technical issues dog such stellar storytelling.

[David A.]

Gypsies tramps and thieves scallywags, dandies and all the trappings of Mark Twain, John Steinbeck in the making of a nation, the rebuilding of a life and a man… D.C. Hicks has done an outstanding job for her first novel… Wow!!! I have read many reviews where people have said that they couldn’t put the book down or couldn’t wait to get back to it… Well this is how I felt reading catching the Westbound… Great story line, many different twists, a love story … A mystery, science fiction adventure… The gilded age to the atomic age…

[Lisa]

I liked the story of the book but found the lack of good editing (i.e. using many times "then" when it should have read "than")very distracting. Also, there was a lot of profanity which I didn't like.

[Becky]

What a fantastic book I was blown away by the storyline! It has been a long time since I was so entertained by a book, I really look forward to the next book by this author.

[Kathleen Collins]

What a ride!

An interesting weaving of history into an engrossing life story. The hardships, trials, loves and dreams..... I wanted to follow to the end. I recommend this book.... you will gasp, smile, laugh out loud and perhaps wipe away a tear or two.

[Mercedes Prieto]

Wonderful

This tale tugs at your heart strings in so many ways. I loved how the author captures the southern way of speaking even in the spelling. It is a tale of hardship and love and wisdom.

[Jen Grover]

Loved this book

[Heather]

It's a wonderful gift when you find a book that is so entertaining that it interrupts your daily life. Catching the Westbound by D.C. Hicks is one of those gifts.
R.J. Watkins was born with the ability to see how people will die. It's a curse to R.J. as it is constantly clouding his mind with gruesome thoughts and scary visions of things to come. In his tenth year of life he gets the vision that the mine where his dad and most of the town's men work will collapse. He runs through the groups of miners warning them as they trudge to the opening of the mine to begin their day. Some listen and others brush him off and head into the depths of the mountain.
Just as R.J. had predicted the mine collapses killing many people. The mine owner accuses R.J. of causing the collapse and since the town is emotional and in mourning the story catches on. In order to save R.J. from danger his father sends his 10 year old son out into the world with the following advice, "Run until nobody knows your name."
R.J. makes plans to hop a train and ride it away from the danger of his hometown. His young friend Benny refuses to let him go alone so the two boys hop a freight train and head for the great unknown.
Along the way R.J. and Benny encounter many dangers but also are taken under the wing of a tough hobo named Red. Misfortune soon frowns on the trio and the group must split up and go their separate ways.
The remainder of the book follows R.J's rise through the social ladder in New York due to an encounter with a very rich man. R.J. makes himself a mover and shaker in the financial scene and must hide his past.
The path that R.J. takes is a winding one and it has many pitfalls but also leads him to the love of his life. This book is an adventure and romance all rolled into one. In the end R.J. realizes what is most important in life.
This book was a quick read because it drew me in and I cared about the characters from the get go. It was long enough to tell the story without a lot of missing pieces and the story is easy to follow even with all of the topsy turvy twists the main character's life takes.

[Marcus]

This is an odd book/novel to begin with. You will ask yourself, what have I attempted to read? Give yourself a little time and a couple of more pages and the book will draw you in. The characters are well written and not there for the fluff, the situations are ones that could have existed at or during that particular time frame, the reactions of the characters are ones that could have reasonably been expected, and the later years of the main character's actions also could have been reasonably expected. A good book to read.

[Kim]

I finished reading the Kindle version and will be purchasing a hardcopy when available. It was a very well paced story that kept me coming back every chance I had a free moment. Having family from KY, I know some folks like R.J. and are proud to have them. Faults and all, they make life interesting just as R.J. did in this story. Through life's ups and downs, we are along for the ride. Can't wait to reread this.

[Shea]

I liked the first 3/4 of this book. RJ is entertaining and his interactions w others was interesting. I felt that there were a few spots towards the end of the book that would have made good stopping points for the novel but it continued on with some nonsensical plot turns-nuclear energy, really come on, and dragged on thru some parts.

It was an entertaining read especially since it was a freebie

[Brenda Lutz]

Riveting story about a child who is forced to leave home and live on the rails. His "gift" is both a curse and a blessing that shapes his life as he becomes a business tycoon. Taking the fall after his father-in-law's business fails when the Great Depression hits, he rebuilds his business and his personal life. Loved this story.

[Vanda Bromwich]

An interesting story. As a 10 year old R.J.starts life as a hobo riding the trains with his best friend and then joins a circus. He meets the love of his life, a Wall St. princess and through trying to ride the Wall Street crash he ends up in prison. When he gets out due to hard work he ends up a billionaire. This is a feelgood book.

[sarah parker]

Very entertaining!

This is book grabbed my interest from the first page and left me thinking about the story every time I was away from it. Though the main character is faced with many hardships, his life is quite a success in many ways in all the years he lived. This is a fast-paced, engaging, and very entertaining book.

[Rosa]

This was a great book! I laughed and cried. I don't want to spoil it for potential readers so I won't talk about specifics but I have never cheered on a protagonist as much as I did R.J. This was emotionally draining and as much as I wanted to put it down and walk away from it, I couldn't!

[Beckie Rousseau Sloan]

This story had me laughing, crying, and staying up all night to finish. The characters are likeable and you feel for them and what happens during their life stories. A must read. But have tissues or a short-lived handy.

[Mark Nawrocki]

the story of RJ Watkins who was born with second sight
follows his story it will make you laugh and definitely make you cry
DC Hicks this is a winner 5 stars ill be looking for more of your work
a must read bravo loved it!!

[Therese]

$0.0

[Lyndi]

Wish I could give this book more stars. I was Awesome. I loved it and never wanted to put it down!

[Glenna]

Absolutely LOVED this book!! Had a hard time finding a stopping place to do other things at home!! Love a book like that!!!!!

[Shannon]

It was an enjoyable story, however, the lack of editing and proofreading drove me quite batty. Then/than....not once but constant from beginning to end.

[Diana]

"Catching The Westbound' is a gem of a book. The characters were well-developed & the plot was so original & fun to read. If you liked "Water For Elephants" you would love this book!

[Janell Barney]

Good multi-generational story. For all of his faults, I really liked and admired R.J. He did it his way!

[Amber]

amazing. Words won't do it justice. A must read.

[Victoria]

I could not put this book down. I did not want it to end, but the ending was so appropriate. The main character, RJ was intriguing.....

[bex]

I really liked this book despite awkward spots in the writing. I found it very engrossing and so sad, but with happy moments as well.

[Arielle]

I dug the heck out of this book.....more in the front half than the back, but still a great read!

[Mary]

Loved this book it had everything to make it irresistible