Little Bighorn

by John Hough Jr.

As a favor to the beautiful actress Mary Deschenes, Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer hires her eighteen-year-old son Allen Winslow as an aide for his 1876 campaign against the Sioux and Cheyenne. Traveling west against his will, Allen finds himself in the company of Addie Grace Lord, sixteen, sister of one of Custer’s regimental surgeons. The two fall in love, and it is with foreboding that Addie Grace watches Allen and her brother George ride out with Custer’s Seventh Cavalry. Weeks later in Montana, hundreds of miles to the west, the Seventh brings its quarry to bay beside the river called the Little Bighorn.

Beautifully written and filled with unforgettable characters, Little Bighorn brings to life the American West and its heartbreaking history, brilliantly portraying the flawed and tormented Custer.

Genres: Historical Fiction, War, Westerns, Historical, Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published June 3, 2014

About the author

John Hough, Jr. grew up in Falmouth, Massachusetts and now lives on Martha’s Vineyard. He is a graduate of Haverford College, a former VISTA volunteer, speech writer for Senator Charles Mathias of Maryland, and assistant to James Reston at the Washington Bureau of the New York Times. His grandfather and his father edited the Falmouth Enterprise and his great-uncle was for many years the editor of the Vineyard Gazette. Hough is the author of five previous novels, including

Seen the Glory: A Novel of the Battle of Gettysburg, winner of the American Library Association's 2010 W. Y. Boyd Award, and three works of nonfiction.

Reviews

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insinuating a fictional character into the story of Custer's defeat (as opposed to a claimed survivor, e.g., Henry Finckle) is one way to deliver a view of the actual last moments of Custer's battalion, but it poses problems. For one thing, it can't be a person who played an important part. It has to be a hanger-on, though it could be a member of the winning side. Wouldn't that be something? In this case, the character is a young man serving as Custer's secretary, Allen Winslow. He is the son of an American actress with whom Custer had an affair (one of many women, one of them Lakota). So Custer puts him in company with his relatives, Autie and Boston, as tag-alongs, And yet the tag along has entry to all of Custer's officer conferences and exchanges with subordinates. He also has private conversations--the vehicle for examining the inner Custer. But Custer doesn't open up much, so his inner thoughts are clouded. He is still seen at something of a remove. Though he seems more reasonable and even-tempered than his reputation leads one to expect, it's hard to know a lot about what drives him. Glory, of course. And luck. "Custer's luck" seems to have been believed in by Custer. But why did his need for glory and belief in luck lead him to ignore his scouts and make mistakes about troop dispositions? We don't get enough to tell.

Hough's book is well researched. It gives a good sense of events. The love story between Allen and his girlfriend, sister of a regimental surgeon, gives one way (their letters) to get a narrative account of the campaign, but much of the description isn't delivered in letters but as a straightforward account. And the focus of the end of the novel on Allen's PST or survivor guilt or whatever blunts the book's ending and ends on a whining note.

[Pat Lentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband has a Master’s degree in military history and loves researching the battle of the Little Big Horn. He’s also from Wyoming, and we have visited the battle site. Side note: a very interesting place and well worth the trip. So I started this book hoping to understand what actually happened during the battle. Of course historical fiction is not going to be totally accurate, but I think Hough did a lot of research himself before penning this one.
The addition of the young couple meeting on the train en route to Ft. Lincoln, and their subsequent love story was sweet and engaging. It allowed the writer to delve more into the characters at both the fort and later the battle.
I might have given this book 3 stars but for the ending. I found Hough’s epilogue endearing and was touched by it. I didn’t see it coming, so that was like a little surprise after I thought the story had ended. It almost brought tears.

[Lara O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished Little Bighorn by John Hough Jr over the weekend am still thinking about the story and characters. Allen Winslow (18) is given a job as aid to Colonel Armstrong Custer. (A bedside favor to his mother from Custer) Right there is a great story. Allen is young, 18 and rightly opposed to the idea of going to battle with Native Americans, (Sioux and Cheyenne) but from the tone and dialogue we see how the war train was already in motion.

Allen, on his journey across American (by train) to join Custer, meets and protects a young girl, Addie Grace Lord, who is running away to be with her brother, a surgeon to Custer. A love story follows, a young love in the midst of a terrible time, a time when the shaping of this country was being dictated by much violence, killing and dishonesty towards the Native Americans.

Through a series of letters we see into the heart of these budding lovers, we see the innocence of their youth and how the march to Montana and Little Bighorn proceeds.


Little Bighorn was an educational read, I only ever heard of the battle of Little Bighorn, and am so glad I read this book. John Hough Jr, as always, writes with clarity and rememberable prose and the scene setting is first class.
"The valley of the Rosebud was wide and flat and the hills on either side a dry,bled-looking green, like faded velvet." I always had a sense of where I was and what was happening. A really well written book.
Dialoge as sharp as needles and not a word wasted.

The American West is as complex a topic as they come and Hough weaves his story well. To blend a love story into such a heartbreaking time and event, he mastered.

Little Bighorn, a unique glimpse into the past and all the reasons why it should never happen again.

[Kellie Haines · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book as a Goodreads giveaway.
For me, this book was a pretty quick read but it kept be interested throughout. I was not expecting a love story from the title and subject matter of the book, so Allen and Addie Grace's story was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed both of them as separate characters then stayed interested as their relationship developed. Aside from the love story I also felt the battle details were very descriptive and painted a clear picture in my mind, as I expected them to given the content of the historical event. The West is not the particular area of history I am interested in, but this book formed memorable characters and has given me a window for possible future reading on the subject.

[Alisha Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

We can at times think of certain historical figures with reverence, disdain, or maybe even a little curiosity as we view them upon their pedestals. The one thing we forget is that they were human. Stories like this bring historical times and the people of those times into perspective, humanizing them.

I found the story to be eloquently written, characters showed progressive growth from the beginning to the end of the book, and environments depicted so vividly that I was taken there. Story development was well displayed and the author did an amazing job paying attention to details of the story.

Very unique take on a very unique man.

[Alma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young eighteen-year-old Allen Winslow, against his better judgement is coerced by his overbearing mother and General George Custer to travel to Fort Lincoln to become Custer’s secretary. There he was expected to ride with Custer and the men of the 7th Cavalry against Sitting Bull and his Sioux warriors. Read the rest of my review on my blog: http://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.c...

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the opportunity recently to re-visit the Little Bighorn Battlefield after twenty years. I first visited as a child and of course at that age you’re not really paying attention nor can grasp the true significance of the events discussed. Now, I was able to absorb so much more and immerse myself into the history presented. So of course my interest was perked to read more on the battle. I’ve had this title on my Kindle for quite a while, two years in fact. It’s been on my to-read list for three. So now was a great time to dig in.

Given what I’ve recently learned after my historical immersion, the author seemed to have stuck pretty closely with the history that’s known, without an excessive use of creative license. As Allen goes west and is sucked into the Custer family’s orbit of influence, the reader travels along with him into the historical record.

From small period details like travel by train, dress, and daily army fort life to analyzing aspects of the battle itself and interpersonal politics between the officers, Hough shows he’s taken the time to get the historical details right and relay them to his audience perfectly. The author even discusses how he went to the battlefield itself so he’s seen the landscape and immersed himself as well. That’s dedication…

Hough also does a fairly well done job in characterization. He gets into the mind and personal feelings of George Armstrong Custer, giving us a possible insight into why Custer did what he did and how he felt. This mystical American West figure feels more human in Hough’s hands. Allen and Addie are the perfect foils to tell the main story through. Their initial innocence and emerging maturity make the journey very relatable. The reader can’t help but be drawn into their struggle and lives as they deal with the momentous events that was Little Bighorn.

The one hitch I found for this work was the writing style. Descriptive passages were done well, giving a great sense of the vastness that was Montana and the Dakotas at that time (and really still is) and also the workings of the various historical settings. Yet, when it came to conversations/dialogue, the narrative tended to turn choppy and abrupt. Rather than being incorporated into other paragraphs, people talking mostly got their own paragraphs, even if conversation exchanges only involved 3-4 words.

Despite that discrepancy, Hough tells a rousing tale of bravery, maturing through epic events, and humanization of history. He has relatable characters and conveys the history of his story descriptively. I was swept along for the adventure and the tragedy, living each moment with Allen, Addie, and Custer. I’d recommend this work to any lover of history, especially the American West. It takes a seminal event in that historical timeline and brings it to vivid life.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many readers would probably not chose to read this book unless they have an interest in the Indian Wars in general or Lt Colonel George Armstrong Custer and the rout of his 7th Calvary along the Little Big Horn River, specifically. It would be their loss. I entered this first reads giveaway on Goodreads for several reasons: I've been to the Battlefield several times, one of my daughter's classmates at MSU in Bozeman is a descendent of one of the Crow guides used by Custer and in recent years a town by the name of Garryowen was for sale and among the items included in the sale were many of Libbie Custer's writings and apparently some of her possessions. I must look Garryowen up again to see if it ever sold.

From the very beginning in the Willard Hotel in Washington D.C. I was hooked in the telling of the tale. The premise of the novel is that Custer, in Washington to testify before Congress before returning to Fort Lincoln in Dakota, promises the American actress and sometime lover, Mary Deschenes, that he will take her 18 year old son, Allen Winslow with him. Allen has no interest in going West to fight the Indians but, having been somewhat captivated by Custer and feeling a need to placate his mother agrees he will go. Unknown to him, Custer also plans on having him serve as escort for the young sister of one of his surgeons. Addie Grace Lord is anxious to escape her all girls' boarding school and her domineering aunt and uncle and wishes to visit her brother, George.

And so the adventure begins--with a very accurate description of the train ride from Grand Central Station in New York City to Albany, New York and then westward across the forested rolling hills of New York, through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin to the flat plains leading to Bismarck, North Dakota. I've driven this route so often I could see it as I read. Across the Missouri to Fort Lincoln. By the time the two young people stepped out of the wagon in front of Officers' Row they had fallen in love. Fort Lincoln was set up like most of the outposts of the Midwest--a large Parade Ground with a flagpole in the middle and bordered by brick or clapboard buildings on at least three sides. The fancier buildings on one side making up Officers' Row, another side with enlisted mens' housing, some for married men and a dorm for the singles, another side bordered with the buildings necessary to provision, maintain horses etc for a large population of soldiers and families.

When the wind blows across the grounds of some of these places you can almost hear the sounds of voices: singing, ordering, talking, preparing. Those of horses hooves and the music of parade bands as the men go through their marching practice, getting ready for battle whenever it may come. By the time Custer and his men were ready to head to Montana I wondered what Garryowen, the drinking song and The Girl I Left Behind, the ballad, they'd chosen as their own music sound like. I also began to wonder, since so many of the characters were actual soldiers, which of the characters were fictional. I knew that Custer had taken his brother, Tom, with him. But a brother, Boston? A nephew, Austin? Both of these were friends of Allen and stayed with him throughout the story.

I found a webpage that has the full roster of the men with Custer, Reno and Benteen at Little Big Horn. Allen, Addie, Mary Deschenes appear all to be imaginary. But the others, including George Lord are on the list. Along with many of the other characters depicted. Fort Abraham Lincoln is now a State Park near Mandan,North Dakota and Custer was its Superintendent until his death in 1876.

Once more, as the troop marched Westward I could see the Badlands, the wide flatness at the foot of hills in which the Powder River runs and onward over what are now several reservations to the site of the battle which has become known as Custer's Last Stand. The first time I saw that sacred ground on which so much blood, soldier and warrior alike, had been shed, much of the land was off limits to the visitor. There were few of us and the Ranger was a taciturn, unfriendly man who either didn't know much about the battle, which I find hard to believe, or was not in the mood to elaborate with such small showing--I think there were about six of us there. My sister and I drove out the short loop road, looking at the small white markers purportedly placed at the spot where a trooper had fallen. Outside the visitors' center was a fairly small square on which a monument with the names of the men was placed. The small square of ground is a grave of many. Falling away toward the river is a slight downward slope on which several white markers are grouped, one of which has a blackened shield-like face proclaiming it as the spot on which Custer fell. Close by is another marking the location of Tom, his brother's demise.

As I read the description of the battle, I could see the crests and valleys of that terrain the imagine the waves of braves sweeping over them from all directions and yet, it was as if all was happening in slow motion. I was amazed that as I read, Kellogg wrote the date, June 25 and with a shock I realized I was reading this on June 25! I had started earlier in the day but, knowing how the battle would go, I kept finding things to take me away from the story. At last, I sat and read of the arrows, the bullets, the desecrations, the war cries, and simply the cries of anguish.

I've been back since several times. I'm happy to see the monument to the Crow and others who helped Custer. I look at the ribbons of clothe tied there by the Crow who still live on the reservation that surrounds the site and say a prayer,too. The road to drive is longer now, it goes out to an overlook that allows one to see where Reno's men were across the River. Horses graze free there and once in awhile a Native man in a pick-up truck brings bales of hay to them. There are some reddish markers, too, showing where Sioux warriors fell. The Cavalrymen were not the only ones who died.

I cannot like Custer--he was egotistical, had a history of disobeying orders, breaking treaties with the Indians, leaving men behind and leaving his post on several occasions. I'm not sure Reno was the drunk he is portrayed here but, though I bought a book about him, when I was last at the Big Horn, I've not yet read it. I know that both he and Benteen were seen to have been derelict--I'm not sure but I think Reno was even court-martialed. I know they both were highly critical of Custer's command decisions and that Libbie spent the rest of her life making sure her husband was considered a brave and gallant hero. I have more reading to do, obviously.

For those who want to start on learning about the Big Horn they could do worse than to start with this novel. I've often found myself delving into real history after having read a good fictional narrative about an event.

[Hugh Atkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. In a fictional account of the events leading up to and through the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Hough sheds light on one of the most mythologized events in our nation's history. Hough's extensive research provides on-the-ground details of the conditions the cavalry withstood in the days leading up to the battle and the stunning, heartbreaking events once the fighting began. Hough's take on Custer and his relationship with his wife, Libbie, his brothers, and his nephew paint a different, more detailed picture of a very complex and misunderstood man. I highly recommend this book.

[James Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you noticed the started to read and finished dates, you might think I found this novel a slow start. I did, although now I can't think why. Somehow this is the first book I've read about this battle. Why that would be is puzzling; everything about the subject is interesting to me: Old West, historical treatment of native Americans, military historical fiction,adventure, love story. As may be, I enjoyed the novel, did not expect the ending but was not in any way disappointed. Certainly, the main character's perspective is unique, and what a reader learns is rewarding.

[Taylor Hensel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was, overall, a very well-written book. The details were very authentic, the dialogue snappy and naturalistic. Honestly, there were scenes where I got distinct Elmore Leonard vibes. Also, Hough Jr's insights into the life and personality of George Armstrong Custer were extremely nuanced and sophisticated. Hough portrays Custer not as a preening narcissistic glory-hound or a Wild West white knight, but rather as a complicated man with positive and negative qualities, trying to do the best he can with the hand he's been dealt. Honestly, this may be the best fictional portrayal of the general I've ever encountered.

Unfortunately, despite this being a book ostensibly about the Little Bighorn fight, Custer is not the main character. He shares the stage with the novel's true protagonist Allen Winslow, and that's what dropped this book to a 2-star rating for me. While Custer and the other historical characters such as cavalry scouts Bloody Knife and Mitch Boyer are fascinatingly well-written, we never get to spend as much time with them as I would have liked because we are constantly cutting back to the primary POV of Allen, who is one of the most insufferable protagonists I have ever encountered. Essentially, Allen is a sanctimonious prig who disapproves of the entire Bighorn Campaign and is only along for the ride because Custer is sleeping with his mother, so he spends a majority of his time with Custer and the 7th Cavalry pining away for his girlfriend Addie Grace--another paper thin 19th century stereotype who could have walked very easily out of an episode of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman"--and figuring out ways to bring up the fact that he refuses to wear a gun and will most definitely NOT be shooting any Indians, thank you very much.

Allen often comes across like that guy that you go out drinking with who spends the entire night sipping club soda and making judgmental comments to you and all of your ploughed friends, thinking that he's coming across as sophisticated when really he's just an annoying stick-in-the-mud. I did not enjoy this character at all, and it's unfortunate that we see so much of what is otherwise a well-told story through his eyes.

I still recommend this book for the prose, dialogue, and portrayals of the historical characters, but maybe just speed-read through the Allen chapters.

[Mike Cuthbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Allen Winslow is about the only fictional person in this account of the famous battle. He is a youngish student, acquainted through his mother with the Custers. He is invited to go west to witness the Custer campaign against the Sioux and whoever else he runs into. What happens, of course, involves the 7th Cavalry, Sitting Bull, Bloody Knife and the entire cast of the doomed 7th, including Reno and Benteen, the two controversial surviving members of the battle. That they survived at all was due to a decision made early on by Custer to divide his forces into three parts, thus dooming the part of which he assumed personal command. The details of the battle and the days leading up to it are well-known to any Custer buff and Hough breaks no new ground in this novel. He does imply that Custer’s great mistake was in over-estimating the army that he had available to command vs. the force he had to face. He was simply outnumbered, even if the Indians’ main weapons were only bows and arrows. What he does bring off is a successful attempt to humanize many aspects of the Little Big Horn without going into its political or military ramifications. This approach involves less of the Glory Hunter aspects of Custer (which no doubt existed) and fails to explain why he made the decisions he did, but gets small details right such as the crumpled note to “Bring up the packs. Hurry!” that came from him shortly before his end, mutilated and stuck with arrows leaning against the bodies of two of his troopers. Allen’s character is cleverly inserted into many of the battle scenes but he is ordered to find Custer’s commanders, notably General Terry, and to stay with them, which Allen does. That takes him from the scene of the final elimination of the 7th but allows him to wrap up the story as an old man back on the campus of his alma mater with memories of his dead wife and comrades in arms lingering. Other than the lack of any new information or valuable perspective on Custer, the man and the general, this is a good read, even for those who know the battle well. Custer’s Last Failure remains one of the most colossal triumphs of hubris and arrogance in the annals of military history and I, for one, never tire of reading about it.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel presents a different perspective on an iconic battle. Rather than follow Custer, Sitting Bull or Crazy Horse, the reader receives a young man's view of the American figures of the story. Allen Winslow, an eighteen year old, is sent west with to be Custer's secretary as a favor to Allen's mother. Seeing the events through the eyes of citizen and non-combatant is an intriguing presentation. Eschewing the perspectives of the soldiers and warriors allows the story to focus upon the human cost, instead of the military strategy within Custer's campaign. One of the strengths within the novel is the portrayal of the individual soldier's involved in the campaign. The author makes rivalries and animosities come alive, which are instructive to the outcome of the story.

The perspective of the storyteller shifts during the Battle of Little Bighorn to allow the reader the full run of the battlefield. Mr. Hough reconstructs the engagement in such a thorough manner as to place the reader into the scene. We move between the Army regiments as they skirmish with the American Indian warriors throughout the battle. Shifting to the different positions of the Army forces reveals the huge scope and breadth of the battle, which the history books do poorly. The reader is able to envision the entirety of the classic battle.

How the battle ends for the hero of our story is worthy of discussion. An intriguing twist to the prevailing actions of the fateful day opens the entire American campaign to important questions.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to work to finish this book. It just wasn't "my thing." I mean you know how it's going to end, right? Except this version has a survivor.

Hough, John, Jr. Little Bighorn. Arcade: Skyhorse. Jun. 2014. 320p. ISBN 9781628724097. $24.95. F
This fictional account of the famous Battle of the Little Bighorn is front-loaded with a love story that begins on a train to the Dakota and Montana Territories. Heading west to take a position as an aide to Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, Allen Winslow finds his first assignment is to escort Addie Grace Lord, a 16-year-old orphan, to visit her brother, one of Custer’s regimental surgeons. The 18-year-old Allen falls fast for Addie, carrying out their romance at Fort Lincoln, where he lives with the Custers and she stays with her brother. The colonel plans to protect Allen, along with his own brother Boston and nephew Autie Reed, by holding them back from the action as he embarks on his campaign against the Sioux and the Cheyenne. But when the enemy outnumbers the soldiers on June 25, 1876, no one is safe. The battle plays out in graphic, brutal detail that is not for the squeamish.
Verdict Custer fans will enjoy the lively, well-researched storytelling by Hough, who won the W.Y. Boyd Award in 2010 for his Gettysburg novel, Seen the Glory. But for the coarse language, violence, and adult situations, this would be a great read for young adults.—Wendy W. Paige, Shelby Cty. P.L., Morristown, IN

[Jo Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

His mother’s dalliance with Col. George Armstrong Custer lands eighteen-year-old Allen Wright a position as the colonel’s aide. Riding with the glamorous Seventh Cavalry, famed for the 1868 battles with Cheyenne Indians, is every young man’s dream. Now, Allen will take part in Custer’s 1876 campaign to drive Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and their rebellious Sioux back to their reservation.

Allen isn’t the only civilian in Custer’s expedition. Custer’s younger brother, Boston, and his nephew Autie Reed are also going as their famed relative’s aides. Custer also tasks Allen with escorting the sister of his regimental surgeon westward, so that sixteen-year-old Addie Grace Lord can bid her brother goodbye. It’s love at first sight. The pair have an eventful train ride to Bismarck, and then to Fort Lincoln, Nebraska, where Addie remains as a companion to Custer’s wife, Libbie.

John Hough’s Little Bighorn is great entertainment, and a fresh look at the infamous battle at Little Bighorn. It’s well-known that there were no survivors at Custer’s part of the battlefield. Allen Winslow and his blithe companions are an engaging lot, and it’s sad to know that they are riding to their doom. However, Allen is a fictional character, so can he survive somehow to return to his beloved Addie? Read Little Bighorn to satisfy that bit of suspense, for a breathtaking description of Custer’s final hours, or as a fine piece of historical fiction, but read it.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel tells the story of Custer and the battle of Little Bighorn from the point of view of the lone white survivor of Custer's command. If you read that and thought it might be a little like Little Big Man, you will be disappointed. (I have already seen some reviews here on Goodreads which basically condemn this book for not being Little Big Man!)

Anyway as a character study of Custer it is interesting. The romance plot between the protagonist and the girl he tries to protect on the campaign is less so. The book does not dwell on atrocities, but does not paint over them either, so it is more in the vein of revisionist -- or at least realist -- Westerns than the old school pulps.

*I won a copy of this book in a GoodReads giveaway*

[Reeca Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never been a fan of westerns. When I was asked to review this novel, I said no. I don’t like westerns, just not my genre. Well, well, well, I have been proven WRONG!!

I completely fell in love with Allen. He and Addie Grace fit very well together. And their love story is added plus to the story.

I was also very impressed with how the author humanized Custer. He is very much a tortured soul in this novel. I was very surprised by my reaction to Custer. I flat out liked him when I wanted to hate him.

The story is slow in places. And it takes a good while to get to the action of the battle. But it is a very good read.

4 out of 5 stars

http://reecaspieces.com

[Amberle Husbands · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book turned out to be a relatively quick and easy read, and I really enjoyed myself as long as it lasted. But, I was a little bit disappointed by how fast the characters and scenes faded from my mind immediately after I finished. There was no lasting attachment made, no compelling desire for more after the last page. I was thoroughly pleased with the author's grasp of historic detail, though. I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway, and other than some lack-luster characterization, I really can't find anything else to complain about.

[Matthew Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for the goodreads giveaway. I found the books to be interesting and quite the quick read. I would recommend this book to any history buff that would like a "what if" scenario of the Little Bighorn.
Pros- I liked the idea of a survivor of the Little Bighorn living the tell the tale, the main character was interesting and was quite well developed
Cons- too much sex and crude language associated with it, Libby and George Custer was very under-developed and I did not believe this portrait of Custer.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably should have just read Part III, which begins as the 7th moves towards the Rosebud. I am a sucker for any book with "Little Bighorn" in the title and therefore I must suffer the occasional over-reach for content. The author actually does a pretty good job of narrating the battle from the perspective of Custer (mostly) but his Custer seems too even-keeled, too mature, and too calm for what I have imagined him to be.

[Terrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book over all. It has a little for those that want a love story; but may be a little too much for some ladies when it gets to the battle. I love American history especially from the civil war through the settling of the old west. This was a truly terrible battle and many men lost; but I totally understand the Native American fighting for their way of life that white man was hell bend to destroy.

[Jeffrey Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

A romance underpins this account of the legendary battle. Beginning with a long train trip between the two protagonists, the rhythms build to the inevitable climax and then gracefully subsides in a psychologically penetrating epilogue. I found the world that Hough created to be mesmerizing. Poetic and convincing observations such as "the air clear as gin." help immerse the reader while concern for the fate of the fictional protagonist keeps the pages flying.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. I received it free as a first reads giveaway. This subject manner is one which I love to read, fiction or non-fiction. I'm not an expert in giving book reviews, so here goes. Author has combined a love story with the tragic events of Custer's last stand. I enjoyed the read and those that read early American history should give it a read.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

John is such a good storyteller. The narrator he creates to tell this story is compelling and doesn't feel far-fetched - he could have existed - so it really works as a literary device. All the historical characters are fleshed out in a way that makes it difficult to pass easy judgements about good/evil or right/wrong. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Mike Monahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the story of Custer and the Little Big Horn, one could do better. But this is a good read from the point of view of "life in the distant West" The journey from the East to Fort Abraham Lincoln is the heart of the story...the people, their relationships, lifestyles, food, clothing etc. Much more here than (spoiler alert!) just the triumph of the Sioux over the foreign invaders.

[Dale Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

General Custer and The infamous battle. So realistic you feel a part of it.

Mr Hough has put a monumental battle into a love story and makes it work. Both stories are believable, riveting and very well written. Every part of this book is historically accurate to the times. If the events in this book are of interest to you, this is the book to read.

[Thomas Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this different perspective on Custer's last battle. Hough's use of an inserted fictional survivor was really a well used technique. Focus is much more on Custer and his personality than an extensive portrait of the battle of which there are many. Good read. No pun intended!

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway. I enjoyed this book and found it to be a quick and interesting read. I thought using a fictional main character was a clever way to tell the story of the Battle of the Little Bighorn from a different perspective.

[Bea Lathrop · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it and of course, this being fiction I did like some of the additional characters that were inserted into this story. I always shake my head with anything dealing with Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

since this is a novel, it is hard to know how much of the detail is the product of the author's imagination. in spite of knowing how it would end, I found the book very interesting and hard to put down. now I must seek out a non fiction book on the subject so I can tell fact from fiction.