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Cry Once Alone
Adam Rashleigh, son of an English diplomat, is sent by Lord Palmerston on a secret mission to the new republic of Texas in 1838
- GenresFiction
432 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
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About the author
E.V. Thompson
66 books41 followersaka James Munro (Not this James Munro).
E V Thompson was born in London and spent nine years in the Navy before joining Bristol police. He moved to Hong Kong, then Rhodesia and had over 200 stories published before returning to England to become a full-time award-winning writer.
E V Thompson was born in London and spent nine years in the Navy before joining Bristol police. He moved to Hong Kong, then Rhodesia and had over 200 stories published before returning to England to become a full-time award-winning writer.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 21, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. The author grew up outside of the U.S., and he spent time (I think it was a number of years) in Texas doing research that informed this book. The main character is a young Englishman whose father was an ambassador representing English in a spanish speaking country. As the book begins, the main character's parents have died, and Texas has just become an independent country. The new Texas nation has asked English to recognize it as a country that is independent of Mexico. The English version of the Secretary of State wants to get a sense of what's happening on the ground in Texas, given that Mexico does not recognize Texas as an independent state. England has to choose -- recognize Texas and anger Mexico? Or miss out starting a good relationship with an important new country in North America? Does Texas want to join the United States? Would the United States accept Texas? There are implications to England's foreign policy in each of these scenarios.
The main character has many adventures in the young, wild Texas frontier. He gets to know a variety of characters in Texas, for example: the current President of Texas, Sam Houston; a wealthy Mexican family with a ranch in Texas; a group of poor settlers from the British Isles that have been "given land" in Compache county, and a Kiowa (native Americans) community. So the reader gets to see all kinds of people in Texas from a foreigner's point of view. He has to decide for himself who are the good guys and the bad guys.
The main character has many adventures in the young, wild Texas frontier. He gets to know a variety of characters in Texas, for example: the current President of Texas, Sam Houston; a wealthy Mexican family with a ranch in Texas; a group of poor settlers from the British Isles that have been "given land" in Compache county, and a Kiowa (native Americans) community. So the reader gets to see all kinds of people in Texas from a foreigner's point of view. He has to decide for himself who are the good guys and the bad guys.
September 6, 2025
I'm not really a fan of historical fiction (as I prefer to separate facts from fiction) but I nevertheless enjoyed this drama set across the various peoples of the former republic of Texas.
January 15, 2015
Many years ago I visited a museum for Native Americans in Maine. There was very little left to show of the amazing tribes that had roamed a continent for centuries, until Europeans arrived to practice a kind of genocide. I was ashamed to be white.
For that reason I have read only a few books about the so-called colonisation of North America. The brutality (both sides) and the broken promises (mostly from the whites) is sickening. So what made me read this book? It offered an unusual perspective: a British spy, reporting back to Lord Palmerston on the prospects facing Texas after the new republic had been established in 1836. Would it fall back into Mexican hands? Would it be annexed by the USA? Britain had a vested interest in the survival of Texas as an independent nation. Ongoing wars with Texans might impact Mexico's ability to repay its loans from Britain. And the USA was getting bigger, more powerful, and one day might threaten Britain's place as the world's super power.
Thompson provides a fascinating account of this brief period in history, but I think he is probably a better historian than novelist. He is authoritative with the bigger picture: the landscape, the political and economic scene, but his characters and dialogue are not as authentic. Adam, the British spy, is too good to be true, a cross between Lawrence of Arabia and James Bond. And perhaps Mother Theresa as well. I assume he is fictional, although there is no doubt that Palmerston took an interest in Texas and may well have had reports from individuals like Adam.
Above all, any account of meetings between Native Americans and European immigrants, or their descendants, seems to illustrate how individuals can cross the cultural divide with love, friendship and trust, but groups of people fall back on suspicion, bigotry and brutality. We bring out the worst in each other. The frightening thing is that the white rapists and murderers depicted here are only a few generations removed from today's citizens. The perceived threat posed by Native American tribes has been removed, and the abolition of slavery was forced on the southern states, but I can't help wondering if that bigotry and brutality remain just beneath the surface.
For that reason I have read only a few books about the so-called colonisation of North America. The brutality (both sides) and the broken promises (mostly from the whites) is sickening. So what made me read this book? It offered an unusual perspective: a British spy, reporting back to Lord Palmerston on the prospects facing Texas after the new republic had been established in 1836. Would it fall back into Mexican hands? Would it be annexed by the USA? Britain had a vested interest in the survival of Texas as an independent nation. Ongoing wars with Texans might impact Mexico's ability to repay its loans from Britain. And the USA was getting bigger, more powerful, and one day might threaten Britain's place as the world's super power.
Thompson provides a fascinating account of this brief period in history, but I think he is probably a better historian than novelist. He is authoritative with the bigger picture: the landscape, the political and economic scene, but his characters and dialogue are not as authentic. Adam, the British spy, is too good to be true, a cross between Lawrence of Arabia and James Bond. And perhaps Mother Theresa as well. I assume he is fictional, although there is no doubt that Palmerston took an interest in Texas and may well have had reports from individuals like Adam.
Above all, any account of meetings between Native Americans and European immigrants, or their descendants, seems to illustrate how individuals can cross the cultural divide with love, friendship and trust, but groups of people fall back on suspicion, bigotry and brutality. We bring out the worst in each other. The frightening thing is that the white rapists and murderers depicted here are only a few generations removed from today's citizens. The perceived threat posed by Native American tribes has been removed, and the abolition of slavery was forced on the southern states, but I can't help wondering if that bigotry and brutality remain just beneath the surface.
May 2, 2012
Well researched, well written story of the early days of Texas, not long after the Alamo... E V Thompson is an author you can rely on for bringing to life historical themes, characters and places.
October 18, 2013
A truly epic book. You will cry, laugh, get angry, and above all be utterly disappointed that you have finished. A fantastic read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews