The Midnight Cool

by Lydia Peelle

The Whiting Award—winning author of the story collection Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing delivers her enchanting debut novel, set in 1916 Tennessee: a rich and rewarding tale of two flawed yet endearing grifters who pursue women, wealth, and a surprisingly valuable commodity for the troops in Europe—mules.

A middle-aged Irish immigrant, Billy has a gift for illusion—making damaged objects look new. His companion, Charles, the smooth-tongued teenage son of a prostitute, is a natural salesman, just like the mythical father he’s never met. Longtime horse traders and partners, they’ve recently turned their talents to trading mules. But in the summer of 1916, these seasoned grifters skilled in the art of the underhanded deal have just been swindled themselves. They’re saddled with the one thing they may not be able to unload: a gorgeous, murderous black mare named The Midnight Cool.

Charles should have listened to Catherine, the beautiful, rebellious daughter of Leland Hatcher, the richest man in Richfield, Tennessee, and the former owner of The Midnight Cool. The horse would be worth a fortune—if she weren’t a verified man-killer who attacks on sight. Charles and Billy are rooted in this muggy town until they can miraculously retrain their recalcitrant mare, and in the shadow of the growing inevitability of war, their bond begins to fray. Falling in love with Catherine—and under the spell of the deceitful, wealthy Leland, the vision of himself he’d like to be—Charles pulls away from the older man.

Despite their growing distance, Billy and Charles find their business thriving when the war in Europe pushes the demand for mules sky-high and the United States enters the fight. But when a trade goes terribly wrong, Charles is forced to reevaluate his allegiance to his country, the moral implications of his lifestyle, his relationship with Catherine, and, ultimately, his mysterious and surprisingly deep connection to Billy.

Populated by spirited, memorable characters, The Midnight Cool is a startlingly profound tale of aspiration, loyalty, and love—and the eternal search for something lasting in a transitory world.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Audiobook, Novels, Southern, Adult

386 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 10, 2017

About the author

Lydia Peelle is the Whiting Award- winning author of the novel The Midnight Cool and the story collection Reasons For and Advantages of Breathing, which was a New York Times Book Review Critics' Choice book and received an honorable mention for the PEN/Hemingway Award. She earned her MFA from the University of Virginia and has been a fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Ucross, Yaddo, and Ragdale. Peelle is a recipient of two Pushcart Prizes, an O. Henry Prize, the National Book Foundation's "5 Under 35" honor, and the Anahid Award for Armenian-American writers. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee. The Midnight Cool is her first novel.

Reviews

[Melissa Crytzer Fry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never really considered the number of mules sent to fight during World War I, and the reality of that historic occurrence was heartbreaking. But I guess I wanted my heart broken a bit more in this novel. I wanted more of a connection, as a reader, to the mules and to the horse, Midnight Cool. The few times I did experience those connections, I was emotionally engaged. The equines, however, were secondary to the main thrust of the story.

This is a novel about a man and a boy, the same man who loved a woman, and the boy who also fell in love. It is a story of mistakes, regret, and the question of what /is the “right” thing: What is the right path to take? How do we rectify our mistakes to make things right? It’s a story of men who want women they can’t have. It’s a story about duty to country. It’s a story about war.

While the writing was spare but lovely, and the author is obviously very talented, this book – for me – just didn’t engage me the way I had hoped. To be certain, this is a ‘quiet’ book (which I generally enjoy). But it wasn’t until the last 50 pages that I really felt there were high stakes for the main characters – and that’s when I connected the most. I confess that I also was a bit put off by the lack of quotation marks for dialogue; they made it confusing, in many instances, to discern who was speaking. I am still trying to figure out the reason for this mechanism. While I've seen it before in literary fiction, I've read only one other book where I felt that particular treatment of dialogue had purpose and actually worked.

However, I really loved the character of Billy (and, as an aside, for some reason I confused Billy and Charles throughout the book – thinking Billy was a young boy’s name and Charles was a man’s name – when they were named opposite). Billy really was a softie for animals and I felt I understood his pain, motivations, and actions the best.

I like sad stories, and this is one. And while I did like it – with a “3” rating – it was a book I was able to walk away from for periods of time without rushing back to. Others may have a different feeling, and I urge them to give it a try if they like family stories and historical fiction. I did learn quite a bit about horses and mules, which I enjoyed.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad debut novel. I think I wanted a little more depth of story and more grit. I have found when mules are part of a story I want some grittiness. The story was too mild if that's possible. I will definitely read the next book the author releases.

[Roxy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The impoverished people in America when WW1 started, the horses, the mules, the awful sadness of every day life, the struggles to survive, to try to get ahead; I read this in one day, and sobbed through much of it near the end. It is a heart-rending story, so well told, and another lesson on what war does to all of us, people and animals.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rarely, when you have finished a book do you recognize you have read something great. This book is one of those - multi-layered, taughtly woven, full of insights. The mule-traders shine a light brightly on immigration and war in a time in America that today seems sadly ripe for repetition.

[El · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.

Caveat emptor, that was the first rule. The second was to never lie. Twist the truth, yes, hide it, decorate it, do what you would with it, of course, but you never looked a man in the face and opened your mouth and spoke an outright lie. You never knew when you might come through a town again, and you wanted to maintain a reputation. Besides, it took the fun out of it. Trading was a game, after all, nothing but a match of wits, and what fun was a game without rules.
p33

These are the rules of a grifter that Irish immigrant, Billy, and Charles, the son of a prostitute, live by in 1916. They are talented in scamming people, primarily in trading mules. They find themselves tasked with trying to unload The Midnight Cool, a black mare who has a history of attacking. While they spend their time in small town Tennessee trying to retrain the horse, the friendship between Billy and Charles grows fraught as love and the war comes into the picture.

It took me a little bit to get into the flow of Peelle's story, but once I did I found I was attached to the characters, and interested in the different timelines that occurred throughout. For a first novel, I find The Midnight Cool to be pretty impressive, and I look forward to seeing what Peelle brings us in the future.

Full review here.

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Midnight Cool builds gradually, with quietly revealing dialogue, evocative turns of phrase, and a vivid sense of time and place—all evidence of Peelle's finesse with language and her gently humanistic approach to her characters. With her artistry, the story of Billy and Charles and their mules—and the looming specter of World War I in small-town Tennessee—is deeply resonant and piquantly poignant.

[Sarah Bruton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a random pick off the shelf at my local library. It was set in 1917 in the South and told the sad story about the prisons we create for ourselves with the secrets we have to live with. Americans were in love with the idea of entering WW I and that love was temporary. Those who lived to tell the truth shared an ugliness that continues today in our constant need for war. The war to end all wars created multiple victims, human and animal alike, and ultimately created that famous Lost Generation.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I liked Peelle's short story collection and because she was a wonderful book club guest, I gave her novel a try despite it being about a time I don't typically read about. It was an excellent choice with beautiful writing and narration that was almost heartbreaking at times, it was so evocative of the story. I learned much about this specific setting (East Tennessee during WWI) that was unknown to me.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing. It sounded like the book was going to be mostly about a horse. It wasn't. I will not be reading another one of her books.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not interested at all in reading about mules in Tennessee being sent to help during WWI, but it was my book club book, and I heard it was good. Absolutely beautifully written, so much so, that I could not put the book now.

[Carol · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok, I tried. I gave it 200 hundred pages mostly because of all the 4 & 5 star ratings. I guess I was missing something because I found the book very tedious. I didn't like the way there were no quotes so you had to search and try to figure out who was speaking. If the book was supposed to be about a horse I think the author missed the mark. I believe it was about Charles & Billy.

I read a review where the reviewer stated they enjoyed the last 50 pages. Too many books to read to try and muddle through to the last 50 pages.

[Kitty Galore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Until nearly the end of the book, I enjoyed the narrative. When it came to the animal abuse, I closed it and that was that. While I realize those events needed to be written to complete the narrative, they only served to remind me that humans are an inherently evil animal species. Actually I'm reminded of that whenever I watch the news channels, which is why reading about it only exacerbates my disgust.

[Jennifer Ferencz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and am thankful for the opportunity to read the author's work.

I entered the giveaway for this book because, while it is outside the scope of what I traditionally read, it seemed like a book that I would enjoy. When it comes to fiction, I prefer crime/forensic novels. There is a concise arc and a defined plot. These books are structured and, to an extent, formulaic.

This book was a bit more meandering than I am used to. The book jumps back and forth in time, and, in that way, tells two meandering love stories. This also makes the main characters a little interchangeable. Not much about their day-to-day lives was engaging. Even the love story of Charles felt lack-luster. He was simply obsessed with a girl. He claimed that she made him want to be a better person but then he never became that. I felt more attached to some of the more minor characters.

I also felt that there is a scene near the end about the horse, Midnight Cool. Some people will probably boycott the book because of animal cruelty. Some people might feel more emotion toward the horse than they've felt toward any of the other characters in the book.

I've been trying to figure out how to rate/review this book because it is not in a genre that I typically read. I don't know how it compares to other period fiction. But on it's own, it just wasn't that engaging. I had to force myself to sit down and finish the book when I didn't care enough about the characters to be drawn back in on my own. The ending was compelling in a way that I wish the rest of the book was.

[Richard J. Alley · Rating 5 out of 5]

From my review originally published in The Memphis Flyer (See full review at http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/l...).

Lydia Peelle, by her own admission, is a time traveller when she's writing. In her new novel, The Midnight Cool (Harper), she takes us along with her to the American South of 1917 and the beginnings of World War I.

At the center of Peelle's book are mules, the most maligned and stubborn of beasts. The author has a soft spot for them and writes with compassion about the animal anomalies. "A lot of the elements of the book have long-captured my imagination: The relationship of men and horses and mules is one, horse traders and that subculture and characters is another," she said by phone from her home in Nashville.

The story follows two less-than-ethical horse traders, Billy Monday and Charles McLaughlin, skilled at masking the flaws of lesser animals and at smooth-talking customers, respectively. The tables are turned when they themselves are duped and Charles purchases a spirited (read: dangerous) horse from a wealthy man in fictional Richfield, Tennessee. Perhaps Charles is mesmerized by the stateliness of the sedated mare, or perhaps it's the horse owner's daughter, the beautiful Catherine Hatcher, clouding his judgment. Either way, the two hustlers find themselves in possession of a man-killing horse and, Charles, anyway, of a lovelorn heart.

Against the backdrop of the beginnings of a Great War in Europe, we learn the connection of the two men — a middle-aged Irish immigrant (Billy) and the teenage son of a prostitute. Charles has dollar signs in his eyes and a youthful obsession over the wealthy. Thus is he drawn into the coterie of Catherine's father, Leland Hatcher, just as he's pulled further in by his daughter's charms. War and love begin to take a toll on the men's relationship even as they take on the task of supplying war mules to the U.S. government. The action comes to a head as Charles is forced to make a decision between his life and country, his love and duty, and a secret and truth.

Peelle is a masterful storyteller who has honed her craft with short stories and the collection Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing (Harper Perennial, 2009). The Midnight Cool is her first novel and is rich with voice and in detail, the sense of place as familiar as her own backyard. "The writing and research evolved side by side," she said. "The research was like a treasure hunt. One door led to another and another, until about halfway through the drafts I realized I had opened one literally onto my back doorstep."

She grew up on her grandfather's farm in upstate New York and has had a lifelong love affair with horses. "My father was the first person in his family to leave the farm, so it's in my blood," she said. "When I was growing up, we would go back to the farm, but all of the animals were gone so there were empty barns and empty pastures that really captured my imagination." While in college, she worked giving horseback riding lessons and leading trail rides, and she ran horses at a horse auction, the first place she came in contact with the horse-trading subculture.

Only recently, though, did she become acquainted with mules, true characters within her book as they plow a straight and true furrow through the storyline. "You cannot tell America's story without talking about mules," she has said about the horse-donkey hybrids. "Mule power essentially built the physical infrastructure of our cities and our country: the roads, the power lines, the telephone lines, the transcontinental railroad, etc."

Peelle has a long road to travel in the countryside of literature, and, though some will be short jaunts, I look forward to these longer walks through the lives of her characters and the times that have passed.

[Janet Morrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was conflicted as I finished reading The Midnight Cool. Lydia Peelle has a way with words, but I found the book hard to follow since the dialogue was not enclosed within quotation marks. It was tedious to have to go back a couple of paragraphs at times in order to discern who was speaking. I was interested in the subject matter, but the middle of the book did not hold my attention. I enjoyed the last 50 or so pages of the book, so I'm glad I didn't give up on it. I never want to give a book a less than favorable rating; hence, I'm conflicted. I'm giving it two stars because I did not enjoy the book as much as I did many books I've given three stars. For all the hype of the book to be about mules for World War I and a killer horse, I found it to be more about the two men who traded in mules and the women they loved.

If Lydia Peelle writes another novel, I will check it out because she has a gift for turning a phrase.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this book a rare five stars because it is just that good! The story of two grifters, Billy and Charles, as they make their way in the horse and mule business at the start of the first World War. The novel portrays a strong sense of what it was like to live in that time period- the thoughts and feelings and expectations about a nation entering war. Interwoven between Billy and Charles, and the women they loved, is the story of the mule and how they impacted the war effort. Excellent writing! From the NYTimes book review- Remembering the rapid effects of eating poisonous mushrooms on a woman, another character says, “They were measuring her for her coffin before she sat up and asked for a glass of water.” A miner, after breaking his back in an accident, says, “I can’t die, I’ll lose my job.”
This is an author I will definitely read more of.

[Margaret Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lyrical, eyes-wide-open in the biblical sense, tale of 2 pre-WWI horse-traders rambling around Tennessee, scratching out a living and learning to read the different faces of people they meet: the rich and hypocritical, the rebellious, the true believers. They get into mule trading in support of the eventually fast-developing war effort; mules are needed on the front lines in France, to transport supplies and ammunition. At its core, this is a love story and an ‘everyman’ tale of the personal moments of truth that each one must face. There are echoes of Ecclesiastes, in the ethics of the dominant character, Billy, who reflects throughout this beautifully written tale, on how everything changes, nothing is permanent, and one should know when to love and when to let go.

[Dale Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This well-written story describes places in the south I don’t associate with WWI. According to this novel, mules played an important part in the early stages of US involvement in the war. Why these animals were important and how they were gathered and made it to France sets the stage for this story.

The pace of the story rolled along, not too fast but moved nonetheless—sort of like mules :). The characters have depth and struggle with questions about identity, duty, doing the right thing, and family secrets.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received my copy of Lydia Peele's book from Goodreads for my unbiased review. I had read reader reviews prior to starting the story and found they (the reviews) were very mixed. I found a very well written and enjoyable story set during the Great War in Tennessee. It was interesting to see the importance of mules in the war effort being sent overseas. Excellent characterizations - I loved Charles and was rooting for him throughout the story. (Underdog makes good!) The Midnight Cool did not disappoint!

[Valerie French · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Especially interesting to me is the attention this brilliant author gave to generational patterns that we often see. A close similarity in the type of partner chosen and the dramatic life events resulting (both having a major effect on the family dynamic) repeated through the generations of both families in this story. Wonderfully written, with a full spectrum view-- harsh, tender, humourous, and vulnerable. Surprises and twists. Loved it.

[Marion Lougheed · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Such a heartfelt, heartbreaking story! This one is an excellent, poignant read. It's not as much about horses as you might think (there are more mules in it than horses), but the characters and their trajectories drew me right in. I even didn't mind the romance, because it was complex and sometimes not pretty (like real life). Will definitely be looking for more books by Lydia Peelle!

[Gary Street · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the book to be tedious, and to a large extent, unbelievable. The story line was predictable. For me, the most interesting part was the role that mules played in WWI. Since that is the best I can say I am sure you understand why I did not rate the book very high.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broad swaths of reality with strokes of beauty and occasional dabs of ugliness. Not overly graphic, a snapshot of a small U.S. town during WWII. From another Goodreads reader's review: "Midnight Cool builds gradually, with quietly revealing dialogue... and a vivid sense of time and place...."

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was debating on whether to give this book 3 stars or 4, because it didn’t grab my attention as much as my 4-star ratings and the writing style was hard to follow at first. But as I finished the book, I was so emotionally attached to the characters in the book, I had to give it a 4-star rating. I’ve never had a book tug at my heart strings the way this one did.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me several days to decide what to rate this book. A solid 3.5. Interesting characters ALL with secrets. All flawed and most trying to be better people. The history of mules was fascinating the best part of the book. I enjoyed this but don’t think
It is for everyone

[Mary Greiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took a bit to get into the book, then I genuinely enjoyed the story

[Wayne Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read--strongly recommend it
The character of Billy is amazing!
Great perspective on the run up to World War 1

[Jerrilynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bittersweet story.

[Denise Kruse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predictable, a snooze for me.

[Daniel Ballard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful...Very thought-provoking