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Wanderers Eastward, Wanderers West
Leaving his family behind in order to pursue his lust for gold in the Northwest mountain territories, Morgan Devlin finds his destiny intertwined with that of powerful financier Joshua Ching, who stakes a claim of his own in New York City.
912 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1965
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230 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen Winsor
50 books181 followersKathleen Winsor was an American author. She is best known for her first work, the 1944 historical novel Forever Amber. The novel, racy for its time, became a runaway bestseller even as it drew criticism from some authorities for its depictions of sexuality. She wrote seven other novels, none of which matched the success of her debut.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 21, 2014
"And so, rather than make apologies for the devastation they had accomplished so far they deprecated it".
And you're not going to know what that quote means until the very end of this door-stopper sized book! This one starts in 1861 and tells the parallel tales of Matt Devlin as he begins to carve a new life in Montana, along with that of his brother-in-law Joshua Ching in New York as he winds his way to great fortune through the manipulation and financial downfall of others. Matt, his brother Pete and their partners and eventually his sons are involved in the early days of mining the Montana Rockies, first gold then silver and finally digging to the depths of the inner mountains for the remaining treasure - copper. The early boom towns grow and die, although one town long thought dead begins to grow and change as does the landscape surrounding it - Butte.
On the other side of the country, Jason's wealth grows and he becomes one of New York's elite rich and marries his daughter Susan (Suky) into one of the "old" families short of cash. The story carries them through the financial disasters and depressions of the time, as well as intertwining with Matt's children with his. That's about as far as I care to go, beyond that I'd be writing a full length book report and you know I don't do that. Suffice it to say, this book is packed with plenty of extramarital affairs (but no bodice ripping, I promise), sneaky stock dealings, railroad barons, roaring mining towns, scandalous actresses and mistresses, the cigar smoking cussing Lily in her men's clothes all intertwined with Morgan Devlin as he reaches for the huge wealth buried in the mountain he must destroy to reach the copper inside it.
Although I wouldn't call this one an action packed, can't put it down until you know what happens next type of book, it was still entertaining for those like a big fat (and I do mean fat) book packed with plenty of history and intrigue and colorful characters. Just be warned, there are a lot of characters and the story switches back and forth quite a bit between Montana and New York so if you don't like a switching POV or if you're looking for a book with star-crossed lovers, a pure and saintly hero and heroine who get their HEA in the end, this isn't the book for you. For those of you who read and loved her more famous book, Forever Amber you might want to give this one a whirl. 4/5 stars.
And you're not going to know what that quote means until the very end of this door-stopper sized book! This one starts in 1861 and tells the parallel tales of Matt Devlin as he begins to carve a new life in Montana, along with that of his brother-in-law Joshua Ching in New York as he winds his way to great fortune through the manipulation and financial downfall of others. Matt, his brother Pete and their partners and eventually his sons are involved in the early days of mining the Montana Rockies, first gold then silver and finally digging to the depths of the inner mountains for the remaining treasure - copper. The early boom towns grow and die, although one town long thought dead begins to grow and change as does the landscape surrounding it - Butte.
On the other side of the country, Jason's wealth grows and he becomes one of New York's elite rich and marries his daughter Susan (Suky) into one of the "old" families short of cash. The story carries them through the financial disasters and depressions of the time, as well as intertwining with Matt's children with his. That's about as far as I care to go, beyond that I'd be writing a full length book report and you know I don't do that. Suffice it to say, this book is packed with plenty of extramarital affairs (but no bodice ripping, I promise), sneaky stock dealings, railroad barons, roaring mining towns, scandalous actresses and mistresses, the cigar smoking cussing Lily in her men's clothes all intertwined with Morgan Devlin as he reaches for the huge wealth buried in the mountain he must destroy to reach the copper inside it.
Although I wouldn't call this one an action packed, can't put it down until you know what happens next type of book, it was still entertaining for those like a big fat (and I do mean fat) book packed with plenty of history and intrigue and colorful characters. Just be warned, there are a lot of characters and the story switches back and forth quite a bit between Montana and New York so if you don't like a switching POV or if you're looking for a book with star-crossed lovers, a pure and saintly hero and heroine who get their HEA in the end, this isn't the book for you. For those of you who read and loved her more famous book, Forever Amber you might want to give this one a whirl. 4/5 stars.
February 6, 2008
If you like the HBO series Deadwood (old west shoot em up w/romantic intrigue) and you like long novels that flow from one character and place to another, you will really like this book.
August 4, 2025
Grande fresque romanesque - plus de huit cents pages - qui dépeint sur une durée de vingt ans l’évolution de deux familles apparentées. D’un côté, deux frères aventureux, Matt et Pete Devlin, se lancent à la recherche de l’or enfoui dans le sol du Territoire du Montana, pas encore rattaché à l’Union. De l’autre, le beau-frère de Matt, Joshua Ching, financier ambitieux, est prêt à tout pour devenir l’homme le plus riche de la ville de New York.
Quand l’histoire commence, Matt et Pete sont déjà depuis deux années dans le Montana, d’abord au camp de Bannack, où les premiers filons ont été découverts. Puis, lorsque ceux-ci se sont taris, ils se sont déplacés près de ce qui deviendra Virginia City, où ils ont poursuivi leurs activités, jusqu’à ce que leur situation financière permette à Matt de faire venir sa famille de New York. Après un long périple arrivent donc sa femme Marietta et leurs cinq enfants, âgés de sept à seize ans. On suivra particulièrement Morgan, le fils ainé, et Lisette, treize ans, dans la suite des évènements.
Dans L’Est, Joshua Ching, en marge de ses affaires, a décidé de marier sa fille Suki et mène la recherche du gendre idéal comme il traiterait l’acquisition d’une entreprise ou la sélection d’un nouveau partenaire.
Impossible de résumer en quelques lignes ce roman-fleuve. Les péripéties s’enchaînent dans chaque famille, dans des cadres différents, mais toujours avec le même objectif : réussir. Dans l’Ouest, c’est le seul moyen pour échapper à la dure vie de labeur des mineurs. Il faut avoir du courage, du flair, prendre des risques pour sortir du lot. C’est ce que font Matt et Pete en créant leur compagnie puis leur banque. Des années plus tard, Morgan se tournera vers l’extraction de l’argent et du cuivre lorsque les filons d’or seront épuisés.
Dans l’Est, les dangers sont d’un autre ordre mais on se salit aussi les mains, même si c’est au figuré. Ici, c’est la prise de participation dans les affaires publiques qui permet de s’enrichir, même s’il faut utiliser la corruption, la trahison et les jeux d’influences.
À la description détaillée des agissements des principaux héros viennent se mêler les histoires d’amour, plus ou moins contrariées, qui apportent une touche romanesque. Il y a parfois des longueurs, des personnages dont on aurait pu se passer mais qui correspondent à des figures de la société de l’époque, comme le voyou un peu plus malin que la moyenne, sa sœur qui rêve de devenir actrice ou la fille de petite vertu qui apporte le réconfort et la tendresse au magnat malheureux en ménage. Chacun ou chacune, à son niveau, doit œuvrer pour tenter de se sortir de sa condition, de trouver sa place, même s’il faut accepter d’être le jouet des plus influents.
J’ai été très intéressée par tout ce qui concernait la recherche du minerai dans le Montana. On sent que l’auteure s’est documentée pour présenter tous les aspects de la vie du chercheur d’or. Elle a su, à travers ses personnages, faire prendre conscience de la fièvre qui saisit les hommes face au rêve ultime, les pousse à s’épuiser et à risquer leur vie. J’ai été moins captivée par la description des manœuvres financières dans l’Est, même si certaines opérations rappellent des situations encore très actuelles !
Sur mon blog
Quand l’histoire commence, Matt et Pete sont déjà depuis deux années dans le Montana, d’abord au camp de Bannack, où les premiers filons ont été découverts. Puis, lorsque ceux-ci se sont taris, ils se sont déplacés près de ce qui deviendra Virginia City, où ils ont poursuivi leurs activités, jusqu’à ce que leur situation financière permette à Matt de faire venir sa famille de New York. Après un long périple arrivent donc sa femme Marietta et leurs cinq enfants, âgés de sept à seize ans. On suivra particulièrement Morgan, le fils ainé, et Lisette, treize ans, dans la suite des évènements.
Dans L’Est, Joshua Ching, en marge de ses affaires, a décidé de marier sa fille Suki et mène la recherche du gendre idéal comme il traiterait l’acquisition d’une entreprise ou la sélection d’un nouveau partenaire.
Impossible de résumer en quelques lignes ce roman-fleuve. Les péripéties s’enchaînent dans chaque famille, dans des cadres différents, mais toujours avec le même objectif : réussir. Dans l’Ouest, c’est le seul moyen pour échapper à la dure vie de labeur des mineurs. Il faut avoir du courage, du flair, prendre des risques pour sortir du lot. C’est ce que font Matt et Pete en créant leur compagnie puis leur banque. Des années plus tard, Morgan se tournera vers l’extraction de l’argent et du cuivre lorsque les filons d’or seront épuisés.
Dans l’Est, les dangers sont d’un autre ordre mais on se salit aussi les mains, même si c’est au figuré. Ici, c’est la prise de participation dans les affaires publiques qui permet de s’enrichir, même s’il faut utiliser la corruption, la trahison et les jeux d’influences.
À la description détaillée des agissements des principaux héros viennent se mêler les histoires d’amour, plus ou moins contrariées, qui apportent une touche romanesque. Il y a parfois des longueurs, des personnages dont on aurait pu se passer mais qui correspondent à des figures de la société de l’époque, comme le voyou un peu plus malin que la moyenne, sa sœur qui rêve de devenir actrice ou la fille de petite vertu qui apporte le réconfort et la tendresse au magnat malheureux en ménage. Chacun ou chacune, à son niveau, doit œuvrer pour tenter de se sortir de sa condition, de trouver sa place, même s’il faut accepter d’être le jouet des plus influents.
J’ai été très intéressée par tout ce qui concernait la recherche du minerai dans le Montana. On sent que l’auteure s’est documentée pour présenter tous les aspects de la vie du chercheur d’or. Elle a su, à travers ses personnages, faire prendre conscience de la fièvre qui saisit les hommes face au rêve ultime, les pousse à s’épuiser et à risquer leur vie. J’ai été moins captivée par la description des manœuvres financières dans l’Est, même si certaines opérations rappellent des situations encore très actuelles !
Sur mon blog
July 15, 2008
If you are a fan of great, imaginative and well researched writing this book is for you. The novel is set in two different locales..New York City and Montana. It cleverly recounts the events in the lives of various individuals who inhabit these two areas. Ms. Winsor gives us fully "fleshed out" characters with distinctive qualities and personal traits that intrigue us. You find yourself wanting to know more and more about what's happening to each of them. The authors way of advancing the storyline and leaving reader with little "cliff hangers" at the end of selected chapters, keeps you reading until your eyes literally burn from lack of sleep. This is a book you cannot put down.....and you don't want to.
March 9, 2018
One of my all-time favorite books! I have read it several times and loved it each time!
August 23, 2024
This is a huge potboiler of a book. It's got everything: murder, adultery, financial shenanigans, the wild frontier, the NY richie scene, tragic deaths...anything you'd want from your standard potboiler novel.
But I'm at the 3/4 mark in the book and I've got to quit. There's a TON of characters and they're all eventually intertwined with one another. They're hard for me to keep straight because Winsor makes them all main characters.
There's also two separate plots going...the NYC side and the Montana side. They eventually come together, but I keep thinking that the book would've been better off if Winsor had focused only on one plot. The same issue exists with Forever Amber...I enjoy that book, but had she focused solely on Amber and left the whole Charles II saga aside, the book would not have suffered at all.
And the writing itself is a bit much. Winsor uses a lot of flowery prose and sometimes takes forever to get to a point. That's why the book is nearly 1000 pages long. A lot of it could've been condensed down for more concise reading.
I did try several times before now to get into this book. My mom read it and enjoyed it, but each time I tried it, I couldn't get into it. It starts pretty slow and there's not a lot going on in about the first quarter part of it. I struggled each time to keep the characters straight and was put off by the overly florid prose. So this time around I forced myself to keep going, but now I'm giving it up.
But I'm at the 3/4 mark in the book and I've got to quit. There's a TON of characters and they're all eventually intertwined with one another. They're hard for me to keep straight because Winsor makes them all main characters.
There's also two separate plots going...the NYC side and the Montana side. They eventually come together, but I keep thinking that the book would've been better off if Winsor had focused only on one plot. The same issue exists with Forever Amber...I enjoy that book, but had she focused solely on Amber and left the whole Charles II saga aside, the book would not have suffered at all.
And the writing itself is a bit much. Winsor uses a lot of flowery prose and sometimes takes forever to get to a point. That's why the book is nearly 1000 pages long. A lot of it could've been condensed down for more concise reading.
I did try several times before now to get into this book. My mom read it and enjoyed it, but each time I tried it, I couldn't get into it. It starts pretty slow and there's not a lot going on in about the first quarter part of it. I struggled each time to keep the characters straight and was put off by the overly florid prose. So this time around I forced myself to keep going, but now I'm giving it up.
January 21, 2021
It's is a good holiday read. Romantic, and the comparison of the life in the Wild West and in New York in the 19th century, the travelling of the characters back and forth almost felt like time travel. I liked the book
May 12, 2022
Just don't. Wtf. Nobody gives me back the time for this incredibly bad book. Gonna spare myself the energy of how bad and sexistic the characters have been portrayed. If you come across this book - leave it.
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July 5, 2019Late 19th century Nevada and NYC --- terrible
June 5, 2015
An epic historical fiction novel that will take commitment and concentration but will result in getting to know and deep feelings toward the richly developed characters and places. In reading many of the passages, I couldn't help but think the human race and particularly citizens of the U.S. still practice and think the same way as the pioneers of yesterday in many instances and ring true today as they did when this book was written. I thoroughly enjoyed this extensive and detailed book about a two families - the Gold Rush speculators of the West and the self made millionaires and investors of the East.
November 27, 2013
I LOVED IT! I love Kathleen Winsor, too bad about some of her covers..makes them seem cheap…but her writing is amazing and so well researched. I read this fatty during my three month sabbatical in New York..in about a week. BAMM! A joy!
December 28, 2011
Couldn't get into it- long and tedious.
May 3, 2011
Not very good.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews