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The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart: A Coming-of-Age Story of Survival and Exile in the West Virginia Coal Wars
Meet Trenchmouth Taggart, a man born and orphaned in 1903, a man nicknamed for his lifelong oral affliction. His boyhood is shaped by the Widow Dorsett, a strong mountain woman who teaches him to hunt and to survive the taunts of others. In the hills of southern West Virginia, a boy grows up fast. Trenchmouth sips moonshine, handles snakes, pleases women, and masters the rifle—a skill that lands him in the middle of the West Virginia coal wars. A teenaged union sniper, Trenchmouth is exiled to the back-woods of Appalachia's foothills, where he spends his years running from the past. But trouble will sniff a man down, and an outlaw will eventually run home. Here Trenchmouth Taggart's story, like the best ballads, etches its mark deep upon the memory.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
51 people are currently reading
833 people want to read
About the author
M. Glenn Taylor
5 books39 followersM. Glenn Taylor was born and raised in Huntington, West Virginia. His stories have been published in such literary journals as The Chattahoochee Review, Mid-American Review, Meridian, and Gulf Coast. He teaches English and fiction writing at Harper College in suburban Chicago, where he lives with his wife and three sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 157 reviews
October 5, 2023
In the Thomas Berger’s novel, Little Big Man, Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman in the film) recalls the events he has seen over the hundred-plus years of his life. Whether we call our historical observer Zelig, Jack Crabb, Time Traveller (from H. G. Well’ The Time Machine) or Trenchmouth Taggart, the point is to offer a view of some aspects of the human experience with a long but personal perspective. In fact Taylor tips his hat to Berger with a specific mention of Little Big Man, the movie, on page 247, planting The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart fully in the “observer-through-time” genre of historical fiction, or whatever, if there even is such a genre, it is really called. Like Little Big Man’s Jack Crabb, Trenchmouth begins as an old man, 108, in the year 2010 He is being interviewed by a writer from Time magazine and manages to tell his tale despite having most of his mouth sewn shut. As in Berger’s book, the story-teller is tape-recorded by an inconsequential third-party.
M. Glenn Taylor - image from The Guardian
Early Taggart begins his inauspicious existence by being dumped by his addled mother, Mittie, into a freezing river, catching an infection that would give him his nickname. Moses-like, he floats downriver—under the ice to give it an even more magical flair—until he is rescued by his foster mother to be, Ona Dorsett.
Through the years ahead we accompany Trenchmouth as he displays an almost Potter-like comfort with serpents, discovers a considerable innate gift for cunnilingus, and uses his native accuracy with weapons of all sorts to join in some serious violence in the conflict between miners and owner-paid thugs. He uses talents both intellectual and physical to fight for right in the face of wrong, mostly. He is a gifted musician, able survivalist, and prize-winning reporter. He sees racial attitudes change, and becomes friends with a sheriff who is partial to workers over owners.
While one recognizes that, as a literary device, certain liberties are allowable, without becoming a cartoon, how does one character manage to even walk about under the weight of so much genius?
Still, Taylor gives us a picture of West Virginia from early 20th into the early 21st century, and does so with a special gift for language and image, and a command of rhythm that makes the reader just want to settle back and listen as the tale is told.
One peeve I have about the book is that there are large gaps in time. Book One runs from 1903 to 1921. Book Two begins in 1946, running to 1961. Book Three skips over 28 years, beginning in 1989. It was not entirely clear to me why.
But the good here far outweighs the suspect. And as a first novel, it is quite remarkable indeed. I am looking forward to reading Mister Taylor’s next work.
First Published - January 1, 2008
Review first published - 2009
M. Glenn Taylor - image from The Guardian
Early Taggart begins his inauspicious existence by being dumped by his addled mother, Mittie, into a freezing river, catching an infection that would give him his nickname. Moses-like, he floats downriver—under the ice to give it an even more magical flair—until he is rescued by his foster mother to be, Ona Dorsett.
Through the years ahead we accompany Trenchmouth as he displays an almost Potter-like comfort with serpents, discovers a considerable innate gift for cunnilingus, and uses his native accuracy with weapons of all sorts to join in some serious violence in the conflict between miners and owner-paid thugs. He uses talents both intellectual and physical to fight for right in the face of wrong, mostly. He is a gifted musician, able survivalist, and prize-winning reporter. He sees racial attitudes change, and becomes friends with a sheriff who is partial to workers over owners.
While one recognizes that, as a literary device, certain liberties are allowable, without becoming a cartoon, how does one character manage to even walk about under the weight of so much genius?
Still, Taylor gives us a picture of West Virginia from early 20th into the early 21st century, and does so with a special gift for language and image, and a command of rhythm that makes the reader just want to settle back and listen as the tale is told.
When Early Taggart was baptized in the Tug River in 1903, he was two months old. His mother, whose husband had left her a week earlier, had got religion. She believed it right to bring lambs to the fold before they could crawl or sit up on their own. Before Satan could fill their little blood vessels with the seven deadly sins. It was these sins that had caused her husband to run off, that she now preached on to her twelve pound boy while he breastfed.How can you put down a book that begins like that?
But it was February when she decided to baptize him, and no preacher would agree to it.
One peeve I have about the book is that there are large gaps in time. Book One runs from 1903 to 1921. Book Two begins in 1946, running to 1961. Book Three skips over 28 years, beginning in 1989. It was not entirely clear to me why.
But the good here far outweighs the suspect. And as a first novel, it is quite remarkable indeed. I am looking forward to reading Mister Taylor’s next work.
First Published - January 1, 2008
Review first published - 2009
May 30, 2018
Miners stayed poor loading that coal
Till Trenchmouth Taggart came to save their soul
He stood his ground and took his stand
An eye for an eye with that green-fisted man
This started out as a blazing five-star read!
A poor mountain boy, almost killed by his birth mother's attempt to baptize him, is adopted by a female moonshiner. He develops a heap o' handy skills, raises hell at some miner's strikes and works himself up tooutcast outlaw.
Then the second half of the book reared its lackluster head and the rating dropped to three.
Here's Trenchmouth, all growed-up, then suddenly, downright elderly. There's some Forrest Gumpiness here as our man interacts with a few celebrities from the time period. (Apparently, it was Taggart who influenced Chuck Berry's sound, and NOT Marty McFly.) The biggest problem with the last section of the book is that Trenchmouth becomes almost a minor player and we are introduced to too many characters I just didn't care about.
Taylor brings it back around for a terrific ending, but sorry, it didn't make up for the middle.
Till Trenchmouth Taggart came to save their soul
He stood his ground and took his stand
An eye for an eye with that green-fisted man
This started out as a blazing five-star read!
A poor mountain boy, almost killed by his birth mother's attempt to baptize him, is adopted by a female moonshiner. He develops a heap o' handy skills, raises hell at some miner's strikes and works himself up to
Then the second half of the book reared its lackluster head and the rating dropped to three.
Here's Trenchmouth, all growed-up, then suddenly, downright elderly. There's some Forrest Gumpiness here as our man interacts with a few celebrities from the time period. (Apparently, it was Taggart who influenced Chuck Berry's sound, and NOT Marty McFly.) The biggest problem with the last section of the book is that Trenchmouth becomes almost a minor player and we are introduced to too many characters I just didn't care about.
Taylor brings it back around for a terrific ending, but sorry, it didn't make up for the middle.
February 13, 2017
By the time Trenchmouth Taggart decides to tell his story, more than one hundred years of living is gone, and his mouth is sewn almost shut.
Add to that his miraculous baptism in a West Virginian river, twelve days after his birth, during the month of February, dumped through the ice to be rescued a few miles further by a widow, and the tone is set for this slightly unbelievable tale. Trenchmouth is a mountain man with messianic zeal. He is a man's man. Best lover, sharpshooter, hunter, musician, writer, storyteller. But he is also a baby soother and philosopher. And he plays with snakes which instantly fall in love with him. Yes, we have a downtrodden, Appalachian, persevering loner, who defines his own life and destiny.
In lyrical prose, filled with music, a castaway mountain man worms his way through regional and American history, becoming part of the coal mine war, the early Chicago blues movement, and writes a Pulitzer-prize winning newspaper article.
Far-fetched, yet realistic; impossible yet possible. True and untrue.
I was thinking about THE MOUTH. It becomes a character in the story. Well almost. Trenchmouth had a medical condition which determined his story and his acceptance into society. The Mouth almost personifies the forgotten people of the region. THE MOUTH is the metaphor for the unpalatable part of history, restricted by self-induced limitations.
An absurd, banal fairy tale, with enough touches of truth to settle itself in the historical psyche of a nation. Let the story be told, but restrict the ability and scope.
I did not connect with the protagonist or any other characters, but it was not the intention of the book anyway. The reader is just an observer. There's substance to the truths and untruths, as long as the reader can make the distinction and enjoy the novel for what it is. Well constructed, extremely well told and layered with fantasy and facts. There was no emotional connection to the tale. For me. At least. Yet, I was pulled into the narrative until the very end.
A good experience.
Add to that his miraculous baptism in a West Virginian river, twelve days after his birth, during the month of February, dumped through the ice to be rescued a few miles further by a widow, and the tone is set for this slightly unbelievable tale. Trenchmouth is a mountain man with messianic zeal. He is a man's man. Best lover, sharpshooter, hunter, musician, writer, storyteller. But he is also a baby soother and philosopher. And he plays with snakes which instantly fall in love with him. Yes, we have a downtrodden, Appalachian, persevering loner, who defines his own life and destiny.
In lyrical prose, filled with music, a castaway mountain man worms his way through regional and American history, becoming part of the coal mine war, the early Chicago blues movement, and writes a Pulitzer-prize winning newspaper article.
Far-fetched, yet realistic; impossible yet possible. True and untrue.
I was thinking about THE MOUTH. It becomes a character in the story. Well almost. Trenchmouth had a medical condition which determined his story and his acceptance into society. The Mouth almost personifies the forgotten people of the region. THE MOUTH is the metaphor for the unpalatable part of history, restricted by self-induced limitations.
An absurd, banal fairy tale, with enough touches of truth to settle itself in the historical psyche of a nation. Let the story be told, but restrict the ability and scope.
I did not connect with the protagonist or any other characters, but it was not the intention of the book anyway. The reader is just an observer. There's substance to the truths and untruths, as long as the reader can make the distinction and enjoy the novel for what it is. Well constructed, extremely well told and layered with fantasy and facts. There was no emotional connection to the tale. For me. At least. Yet, I was pulled into the narrative until the very end.
A good experience.
August 13, 2020
Since I am a native of West Virginia, I was very happy to have discovered this book. I was not disappointed. This story is set in the early 1900's down among the hollows, mountains, and coal mines. It begins with Taggart as a newborn and concludes when his life ends at age 108. A realistic, often brutal tale which moves quickly, and is both sad and uplifting.
May 24, 2010
It's been a while since I so thoroughly loved a book. The combination of compelling storytelling and deft Technicolor writing is such a delight: Taylor is a writer's writer who is a joy to read. Plot-wise, the story charts the extremely long and adventurous life of Trenchmouth Taggart (that's the first of his names, anyway). Trenchmouth is a complex and very human character--we relate to his struggles and the tragedies that he endures, but the choices he makes that reveal weakness and cowardice are sometimes the ones that stick with us after the book is closed. I'm still thinking about Trenchmouth and his life, richly lived and richly flawed. I will reread this book, and I'm so glad that my pal at McNally Jackson recommended it to me.
January 23, 2013
I enjoyed this book immensely. It was a great read. It was a great use of the mountain people's vast knowledge and stories and culture with a great epic adventure of one man. It was almost everything I love in a story all wrapped up into one.
September 30, 2019
This is my kind of book - local color (Appalachian, West Virginia), character driven, spans a lifetime, and a captivating story. Highly recommend for if you want to lose yourself in another person's life for a few days. Love, love, love!
October 29, 2017
This was a great read about a place and characters I have not read much before. I liked the representation of the character and his life. I liked that not every detailed was elaborated but just some things were focused on. I also liked that we could see how his life choices effected him and how he thought about them. And the writing was good as well, sucking you right into the mountains and the characters lives.
October 22, 2008
My favorite book so far this year; it really deserves at least six stars. Taylor's prose sings. He illuminates even the most minor of characters. The book is filled with music and love and family and lost opportunities and love. We follow the life story of Trenchmount Taggart, through many life stages and identities. The book is primarily set in West Virginia, and Taylor brings it to life for us. He makes even the most challenging subjects fun and interesting to read about. All I can say is "wow" -- I want to buy copies for all of my friends!
January 31, 2021
The story of Appalachian West Virginia in the twentieth century, as told through the eyes of Trenchmouth Taggart. An ambitious first novel with a clear-eyed mission, reclaiming Appalachian people and culture from decades of bad jokes and cruel assumptions.
The novel spans the century and is broken up into three books detailing Taggart’s boyhood, middle age, and old age. The character is almost Forrest Gump on moonshine at times, hopping from unlikely career to unlikely career, somehow the best there ever was at anything he attempts. His life brings him into the orbit of several famous people. Sometimes these convergences and transitions are seamless, sometimes not so much. (For example, light spoiler: Running into Chuck Berry makes sense in the context of the story, running into Hank Williams almost immediately afterward feels unearned.) Taggart’s life is constant upheaval and adaptation, mirroring the conditions of his home state.
The author has voice for days and the book is a breezy, steely read. There is a wealth of untapped potential and forgotten history in Appalachian storytelling, and this book is a noble attempt to bring some of this stories back into the light.
(Also, if you enjoyed this one and/or are curious about some of the actual history, go check out Elizabeth Catte’s “What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia”. It’s a great read about the region’s progressive history and it will turn your head around quick.)
The novel spans the century and is broken up into three books detailing Taggart’s boyhood, middle age, and old age. The character is almost Forrest Gump on moonshine at times, hopping from unlikely career to unlikely career, somehow the best there ever was at anything he attempts. His life brings him into the orbit of several famous people. Sometimes these convergences and transitions are seamless, sometimes not so much. (For example, light spoiler: Running into Chuck Berry makes sense in the context of the story, running into Hank Williams almost immediately afterward feels unearned.) Taggart’s life is constant upheaval and adaptation, mirroring the conditions of his home state.
The author has voice for days and the book is a breezy, steely read. There is a wealth of untapped potential and forgotten history in Appalachian storytelling, and this book is a noble attempt to bring some of this stories back into the light.
(Also, if you enjoyed this one and/or are curious about some of the actual history, go check out Elizabeth Catte’s “What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia”. It’s a great read about the region’s progressive history and it will turn your head around quick.)
January 9, 2022
"He spoke on the mystery of fate, of past friends and family finding themselves together again. Of old time music's power to heal. When Ace talked like this, as when he talked of tracking and trapping and surviving on nothing in the winter-coated wilderness, folks generally listened."
I could not put this one down. I think it collectively took me a day to finish, day and a half at most. Might be my favorite of Taylor's three novels. Taylor is almost sing-song in the way he describes his characters and their surroundings. His dialogue is truly dialectical.
Trenchmouth is like a WV Forrest Gump. Gump meets Nixon, Trenchmouth interviews Kennedy. Gump wins a purple heart, Trenchmouth a Pulitzer. Gump fights in Vietnam, Trenchmouth in the war between mine companies and union workers.
What a stellar tribute to a region and a state that Taylor calls home. I will visit this one again in the coming years. But, then again, maybe I'm just a bamboozler.
I could not put this one down. I think it collectively took me a day to finish, day and a half at most. Might be my favorite of Taylor's three novels. Taylor is almost sing-song in the way he describes his characters and their surroundings. His dialogue is truly dialectical.
Trenchmouth is like a WV Forrest Gump. Gump meets Nixon, Trenchmouth interviews Kennedy. Gump wins a purple heart, Trenchmouth a Pulitzer. Gump fights in Vietnam, Trenchmouth in the war between mine companies and union workers.
What a stellar tribute to a region and a state that Taylor calls home. I will visit this one again in the coming years. But, then again, maybe I'm just a bamboozler.
August 30, 2018
An enjoyable "tall tale" of a rebellious character in West Virginia spanning the whole of the 20th century.
September 20, 2022
Probably give it a 3.5 if i had the option.
January 31, 2018
Review: The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart by M. Glenn Taylor. 01/28/2018
Glenn Taylor’s style of writing shows how good he is as a storyteller. He wrote the book in four sections from childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. Taylor has captured the essence of historical time but also of a culture of a small town when coal miners and families help each other, roughens that know it all, isolated mountain people, and some adventurous hillbilly’s.
Within this story Trenchmouth Taggart was named after his tooth breaking disease brought on a week after he was born. With very little schooling he does acquires and perfects the skills needed to live in the back-country and survive. There was a lot of dysfunction and poverty in his life but also some goodness and happiness. Taggart was an interesting man that kept me reading to the last page. As Taggart aged he accumulated many skills. In one scene he was a snake handler, the next a sniper, a one-time inventor, a prize-winning writer, woodsman, newspaper man, and a harmonica player in a band.
Taggart greatest encounters was meeting John Kennedy during the 1960 campaign, jamming with Chuck Berry in his earlier rock period and talking with Joseph Mitchell a New York writer comparing similarities and differences in their written notes. There were times when Taggart isolated himself in hidden cavities he built because he felt agoraphobia around people and another time when he was on the run from authority figures. At times Taggart would change his name to accommodate his situation.
There is so much about Taggart’s life, which the author organized so brilliantly and so fascinating that I couldn’t put it down. I thought it was a wonderful story….
Glenn Taylor’s style of writing shows how good he is as a storyteller. He wrote the book in four sections from childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. Taylor has captured the essence of historical time but also of a culture of a small town when coal miners and families help each other, roughens that know it all, isolated mountain people, and some adventurous hillbilly’s.
Within this story Trenchmouth Taggart was named after his tooth breaking disease brought on a week after he was born. With very little schooling he does acquires and perfects the skills needed to live in the back-country and survive. There was a lot of dysfunction and poverty in his life but also some goodness and happiness. Taggart was an interesting man that kept me reading to the last page. As Taggart aged he accumulated many skills. In one scene he was a snake handler, the next a sniper, a one-time inventor, a prize-winning writer, woodsman, newspaper man, and a harmonica player in a band.
Taggart greatest encounters was meeting John Kennedy during the 1960 campaign, jamming with Chuck Berry in his earlier rock period and talking with Joseph Mitchell a New York writer comparing similarities and differences in their written notes. There were times when Taggart isolated himself in hidden cavities he built because he felt agoraphobia around people and another time when he was on the run from authority figures. At times Taggart would change his name to accommodate his situation.
There is so much about Taggart’s life, which the author organized so brilliantly and so fascinating that I couldn’t put it down. I thought it was a wonderful story….
November 22, 2014
The reviews are very good but I did not like this book and Glenn Taylor is definitely no Cormack McCarthy nor John Irving. OK his character is interesting. Maybe I should say characters as Trenchmouth morphs into Chicopee, then Chicky Gold the harmonica man, then A.C. Gilbert the journalist and Pulitzer price winner (?!) and finally Ace the old man. Focusing on West Virginia is interesting and original. It is a pity the coal wars are not better described; it comes out as a bunch of messy brawls with no attempt at explaining how it came about. There is a bit of hillbilly talk but none of the richness of the language of McCarthy’s characters. This could have been a great book but it turns out to be just average.
November 3, 2008
I picked up this book because it was written by a family friend, and I turned each page after that because I was enjoying it so much. The well-spun life story of an outcast/ outlaw born in 1903 West Virginia. Deeply respectful of the mining life, beautifully written with great humor, outrageousness and believability. I found myself interested in all kinds of things I didn't know I was interested in: mining and labor union history, snake and gun handling, and trenchmouth, to name a few. I recommend this book and own it if anyone near me wants to borrow -- would love to spread the word about it!
May 30, 2018
This was my first book of the summer and a gift from a fellow English teacher in West VA. From the first paragraph of the prologue I was hooked.
The story traces Trenchmouth (who goes on to have multiple names and identities) from birth to death. The best way I can think of describing this Bildungsroman to my students is: Think the story development of Forrest Gump with all the charm and uniqueness of West VA as the backdrop. And a few chapters of mature sexual content.
This kind of book makes me want to put “West” in front of my reply when someone asks me where I am from. Thanks, Karla!
The story traces Trenchmouth (who goes on to have multiple names and identities) from birth to death. The best way I can think of describing this Bildungsroman to my students is: Think the story development of Forrest Gump with all the charm and uniqueness of West VA as the backdrop. And a few chapters of mature sexual content.
This kind of book makes me want to put “West” in front of my reply when someone asks me where I am from. Thanks, Karla!
November 8, 2010
I actually listened to the audio version of this book and it was amazing! Trenchmouth Taggart is a fabulous character whose story covers a lot of years....but all parts were interesting and kept me wanting more. I got to hear the author read from his newest work at a book festival and he seemed like a really nice guy. I'm happy to support southern authors, especially when they write such great stories!
January 7, 2021
A Rollicking, Ripping, Gambolling, and Gripping book.
It'll make you want to drop everything and cruise through West Virginia in an Oldsmobile blaring some hillbilly blues.
This quote from the protagonist will give you a good idea of whether you'll like it or not.
"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy."
- Trenchmouth Taggart
It'll make you want to drop everything and cruise through West Virginia in an Oldsmobile blaring some hillbilly blues.
This quote from the protagonist will give you a good idea of whether you'll like it or not.
"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy."
- Trenchmouth Taggart
January 24, 2011
The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart made me want to load my shotgun, take a swig of moonshine, and start dancin’ to fiddle music. I loved this book. It was truly breathtaking, and I learned me sum fancy new words (probably invented by the author).
July 29, 2011
fell in love with this intriguing little book that so expertly, and entertainingly weaves West Virginia history and Appalachian folk tale into one cohesive story.
January 11, 2015
Excellent read.
July 17, 2024
An awesome Appalachian based novel about a runaway bad-ass outlaw who has to deal with societal changes through the 20th century.
One of my new favorite books.
One of my new favorite books.
May 14, 2021
The disappointment of Glenn Taylor's The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart shows that sometimes worthy literary experiments can fail, and eccentricity cannot always pass for originality. Trenchmouth is a strange and sometimes gnarly ramble through backwoods Americana, following the titular character from his birth in 1903 through the moonshine years and coal-mine wars in West Virginia and up until the present day.
Pitched as an Appalachian Forrest Gump, Taylor's attempt at an old-timey tall-tale doesn't really work. The early stuff, up to and including the violent plight of the coal miners in the 1920s, is good stuff, but Taylor then breezes through the rest of Trenchmouth's life. Significant periods of solitude as a mountain man are delivered hastily, and once we get into the 1950s all the magic is gone. It is often difficult, from this point on, to know which decade it is meant to be in the story, and most of the side characters are sketchily created. Even the protagonist, by this time, seems uprooted in his character. Gump-like encounters with famous American figures are half-hearted; President Kennedy, the most prominent such encounter, is drawn blandly and with no authenticity or sense of occasion. Whereas Gump was in the thick of everything, to great effect, Taylor only occasionally (and blithely) refers to the great historical motions of America in his own story, and they all take place elsewhere.
In truth, the storytelling is not all that great. The plot is scattershot, the characters don't shine and literary depths are hinted at but not sounded. The 'tall tale' structure is not delivered well: if an 'unreliable narrator' device is to be used in a story, there ought to be clues for the reader in order to make it engaging, or it needs to be so completely outlandish or in such command of its language that you enjoy the ride. Trenchmouth does neither and, frankly, the book unravels.
There are some good moments. As a comment on how outsiders perceive the 'hill people' of Appalachia, the visit of the eugenicist whose leg Trenchmouth pulls is rather pointed and amusing (pg. 85). The moment towards the end where the old Trenchmouth realises the hills of West Virginia from his youth are gone, the tops of the mountains levelled out by strip-miners (pg. 266), manages to summon up some pathos.
However, while the book's messages are worthy ones – the importance of friends and family and of music's power to heal (pg. 251), the broad refutation of the bad images people conjure "when they heard the words 'West Virginia'" (pg. 161) – these messages are handed to rather than created for the reader. When the old Trenchmouth writes that he "recognized the uselessness of most things considered useful today, and the demise of most things once considered grand" (pg. 300), it doesn't really land with a great deal of grace, even if we can objectively appreciate the sentiment.
Ultimately, despite some neat touches, the book can't fulfil its ambitious premise. It's a tall tale that topples over, and after its strong opening part it never really brings the reader along with any of its characters or its ideas. The book skates across the surface of its deep territory, and it can never really bring itself to navigate its strange dimensions.
Pitched as an Appalachian Forrest Gump, Taylor's attempt at an old-timey tall-tale doesn't really work. The early stuff, up to and including the violent plight of the coal miners in the 1920s, is good stuff, but Taylor then breezes through the rest of Trenchmouth's life. Significant periods of solitude as a mountain man are delivered hastily, and once we get into the 1950s all the magic is gone. It is often difficult, from this point on, to know which decade it is meant to be in the story, and most of the side characters are sketchily created. Even the protagonist, by this time, seems uprooted in his character. Gump-like encounters with famous American figures are half-hearted; President Kennedy, the most prominent such encounter, is drawn blandly and with no authenticity or sense of occasion. Whereas Gump was in the thick of everything, to great effect, Taylor only occasionally (and blithely) refers to the great historical motions of America in his own story, and they all take place elsewhere.
In truth, the storytelling is not all that great. The plot is scattershot, the characters don't shine and literary depths are hinted at but not sounded. The 'tall tale' structure is not delivered well: if an 'unreliable narrator' device is to be used in a story, there ought to be clues for the reader in order to make it engaging, or it needs to be so completely outlandish or in such command of its language that you enjoy the ride. Trenchmouth does neither and, frankly, the book unravels.
There are some good moments. As a comment on how outsiders perceive the 'hill people' of Appalachia, the visit of the eugenicist whose leg Trenchmouth pulls is rather pointed and amusing (pg. 85). The moment towards the end where the old Trenchmouth realises the hills of West Virginia from his youth are gone, the tops of the mountains levelled out by strip-miners (pg. 266), manages to summon up some pathos.
However, while the book's messages are worthy ones – the importance of friends and family and of music's power to heal (pg. 251), the broad refutation of the bad images people conjure "when they heard the words 'West Virginia'" (pg. 161) – these messages are handed to rather than created for the reader. When the old Trenchmouth writes that he "recognized the uselessness of most things considered useful today, and the demise of most things once considered grand" (pg. 300), it doesn't really land with a great deal of grace, even if we can objectively appreciate the sentiment.
Ultimately, despite some neat touches, the book can't fulfil its ambitious premise. It's a tall tale that topples over, and after its strong opening part it never really brings the reader along with any of its characters or its ideas. The book skates across the surface of its deep territory, and it can never really bring itself to navigate its strange dimensions.
February 6, 2021
... alla fine non ce l'ho fatta, mi sono fermato a pagina 225, quando fa la sua entrata in scena Kennedy: basta, questo libro e il suo protagonista mi hanno stufato.
Ma cosa mi ha portato a prendere questa drammatica decisione?
Dobbiamo fare un paio di passi indietro, me se avete la pazienza di seguirmi, lo capirete.
Dunque, questo libro è iniziato in modo molto interessante; insomma, la straordinaria vita di Trenchmouth Taggarth, un uomo che è testimone di più di un secolo di storia americana era potenzialmente una storia esplosiva e per certi versi lo era veramente: mi è piaciuta molto la prima parte, con l'infanzia del protagonista e la descrizione delle lotte dei minatori negli anni 20 e mi ha addirittura spinto a informarmi di più su figure semi leggendarie come quella di Sid Hatfield, poliziotto e difensore dei minatori realmente vissuto ma che sembra uscito direttamente da un film di John Woo.
Dopo qualche pagina però il libro si perde.. o, meglio, lo perdo io.
Questo Trenchmouth inizuia a convincermi sempre di meno: sempre dalla parte giusta, troppo consapevole, troppo sensibile e poi.. troppo talentuoso.. in tutto, ha una mira infallibile, sa incantare i serpenti, piace alle donne nonostante abbia la bocca marcia come la carogna di una nutria, sa suonare l'armonica ed è bravissimo a scrivere... e da dove vengono tutti questi talenti? mistero... Trenchmouth si alza la mattina e ce li ha... va a vivere 24 anni in montagna da solo, scende e quasi diventa una superstar del blues, risale in montagna per altri 5 anni, riscende e diventa un super giornalista... capisco che i personaggi normali sono noiosi, ma visto che non stiamo parlando di un supereroe mi aspetterei almeno un po' di realismo... inoltre l'andatura della narrazione con quella sua ricerca di epicità non fa altro che allontanarmi emotivamente dal personaggio.. fino a farmelo diventare indigesto e antipatico, tant'è che, quando si prospetta pure un incontro con kennedy mi dico "basta, era più simpatico Forrest Gump" e chiudo il libro.
Per sempre? Non lo so.. certamente non lo riaprirò prima di aver finito un sacco di libri all'apparenza più interessanti!!
Ma cosa mi ha portato a prendere questa drammatica decisione?
Dobbiamo fare un paio di passi indietro, me se avete la pazienza di seguirmi, lo capirete.
Dunque, questo libro è iniziato in modo molto interessante; insomma, la straordinaria vita di Trenchmouth Taggarth, un uomo che è testimone di più di un secolo di storia americana era potenzialmente una storia esplosiva e per certi versi lo era veramente: mi è piaciuta molto la prima parte, con l'infanzia del protagonista e la descrizione delle lotte dei minatori negli anni 20 e mi ha addirittura spinto a informarmi di più su figure semi leggendarie come quella di Sid Hatfield, poliziotto e difensore dei minatori realmente vissuto ma che sembra uscito direttamente da un film di John Woo.
Dopo qualche pagina però il libro si perde.. o, meglio, lo perdo io.
Questo Trenchmouth inizuia a convincermi sempre di meno: sempre dalla parte giusta, troppo consapevole, troppo sensibile e poi.. troppo talentuoso.. in tutto, ha una mira infallibile, sa incantare i serpenti, piace alle donne nonostante abbia la bocca marcia come la carogna di una nutria, sa suonare l'armonica ed è bravissimo a scrivere... e da dove vengono tutti questi talenti? mistero... Trenchmouth si alza la mattina e ce li ha... va a vivere 24 anni in montagna da solo, scende e quasi diventa una superstar del blues, risale in montagna per altri 5 anni, riscende e diventa un super giornalista... capisco che i personaggi normali sono noiosi, ma visto che non stiamo parlando di un supereroe mi aspetterei almeno un po' di realismo... inoltre l'andatura della narrazione con quella sua ricerca di epicità non fa altro che allontanarmi emotivamente dal personaggio.. fino a farmelo diventare indigesto e antipatico, tant'è che, quando si prospetta pure un incontro con kennedy mi dico "basta, era più simpatico Forrest Gump" e chiudo il libro.
Per sempre? Non lo so.. certamente non lo riaprirò prima di aver finito un sacco di libri all'apparenza più interessanti!!
March 12, 2020
This rambling picaresque about the century-long life of a West Virginia boy over the course of the 1900s has plenty literary ancestors, the most explicit being Thomas Berger's novel Little Big Man. Here, the fanciful story is broken into three sections: 1903-21, 1946-61, and 1989-93, bookended by a prologue and epilogue set at the end of the millennium.
The first section is easily the most entertaining (and fortunately, the longest). It details the titular character's rescue as a baby and adoption by a mountain woman hunter, herbalist, healer, and moonshiner, living in a shack deep a holler. The boy grows up with the titular oral condition and has various adventures as a evangelical speaker in tongues, an oral gigolo of sorts, and eventually becomes involved in the mining union movement and takes part in the famous gunfight against company thugs at Matewan.
Fleeing the law, he lives off the land as a hermit for 20-some years, only lured out by the sight and sound of music coming from an isolated farmstead at the start of the second section. Eventually, he becomes part of a country/gospel/blues band that trailblazes for the emergence of rock and roll, meeting Chuck Berry and Hank Williams Jr. along the way. He then transitions to becoming a columnist for a small-town newspaper, culminating in an award-winning profile of JFK that proves crucial in the primary race against Humphrey, (which is considered by many the turning point for his entire presidential campaign).
So, there's kind of a Zelig/Forrest Gumpian quality to the proceedings, as our hero pops up present at various turning points that are illustrative of social, economic, and political changes in West Virginia and the country at large. Readers kind of have to be on board with that kind of thing in order to enjoy the book, which also functions as a kind of ode to Appalachian cultural history.
The first section is easily the most entertaining (and fortunately, the longest). It details the titular character's rescue as a baby and adoption by a mountain woman hunter, herbalist, healer, and moonshiner, living in a shack deep a holler. The boy grows up with the titular oral condition and has various adventures as a evangelical speaker in tongues, an oral gigolo of sorts, and eventually becomes involved in the mining union movement and takes part in the famous gunfight against company thugs at Matewan.
Fleeing the law, he lives off the land as a hermit for 20-some years, only lured out by the sight and sound of music coming from an isolated farmstead at the start of the second section. Eventually, he becomes part of a country/gospel/blues band that trailblazes for the emergence of rock and roll, meeting Chuck Berry and Hank Williams Jr. along the way. He then transitions to becoming a columnist for a small-town newspaper, culminating in an award-winning profile of JFK that proves crucial in the primary race against Humphrey, (which is considered by many the turning point for his entire presidential campaign).
So, there's kind of a Zelig/Forrest Gumpian quality to the proceedings, as our hero pops up present at various turning points that are illustrative of social, economic, and political changes in West Virginia and the country at large. Readers kind of have to be on board with that kind of thing in order to enjoy the book, which also functions as a kind of ode to Appalachian cultural history.
April 15, 2022
This book will always hold a special place for me. Being a multi-generational West Virginian whose roots extend all over the state, I loved reading about all of those places in their historical context in a novel. It doesn't hurt that historical fiction is one of my favorite literary genres and this book not only epitomizes that genre, it goes to great lengths to include exclusively West Virginia history.
The author's ability to turn a phrase is nearly second to none. From the way he phrases an ordinary incident to how he places words in sequence, this was one of my favorite aspects of the book.
So why 4.5 stars instead of a full 5? The first of my two chief complaints is the unnecessary inclusion of an adult theme (which was utterly superfluous to the narrative) and certain coarse words. In short, the author is better than this. He's an adept enough writer that he doesn't need to stoop down to certain levels and include lewd topics or language. Some strong language is warranted, but others are beneath him as a writer. It exhibits more laziness than anything. (I will admit, however, that some of his clever turns of phrase revolve around the one adult theme included in the story.) The second complaint is the ending. It felt rushed and unlike the rest of the novel. From page 256 to the end, it read and felt like a different book. The epilogue was more annoying than gratifying. Again, the author is better than this. I wanted more and the landing left much to be desired.
This will be on my shelf for a long time and will likely be required reading for my children (sans adult portions that no one needs to read) as they mature and study West Virginia History.
4.5 stars
The author's ability to turn a phrase is nearly second to none. From the way he phrases an ordinary incident to how he places words in sequence, this was one of my favorite aspects of the book.
So why 4.5 stars instead of a full 5? The first of my two chief complaints is the unnecessary inclusion of an adult theme (which was utterly superfluous to the narrative) and certain coarse words. In short, the author is better than this. He's an adept enough writer that he doesn't need to stoop down to certain levels and include lewd topics or language. Some strong language is warranted, but others are beneath him as a writer. It exhibits more laziness than anything. (I will admit, however, that some of his clever turns of phrase revolve around the one adult theme included in the story.) The second complaint is the ending. It felt rushed and unlike the rest of the novel. From page 256 to the end, it read and felt like a different book. The epilogue was more annoying than gratifying. Again, the author is better than this. I wanted more and the landing left much to be desired.
This will be on my shelf for a long time and will likely be required reading for my children (sans adult portions that no one needs to read) as they mature and study West Virginia History.
4.5 stars
August 13, 2025
Trenchmouth Taggart föds under tragiska och dramatiska omständigheter. Han tas strax efter sin födsel omhand av änkan Ona Dorsett, så gott hon kan. Han har en sjukdom, trenchmouth, eller nekrotiserande ulcerativ gingivit, vilket är en smärtsam tandköttsinflammation som kommer att plåga honom genom hela livet. Berättelsen om hans liv vindlar sig fram och tillbaka, genom en hel del mörker men också ljus. Att läsa den här boken känns lite som att sitta och lyssna på en bra historieberättare vid en lägereld. Man rycks med och skrattar åt det dråpliga, känner av mörkret, men det är själva resan som är poängen. Det som ligger kvar hos mig efter mötet med Trenchmouth är att livet tar oss på olika vägar, genom ljus och mörker, som vi inte alltid kan styra över själva.
Kanske är det just det som gör Trenchmouths historia så minnesvärd, att den påminner oss om att vi alla bär våra ärr, men också våra skratt, genom livet.
Kanske är det just det som gör Trenchmouths historia så minnesvärd, att den påminner oss om att vi alla bär våra ärr, men också våra skratt, genom livet.
February 13, 2024
Part adventure fiction, part historical fiction, and Appalachian Gothic, this novel has a lot of originality, and the plot is mostly captivating. The characters tend to be well-rounded. Taggart is a memorable figure, with an engaging voice. The themes are survival. The narrative has humor and tragedy. Like many ballads, it has farce and anguish. Taylor nails some the West Virginia history concerning the battles between coal operators and union organizers. He covers the Matewan Massacre and the Battle of Blair Mountain. Taggart was a union sniper, killing a few Baldwin-Felts thugs. However, the pacing is irregular and near the end of the story things slow down a bit much. Some readers were disappointed with the ending, too.
May 10, 2020
A Remarkable Book
I love the writing style Glenn Taylor uses. Being from about 100 miles from the location of the book, I very much appreciate the vocabulary and grammatical method for all of Taylor's series. It was like sitting across the table with the main character as narrator of the story. This one is in keeping with the first book in the series. Although they can be read independently, I suggest that the are better and more cohesive if read in the correct order! This is a remarkable work and I will be reading more by Glenn Taylor soon.
I love the writing style Glenn Taylor uses. Being from about 100 miles from the location of the book, I very much appreciate the vocabulary and grammatical method for all of Taylor's series. It was like sitting across the table with the main character as narrator of the story. This one is in keeping with the first book in the series. Although they can be read independently, I suggest that the are better and more cohesive if read in the correct order! This is a remarkable work and I will be reading more by Glenn Taylor soon.
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