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Post by ripper on May 22, 2015 11:38:52 GMT
St. Agnes' Stand by Thomas Eidson (Harper Collins 2007, originally published 1994)
Nat swanson is fleeing across the desert, pursued by a posse from a Texas town where he killed a man. He comes across a couple of wagons under siege from a band of Apaches. About to move on, realising he can do nothing to help the wagons' passengers, he suddenly spies a woman peering from cover. Later, his conscience nagging at him, he returns to the wagons and manages to get to the passengers. To his shock, they turn out to be 3 nuns escorting a group of 7 children to Pennsylvania after ransoming them from Mexicans. The rest of the story follows Swanson's efforts to keep the group alive and to figure a way to get them out of danger. Eidson draws his characters superbly. All are three-dimensional, and soon you start to care about what happens to them. The main relationship is between Sister St. Agnes, the elderly nun in charge and Swanson. Sister St. Agnes is convinced Swanson has been sent by God to save the children. Sister Elizabeth, another of the nuns, is sceptical. Eidson doesn't waste words, indeed the book is quite short, yet he manages to make the reader feel as though they are there with Swanson, feeling the heat and fear, and painting a vivid portrait of the desert. The book does not skimp in showing the torture of several drivers who scooted as soon as the Apaches attacked the wagons, yet the violence never comes across as being gratuitous. There are a number of very touching moments, particularly between Swanson and his dog, and between Swanson and the children, and I had a lump in my throat on more than one occasion. I have to say that this is one of the best westerns I have ever read. I have read it twice, each time in a single sitting, which is unusual for me. If you like westerns, I am sure you will love this one. If you don't like westerns, I still urge you to give it a go as it can be read on many different levels, and it is a superb read.
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