Rowdy: Wild and Mean, Sharp and Keen by Chris Mullen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Rowdy is a truly American tale, about a young man forced to be on his own much too soon. It spans the breadth of a young America, from Mark Twain’s Missouri and the Mississippi River to the Southwest. It’s a coming-of-age story that shows the harshness and cruelty of the times it chronicles, but also the innate goodness of many of the pioneers. For the most part, the progression of the plot is logical if predictable, and the action is quick and exciting. However, it does lag in the middle – sometimes the author gets so immersed in detail that he keeps his reader unnecessarily waiting for an anticipated resolution. The ending is gratifying but open-ended – again fine, as this is the first book in a series. As a kid, I cut my teeth on the westerns of Zane Grey, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Louis L’Amour, and Rowdy is as satisfying as any of them.
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