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摘要
In 1860 the North and South are pulling apart, but all Clem Fontayne wants is a chance to reunite with his father. His mother and baby sister have just died. His father, absent from the family's Missouri farm for more than a year, is seeking his fortune in California's gold fields. So that's where Clem is headed, with no money and only the slimmest chance of success.
Historical fiction at its very best, this is the story of an extraordinary westward journey that begins in Missouri, travels across the Great Plains and along the Pony Express route, through Mormon territory and into squalid mining camps, and ends on the teeming streets of San Francisco. It is also a poignantly told human drama of survival and self-discovery.
评论 (5)
《学校图书馆杂志》(School Library Journal)书评
Gr 6-8-When 14-year-old Clem's mother and baby sister die of fever, he is left with a run-down Missouri farm and a cow. He hasn't heard from his father since the man left for the California gold fields more than a year before. A neighboring family seems willing to take Clem in, but he soon finds that their interest is more in his labor and his cow than in his welfare so he sets out for the West to find his father. Although poor in material goods, Clem is rich in imagination and determination. He encounters many rough and ready characters: a cheating tavern owner, bullwhackers, and a pony express stationmaster. A hardworking widow offers some kindness and sweet Molly Warren, a romantic interest. When he is thrown from a horse, his survival hangs on the edge. Eventually he is rescued and nursed to health by a Mormon family, then continues on to California. On his journey, Clem grows from a daydreaming boy into a competent young man, and learns much about himself and his charming, intelligent, but irresponsible father. Although Levitin's episodic story occasionally loses momentum, this novel is rich in history and adventure. Fans of Gary Paulsen's Mr. Tucket (Delacorte, 1994) will find much to like here.-Kathryn Kosiorek, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
出版社周刊评论
Levitin's (Journey to America) fast-paced historical adventure set in 1860 thrusts the desperate, penniless and likable narrator, 14-year-old Clem Fontayne, on the Overland Trail from Missouri to California in search of his father. The highly educated "Frenchie," Pierre, left his son, Clem, and family to find gold in California. When Clem remembers life before the deaths of his mother and baby sister, he thinks, "Surely those were happy days, but who counts happiness until it's gone?" The author effectively builds the hopelessness of Clem's plight, which compels him to take any work available on the road West, including cheating at cards at a tavern. Along the way, Clem encounters characters that convey many of the issues of the day, such as a boss that orders a bloody massacre of buffalo; an African-American, Gabriel, born in free Ohio territory, kidnapped and drafted into slavery; and a family on a wagon train of Mormons. For the most part, these characters prove strong, though Gabriel's speeches grow into something like lengthy sermons before he and Clem part, and the climax borders on melodrama. Clem's folksy voice and resilient spirit are the novel's most memorable assets. Ages 8-12. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
《儿童读物杂志》(Horn Book)书评
(Intermediate, Middle School) With his father off to the 1860s California gold fields and his mother and baby sister recently deceased, young Clem Fontayne resembles his hero, Oliver Twist, a lot more than heÕd care to admit. Starving, and with little hope of making his farm productive, Clem goes to live with a no-account family who severely exploit him. Unjustly accused of killing their horse, he strikes out on his own, strengthening his metaphorical ties with Oliver. ClemÕs episodic westward journeyÑframed by chapters with tantalizing titles such as ÒAlone in the Wilderness, I Endeavor to Stay Alive by Eating Insects and Other DelicaciesÓÑentails working in a saloon, traveling with bullwhackers, and riding for the Pony Express. Along the way he encounters equal doses of supporters and scoundrels, as well as a passel of prejudices against African Americans, Indians, Mormons, and women. Clem learns to rely on his own wits to survive and his own perceptions when judging others. The one person he cannot peg, however, is his father, who Clem finally comes to realize is a self-absorbed man with little interest in his son. The numerous adventures, recounted in ClemÕs honest and humorous voice, blend comfortably with the occasional background history lesson and move the plot along at a fast clip. b.c. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus评论
In this episodic historical novel, Clem Fontayne's chances of success seem slim when he leaves Missouri in 1860 to seek his father in California. As the story opens, 14-year-old Clem buries his mother and baby sister, then briefly struggles to survive on their deteriorating homestead. Nearly starving, he agrees to work for the exploitative Warren family. In the short time he stays with them, he becomes a close friend with the daughter, Molly. Determined to head West, Clem takes a job with the Pony Express, traveling with a company of rough bushwhackers to Nebraska, where he tends animals at a way station. Each leg of his trip, which ends in California, exposes Clem to injustices of the time. A black bushwhacker who is a former slave recounts his harsh history; Clem witnesses brutal treatment of Indians; and when he travels with Mormons, he comes to believe they suffer unfair bias, too. The effect is sometimes didactic, but otherwise Levitin (When Elephant Goes to a Party, p. 333, etc.) keeps the plot moving along at a steady pace, with enough danger to keep things lively. Action and historical context, however, overshadow character development. Clem, who narrates the story, is likable but not vividly drawn, and the many secondary characters are one-dimensional. While the end is predictable, those who like to read about the Westward Movement will enjoy the journey. (Fiction. 11-14)
《书目》(Booklist)书评
Gr. 4-7. Following the death of his mother and sister in 1860, 14-year-old Clem sets out to find his father, who is somewhere in California. Clem's journey is filled with unexpected hardships, but like his hero Oliver Twist, he learns the rewards of perseverance, love, and loyalty during a period of great social change. Levitin combines drama, humor, colorful characters, and even romance in this well-researched adventure, which is steeped in period details--from the exigencies of daily life to references to the Mormon's migration, the story of Olive Oatman, and more. Levitin doesn't shy away from violence that occurred during the times--for example, there's a description of Indian violence against settler women, including pregnant ones--and readers would have benefited from a note distinguishing fact from fiction. But likable Clem's witty, folksy vernacular makes the story very engaging, and Levitin brings to life a young nation trying to define itself and a young man facing a similar struggle. --Shelle Rosenfeld