Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Bruce Hampton seems caught between the two genres of history and literature. His work is, as one reviewer has said, 'meticulously researched, 'but he does not engage his sources critically enough to please professional historians. He relies at times almost wholly on other secondary works to carry his narrative. And while he is careful to weigh contradictory primary sources, he doesn't bring those contradictions to the fore, as we might expect in such a contentious, multifaceted story as the Nez Perce War. Similarly, in his effort to present us all the facts, he is unable to bring an effective style to bear on the narrative. Bound by his scrupulous attention to detail, Hampton fails to give us the satisfaction of either the interpretive boldness of Patricia Limerick, or the lyrical and searing prose of Cormac McCarthy. Western history is served best, it seems, by writers like Wallace Stegner, who excel both as novelists and as historians." Reviewed by Daniel Weiss, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 375-389) and index.