Birth Of A Nation: A Novel
Published on 2. September 2004
Book
Hardback
448 pages
978-0-316-72586-6 (ISBN)
Description
Eddie Bosham (aka Charlie Boylan) is in prison on a murder charge. But he's not worried. He's innocent, and, anyway, he has hidden proof of a ghastly scandal that could bring down the monarchy. Taking up his memoirs from where we left him, marooned on the Galapagos Islands, we find Eddie offering a young Charles Darwin an explanation of why the finches on the islands vary. In Texas, staunchly loyal to whichever side will win, he spies for General Santa Anna at the Alamo and, with the help of Emily Morgan, the ravishingly beautiful Yellow Rose of Texas, for Sam Houston at San Jacinto. Eddie works the Mississippi riverboats as a cardsharp. Caught cheating, he is forced to jump ship and inadvertently stumbles across the secret that will launch the Californian Gold Rush. Finally, having traversed the girth of a nation, his disgraceful saga ends, back east, at a highly inflammatory revivalist meeting.
Reviews / Votes
'Arresting, informative & entertaining & shows Rathbone at the peak of his powers ... fantastic' Ross Leckie, TIMES 'For rollicking period fiction with a razor-sharp mind behind it, the book would be hard to better' David Robson, S. TEL. 'The photograph of Julian Rathbone on the jacket shows a man with twinkling eyes & a mischievous smile, both adjectives are more than applicable to his new novel ... invigorating & entertaining' OBSERVERMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 153 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-316-72586-6 (9780316725866)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Julian Rathbone is the author of many books, including the bestselling THE LAST ENGLISH KING, KINGS OF ALBION and the Booker shortlisted JOSEPH, as well as the hugely acclaimed A VERY ENGLISH AGENT.