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A review by book_concierge
Doc by Mary Doria Russell
5.0
Audio book performed by Mark Bramhall
John Henry “Doc” Holliday was educated, a Southern gentleman, an accomplished pianist, a compassionate dentist, a gambler, and tubercular. Wyatt Earp and his brothers, Morgan and James, were the proof that sons raised by a bully will either follow in his footsteps or rebel by becoming champions of the downtrodden. These iconic figures of the American West are forever linked by the events of one afternoon in Tombstone Arizona. But this book introduces us to the real men behind the legend, giving us their backgrounds from childhood to a year spent in Dodge – a city on the edge of the frontier, but where fortunes could be made servicing the cowboys who drove cattle to market. Saloons, brothels, hotels, restaurants, stables, racetracks, boxing rings, poker games, banks and retail stores all flourished. Doc went there because “that’s where the money is.” And Wyatt Earp, along with his brothers and Bat Masterson maintained the peace.
Russell certainly did her homework in crafting this work. She gives us a real place and real people who are every bit as colorful and fantastic as the legends they became. I love the way she drew these characters, letting them unfold little by little, much as we would get to know someone over time. And still she held back a surprise or two to stun us. Her prose is so evocative; several times I exclaimed aloud, “Oh!”
In this respect, especially I have to give some of the credit to Mark Bramhall’s performance of the audio book. I felt he was drowning in fluid as he voiced Doc in the throes of an attack. I felt Wyatt’s embarrassment, Morgan’s thoughtfulness, Kate’s impatience and fear, everyone’s love of Doc.
This is a book that even non-fans of Westerns will be able to appreciate and enjoy.
John Henry “Doc” Holliday was educated, a Southern gentleman, an accomplished pianist, a compassionate dentist, a gambler, and tubercular. Wyatt Earp and his brothers, Morgan and James, were the proof that sons raised by a bully will either follow in his footsteps or rebel by becoming champions of the downtrodden. These iconic figures of the American West are forever linked by the events of one afternoon in Tombstone Arizona. But this book introduces us to the real men behind the legend, giving us their backgrounds from childhood to a year spent in Dodge – a city on the edge of the frontier, but where fortunes could be made servicing the cowboys who drove cattle to market. Saloons, brothels, hotels, restaurants, stables, racetracks, boxing rings, poker games, banks and retail stores all flourished. Doc went there because “that’s where the money is.” And Wyatt Earp, along with his brothers and Bat Masterson maintained the peace.
Russell certainly did her homework in crafting this work. She gives us a real place and real people who are every bit as colorful and fantastic as the legends they became. I love the way she drew these characters, letting them unfold little by little, much as we would get to know someone over time. And still she held back a surprise or two to stun us. Her prose is so evocative; several times I exclaimed aloud, “Oh!”
In this respect, especially I have to give some of the credit to Mark Bramhall’s performance of the audio book. I felt he was drowning in fluid as he voiced Doc in the throes of an attack. I felt Wyatt’s embarrassment, Morgan’s thoughtfulness, Kate’s impatience and fear, everyone’s love of Doc.
This is a book that even non-fans of Westerns will be able to appreciate and enjoy.