A novel in a new vein by the team that did Show Me a Land --and the best
book they have done since then. Good recapturing of a period of 100
years and more ago, in the colorful, burgeoning river port of
Louisville- a lusty frontier of civilization- a central character,
nicknamed Gaudy, who starts his career as a waif adopted by an itinerant
theatrical troop, and ultimately becomes a powerful figure in the river
boatyards and trade. He early knew the river was his true love, and
through a succession of gambles- successful and disastrous- he won his
right to respect as a river baron. His "ladies" were as varied -- and
many of them as innocent- as his many interests, but one passion
dominated his life, and at the end of the book, though he has turned
away from a chance again, one has no sense of finality. Neil, daughter
of the rich, weak owner of a shipyard that seemed big to ragged young
Gaudy, was a childhood love; in her unstable, moody, spoiled maturity,
she overplayed her hand -- and lost. Lots of incident, fast-paced story,
less contrived than some of their earlier work- and destined for upper
drawer rentals and sales to men as well as women who want just a good
story, authentic in background.