17-year old Thomas McNulty, an Irish émigré, stows away on a ship bound for America where he befriends and falls in love with a part-Indian boy, John Cole. They survive as cross-dressers dancing in seedy nightclubs until they enlist in the Cavalry, become immersed in the Indian and Civil Wars and then take under their wing the little daughter of an Indian Chief. Barry's lyrical prose held me captive from one page to the next. He never disappoints.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 99 Winter 2021 ) |
