To the Bright and Shining Sun

James L Burke is one of my favourite authors, particularly the Robicheaux series, but having read all of those have now migrated to his other novels.This one as far as it goes is in his usual style with tremendous descriptive prose and the theme is good - about how it was for people during the depression in the USA. One could imagine this being a good screenplay for a film.BUT NOW SUDDENLY I FEEL CHEATED … the story gets going and events start to happen, but then the principal character just escapes on a goods train after a major confrontation that the plot had been heading for and the story just ends after only 11 chapters and 246 pages, compared to his normal 30 odd chapters.I read the sample and thought it would be a good buy and keep me going for quite some time but obviously I didn’t note only 11 chapters - it cost some gbp4 odd on Kindle and that for me as a pensioner is quite a bit and as I said, now I feel let down and cheated.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel with its wonderful characters and descriptions of their hard lives. It's sad and poignant and I dreaded what would happen to Perry. Couldn't put it down.

fantastic writing from james lee burke, out of his "robicheaux" zone, touches on tragic lives

Great novel

Little disappointed. I have read all JLBs books and didn't enjoy this as much as his previous works. Still miles in front if most other writers thou.

Cracking book but then everyone he writes is

This book is compelling, harrowing, and somehow lifting all at the same time. It is an amazing account of deprivation and angst in a young man

Hmmm little disappointed with this one. It's about Perry, a dirt poor guy with aspirations to better himself. He lives in mining country which is rife with problems. After a man is accidentally killed when a mine is blown up by protesters Perry takes off. However the troubles continue and Perry is drawn back into the world he's just escaped.Well written as expected by this author, but I just found it dull and uninteresting,I skipped through a lot. Relatively short too.