A Terrible Glory
CUSTER AND THE LITTLE BIGHORN
The Last Great Battle of the American West
James Donovan
Reviewed by Kate Douglas
With a trip to Montana in our near future, I jumped at the opportunity to read and review James Donovan’s book, A TERRIBLE GLORY, the story of Custer’s famous last stand at the Little Bighorn. I expected history — I had no idea I was in for a most amazing journey, following in the footprints of both the soldiers and the Native Americans who fought that last great battle.
Meticulously researched with copious, informative and truly fascinating notes, this book is no dry history of a well known event. Instead, it reads like a fast-paced historical suspense novel, with all the drama, the personalities and the plot of good fiction. The obvious difference, however, is that this is much better than fiction because the events depicted actually occurred — though after reading this amazing book, it’s obvious things didn’t happen as I’ve always believed.
I thought I was familiar with the story of the battle of the Little Bighorn, and on the surface, maybe I was, but Donovan’s lyric prose takes the reader into the events of the era, fills in the background and brings the characters, their motivations and their actions to life — and in many cases, terrible yet heroic death.
I was fascinated by the background of the ongoing Indian Wars of the post-Civil War era, the politics involved and the stories of the many different individuals who eventually participated in the final battle as well as the investigation that came after. Donovan’s precise, detailed descriptions of the hearings following the deaths of Custer and his troops make for an absolutely riveting account of a flawed and imperfect system, of personality conflicts, and men willing to commit perjury rather than risk defaming either themselves or their fellow officers.
I highly recommend Donovan’s book to any student of American history as well as any reader who merely wants a damned good story. It’s a page-turner, the kind of book that will stay with you long after it’s done.
Order A TERRIBLE GLORY from
Amazon
About the Reviewer:
Kate Douglas is the lead author of Kensington Publishing’s erotic romance imprint, Aphrodisia. Closeted away in her third floor office while her
recently retired husband manages the dog and household, she continues
penning her ongoing tales of the shapeshifting Chanku and their libidinous
ways. Visit her online at www.katedouglas.com.
Order WOLF TALES VI from
Amazon