Book
Review
Basic Details:
Book Title: The Charmed Life
of Matt Draper
Subtitle: From Riverboat
Gambler to Frontier Banker
Author:
John Rayburn
Genre: Western
Part of a series? Unknown
Order in series:
Best read after earlier
books in series? No
Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42094289-matt-draper
Overall
score:
I
scored this book 3/5 reluctantly, it felt more like a 2.5 stars to me.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Short
Summary of the book:
This book tells the story of Matt Draper, a
young man who gathered money as a gambler on a riverboat. Through luck and determination
Matt gathers more money, learns the trade of a banker and moves to an area to
start his own bank. Scenes of fighting, luck and love are added to the book.
What
I liked about the book:
I liked a few of the scenes and the fact he
came out on top.
What
I didn’t like about the book:
I wasn’t impressed by the pace set in the
book, the fluidity of the narration was stilting at times and I at times was
tempted to give up on the attempt to read the book. To be honest, I was glad when
I had finished reading the book.
My
favourite bits in the book:
I loved where Matt finally owned up to the
fact he had fallen in love.
My
least favourite bits in the book:
I didn’t like it when at several points the
flow of the narration was poor and it felt more like a book for children
starting to read. The subject, however, did not fit with a childrens’ book.
Any
further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?
I am not aware this is part of a series. He
has, however, written several other books.
What
books could this be compared to and why?
This
book reminded me of children’s books in the lack of fluidity of the narration.
Recommendation:
In
summary, I would (hesitantly) recommend
this book for the following readers:
|
Children
|
No
|
|
Young
Adult
|
Yes
|
|
Adult
|
Yes
|
If
you like Westerns this book might the
book for you but be warned the flow of narration is halting at times.
I
don’t think I’ll be reading more books by this author.
Book
Description by Author:
Settling The West Post Civil War Took Guts … And
Luck!
In 1866 Matt Draper is full of ambition but without money or family to help him succeed. On the western frontier of an ever-expanding America, toiling as a riverboat gambler seems like the best option to raise enough capital to realize his dream of opening a small-town bank. Though gambling is lucrative for Matt, it is also an unsavory enterprise fraught with danger. Fortuitously, before any harm befalls him, Matt and his friend Charlie discover an abandoned Confederate gold cache in a fake grave, which gives him the stake he needs to leave the treacherous gambling world behind. From then onward his life’s purpose becomes evident as all roads lead to Neosho, Missouri, where he opens The Bank and becomes a major influence on its growth and prosperity. Matt’s exciting and uplifting saga captures the day-to-day reality of life in the tumultuous post-Civil War era, including the hardships, relative lawlessness, and indomitable spirit of settlers bent on creating a good life for themselves and their neighbors.
In 1866 Matt Draper is full of ambition but without money or family to help him succeed. On the western frontier of an ever-expanding America, toiling as a riverboat gambler seems like the best option to raise enough capital to realize his dream of opening a small-town bank. Though gambling is lucrative for Matt, it is also an unsavory enterprise fraught with danger. Fortuitously, before any harm befalls him, Matt and his friend Charlie discover an abandoned Confederate gold cache in a fake grave, which gives him the stake he needs to leave the treacherous gambling world behind. From then onward his life’s purpose becomes evident as all roads lead to Neosho, Missouri, where he opens The Bank and becomes a major influence on its growth and prosperity. Matt’s exciting and uplifting saga captures the day-to-day reality of life in the tumultuous post-Civil War era, including the hardships, relative lawlessness, and indomitable spirit of settlers bent on creating a good life for themselves and their neighbors.
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