Across the Endless River

Zusatztext “The son of Sacagawea . . . Jean-Baptiste is made whole for us; he falls in love! he feels apart from all cultures — the native or the American or the European.” —Los Angeles Times “Carhart is a skilled and graceful writer. . . . Across the Endless River should appeal to lovers of history and historical novels alike.” —The Huntington News (West Virginia) “Richly detailed.” — USA Today “ Across the Endless River is filled with vivid descriptions of city streets! palaces and country estates! while the plot moves at a reflective! inner level.” — Historical Novels   “Gracefully done. . . . Sensitively compares and contrasts the Old World with the New.” —Kirkus Reviews   “Riveting.” —Reuters      “Marvelously captured. . . . Stirring.” — Publisher's Weekly    “The list of novels chronicling the Lewis and Clark expedition is long! but . . . Carhart provides a fresh perspective. Fans of historical fiction with a romantic storyline! such as the novels of Anya Seton! should enjoy this.” — Library Journal Informationen zum Autor A dual citizen of the United States and Ireland, Thad Carhart lives in Paris with his wife, the photographer Simo Neri, and their two children. Klappentext Born in 1805 on the Lewis and Clark expedition, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau is the son of Sacagawea and Toussaint Charbonneau. He is raised both as William Clark's ward in St. Louis and by his parents among the villages of the Mandan tribe on the far northern reaches of the Missouri river. In 1823 eighteen-year-old Baptiste is invited to cross the Atlantic with the young Duke Paul of Württemberg, whom he meets on the frontier. During their travels throughout Europe, Paul introduces Baptiste to a world he never imagined, and Baptiste ultimately faces a choice: whether to stay in Europe or return to the wilds of North America. As we follow this young man on his intriguing sojourn, this remarkable novel resonates with the richness of three distinct cultures, languages, and customs.One February 11, 1805 On the banks of the Missouri, 1,200 miles upriver from St. Louis All afternoon her cries could be heard throughout the small wooden enclosure they called Fort Mandan, winter quarters for the expedition across the river from one of the tribe's villages. Two rows of huts faced each other at an oblique angle within the stockade, and from one of these the guttural shrieks emerged with a grim regularity. In and around the other huts the men kept to their business— skinning game, cutting wood, cleaning guns—but each flinched inwardly when the next cry reached his ears. "It's her first," René Jesseaume said as he ground an ax blade on a whetstone inside his hut. "She can't be more than fifteen; it's no wonder she has been at it for so long." "All you can do is wait," said the young soldier across from him, shaking his head. He continued to dress the elk meat they had hunted two days before. "Maybe," Jesseaume said. He put down the ax, oiled the stone, and let himself out into the biting cold. He crossed the central space enclosed by the palisade. On the river side the American flag snapped fiercely on its pole above the roughhewn gatehouse, its edges already frayed. Hunched against the bitter cold wind, he approached the door to the captains' quarters opposite his hut. As he prepared to knock, the door opened and Charbonneau, the squaw's husband, emerged in a daze. His eyes were rheumy, his look distracted; he passed Jesseaume without appearing to see him. Jesseaume knocked lightly on the half-open door and let himself in to the close confines of the room. Captain Lewis looked up from where he sat by a low pallet covered with a buffalo robe. His features were worn. The young woman lay beneat...

Product details

• Authors: Thad Carhart
• Publisher: Anchor Books USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 19.10.2010
• EAN: 9780767931731
• ISBN: 978-0-7679-3173-1
• No. of pages: 320
• Dimensions: 132 mm x 202 mm x 19 mm
• Subject: Fiction > Narrative literature