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Summary
Summary
Long fascinated with the Mexican Revolution and the vicious border wars of the early twentieth century, best-selling author Winston Groom brings to life a much-forgotten period of history in this episodic saga set in six parts. Pitting the legendary Pancho Villa against "the Colonel," a thrill-seeking Bostonian railroad tycoon whose fading fortune is tied up in a colossal ranch in Chihuahua, El Paso opens during a time of dramatic upheaval in Mexico--its government being squeezed on one end by Villa's revolutionaries and on the other by "filthy" American capitalists.
Content to observe the war from aboard his dazzling yacht, the Ajax, the Colonel is suddenly pulled into this drama when his famous Valle del Sol ranch is raided for nearly "two million and a half dollars in beef on the hoof." Oblivious to the realities of war and hoping to salvage his losses, the Colonel whisks his family down to Mexico where they make a disturbing discovery: it was Villa who not only stole the cattle but also murdered their beloved ranch manager. Even worse, Villa's henchmen abduct the Colonel's grandchildren in another daring raid only days later.
Frantic, the aging patriarch and his adopted son race to El Paso, hoping to gather a group of cowboys brave enough to hunt down the generalissimo on his own turf. As the desperate Yankees quickly learn once they return to Chihuahua, their deep pockets and political clout mean next to nothing in a crumbling nation rife with communist sympathizers. After weeks of searching and with no trace of Villa, the Colonel fears all is lost--that is, until a twist of fate unites his party with that of Johnny Ollas, an aspiring matador whose wife has also been kidnapped by the marauding revolutionaries. Bloodied and battered, the two factions unite, galloping off on an extraordinary manhunt through some of the most inhospitable terrain on earth: the vast and snake-ridden Sierra Madre.
The novel explodes into an epic as an extraordinary cast of characters from both history and imagination begin to emerge, all vying to get their hands on the ever-elusive Villa. But no matter what prize each player ultimately seeks, no one is left unscathed in this sprawling story of heroism, injustice, and love. Replete with shootouts, daring escapes, and an unforgettable bullfight, El Paso brings to life a crucial moment in history and, in the process, becomes an indelible portrait of the American Southwest in the final days of the wild frontier.
Author Notes
Winston Groom is the author of twenty previous books, including Forrest Gump, Conversations with the Enemy (Pulitzer Prize finalist), Shiloh 1862, and The Generals. He served in Vietnam with the Fourth Infantry Division and lives in Point Clear, Alabama.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Groom's (Forrest Gump) expansive, rich novel is set in the harsh deserts and mountains of northern Mexico during the 1916 Mexican revolution, with sharply drawn fictional characters in a bloody mix with Gen. Pancho Villa and a cast of true-life personalities. When Boston railroad tycoon Col. John Shaughnessy, his adopted son, Arthur, and their families visit the colonel's vast Mexican cattle ranch, the ranch is attacked and his grandchildren are kidnapped by Villa and held for ransom. Frustrated and angry that President Woodrow Wilson refuses to help recover the children, the brash colonel and reluctant Arthur lead a party of hired cowboys on a rescue mission. As Shaughnessy's Partisan Rangers pursue Villa's army, a Mexican bullfighter and his four brothers also track Villa, hoping to rescue the bullfighter's captive wife, resulting in a most unusual and vicious bullfight. Adding intrigue and suspense are a motley collection of real-life characters traveling with Villa, such as socialist journalist John Reed, cowboy movie star Tom Mix, cynical satirist Ambrose Bierce, and a mysterious German hoping to use Villa to ignite a war between the United States and Mexico. Battles, a tense prisoner exchange, and clever ransom negotiations round out this historically vivid and marvelously complex tale. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Prolific nonfiction author Groom returns to fiction with a Western saga far different from the novel (Forrest Gump, 1986, etc.) that later blossomed into a classic Oscar-winning film.Up-by-the-bootstraps Irish immigrantturnedrailroad baron John the Colonel Shaughnessy learns his ranching operation in Chihuahua, Mexico, is being threatened by Pancho Villa and his rebels. The Colonel lives extravagantly, and so his adopted son, Arthur, works hard to keep the Shaughnessy railroad afloat, and they both know losing the ranch might mean bankruptcy. Unfortunately, the overconfident Colonel turns a mission to rescue the ranch into a Shaughnessy family expedition and misjudgment that ends with Shaughnessy wives and Arthurs children being kidnapped by Villas rebels. Groom casts bit parts for Gen. Pershing and George Patton, John and Ethel Barrymore, socialist journalist John Reed, Tom Mix, and the legendary Ambrose Bierce, who rides with Villa and offers sardonic observations on the haphazard revolution. Groom cranks up tension with bloody raids, bullfights, a cattle drive, and Shaughnessys rugged Samoan bodyguard, Bomba, in a dangerous, separate, solitary pursuit. Grooms historical knowledge makes it all real, especially with references to oddities like isolated Chihuahuan descendants of Marrano Jews who fled the Spanish Inquisition and tragic real-life figure Henry Flipper Jr., the first African-American West Point graduate, who joins Arthurs rescue party. Arthur and the Colonel evolve into admirable characters. Those changes are beautifully portrayed, but Groom too quickly sketches an unsatisfying conclusion for the remade Shaughnessys. There are other gaps: theres a Shaughnessy daughter who helps young Arthur assimilate but is later dismissed in one sentence; and also the story would be improved if more were heard from the Shaughnessy wives while they await ransom.Its not Lonesome Dove, but Grooms Searchers-like rescue pursuit and his allusive homage to Treasure of the Sierra Madre make for an entertaining Western story. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* In the 30 years since Forrest Gump was published, Groom wrote some undistinguished fiction (including a Gump sequel), plus well-received military history that earned him praise as a narrative historian. Now he combines military savvy with storytelling skill for a satisfying saga pitting an American railroad tycoon against Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. Arthur Shaughnessy (adopted as an orphan in Boston by Colonel John Shaughnessy, founder of the New England & Pacific railroad) mortgages his father's yacht to keep the foundering NE&P afloat in 1916. The colonel prefers to sell cattle from his northern Mexico holdings and proposes a family trip to his huge ranch there. But Villa's forces strike the ranch for beef, slaughtering the manager and later taking Arthur's children, Katherine, 12, and Timmy, 9, hostage. When the colonel beseeches President Wilson for military help to no avail, he builds his own force to go after Villa. Groom weaves historical figures into this adventure including Tom Mix, author Ambrose Bierce, socialist journalist John Reed, and army officers John Pershing and George Patton with vivid portrayals of the Shaughnessys chasing the revolutionaries, plus side stories about Arthur's wife, his best friend, and an aspiring matador. An engaging epic that could be headed for the best-seller lists and then the big screen. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This is the big one that fans have been waiting for, and they'll grab it up like they would a delicious box of chocolates.--Leber, Michele Copyright 2016 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Forrest Gump author Groom has written a brawny, sprawling novel, part legend and part history, about outlaws, revolutionaries, railroad tycoons, kidnappings, and daring rescues. While Europe plunges into the Great War, the Mexican Revolution intrudes on the still wild American Southwest. Railroad tycoon John Shaughnessy, known as the Colonel, learns that Pancho Villa has stolen cattle from his northern Mexico ranch, so he launches a partylike excursion to Mexico in his private rail car, with his family and chauffeur tagging along. Son -Arthur flies his German-made, candy-apple-red Luft-Verkehrs across the country, hoping to beat everyone to El Paso, the gateway into Mexico. The Shaughnessy troop arrives at the hacienda only to encounter chaos, and Shaughnessy's grandchildren are kidnapped. When the Colonel's fiery telegrams to President Wilson are met with indifference, he forms Shaughnessy's Partisan Raiders to rescue the children. Woven into the rescue mission are colorful stories of soon-to-be movie cowboy Tom Mix as Villa's aide, Marxist journalist John Reed, writer Ambrose Bierce, and, in a masterly battle scene, Lt. George Patton and Gen. John Pershing. VERDICT Groom's epic narrative is a hefty yet entertaining page-turner, at times funny, heartbreaking, emotional, and brutal. An involving, intricate story vividly told. [See Prepub Alert, 4/25/16.]-Donna Bettencourt, Mesa Cty. P.L., Grand Junction, CO © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
