"The Lost Thoughts of Soldiers"

[Tricia]

This work of fiction, by Delia Falconer, purports to be about Benteen and his thoughts about Custer and LBH. Considered literary fiction, the plot's set up seems to be somewhat similar to that used by Richard Wheeler in An Obituary for Major Reno ...

Has anybody read this? Is it worth our time and money?

[elisabeth]

I've only read a very brief excerpt online, plus a couple of reviews; I could be wrong, but it came across to me as alarmingly "poetic" for the Benteen we know and love ...

[Tricia]

I know ... Benteen's thought process seems hardly the stuff for flowery literature. I'd think his brand of brilliance would be more appropriate to a Mickey Spillane style of writin'!

But I do applaud the attempt at getting the Custer/LBH story out of strict genre stuff ... though it may not work in this particular case.

[mort aux vaches]

I've read it. Hell, I even bought it. Wouldn't assume most of the LBH-afficinados to enjoy it I'm afraid. It's not a discussion of the battle, only a few paragraphs touches the siege on Reno Hill. It neither tries to be correct (has a trumpeter named DeRudio for some matter...). It's simply a meditation on what army-life could have been, snippets of it I found haunting and fascinating to think that a fraction of it might have happened.

Yes, very poetic - even though mr. Benteen as the story-teller don't come across as a very polite or heroic figure in any sense. Honestly I found it refreshing to read a novel with a frontier theme that managed to be a good piece of contemporary literature.

Now, if only William Vollmann would do a book on LBH I would be happy.

[mort aux vaches]

Also, Falconer mentions that she has drawn extensively from "Camp Talk", a collection of Benteen's letters to his wife Frabbie. Anyone recommend that one? Falconer also mentions, if memory serves me right, the Benteen biography "Harvest of Regrets" and the collection of letters between Benteen and private Goldin. I think John Carrol was the editor for this aswell as for "Camp Talk".

Rethinking my first post I think I would recommend it, if you can handle that it's not a book with a "realist narrative". Even has some dirty language I'm afraid.

[elisabeth]

Anyone who can point me to a copy of "Camp Talk" available anywhere gets my undying gratitude ...

Thanks for the first-hand report; very helpful.