Format: Hardcover, 544 pages
Release Date: June 2, 2020
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy
Hold on to your hats: The authors of My Plain Jane are back with a side-splittin’, whopper-filled (but actually kind of factual?) historical retelling, and it’s the not-so-tall-tale of the one and only Calamity Jane.
Welcome to 1876 and a rootin’-tootin’ America bursting with gunslingers, outlaws, and garou—better known as werewolves.
Calamity Jane’s her name, and garou hunting’s her game—when she’s not starring in Wild Bill’s Traveling Show with Annie Oakley and Frank “the Pistol Prince” Butler, that is.
But after a garou hunt goes south and Jane finds a suspicious-like bite on her arm, she turns tail for Deadwood, where there’s been talk of a garou cure. But things ain’t always what they seem—meaning the gang better hightail it after her before they’re a day late and a Jane short.
My Calamity Jane, by co-authors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows, is the third installment in the authors The Lady Janies series. The authors turn back the hands of time to the year 1876 where we find 17-year old Calamity "Heroine of the Plains" Jane in Cincinnati, Ohio with Wild Bill Hickok’s Traveling Show. There's Wild Bill Hickok, of course, Pinkerton Detective Charlie Utter, and Frank “the Pistol Prince” Butler who was born in Ireland and is a deadly accurate sharpshooter.
In infamous gunslinger Bill Hickok's Wild Bill's Wild West theatrical
traveling show, the group travels around the country entertaining
audiences with tales of their adventures and performing sharpshooter and
rodeo tricks. But, this isn't about the show itself, it's about a group of individuals who are secretly loup garou hunters. Bill has been hunting the Alpha for years. When words gets back to them that workers at a local plant have been infected, turning humans into loup garou, the group sets off to set the Alpha straight.
They are joined by 16-year old Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) who taught herself to shoot and challenges Frank's dominance which proves that women are just as badass as men. Frank's pretty sure he's met the love of his life. Too bad that she may
have some prejudices she needs to examine before they can rush into marriage. Unfortunately during the hunt, Jane is bitten by one of them and since there's no cure, she'll likely to become a loup garou. These same wolves nearly killed Annie when she was young, so she has a good reason to want a little revenge. This turn of events sends Jane off on what might be a
fruitless hunt for a cure, and everyone else on a hunt for Jane.
This takes the group from Cincinnati, to Deadwood where someone is claiming that they are able to cure loup garou. As with the previous installments, the authors use (3) narrators to tell the story: Jane, Annie, and Frank. Jane
loves living life on her own terms and has come a long way from the
tragedies of her childhood, but sometimes the sadness still lingers and
she gets to explore it more when her life takes an unexpected turn. Annie
wants to support her family, but her impulsiveness to go on an adventure ends up costing her. She's really does have supreme confidence in her abilities and never backs down in the
face of unfavorable odds. Including making friends with two Indian women who have seen first hand what Deadwood, Dakota Territory is capable of.
I'm impressed that the authors are able to mix in a bit of fantasy with actual historical figures like Annie, Wild Bill, Frank, and Jane. There's a bit of realism involved as well since it is the last 19th century and things aren't exactly perfect for everyone who lived in this area. There is a bit of romance on two fronts: Annie and Frank who apparently really did fall in love in real life, while giving Jane, who was totally not the person the author depicts her to be in this story, one as well.
Calamity Jane (May 1, 1852 – August 1, 1903) really did make a name for herself in the Wild West, and by all accounts, had the same larger-than-life personality as our fearless protagonist. But like the best revisionist history, My Calamity Jane tweaks minor details, completely rearranges major details, and turns a true story on its head in service of fun, romance, and good storytelling. In the real world, Jane was a deadly shot. In this book, she's deadly with a whip. The real Calamity Jane had a reputation big enough to eclipse the moon, but not everything folks said was kind—or true. In this story, our big-hearted, whopper-telling Jane gets a happier ending.
At its core, My Calamity Jane is a tale for all the ladies of the Wild West who tended to be overshadowed by their male counterparts. Annie and Jane are powerful, complex characters and each brings a different kind of tough to the table.
sounds interesting. glad it was a good one for you
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental