Four generations of the McCullough family are present as we move from the Americanisation of Texas with humble dirt farmers in 1836, to oil barons in the same family. The environment and context are well-described and given purpose and consequence.
Eli McCullough was born in the year Texas became an American state. He describes two successive waves of settlement in which the poorer settlers were pushed into Comanche country which was rich with life: deer, turkey, ducks, fish, and fruits. The only problem was keeping your scalp attached. Eli and his brother are kidnapped and raised in a Comanche tribe. Family tensions between Eli and son Peter are highly evident. As he is dying, Eli muses ''If my son should appear, I would prefer not to suffer his smile of victory. Seed of my destruction''.
Peter is clearly much too friendly with the Mexicans in his life. During a period in August 1915, when cattle rustling was rife, all Mexicans were seen as the enemy and Peter stood out against the cattle ranchers and the Texas Rangers by sheltering Mexicans on his ranch.
Peter's granddaughter, Jeanne Anne, is the third member of this dynasty for focus. Where the other two are expressed in the first person, Jeanne is the subject of a third-person narrative. The context for her life is that of the oil boom in the 20th century. She has a privileged upbringing, with private tutors and an exclusive boarding school. Her grandmother, who wields much power and influence in the house, declares ''We will make a lady of you yet''.
Her school years in Connecticut heighten her sense of being a Texan and being different. When faced with the school dance, she returns home to San Antonio. This was a turning point in her life - she had seen the world and retreated. Eventually, in 1945, she inherits her father's share in the ranch and becomes a rancher herself.
Given that the book is a saga of epic proportions, the writing style is interestingly intimate, almost like the whisper over the shoulder of a really personal message. The voice in the ear gives information about characters that helps explain the behaviours moving the family from dirt farmers to oil barons .
The major characters are portrayed through both their own thoughts and statements of others.
To prevent the saga moving at a gallop, and to give due presence to characters, several devices are used: diaries, reminiscences in the first person, third-party commentaries, brief character sections. All give alternative visions.
These devices and the regular switch from one character to another slow the narrative and I found it difficult to experience sufficient momentum in the story and needed to rest the book at intervals.
Meyer believes any frontier is a frontline battleground and shows successive settlers battling with both the land and its inhabitants. Inevitable exploitation of people is acknowledged. He presents a canvas of vast sweep, yet includes fine detail that gives richness to his portrayal of the darker moments of American history.
- Willie Campbell is a Dunedin educator.
