Michelle Rene’s novel, Hour Glass, is a moving, revealing picture of the legendary Calamity Jane.
The author tells her compassionate story through the eyes of 12-year-old Jimmy Glass. Historical inaccuracies marring the novel include: Calamity Jane did not tour with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show; she and Wild Bill Hickok were not “close” friends; Du Fran did not operate a house of joy in Deadwood in 1876; and a smallpox outbreak did not attack the new mining boomtown in 1876.
These fictional events are minor compared to Rene’s major contributions. Her appealing treatment of Calamity’s complex character, her use of the youthful male narrator, and her captivating depiction of life in frontier Deadwood are first rate.
—Richard W. Etulain, author of The Life and Legends of Calamity Jane
https://truewestmagazine.com/the-real-and-imagined-life-of-calamity-jane/
Related Articles
-
Most people have heard of Calamity Jane, once promoted as The Famous Woman Scout of…
-
Researching the life of Martha Canary, better known as Calamity Jane, was a challenge. Disproving…
-
How did Martha Jane Canary acquire the nickname Calamity? Rob Noyes Cincinnati, Ohio According to…
