Hour Glass
A Novel of Calamity Jane
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Set in the lawless town of Deadwood, South Dakota, Hour Glass shares an intimate look at the woman behind the legend of Calamity Jane told through the eyes of twelve-year-old Jimmy Glass.
After their pa falls deathly ill with smallpox, Jimmy and his sister, Hour, travel into Deadwood to seek help. While their pa is in quarantine, the two form unbreakable bonds with the surrogate family that emerges from the tragedy of loss.
In a place where life is fragile and families are ripped apart by disease, death, and desperation, a surprising collection of Deadwood’s inhabitants surround Jimmy, Hour, and Jane. There, in the most unexpected of places, they find a family protecting them from the uncertainty and chaos that surrounds them all.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This touching historical novel from Rene (I Once Knew Vincent) imagines a tender moment in the rough-and-tumble life of the legendary Calamity Jane. In the late summer of 1876, 12-year-old Jimmy Glass must take his ailing Pa and six-year-old sister from their mining claim into nearby Deadwood, S.D. Hank Glass, who has smallpox, is led to the pest tent with the rest of the quarantined victims, while Jimmy and his sister are taken in by brothel owner Miss Dora DuFran at the behest of none other than Calamity Jane. In a rare vocal moment, Flower Glass, normally a quiet child who is averse to touch, introduces herself as "Ower," which immediately becomes "Hour." Hour's sweet and shy nature endears her to the working girls at Diddlin' Dora's. In their brief acquaintance, Jimmy and Jane each manage to save the other's life, and the two children find a place in Jane's heart, despite her gruff exterior. Rene's tale features all the action and excitement of a classic western, and its humor and pathos add depth.
