butcher’s crossing – Cannonball Read 17

The coach from Ellsworth to Butcher’s Crossing was a Dorothy that had been converted to carry passengers and small freight.

Butcher's Crossing by John Williams

January 7, 2020 by vel veeter Leave a Comment

This is a reread of a novel I picked up a few years ago when everyone (including me) was rediscovering John Williams. Initially, while I liked this a lot, I didn’t like it as much as I liked his other novel Stoner. Rereading it has made the novel grow in my estimation and esteem. This truly is a great novel. We meet Andrews, fresh out of Harvard College, coming to Colorado for unclear personal reasons. He shows up in the town Butcher’s Crossing, introduces himself to […]

You get born, and you nurse on lies, and you get weaned on lies, and you learn fancier lies in school

December 16, 2017 by tillie 2 Comments

“Young folk […] they don’t know what to do with themselves.” A young man in the 1870’s drops out of Harvard and finds his way to Butcher’s crossing. He finds a reputable man who offers him a job managing the finances of the buffalo trade, but it’s not enough for Will Andrews. He tracks down a man named Miller who knows of a secret spot where there’s an untouched buffalo herd, ripe for the killing. All he needs is a little money. Andrews has that […]

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