Not Between Brothers

by David Marion Wilkinson

Book Overview

An epic that spans a crucial period of American westward expansion, Not Between Brothers is the bloody and gripping tale of the birth of the Lone Star State. Comprising a large cast of characters that... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0965187934
• ISBN13: 9780965187930
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications
• Length: 656 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Hard To Put Down

Having received this book as a gift several years ago, I am now sorry it took me so long to get around to reading it. I assure you that once you start reading Not Between Brothers, you will find it hard to put down. Others have rehashed the story in their reviews to some degree or another, so I'll try not to do that here. Author Wilkinson does an excellent job developing both the characters and his story. There's a surprise at nearly every turn, although the reader somehow knows that chief protagonist Remy Fuqua is going to survive. This is not just a story of a titanic clash of cultures, it is a story of hard men and women in a harsh land, where nearly every day brings an often life-threatening challenge. It is written in an heroic fashion that reminds me sometimes of Michener and sometimes of Fraser (of the Flashman series), but nearly always in a way that keeps the reader wondering what's coming next. Wilkinson writes a balanced story with a great understanding of the points of view of all the cultures that once claimed Texas as theirs. Those who know the parts of Texas where this story takes place will almost literally be able to visualize it, to taste it and to smell it. Those who don't know Texas will come away with a pretty good picture of its geography and climate. And everyone will come away with a greater knowledge of the forces that shaped Texas and made it what it is today. This is said to be Wilkinson's first novel and he's done a heck of a job researching and writing it. His command of the language is impressive as is his attention to detail. I found only one major factual error about a third of the way through probably missed in the proofreading( see if you can find it too). There are also a couple of times where I was able to guess why a particular incident occurs ahead of it being explained, but most of the time the reader is left in breathless anticipation of what's to come. Despite a few missteps and a weak final chapter after the dramatic and surprising climax, my overall impression of Not Between Brothers is that I have just read an epic blockbuster. A blurb on the cover claims that it was a finalist for the Spur Award for best novel of the West in 1996. Well, if some other book beat this one, I'll have to read it and see why, because Not Between Brothers is one of the finest books about Texas or the West I have read in years!

A book you won't soon forget!

Texas is a huge state with a rich multicultural heritage. It takes a real tour de force, such as David Marion Wilkinson's "Not Between Brothers" to do it justice. In this epic view of Texas history, Wilkinson uses fictional characters Remy Fuqua and Comanche Indian Kills White Bear to tell the story of life on the frontier between the years 1816 and 1861. Remy is a Scotch-Irish orphan who grows up in Louisiana and is permanently scarred by his unhappy childhood. He carries a "never-say-die" attitude and a quick temper throughout his life. Kills White Bear is a Comanche warrior who nurtures a hatred for the white people whose diseases rob him of many of his loved ones. Remy and his cousin move to Texas where they negotiate a piece of land from Stephen F. Austin. Remy meets and falls in love with a beautiful, wealthy Mexican woman, and this causes problems for both of them throughout the rest of their lives. Remy and Kills Bear's lives weave their separate paths until at last they intersect, with predictable dire consequences for both of them. Wilkinson's wonderful prose and unforgettable characters make for an excellent read. He weaves in a lot of history and the reader is treated to up-close looks at Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, Jim Bowie, and others who are painted in wonderful shades of gray and who are not made to look like saints. For anyone who enjoys historical fiction or who has an interest in Texas, this is highly recommended reading.

taco thoughts

Remy Fuqua is a crossbred Anglo orphan - disadvantaged and cheated from the start. This book follows Remy from that beginning, through his victories and defeats in marriage to a disapproving wealthy Mexican's daughter, through his and their wars of will and survival with a Comanche warrior, through clashes of cultures and varying moralities. The novel transpires in the unique borderland region of Texas and Mexico, which at the time neither country truly held; the conflicts presented are brutally honest and thoroughly engaging. Wilkinson is a gifted storyteller: politically incorrect, detailed, precise. He has been recognized grandly for this effort - Not Between Brothers won the Violet Crown Award, it was a finalist for the 1996 Spur Award for Best Novel of the West, it is recognized as an Editor's Choice by the Review of Texas Books - ... I must tell you that this novel is definitely one of my favorites. It is a must-read! This book gripped me from beginning to end - I recommend it to all of you, my brothers.

Coudn't put it down.

Quite simply, one of the finest novels I have ever read. Wilkinson is a gifted storyteller. From the opening scene, I was completely caught up and it never let me go. I found myself looking for excuses to sneak away and read it. I am eagerly awaiting Wilkinson's next book.Though the characters of Remy and Kills White Bear are fictional, the events in Texas that propel them are real. One can see the faults and the goodness in all the characters. Wilkinson is deft at explaining how the collision of cultures (Anglo, Mexican, and Commanche) created what we now know as Texas. As much as it's an in-your-face lesson in history, it is an equally moving, epic love story that plays out across the plains. I will never look at Texas the same way again but, make no mistake, this book is bigger than Texas. It quite beatifully says something about us all. I have recommended "Not Between Brothers" many times, and will continue to do so. So far, it has never disappointed.