Review of
Instaread Summary, Analysis & Review of Paulette
Jiles's News of the World
Five out of five stars
The unusual
background of the novel is explained very well in the summary. At first
thought, the premise seems a bit forced, yet after some reflection it is clear
that situations like this did happen in Texas in the 1870’s. It was a time of
Indian raids and lawlessness in that vast land and when white children were
captured in a deadly raid, they were often raised by the tribe.
Johanna
Leonberger is a 10-year-old girl that was recently freed from the Kiowas and
Captain Jefferson Kyle (Captain) Kidd has been tasked with transporting her to
some remaining family members. Captain Kidd is 71 and the veteran of several
wars, he now makes his living by traveling from town to town and publicly
reading the news.
Their journey
is a dangerous one, with people of all races posing deadly dangers to them. Yet
the Captain is able to succeed and delivers Johanna. However, before he departs
he realizes that she is being mistreated, so he takes her and they form a
grandfather/grandchild bond. The story continues into Johanna’s adulthood where
she gets married.
Unlike many
other summaries, the description of the book is slow, steady and
understandable. Some of the others describe the plot so fast that the reader
has the impression of being exposed to a fast talking auctioneer. The dangers of the world of Texas are
explained very well, setting the proper context for what is essentially a human
interest/adventure story. All readers of the summary will have enough
information to be able to make the read/don’t read decision.
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