Bought this at an outlet mall bookstore today - plan to listen to soon.

Well, you can tell by the title the author's bias here.... but having visited the house where he was shot, his grave, the family homestead, and the jail cell where his brother frank entertained visiting dignitaries, I can say that I know enough of the story to discern what's true.
I would recommend the book as a good way to learn a lot about Jesse James and some of the crowd he ran with.

It's time to set this one free -- enjoy!

This is going into my CD-only Audiobookbox.

I'll be keeping this one.

Started listening last week.

Finished yesterday.

I didn't know much about Jesse James or Robert Ford going into this book. After listening to the book, I still don't feel like I got a very strong sense of either man. Here's why:

- The abridgement seemed really choppy. The book seemed very scattered, all over the place chronologically. I'm not sure if it was written that way, or if that is, in fact, due to very sloppy editing. Whatever the cause, I found it both distracting and frustrating.

- The narrator wasn't that good. He read the book in a very monotonous and dry way, which made the book a drag to listen to. He also tended to draw out the dialogue of every character except Jesse James, making the Ford brothers - especially Robert - sound exceptionally slow-witted. I wonder if this is a bias I have against Southern accents, do I associate them with being stupid or something? I hope not. But at any rate, it was something that bothered me the more I listened.

I might see if I can find another book about Jesse James; it may simply be that something about Ron Hansen's writing style or Sam Freed's speaking didn't work for me.
At least, I suppose I could rent the Brad Pitt movie.

adding to booklady331's Audio CD Bookbox!

Took from booklady331's audio book box.

Not exactly what I would pick out from a store, but an interesting history that did catch my attention.

The title, of course, is what kept me going! "...by the coward Robert Ford". That Hansen knows whereof he speaks and knows how to present it.

He brings us into the lives of the James brothers and their various associates over a period of several months, leading up to the assassination, which is spelled out in some detail. Jesse James was no saint and I'm not crying over him, but Ford really was a skunk.

Sam Freed did a nice job reading.

Added to booklady331's audio cd book box.

Oops! Forgot to journal this audiobook when I grabbed it out of Booklady331's bookbox. Anyway, giving it a listen now. Thanks for sharing!

A good tale about the days leading up to the assassination of Jesse James. I, of course, have heard many tales of this famous outlaw but not in such detail. It appeared to me that Bob Ford is one of those folk who had such an obsessive admiration of someone famous, such as Jesse James, that when the "real man" overrode the glamorous figure built up in his head, Bob felt he had to dispose of his idol. I agree with the previous listener, Jesse was not saint but ol' Bob was a skunk. He picked a low way to take out Jesse James and Karma (James curse) bites back.

I am sending this out to Booklady331 as she picked it off iwillrejoice's Audiobook VBB list. Happy Trails!

Arrived today. Thanks for sending so quickly.

The only things I knew about Jesse James was what I have seen on TV shows. I learned some things. I found the reader very boring and monotone. It has sparked an interest in learning a little more about him. Thanks for sharing

Enjoy! Book is off to FeistyPom2love for Iwillrejoice's VBB.

I look forward to listening to this audiobook! Thank you for sending it my way BookLady331! It arrived quickly.

Amazon's Editorial Review:

"Jesse James was a fabled outlaw, a charismatic, spiritual, larger-than-life bad man whose bloody exploits captured the imagination and admiration of a nation hungry for antiheroes. Robert Ford was a young upstart torn between dedicated worship and murderous jealousy, the "dirty little coward" who coveted Jesse's legend. The powerful, strange, and unforgettable story of their interweaving paths—and twin destinies that would collide in a rain of blood and betrayal—is a story of America in all her rough, conflicted glory and the myths that made her."

This is my 1st experience with anything written by Ron Hansen. I had chosen this audio book because I had heard positive things about Ron Hansen's books in the past, so was curious enough to want to listen to this novel.

I also wanted to expand my reading/listening horizons by choosing a more western themed novel.

I thought Sam Freed gave a good performance reading this novel. At times, though I found myself tuning out the happenings of this novel. I'm not sure if it was because I'm not much of a western fan or because at times too much information was given.

I did fin that the novel became more interesting to me after Robert Ford had shot Jesse James.

Happy listening!! I'm sending this audiobook off to the winner of the international audiobook sweepstakes!!

The boy had it coming,

or the man of mostly
a steel shot.