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The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: A Novel (P.S.) Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 596 ratings

A powerful novel of the infamous Western outlaw and his killer: “The best blend of fiction and history I’ve read in a long while” (John Irving).
  By age thirty-four, Jesse James was already one of the most notorious and admired men in America. Bank robber, train bandit, gang leader, killer, and beloved son of Missouri—
James’s many epithets live on in newspapers and novels alike. As his celebrity was reaching its apex, James met Robert Ford, the brother of a James gang member—an awkward, antihero-worshipping twenty-year-old with stars in his eyes. The young man’s fascination with the legend borders on jealous obsession: While Ford wants to ride alongside James as his most-trusted confidant, sharing his spotlight is not enough. As a bond forms between the two men, Ford realizes that the only way he’ll ever be as powerful as his idol is to
become him; he must kill James and take his mantle. In the striking novel that inspired the film of the same name starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, bestselling author Ron Hansen retells a classic Wild West story that has long captured the nation’s imagination, and breathes new life into the final days and ignoble death of an iconic American man.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This is great storytelling . . . Ron Hansen has one of the most accomplished prose styles in contemporary fiction, and this narrative is the best blend of fiction and history I’ve read in a long while.” —John Irving
“Retelling the familiar stories, making them fresh, finding in them an unresolvable mystery about fame and ambition in America, this book is a wonderful achievement.” —
San Francisco Chronicle
“Ron Hansen has turned low history into high art . . . This is a terrific book.” —
Newsday

From the Back Cover

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.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00COWLZ1K
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media; Reprint edition (May 28, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 28, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4201 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 324 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 596 ratings

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Ron Hansen
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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
596 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They appreciate the author's skillful use of language and deep character development. Many describe the story as realistic and authentic, with a Western setting. However, some readers feel the book is too long. Opinions differ on the character study, with some finding it interesting and moody, while others consider it overly detailed.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

43 customers mention "Readability"43 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it interesting and well-written, with an engaging story and historical fiction that blends well. The author's writing style is described as good and the book is a worthwhile read.

"An engaging, wonderfully written and atmospheric account of the life, death, and relationship of Jesse James and Robert Ford. Just brilliant." Read more

"...through the movie again, so to say, and i'm happy because it's a very good book, every character is well described, from Jesse James, his life, his..." Read more

"...This is one of the best books I ever read, and I am always reading something...." Read more

"The book itself is amazing. My favorite! I have had the book for several years. I’ve read it a few times. It’s brilliant. My favorite...." Read more

18 customers mention "Writing quality"18 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the writing quality. They praise the author's skillful use of language, describing the book as an elegant historical fiction novel. Readers appreciate the authentic language and feel of the west.

"An engaging, wonderfully written and atmospheric account of the life, death, and relationship of Jesse James and Robert Ford. Just brilliant." Read more

"...Some dialogue is missing. It’s still good and is read well.... but I hate that anything is missing." Read more

"...Hansen can certainly captivate the feel of the west and his language is authentic as shown by the following passage:..." Read more

"...Ron Hansen's style of writing is incredibly immersing...." Read more

6 customers mention "Depth"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-researched and written. They appreciate the detailed characterizations of the James family, especially the larger ones. The author does an amazing job creating deep development in this historical fiction piece. Overall, customers find the book enlightening about Jesse James.

"...Yes, fiction, but obviously very well researched. Ron Hansen's style of writing is incredibly immersing...." Read more

"...The book also provides detailed characterizations of the James family, especially the larger-than-life mother, a nightmare of a woman...." Read more

"...Ron Hansen does such an amazing job at creating such deep development in this historical fiction piece...." Read more

"This is an excellent book. Well written and researched. One of my favorite books." Read more

5 customers mention "Realism"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's realism. They describe it as realistic, true, and authentic. The story is described as a good Western with an interesting take on America.

"...Ford's last years after Jesse's assassination are (in my opinion) very realistic. It is written both as a history book and a novel...." Read more

"...A good Western, but also a really interesting statement about America." Read more

"...One of the best stories of Jesse James to date, the most realistic." Read more

"Western realism and a very good story..." Read more

7 customers mention "Character study"4 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the character study. Some find the parts featuring Jesse James interesting and realistic, while others feel there is too much detail regarding ancillary characters and that the book is too detailed and long.

"...so to say, and i'm happy because it's a very good book, every character is well described, from Jesse James, his life, his mates, to his killer,..." Read more

"Too detailed therefore too "long". Pace dragged at times especially at the end." Read more

"...It's more of a moody, character study. Love love love this book." Read more

"...One of the best stories of Jesse James to date, the most realistic." Read more

3 customers mention "Length"0 positive3 negative

Customers find the book a little long, but it's worth reading.

"...The book is overly long and at times irritating.It should have been cut down in size...." Read more

"Long and drawn out.......often confusing.....hard to follow.....lots of going back and rereading to figure out where the story was going." Read more

"...A little long, but well worth the effort." Read more

3 customers mention "Pace"0 positive3 negative

Customers find the book's pace slow at times. However, they still find it hard to put down.

"...At times, the pace can be slow, but it is still hard to put the book down...." Read more

"...books from a language/style perspective, though can, at times, move a little slowly. Other than that, highly recommended!" Read more

"Boring hard to get into very slow read had some good points in it though it was hard to keep on track" Read more

Veey good book
4 out of 5 stars
Veey good book
I had watched the movie starring Brad Pitt (as Jesse James) and Casey Affleck (as Bob Ford) when it came out in cinemas in my country, then found this book on here and bought it in the year 2015, and managed to read it now, four years later...that's a lot of time but it helped me to go through the movie again, so to say, and i'm happy because it's a very good book, every character is well described, from Jesse James, his life, his mates, to his killer, Robert Ford, who finds sort of success after shooting Jesse Woodson James on April 1882 by taking the stages here and there to play himself in front of big audiences who pay to see and feel what happened at the outlaw's house, and gambling and running saloons, but who's quickly seen as evil, a bad person, and always afraid of someone looking for him.The book features an interview with the author and the section "Jesse James, Facts and Falsehoods, Fiction and Film" to know more about the outlaw
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2024
An engaging, wonderfully written and atmospheric account of the life, death, and relationship of Jesse James and Robert Ford. Just brilliant.
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2019
I had watched the movie starring Brad Pitt (as Jesse James) and Casey Affleck (as Bob Ford) when it came out in cinemas in my country, then found this book on here and bought it in the year 2015, and managed to read it now, four years later...that's a lot of time but it helped me to go through the movie again, so to say, and i'm happy because it's a very good book, every character is well described, from Jesse James, his life, his mates, to his killer, Robert Ford, who finds sort of success after shooting Jesse Woodson James on April 1882 by taking the stages here and there to play himself in front of big audiences who pay to see and feel what happened at the outlaw's house, and gambling and running saloons, but who's quickly seen as evil, a bad person, and always afraid of someone looking for him.
The book features an interview with the author and the section "Jesse James, Facts and Falsehoods, Fiction and Film" to know more about the outlaw
Customer image
4.0 out of 5 stars Veey good book
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2019
I had watched the movie starring Brad Pitt (as Jesse James) and Casey Affleck (as Bob Ford) when it came out in cinemas in my country, then found this book on here and bought it in the year 2015, and managed to read it now, four years later...that's a lot of time but it helped me to go through the movie again, so to say, and i'm happy because it's a very good book, every character is well described, from Jesse James, his life, his mates, to his killer, Robert Ford, who finds sort of success after shooting Jesse Woodson James on April 1882 by taking the stages here and there to play himself in front of big audiences who pay to see and feel what happened at the outlaw's house, and gambling and running saloons, but who's quickly seen as evil, a bad person, and always afraid of someone looking for him.
The book features an interview with the author and the section "Jesse James, Facts and Falsehoods, Fiction and Film" to know more about the outlaw
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Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2017
This book would get more than five stars if it were allowed. This is one of the best books I ever read, and I am always reading something. Though it is 'fiction', the author uses a lot of words and phrases that were used in the era of 1881. Researched well, as far as I know, I think a lot of the dialogue and episodes were from primary sources (non-fiction accounts and newspapers). Over and over this writer wrote sentences or descriptions that were stunning, like: (pg. 113) "Snow made boards of his trousers..."; and (pg. 133) "...Dick slid off a stool and limped over with a mug that sloshed pennies of coffee on the floorboards." Even the punctuation was most likely from back then. The author was so dedicated to making this book seem to come right from 1881 and making the era and the people seem as if the reader is peeking in on real life scenes from then. He is either a brilliant researcher or a real good liar. In any event, he is an incredible writer.

The book covers the last three months of Jesse James's life and of his assassin's, Robert Ford. I could not put this book down and, when I had to, I couldn't wait to get back to it. Now I want to read a non-fiction book of the same thing to see just how much was true, just so I don't make a fool of myself in conversation by insisting that things in this book that may have been created by the author were true. Highly recommend the movie of the same name that is on DVD. It contains many direct pieces of this book.
29 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2018
The book itself is amazing. My favorite! I have had the book for several years. I’ve read it a few times. It’s brilliant. My favorite. However— I bought the audiobook recently so I could listen to it while I fall asleep (yes I’m the obsessed with it) be warned: the audio book has small details removed. Perhaps to make it flow more like a screenplay. Parts of paragraphs are cut out, details here and there. Some dialogue is missing. It’s still good and is read well.... but I hate that anything is missing.
12 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2020
The title I gave this review is a bit harsh for a book I liked but it is true. I saw the film version of the novel prior to reading it.Both have similar strengths and weaknesses .A number of scenes are dragged out entirely too long to the point of boredom.At times it's a little hard to figure out what is going on.Yet, the novel is ultimately compelling and at points quite interesting.(The same is true of the movie).The novel does one important thing that the movie does not do- and couldn't do unless it was to become a mini series.It gives you a James Gang back up story that is probably the most interesting part of the book.The roots of the James Gang lay in Civil War Missouri.We have a tendency to see the Civil War in terms of regular battles between regular armies.There was some of that in Missouri, most notably the Battle of Wilson's Creek.Frank James fought for the Confederacy in that battle.While technically a Confederate victory , they were unable to capitialize on it and Confederate hopes for domination of Missouri were dashed shortly thereafter in the Battle of Pea Ridge in nearby Arkansas.But that didn't end the conflict in Missouri which devolved into an ugly guerilla war .The most famous guerilla group were Quantrills Raiders, a pro Confederate gang that routinely murdered people.Frank James, Jesse James and Cole Younger- the most prominent members of the James Gang- all road with Quantrill.It was their basic training.They came out of the war extremly hardened and vicious.They tended to justify their conduct in terms of the war acting as if they were still fighting the Yankees.Importantly a large number of pro Confederate Missourian's , more or less bought it and turned a blind eye to the James Gang or even helped them.That is probably why the gang continued for so long and why Jesse James was able to hide in plain sight for years.
Hansen clearly rejects a romanticized image of James.His Jesse James is a rather creepy character.However his assassin ,Bob Ford is even creepier.He is not at all motivated by law and order or moral sentiments.I didn't even get the impression that he was all that interested in the reward for killing James.He seems to resent James' exisistence.James looms too large for him and suffocates him.He wants to be a big man and killing James is the ticket to that.Unfortunately , Ford made a major blunder , at least from a public relations standpoint, he shot an unarmed James in the back while his wife and children were in the house.At first the public may have been largely relieved but as people began to think about it, they began to turn on Ford.It didn't help that Ford was cleary an arrogant jerk.
The book is overly long and at times irritating.It should have been cut down in size.Had it been sensibly edited ,it may have been a borderline great book .As it stands it's a very worthwhile book especially for people interested in American history.A good book to read before or after it would be TRUE GRIT in which Frank James and Cole Younger make a brief but telling guest appearance.
17 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Gareth
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 28, 2018
Read this book a few years back now but only just getting around to reviewing it now! Was a very good book which I found surprising as I was not expecting it too be as good as the movie, I just assumed it would be one of those books which is word for word exactly like how the movie is but to my surprise it is an in depth detailed book and even includes parts that weren't in the movie. It was very well written and it is like a novel but also informative at the same time.
The Dachshund
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Australia on April 1, 2015
A nice, flowing narrative
ThreeKnotNavy
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, a pity about the Kindle version
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 14, 2017
I agree with other reviewers that this is a powerful well written and researched book. It's a pity then that the Kindle edition contains many errors where the text hasn't been converted accurately. There are just too many misspellings, incorrect capitalisations and incorrect punctuations and they get in the way of reading.
E S Culley
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 20, 2024
Gripping story
wordparty
5.0 out of 5 stars unforgettable
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 14, 2008
Stunning book: the factual made mythic by imagination and the style of writing. Jesse James takes on a legendary aura - although the book is built around real events - and is stalked by a sense of approaching and inevitable disaster in the guise of the coward Robert Ford. Some tension is inevitably lost after Jesse's slaying, but the progress of Ford's life and death is fascinating also. I found this account totally convincing and moving also in its exploration of deceit and its consequences, and the slowly building tragedy that unfolds.The pages dealing with the morning of the murder and all the small details of that day are quite brilliant as time itself seems to fall into slow-motion. The book also fills in some of the details that are a little confusing in the fine film that grew from it... Wonderful.
One person found this helpful
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