Across the Endless River

Across the Great River by Thad Carhart ISBN 978-0-385-52977-8 Published by Doubleday, September 2, 2009. [...] Reviewer received book from FSB Associates, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 Review by Chris Phillips The great exploration of the wild Western frontier by Lewis and Clark is part of every person's schooling. Their trip opened up the West to expansion. There are many legends and stories from this expedition but here is one that is unique. Carhart takes the historical facts: Toussaint Charbonneau and Sacagawea had a child. Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau was that child. He took part in the expedition on his mother's back. Upon the expedition's end, he was warded with Clark to further his education and spent summers with the tribes. Carhart provides those details in the first few chapters of the book, but upon Pompy's (Jean-Baptiste's Native name) decision to travel to Europe as the companion and interpreter for Duke Paul of Wurttemberg, his life never remained the same. Carhart fills-in the 5 years (1823 - 1828) that Baptiste spent in Europe with all the intrigues and machinations of European royalty. Baptiste is definitely a "stranger in a strange land" and often struggles with being an oddity, and then being ignored. This is an adventure tale, but more a story of coming of age for a man split between three cultures but not fully part of any. He is denied acceptance among the Mandan because he is too "white." He can only be accepted as a well behaved "half-breed" in the American culture of St. Louis. And then, throughout most of the book, he is almost a trophy to be brought-out and shown-off for entertainment purposes in Europe. He finds his own way through all this. He develops intimate relationships with two women, Princess Theresa, Paul's older cousin and with Maura Hennesy, a wine mechant's daughter. But even then his plurality makes it difficult for him to be more than a dalliance to one and a long distance friend to the other. There are trials and tribulations throughout, but none seem to rest on Baptiste's shoulders for long. Usually they are taken care of by others in some way. The one character flaw in Baptiste's personality is that of watching the world go by while not knowing where he fits. Carhart handles all the characters and develops them faithfully and fully. He takes the time to let this reader know that these are real people with real problems and real lives. He handles plot twists as they would be in real life. Baptiste's father's alcoholism, Clark's high idealism and the rose-tinted glasses ideas of Europeans about America, the West and most particularly "Indians." Throughout the book there are times when the senses are almost overwhelmed with the images that are described. At others, the frustrations and stress of always being in the background are portrayed faithfully. The plot is well-developed while maintaining integrity to history. When fictionalized there is continuity and connection with the separate plots. The emotional int

The Endless River was a captivating and well crafted book. It is a historical but also fictional account of Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau's life from the time he is born to his early/mid twenties. From the wilds of the New World along the Missouri River and his mixed heritage caught between Native American tribal life and the 'white man's world,' to traveling with Duke Paul Wilhelm Wurttenberg at 19 to many cities in Europe for five years. He learns much of the life of the elite aristocracy and the hardships and lives of the peasants as well. Although Baptiste had no money to be speaking about -- as a guest of Duke Paul -- he had privileges that most common people in Europe at that time would never have had the chance to experience. I love historical fiction, especially historical fiction that is based on real characters, and particularly when it is carried out so lovingly and beautifully. He took the 'wireframe' of history known about Baptiste, and wove a wonderful story. I found myself wondering about Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau for the first time because of this book. Of course, due to the lack of much real historical detail one could never truly see through his eyes - so to speak - but Thad Carhart brings him and his life during that period in history to life in a very unique and extraordinary way.

Sacagawea and Toussaint Charbonneau had a baby boy names Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau. His mixed heritage makes him feel like an outcast. When he turns eighteen, he befriends Duke Paul of Wurttemberg and together they travel around Europe. Jean Baptiste and Paul's cousin, Princess Theresa, begin a hot and steamy affair. When Theresa gives Baptiste an ultimatum, he's unsure of what to do. He travels to Paris and meets a woman named Maura. Now he's torn between two worlds and two women. What will he decide? I felt like I traveled back in time and watched this novel come to life. This is a touching story of a man who has the world at his fingertips. He is forced to make important decisions that will alter his life forever.

Thad Carhart's skillful writing reached out and grabbed my attention and held it to the last page! An absorbing story, it was so fascinating in the details of Jean Baptiste's life that I felt I was THERE seeing the l9th century world for myself. Totally engrossing and enjoyable. Highly recommend it and look forward to more books from Carhart.

Thad Carhart wrote one of my favorite recent books about Paris, The Piano Shop on the Left Bank. It's a charming and inspirational story about how Thad discovered a piano shop in his neighborhood and got in touch with his love of playing the piano again after having a traumatic experience as a child that put him off from playing for many years. Thad's new book Across the Endless River, an historical novel about Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau the son of Sacagawea and his time spent in 1820s Europe was just published. V Where were you born and where did you grow up? Since my father was an Air Force officer, we lived all over the place. I was born in Alabama, but only lived there for six months (I've had a lot of explaining to do over the years about the "lieu de naissance" entry on French forms...) We lived in Fontainebleau when I was a boy, and also in Washington, DC, Minneapolis, Tokyo, and Amherst, Massachusetts. When did you move to Paris and how long have you been living here? I moved to Paris in 1989 and have lived here ever since. When I was a boy we used to come to Paris every weekend when we lived in Fontainebleau, and something about the place imprinted itself in my imagination. You told me a writers dream come true story about how your first book The Piano Shop on the Left Bank was published. Can you tell the story again for my readers? It really has to do with the generosity of a fine writer, Alberto Manguel, as well as good luck and fortuitous timing. Alberto encouraged me to develop a book proposal from an idea we had discussed; I had imagined writing a series of articles about acquiring a used piano in Paris. A month later he had shown forty pages or so of the material to his agent in Toronto, and the next thing I knew, his agent was calling me to say he had sold the book to Little, Brown Canada! Once I recovered my breath, I stammered that I was delighted - and then tried to figure out how I was going to actually write the whole story and make it work. There were a number of twists in the road early on - Little, Brown Canada went out of business before the book was published there; my U.S. editor left Viking Penguin and so the book was orphaned for a while. But things worked out eventually, and it was first published in the UK by Chatto & Windus. Are you still playing the piano? Yes, but rather badly, I'm afraid. My teacher left Paris, and I'm someone who doesn't improve without the regular stimulus of a lesson and an attentive ear. My resolution after I return from the book tour for ACROSS THE ENDLESS RIVER, my new book, is to spend more time at the piano keyboard, and a bit less at the computer keyboard. Your newest book Across the Endless River is coming out on September 1. It's your first historical novel. Why did you choose to write an historical novel and can you tell me what the book is about? In THE PIANO SHOP ON THE LEFT BANK, I was interested in examining the porous membrane of relationships that exists betwe