Gold: Being the Marvellous History of General John Augustus Sutter

"On again, and the track flies beneath the swift hooves of the horses." The only reason to read this is if you love Cendrars poetry and just can't get enough of it. This book has great moments especially in the early going icluding that first glimpse of our hero in small Swiss village, as well as Sutters arrival in New York and his various careers in various kinds of swindling. Cendrars paints an interesting portrait of a man who learns all he needs to know about America from conversations had in bars. His listening gains him crucial bits of information that will shape his destiny. The journey west is great Cendrars writing full of gusto and energy but the accelerated pace of the telling only remains exciting while Sutter is in motion. After he settles down the hectic style doesn't carry the story or tell it nearly as well as it should be told. Gold is an unfinished work, an attractive but only partially completed manuscript. Interesting attempt to tell a story applying Cendrars poetic breakthroughs to novel writing though only partially successful. For Cendrars completists only. Moravagine is a much more satisfying novel by this wild Swiss traveler-poet.