Chenneville: Book summary and reviews of Chenneville by Paulette Jiles

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Zena Ryder

Another great book from Giles!
I loved both News of the World and Simon the Fiddler, so was excited to read Paulette Jiles’ new novel, Chenneville.

If its description as a novel of “murder, loss, and vengeance” makes a reader expect a fast-paced thriller, they’ll be disappointed. Instead, this story is more about the character, John Chenneville, as he doggedly follows a murderer across a vast region of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

The Chenneville character is the absolute best thing about this book. Even though he’s bent on a revenge killing for most of the novel (at the beginning, he’s recovering from a major head wound in hospital) he’s still sympathetic.

Perhaps this is because we can all understand wanting revenge on someone who murdered beloved family members. Revenge would be especially appealing given the lawlessness and corruption in the post-Civil War South.

We also love John because he’s a fundamentally kind and decent man, despite not talking much (to the extent of being gruff) and not being afraid to use violence. His kindness extends to horses and dogs, which makes him irresistibly lovable. Even the minor characters come alive on the page and I love the relationships between them and John.

As we read, we’re rooting for John, wanting him to find the murderer, but also not wanting him to ruin his own life by becoming a killer. The ending was crucial. Almost the entire book has been pointing to the end and we’ve imagined how it might go. With this build-up, it would be easy to disappoint. Some readers were disappointed, but I wasn’t. I thought the ending was perfectly suited to the rest of the story.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC.

Renee

My pick for Best Book this year
Paulette Jiles’s new book Chenneville is as well-written and absorbing as her previous novels. Jiles takes the reader to post-Civil War Missouri where John Chenneville has returned to his family farm still damaged from an almost lethal head injury. He finds the farm empty of all but one old retainer who tells him his mother has gone and his sister and her family have been brutally murdered.

From this point on, what could have been a typical tale of Western vengeance becomes a much more complex journey for justice and healing thanks to Jiles’s compelling and richly detailed writing. John’s hunt for the killer of his sister’s family takes him far from home and introduces many characters; some kind, some slippery, and some intent on harming him. All have been touched by the War and its aftereffects.

Chenneville is without a doubt the best book I have read this year. From the first page I was pulled into John’s story and the vivid portrayal of the post-Civil War West. I would recommend this title to anyone who appreciates Western tales with well-developed characters and rich, descriptive writing. I will be recommending it to friends and library patrons upon its publication.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the chance to read this exceptional book.

Other books by Paulette Jiles at BookBrowse