From the national bestselling author of
The Last Crossing, a story that's "by turns a western, a critique of Hollywood, and a novel of ideas" (
The New York Times Book Review).
In 1920s Hollywood, elusive producer Damon Ira Chance is obsessed with making movies rooted in American history and experience. So after discovering that small-time actor Shorty McAdoo is a real-life cowboy-and is even rumored to have played a role in the Cypress Hills Massacre-Chance commissions ambitious young screenwriter Harry Vincent to find Shorty and retell his story.
But as Harry digs deeper into Shorty's life, he uncovers a surprising tale of survival, power, greed, and the seduction of dreams... all with an ending that no one is prepared for.
"A wonderful writer...
The Englishman's Boy is a great accomplishment." -Richard Ford
"An epic tale that brings together the American West before the turn of the century with the Hollywood of the 1920s." -
Los Angeles Times
"Fascinating... Vanderhaeghe seamlessly alternates two interconnected stories.... Masterful storytelling." -
Entertainment Weekly
"A compelling yarn that delivers provocative intellectual content about the ways our tendency to mythologize history can prevent us from learning its lessons." -
San Francisco Chronicle