Kathleen Morris started her western writing career in tremendous style, winning the Peacemaker Award for best first novel with her debut ‘THE LILY OF THE WEST.’ Here’s my 4 Star review, which you can find on Amazon.co.uk and Goodreads:
Bold new view of a familiar tale
Kathleen Morris certainly ‘hit the ground running’ as
a western novelist as her debut ‘Lily of
the West’ won the Peacemaker Award for best first novel. ‘Lily’ is a refreshing new take on a
familiar tale. ‘Big Nose’ Kate Elder normally only features as a supporting
player in the story of Wyatt Earp and John Henry – ‘Doc’ – Holliday. Here she
takes centre stage and we follow her life from long before she met either of
these western legends to long after. Born in Hungary, Kate travels from Europe
to Mexico to Iowa, then St. Louis and New Orleans. Tragedy and chance take her
west, to the dusty plains of Kansas, Texas and finally Arizona. Here tension
builds as the Earp Brothers and Holliday square up against the Clanton Gang,
leading to their historic clashes in Tombstone. But as much tension arises from
the curious triangle of Kate, ‘Doc’ and Wyatt Earp. Kate attempts to steer
‘Doc,’ the man she loves, away from what she sees as the malign influence of
Earp, but the strange bond between the two men keeps luring Holliday back. I
particularly liked the touching description of Kate and Doc’s final months
together, after these mighty events have passed. Recommended.
In the
rest of this blog I’m not going to explore the historical life of Kate Elder –
also known as Kate Harony. Kathleen Morris does that in her novel. I thought I’d
have a brief look at how she’s been depicted in film.
The real
KATE ELDER/ HORONY (1850-1940)
The story
of WYATT EARP and his associates (most notably ‘DOC’ HOLLIDAY) have proved
perennially fascinating for western movie makers. Most focus on Earp’s tenure
in Tombstone, Arizona and the events surrounding the misnamed ‘Gunfight at the
OK Corral.’ In reality the gunfight took place in a vacant lot behind the O.K.
Corral, next to a boarding house and photography studio, not in the corral
itself.
Wyatt Earp (1848- 1929)
In the
endless list of Earp-related films, perceptions have shifted. Early depictions
of Earp as portrayed by veteran western movie stars like HENRY FONDA, RANDOLPH
SCOTT, BURT LANCASTER and JOEL McCREA were as the ultimate western lawman,
honourable, incorruptible and driven by a keen sense of justice. Few film
makers would depict him so nowadays. Even the most sympathetic recent takes on
him, as in ‘Tombstone’ (1993)
acknowledge him as a flawed individual. Other depictions, such as ‘Doc’ (1971) show us Earp as a ruthless,
corrupt, self-serving killer. All of which, fascinatingly enough, reflect views
of the real man held during his lifetime, when he was a controversial figure
who starkly divided opinion.
‘Doc’ JOHN
HENRY HOLLIDAY (1851-1887)
My
favourite Earp movie is ‘My Darling
Clementine’ (1946) directed by JOHN FORD. Ford cheerfully gets all his hard
facts wrong, even the year of the OK Corral gunfight! However, in ‘print the
legend’ vein he creates a masterly film, beautifully made. An unlikely piece of
casting is VICTOR MATURE as Holliday. No Kate Elder features in the movie,
although he is associated with two women – ‘good girl’ Clementine (CATHY DOWNS)
and ‘bad girl’ Chihuahua (LINDA DARNELL) who is a sort of Mexican/Apache
version of Kate.
Linda
Darnell
In ‘Gunfight at the OK Corral’ (1957)
Holliday is portrayed by KIRK DOUGLAS. There are various contenders for best
on-screen Holliday but Douglas gets my vote. His Holliday is, like most screen depictions,
more or less a ‘bad guy’ who is only persuaded to join the side of law and
order by his unexpected friendship with Wyatt Earp. Douglas is tremendous as a
tortured and self-destructive loner who can also be charming, cynically funny
and charismatic.
Maybe it's time Kate was the centre of her own movie...
More reviews for THE LILY OF THE WEST:
‘Superbly written.’
‘This book is filled with sumptuous language and an interesting cast of characters.’
‘Beautifully written, telling the story of a young girl, and her growing into a woman of the "wild west". If you love stories of triumph over tragedy, placed in an historical setting with an accuracy and a telling that will keep you turning each page to learn more... you will love this book.’
‘Kathleen Morris does a great job of filling in the gaps between well-known fact and probable fiction…. This great, award-winning story gives the reader a fresh and seldom told side about someone who was there as the American frontier came of age. A must-read for those whose interests include that era of American history.’
‘This is a wonderfully written book that could appeal to both women and men. I’m don’t typically read Westerns, but this book had so many great elements, that it kept my interest throughout the book.’
Find THE LILY OF THE WEST here:https://www.amazon.com/Lily-West-Kathleen-Morris-ebook/dp/B08DM4NKVC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3FM8S5BJO8QNY&dchild=1&keywords=the+lily+of+the+west&qid=1600154374&s=books&sprefix=the+lily+of+the+west%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C244&sr=1-1
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