Little Bighorn

A Novel

By: John Hough Jr.

Narrated by: Rex Anderson

As a favor to the beautiful actress Mary Deschenes, Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer hires her 18-year-old son Allen Winslow as an aide for his 1876 campaign against the Sioux and Cheyenne. Traveling west against his will, Allen finds himself in the company of Addie Grace Lord, sixteen, sister of one of Custer's regimental surgeons. The two fall in love, and it is with foreboding that Addie Grace watches Allen and her brother George ride out with Custer's Seventh Cavalry. Weeks later in Montana, hundreds of miles to the west, the Seventh brings its quarry to bay beside the river called the Little Bighorn.

Beautifully written and filled with unforgettable characters, Little Bighorn brings to life the American West and its heartbreaking history, brilliantly portraying the flawed and tormented Custer.

©2014 John Hough Jr. (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Excellent narration and an interesting story.

Would you listen to Little Bighorn again? Why?

I would certainly listen to this book again, if only for the narration. Rex Anderson does and excellent job of distinguishing between the characters without too much dramatic over-emphasis. Having been an avid audiobook consumer for years, the narration reminds me a bit of Jonathan Davis. The story in engaging, if a little bit contrived, but that may be due to my lack of knowledge about the time period that the book is set during. Regardless, the strong narration carried it for me even when the story started to flag.

Would you recommend Little Bighorn to your friends? Why or why not?

I would certainly recommend this to my friends, especially those interested 19th century America. The story provides just enough factual detail to make to historical fiction feel grounded.

What about Rex Anderson’s performance did you like?

Rex Anderson demonstrated an strong ability to provide distinct characterizations, while also utilizing excellent pacing in his storytelling.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It may seem like a small part of the plot, but when the characters are traveling by train and one character is swindled out of their money in a poker game. It may have been fairly trivial, but it captured an aspect of the historical period in an enjoyable fashion.

Any additional comments?

While I will certainly seek out books by the narrator and this author in the future, I did notice that the quality of the audio was not up to typical audible standards. I got over this after the first few listens, but it was definitely something that struck me as strange. Even the high quality version sounded as if I was listening to a poorly mixed recording.

Part 1

Part 1, the train ride was interesting and much better written. After that section it almost felt like the author must submitted an outline. It was very "bullet-pointy" if that makes sense. It seems very disjointed at times, like he was just trying to finish it. I was impressed by some of the truths in the story. The bare bones are there for a great story, but to me it'll just be "ok at best." One time is enough.