The Far Side of Lonesome

By: Rita Hestand

Narrated by: Mark Kamish

Jeb and Hoot get more than they bargained for when they trade horses with an Indian village. Now what are they supposed to do with a white woman captive and her Indian baby?

©2009, 2016 Rita Hestand (P)2016 Rita Hestand

An Engrossing Western Short Story

The Far Side of Lonesome was an engrossing listen. I enjoyed it thoroughly. The dialogue between Sarah, Jeb, and Hoot was very good. Their situation was intense which made for an excellent storyline. For a short story, this was solid. I would love to see a continuation of this as the characters were well-rounded and strong. I've listened to other work by Rita Hestand and enjoy her worlds, especially the Texas setting.

The narration by Mark Kamish was impeccable. His voice inflections are what made the dialogue so very good. He was the perfect reader for this story. He has a rich, deep, southern tone that made this an excellent listen.

"I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator."

Rock and a hard place

This work was thought provoking on many levels. The difficulty presented to the main characters could be viewed through the prism of today's reality or the immediate post civil war necessities. I would have welcomed a little more development of both characters IE:, life as a captured woman in an indigenous camp and as a minority in a brutal post war frontier. I will be looking for more from Rita Hestand.
I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for this review.

Enjoyable listen

This is a twist on the average Western. The author focuses on the complicated relationship among whites, blacks, and Indians in the pioneer era. She does a nice job of showing her characters as multi-dimensional, not just a stereotype based on race. The story is made even more enjoyable by the narration by Mr. Kamish. He injects a flavor to his reading which places the listener squarely in the scene and provides additional interest to the story.

The Far Side of Lonesome

The Far Side of Lonesome
: Rita Hestand

A rather unique look at the old west.A chance encounter between Indians, Black men, and a captive white woman with an Indian son lead to strange emotions and differences between the races. A good short story that could be used as an introduction of a series, as the ending left me wanting more.


The narration was well done.The characters were well portrayed by Mark Kamish.



"I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator."

A Good story

Would you listen to The Far Side of Lonesome again? Why?

Probably not. It was a good story but just not enough of a story to listen to again.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that the main characters could see each other as people and not as a race.

What does Mark Kamish bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Well, when I first started listening, Mark had this weird way of talking - like an old man telling a story. It was distracting at first but I got into it and enjoyed his way of telling the story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I didn't have any strong reactions to the story. The only thing that bothered me was that the story rather just ended. Was it a HEA? I don't really know. And that may have been what was intended but I really like those HEA's.

Any additional comments?

Over all, the book was good and meant to be a short story.

Certainly different

I don't know what I was expecting but it sure wasn't this! A story so wrapped in confused thoughts I wasn't sure what to think? A white women stolen by Indians ( same old standard of judgment) made to take back by another tribe along with her Indian baby by two black men ( what in the world??) the whole thing was so out there in so many levels I was jerked back and forth in my emotions. I gets tiring to read story after story about the Indians killing whites. But this wasn't just about this it was about her abuse by one set and then traded to another. Finding happiness and then being given to two black men to be returned back to white people. Black white red it was again the separation of how people treated each other. It's a sad story. Deeply sad. Because it echoes even today in our lack of acceptance. The performance was good. I did not rate the story higher because it's too short! Frankly your not given enough to get to know the characters and the little you do leaves to much open ended for me. I would have liked more back ground and more depth to it. I received this book at no charge in exchange for an honest review.