Vanderhaeghe's novel "The Englishman's Boy" is a well written, well crafted novel. Using accurate historical elements of both the 1920's in Hollywood and of the Cypress Hills Massacre of the late 1800 (approx. 1873), Vanderhaege is able to weave both stories, while very different in both content and subject, together with such a masterful flair. He takes themes common in both stories, laying these as his foundation, and continues to unfold two remarkably different, yet intriging stories. By juxtaposing these two stories, Vanderhaege allows the reader to switch back and forth, while not being confused, and wondering the whole time when the two parrallels of the story will eventually meet. It is at that point that the apex of the story is fully realized.

Why isn't Guy Vanderhaeghe more famous than he is? I am no great fan of the Western genre, but this book completely astonished me, particularly by the fact that of the two stories interwoven throughout the novel, I much preferred the Western! This book has made me a fan of Guy Vanderhaeghe, as I am sure of many others who have had the pleasure of reading "The Englishman's Boy", or any of his short story collections. Definitely recommended for the non-Western reader like myself.

The publicity surrounding this book was recommendation enough, so why did I find it so difficult staying interested in this novel? True, this book is about two interconnected stories centered around the so-called wild west. But it seemed that every time a story started getting interesting the author dropped it and picked up the other. I've heard this novel read on CBC radio and had only marginally better luck staying interested.

From the rise of Hollywood and the beginning of the myth of the Old
West, Vanderhaeghe deftly transports readers into Shorty McAdoo's story -one which vividly illustrates the fact that Hollywood's ascendancy directly reflects the decline of the real West. The West that Shorty knows so well has little if anything to do with the Cowboys and Indians world Hollywood had begun to create. Far richer in scope, and painted in much subtler shades than the black-and-white movie screens of the 1920s could ever recreate, Shorty's world is one which readers will find both startling and familiar.

Vanderhaeghe's skill with dialogue is astonishing. You can hear this book as you read it; it's almost like watching a movie. A Western, in this case. Interesting how it takes a Canadian to get to the heart of two of America's greatest mythologies: The Wild West, and Hollywood. Excellent book.