Huge thanks to any and all who took the time to read this story. My sincerest hopes that you all go forth and find your own beautiful destinies.15 s Grant Catton71

One part classic American Tall Tale, one part darkly humorous satire, one part epic adventure story, one part inspirational self help, one part serious critique of American capitalism gone wrong...Bunyan and Henry is a funny, imaginative, and heartfelt retelling or perhaps a mashup of the Paul Bunyan and John Henry myths rife with life lessons and tongue in cheek (and sometimes very direct) rebukes of the environmental and social evils wrought by rampant capitalism.

Set in the post-Civil War America of the Robber Barons and Reconstruction -- a time when this country had a chance to reinvent itself and figure out what it wanted to be -- Paul Bunyan labors in a factory in Lump Town, mining a coal/oil- miracle mineral called Lump. Which is all fine except that the mining and refining of Lump is ruining the environment and making people (namely Bunyan's wife) sick. In order to save his wife, Bunyan must confront the wealthy, hilariously egotistical, and ultimately evil industrialist "El Boffo" by traveling to the Windy City. There ensues a series of adventures (including meeting and teaming up with the steel driving man John Henry) and quests that allow Bunyan to prove who he really is to himself and (maybe?!) save the country from El Boffo and his wife from an untimely death.

Among the many delights of this debut novel is it's structure. No doubt, Cecil has studied timeless epics the Odyssey and Gilgamesh, and read and properly imbibed tomes Campbell's "Hero With a Thousand Faces," because the book is a clinic on the hero's journey. As Bunyan navigates one obstacle after another, the challenges and quests get more and more elaborate, causing him to have to dig deeper and deeper into himself (aided by a mythical creature and a special prophesying light called "The Gleam"as his guide) in order to bring the quest to completion.

In the process, the book contains nuggets of wisdom and inspiration useful and encouraging for anyone, whether your quest is to find a cure for Silverdark ( Bunyan's) or to win the big promotion to Managing Director next quarter. It's refreshing to read a book (and hear from an author) that looks at personal and societal challenges in simple, straightforward, and forthright terms. In that sense the late 1800s seems a perfect setting for this kind of story. I wonder how these characters would handle the post-post-modern, social media-riddled world of today in which we have the internet and answers spewing forth from every technological orifice, 24 hours a day, and in which everything (especially earnestness) is subject to skepticism from every angle.

What saves this story from being simply a funny, romping mishmash of a couple tall tales with a modern day author's humor and plot twists thrown in, is it's frank takes on capitalism, classism, and racism. The book does not get bogged down dealing with these -- to the level of being polemical (which it very easily could have). Instead it uses the fantastical world of the book to hold up a mirror to our own. In the process we see a lot of things we'd rather not see, but need to keep seeing. And in the context of fantasy they are made that much more stark...and sad.

A fantastic debut novel. Looking forward to the author's next effort. Thank you to Penguin Random House for the advance copy.3 s Jesse Hassinger107 13

"Bunyan and Henry: Or, the Beautiful Destiny" could have a further subtitle: "The Battle for the Heart of Humanity Against Capitalist Greed". Even more than a retelling of the origins of Paul Bunyan and the later days of John Henry Mark Cecil's book takes these two characters, along with a panoply of others, as representative stand-ins for their economic and racial kin in the struggle against the oligarchy that rules the land. Though not subtle in its initial depiction (this is myth, after all), the character development for each person is significant. Almost all of the secondary characters get a chapter (or more) in which to tell their story - making room for the marginalized to be front-and-center - which adds emotional and philosophical depth to this tale of good vs. evil. Everyone has shades of gray, some of which actually shadows over the altruism of their deeds, but ultimately even the most nebulous of characters finds the light - save for those whose lives are led purely by profit margins and greed. This mythic retelling is a truly American tale; one that depicts the main folly of colonialism as the desire to keep rather than share; to take rather than give; and ultimately to shun rather than love.2 s Tina Rae1,020

Y’all want to hear how dumb I am? I did not realize that Paul Bunyan was not a real person. Yeah, I though this was going to be nonfiction. It was not. It was technically a fairytale. Boy, was I surprised.

Anyway, that little mishap aside, I really enjoyed this! It had shades of the Wizard of Oz but with a truly interesting world that I really enjoyed exploring. I laughed, I cried, I cringed (this was really gory in places??? I’m not complaining; it was just unexpected.)

I really enjoyed seeing two mythic figures come to life. I also had somehow never even heard of John Henry? But I loved him and loved meeting him and his family in these pages. And I LOVED his friendship with Paul Bunyan. What an excellent pair!

Also the part where Bunyan’s axe and Henry’s hammer were forged was SO COOL. Now I need to go read a book about blacksmithing (or go find a blacksmith and watch them work) because I am intrigued!

Anyway. What a fun little piece of folklore this was. It honestly isn’t something I normally would’ve picked up (if I hadn’t thought it was nonfiction) but I’m so glad I did. This was a quick, entertaining number and I’m so glad I read it!

And thank you to Vintage Anchor Books for sending this one my way in exchange for an honest review!a-to-z-readathon-24 physical-arc1 Jennifer218 3

“Bunyan and Henry” is a beautifully written folktale or tall tale reimagining of the legends of Paul Bunyan and John Henry. They embark on a “The Beautiful Destiny” and explore themes of race, class and industrialization.

Mark Cecil’s debut novel appears to be set during the industrial age in a land that is both familiar yet fantastical. In true folk tale fashion, it uses a tall tale to explore the human condition and in this case, debate a county’s idealism with its corrupt underpinnings that were prevalent in the industrial and gilded ages.

A couple of Google facts to save you from googling:
?? Paul Bunyan is not a real person, but appears to be based off of a few real lumberjacks
?? John Henry was a real person that was imprisoned for 10 years and worked on a chain gang
??The original statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe is in Bemidji, MN. And since I’ve never been to that part of Minnesota, I must have seen a replica some place else.

Overall this is a wonderfully imaginative retelling of two American folklores that serve to serve to describe the American condition, both then and now. I would have loved an Authors note of why he made the decisions he did in the book, and look forward to seeing more books from this author. 1 Maggie112

Do you remember the tall tales that you heard and read as a child that drew you in and wrapped themselves in your dreams? The mythic hero, the noble quest, the vivid side characters? This is that for all ages. I disappeared into this book, and read late into the night to find out what came next for Paul Bunyan. This will be a fun one for me to recommend and chat with patrons about.

My thanks for finding this gift of a book are due to Matthew Quick’s inviting Substack interview with its author, Mark Cecil. I highly recommend finding that post as a wonderful addendum to this creative book. Thanks also to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for allowing access to a digital ARC.1 Dan1,234 35

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, for an advance copy of this novel about America in another time and place, where fold heroes strode the Earth, fighting the good fight, helping those who needed it, living an American Dream that was uniquely their own.

I have always been a fan of folk heroes. Probably for the same reason why I super heroes. One of my favorite kinds of comic stories, rare when I first started reading comics, fairly common now where when heroes teamed up. They always started with a fight, followed by and understanding, than a team-up and woe be to those who stood in their way. Bunyan and Henry; Or, the Beautiful Destiny would probably be the first big team-up in folk hero history. Paul Bunyan with his axe, John Henry with his fire and his mighty hammer. Debut author Mark Cecil has created a story as big as these men, full of dream creatures, mad cattle, wasting disease, Capitalism run amuck, and of course friendship, family, and love.

Paul Bunyan has been beat by life, but thinks he might be finally getting ahead. At an early age he lost his father and use of his foot due to a cattle stampede. His mother is in debtor's prison, and Bunyan is working in the industrial town of Lump City, mining for the new wonder material Lump. On the day that he thinks his luck has changed Bunyan finds his dreams are lies, and his wife has come down with a sickness that will soon kill her. Only El Boffo the owner and financier behind Lump might be able to cure her, so Bunyan goes to the Windy City to find El Boffo. There he crosses paths and a few rights and lefts with John Henry, a man on the run for fleeing imprisonment in the South building train lines for El Boffo. Henry needs passage to the Great White North, and helps Bunyan on his quest. A quest that is both magical, and dogged by the capitalist dreams of America, and even these two heroes might not stand a chance.

There is a lot more to this book, and I don't want to ruin this for readers. What a big story, full of great writing, characters and even better huge ideas. A mix of magical realism, buddy picture, a love story, an attack on what American loves most, money and racism, a much more. I can not get over that this is a first novel. Cecil has such an assured hand in writing, and even the craziest things make sense in the novel. In addition there are lines that will make the hardest of readers go wow, and or sniffle a little. Especially when Henry has to leave his son, with Henry's fate unknown the words they say to each other really touched me. The characters are all really good, especially John Henry. The way he tells his tale, the pain, the loss, even his loss of innocence is just amazing. A book that seemed so much larger than it was, and yet I wish the story went on.

Mark Cecil is not only a great writer, but has a great imagination. The skill to craft this, so close to what we know, and yet different enough to make it seem fresh. A fantastic debut, and one that makes me look very forward to more books by Mark Cecil. 5 s Natalie JennerAuthor 9 books3,386

Mark Cecil's debut novel BUNYAN AND HENRY: OR, THE BEAUTIFUL DESTINY is a worthy addition to the burgeoning canon of revisionist Westerns: a rambunctious and cautionary tale for our post-capitalist times, full of rollicking contests of strength, riddles, and good versus evil. With prose that crackles with meaning and energy, Cecil creates an imaginary, myth-making world, one where a single tyrant--named El Boffo--literally and figuratively pollutes late 1800s Chicago and its environs through a rapacious mining business, while twisting everyone else's dreams in his favor. Paul Bunyan and John Henry are two moral and physical giants of men on the run for different reasons, who join forces to fight against Boffo and return to their families. A story full of magic, heart, and wisdom for us all.5 s Joseph Shanahan1 review

What a journey!

With countless layers of meaning, so many wonderful sayings and a tale of fantastical American folklore this book takes you on a wild adventure. From the first passages I could barely put the story down. Fun, fulfilling and a book that sets itself apart from the masses. Bravo! MG78

Autor del comentario:
=================================