Product Description
Hard Times is the name of a town in the barren hills of the Dakota Territory. To this town there comes one day one of the reckless sociopaths who wander the West to kill and rape and pillage. By the time he is through and has ridden off, Hard Times is a smoking ruin. The de facto mayor, Blue, takes in two survivors of the carnage–a boy, Jimmy, and a prostitute, Molly, who has suffered unspeakably–and makes them his provisional family. Blue begins to rebuild Hard Times, welcoming new settlers, while Molly waits with vengeance in her heart for the return of the outlaw. Here is E. L. Doctorow’s debut novel, a searing allegory of frontier life that sets the stage for his subsequent classics.
“A forceful, credible story of cowardice and evil.”
–The Washington Post“We are caught up with these people as real human beings.”
–Chicago Sun-Times
“Dramatic and exciting.”
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The New York Times
“Terse and powerful.”
–Newsweek“A taut, bloodthirsty read.”
–The Times Literary Supplement“A superb piece of fiction.”
–The New Republic
Ingram
Doctorow's magnificent first novel follows the story of how the town of Hard Times in the Dakota Territory got its name. An early example of the brilliance of Doctorow, repackaged to match World's Fair and his other bestsellers. Reprint from Bantam.
