The Daughter of a Magnate


Read by Bob R

(4.5 stars; 13 reviews)

This is an American Western without any bad guys. The main characters are trains, and the elements---snow, terrain, weather and water. Frank Spearman wrote six novels about the building, and early days, of the transcontinental railroad. This was his first. He introduces characters who will reappear in several of his later novels. Those novels all have villains. The daughter of the new owner of the railroad travels by rail with her father to see the new line and the West it covers. They encounter several dozen rough and capable employees, who constructed and run the line. They are thoroughly dedicated men; the railroad is all they know. A supervisor, Ab Glover, falls desperately in love with Gertrude Brock--the daughter of the Magnate. The story is about that love, but even more, it is about the great challenges of weather, terrain and accidents. The numerous terms Spearman uses to describe the railroad and the natural environment had this reader referring often to the dictionary. This reader feels that Spearman's novels are superior to those of the other several writers of American Westerns of the early 1900's. (Summary by Bob Rollins) (6 hr 34 min)

Chapters

A June Water 24:50 Read by Bob R
An Error at Headquarters 20:33 Read by Bob R
Into the Mountains 17:25 Read by Bob R
As the Dispatcher Saw 7:15 Read by Bob R
An Emergency Call 7:08 Read by Bob R
The Cat and the Rat 12:31 Read by Bob R
Time Being Money 15:17 Read by Bob R
Splitting the Paw 14:24 Read by Bob R
A Truce 12:57 Read by Bob R
And a Shock 18:24 Read by Bob R
In the Lalla Rookh 14:52 Read by Bob R
A Slip on a Special 17:20 Read by Bob R
Back to the Mountains 20:02 Read by Bob R
Glen Tarn 20:36 Read by Bob R
November 14:41 Read by Bob R
Night 17:03 Read by Bob R
Storm 22:18 Read by Bob R
Daybreak 17:17 Read by Bob R
Suspense 25:10 Read by Bob R
Deepening Waters 20:49 Read by Bob R
Pilot 9:32 Read by Bob R
The South Arete 24:09 Read by Bob R
Business 20:14 Read by Bob R

Reviews


(5 stars)

Enjoyed this book very much. The reader was very good.