Orphan Hero

A Novel of the Civil War

By: John Babb

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

From a former US assistant surgeon general comes the epic tale of a young man’s struggle to survive a journey across America during the Civil War. Told by his stepmother that he alone had been responsible for the death of his mother, abandoned by the earlier departure of his father for the California 1849 goldfields, and threatened with being locked in a cage with his stepmother’s psychotic brother, eight-year-old Benjamin Franklin “B .F.” Windes decides to abandon home and trail his father’s path. Thus begins a trip of constant struggle with disease, severe weather, hardship, Indian attack, and death on his lone journey across much of what is now the United States. B. F. spends the next 11 years in gold rush towns in California - first as a barber, then as a physician’s assistant - before departing for the Caribbean at age 19, where he becomes a blockade runner during the American Civil War. At war’s end he discovers that the men he had been dealing with were nothing more than common murderers and thieves - Bushwhackers. He travels to the Missouri Ozarks, where he meets the girl of his dreams. But their romance is threatened when he finds himself battling a man from his past in order to safeguard his family and his future. Orphan Hero, based on the life of the author’s great-grandfather in the mid-19th century, is a tale of courage and perseverance in the face of incredible hardship.

©2015 John Babb (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

A Fine Tale

What did you love best about Orphan Hero?

It was a genuinely interesting story, and the flow of it was very nice. I was always looking forward to where BF would go next. The history was well done. Basic, but not in a bad way. The author threw in little tidbits from the era that made it interesting. Many that I already knew (like life on the Oregon Trail) but filled the book with other details that rounded out the feel of the era. And he got that part right. The book wasn't overly violent or anything but it wasn't a sanitized version of the mid 1800s, and since that era wasn't very sanitary I'm glad he went the realistic route.

What other book might you compare Orphan Hero to and why?

Eh, not sure. Perhaps the much more adult version of Little House on the Prairie, but that doesn't really fit either. Though I must say I liked those books as a kid and like this one.

Which character – as performed by Peter Berkrot – was your favorite?

I'm not a fan really when a single narrator has to do both male and female voices, but he did a fine job mostly. I enjoyed his gruff southern voices, but wonder of how much of a stereotype those are.

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

No extreme reaction. Just a very enjoyable one. I listened to it for 2 hours a day and work and looked forward to each day.

Any additional comments?

This one went down smooth. There's nothing amazing about it, but it was a quality listen.

Orphan hero

A tad long and dreary in parts. Enjoyed the history that was woven into the story.

Great story about a little known time

Wow. Just Wow. Just finished it. I hope this story is being made into a movie. It covers a period, place, and events that aren’t well covered in other historical novels and in such a way that I found captivating - nearly unbelievable. I can’t tell you the last time I was trapped in a car listening to a book to see what happened next, laughed, cried, and shouted out loud. What a great story! I cared about the characters and found them to be well developed, not one dimensional and predictable bad guys, good guys, etc. Well done - I’ve already started my re-listening.

Captivating!

I could not wait to get back to it, it was so very well done.

Degenerates Into Evil Caricatures

This is a simple story, one that carries the listener along without too many plot or action spikes. The main character (Benjamin Frank Wines) is likable and the author made great efforts to avoid the pitfalls of developing crude or malicious edges in the protagonist to make him more interesting. It's a story of a boy alone in the 1850's, up until post-Civil War period. The boy becomes a man in the California gold fields, eventually becoming a successful blockade runner for the Confederacy in the Gulf of Mexico.

The story degenerates after the war when the Benjamin falls in love. Cliche' and caricature abound in the last 25% of the book. The action is dull and predictable. I switched books with 20 minutes to go.

I don't recommend this book unless you have a hankering for a "boy becomes man on his own terms" story.