Seldom Disappointed: A Memoir

Rating:
Summary: A must for fans of Hillerman
Review: Those who love Tony Hillerman's books will reap rich rewards from plodding through the first few somewhat less interesting chapters. Stick with it; once Tony gets into the Army and WWII you will be whipping through those pages! Tony gives an intimate view of wartime experiences of a kind I have not read or heard from other veterans. There's no macho bravado here, just the cold hard facts with a little humor mixed in. And when you reach the history of Tony's writing career you won't want the book to end. This memoir gently and modestly gives an insight into the character of one of the best loved mystery writers in America.

Rating:
Summary: A must for fans of Hillerman
Review: Those who love Tony Hillerman's books will reap rich rewards from plodding through the first few somewhat less interesting chapters. Stick with it; once Tony gets into the Army and WWII you will be whipping through those pages! Tony gives an intimate view of wartime experiences of a kind I have not read or heard from other veterans. There's no macho bravado here, just the cold hard facts with a little humor mixed in. And when you reach the history of Tony's writing career you won't want the book to end. This memoir gently and modestly gives an insight into the character of one of the best loved mystery writers in America.

Rating:
Summary: SKIP TO THE GOOD PARTS
Review: Tony Hillerman writes a better novel than he does a memoir. Here, he starts at the beginning. Seldom Disappointed is a fond look back at a life he has obviously enjoyed. The early reminiscences were probably of more interest to Hillerman than they were to me, but I enjoyed the reflections on his career. He got lots of practice writing as a journalist, then went back college and did a a big study of literature. His rise as a novelist was quick, a "No," from his agent, before he sent a blind query off to a publisher--she read it, recommended a better last chapter and bought it. This was The Blessing Way which was soon nominated for best first novel by the Mystery Writers of America. And away he went.