Tournament

I knew nothing of Shelby Foote 12 months ago and then I took an interest in the American Civil War and Shelby kept cropping up in my research - he appears in Ken Burn's TV doco and he has written a huge book, Civil War, A Narrative, in three volumes. I'm currently dipping in and out of that book and its a wonderful listen but too much to listen to except in short occasional bursts.

With this info on Shelby it was great to find out that he was also an author of note so I tried out Tournament. Its a lovely life story of a southern lad who makes good and becomes a planter. It gave me insight to a life I thought had gone after the surrender at Appomattox but apparently went on into the twentieth century.

Shelby has a very humorous way of writing and can paint a scene in only a few words. He even managed to describe very accurately smells which clearly shows his writing talent but the book failed to go anywhere. It was a collection of stories with Bart, the hero, as the only linking character. With a name like Tournament I expected there to be a climatic challenge but the challenge turned out to be life itself. A bit disappointing but it was nevertheless an enjoyable listen with excellent narration by Tom Parker.

I selected Tournament from a $5 gift list by Audible and as such it was a lovely listen - if I'd had to pay full price for it I think I might have been a bit more disappointed.