Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26930 in Books
• Published on: 1996-06-17
• Binding: Paperback
• 592 pages

Synopsis
Repackaged to tie-in with hardback publication of 'The Reavers' and to appeal to a new generation of George MacDonald Fraser fans, 'Mr American' is a swashbuckling romp of a novel. Mark Franklin came from the American West to Edwardian England with two long-barrelled .44s in his baggage and a fortune in silver in the bank. Where he had got it and what he was looking for no one could guess, although they wondered -- at Scotland Yard, in City offices, in the glittering theatreland of the West End, in the highest circles of Society (even King Edward was puzzled) and in the humble pub at Castle Lancing. Tall dark and dangerous, soft spoken and alone, with London at his feet and a dark shadow in his past, he was a mystery to all of them, rustics and royalty, squires and suffragettes, the women who loved him and the men who feared and hated him. He came from a far frontier in another world, yet he was by no means a stranger! even old General Flashman, who knew men and mischief better than most, never guessed the whole truth about "Mr American".

Customer Reviews

A quiet classic
This is the George Macdonald Fraser novel for people who don't usually read George Macdonald Fraser. The story of the American with a secret past coming 'home' to Edwardian England unfolds at a more leisurely pace than anything in the Flashman series, but it still has all the hallmarks that made GMF such a superb writer: peerless dialogue, vividly realised characters (many of whom, including King Edward VII, Kid Curry and a young Winston Churchill, are drawn from real life), tautly-written moments of high drama and a beautifully observed sense of time and place. It reminds me slightly of RF Delderfield, only better written...and with added Flashman! Buy it - it's a quiet classic.

A touch of Henry James, a touch of Flashman
The names of George MacDonald Fraser and Harry Flashman are inseparable, and deservedly so. Few series of novels have combined history, character, humour, and sheer sustained entertainment as they have. But those who pick up this excellent book expecting another of the same are in for a shock.
It is the story of Mark Franklin, an American former outlaw who has made a fortune with a lucky strike in mining and comes to Edwardian England to settle down in Norfolk, the county his ancestors emigrated from several generations before. He becomes a country squire and city gent, marries into the upper classes, and has a surprisingly eventful time. And no, this is not a romp, it's a lovingly slow-paced detailed and substantial novel, brimming with introspection, description, and first-rate dialogue as. Franklin discovers that the risks, the threats, and the bad guys may not be as obvious as they are Out West but they are real nonetheless There is a touch of a Henry James "American innocent abroad" about this strong quiet incomer, but his ability to cope is not in doubt.
For many readers the high spots will be Franklin's occasional encounters with the aged but still lively and unscrupulous Flashman, but there are many excellent characters and scenes that these should not be allowed to diminish.
Sometimes the author's lovingly-detailed background information and scene-setting gets a little too detailed and goes on a bit too long but this is a minor concern when set against the book's many good things. As an enjoyable and (as always with MacDonald Fraser) informative read it is highly recommended.

Read it for Flashy!
I found the pace a little strange for a while. A very pleasant unhurried book. Don't read it if you're in a rush or expecting a thriller.
As far as I'm concerned, this book is important for the last appearance of Sir Harry Flashman and if only for that read it.
I actually didn't get the ending at all... but with such a book it really doesn't matter.