Book Review

Basic Details:

Book Title: The Charmed Life of Matt Draper

Subtitle: From Riverboat Gambler to Frontier Banker

Author: John Rayburn

Genre: Western

Part of a series? Unknown

Order in series:

Best read after earlier books in series? No

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42094289-matt-draper

Overall score:

I scored this book 3/5 reluctantly, it felt more like a 2.5 stars to me.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Short Summary of the book:

This book tells the story of Matt Draper, a young man who gathered money as a gambler on a riverboat. Through luck and determination Matt gathers more money, learns the trade of a banker and moves to an area to start his own bank. Scenes of fighting, luck and love are added to the book.

What I liked about the book:

I liked a few of the scenes and the fact he came out on top.

What I didn’t like about the book:

I wasn’t impressed by the pace set in the book, the fluidity of the narration was stilting at times and I at times was tempted to give up on the attempt to read the book. To be honest, I was glad when I had finished reading the book.

My favourite bits in the book:

I loved where Matt finally owned up to the fact he had fallen in love.

My least favourite bits in the book:

I didn’t like it when at several points the flow of the narration was poor and it felt more like a book for children starting to read. The subject, however, did not fit with a childrens’ book.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

I am not aware this is part of a series. He has, however, written several other books.

What books could this be compared to and why?

This book reminded me of children’s books in the lack of fluidity of the narration.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would (hesitantly) recommend this book for the following readers:

Children No

Young Adult Yes

Adult Yes

If you like Westerns this book might the book for you but be warned the flow of narration is halting at times.

I don’t think I’ll be reading more books by this author.

Book Description by Author:

Settling The West Post Civil War Took Guts … And Luck!

In 1866 Matt Draper is full of ambition but without money or family to help him succeed. On the western frontier of an ever-expanding America, toiling as a riverboat gambler seems like the best option to raise enough capital to realize his dream of opening a small-town bank. Though gambling is lucrative for Matt, it is also an unsavory enterprise fraught with danger. Fortuitously, before any harm befalls him, Matt and his friend Charlie discover an abandoned Confederate gold cache in a fake grave, which gives him the stake he needs to leave the treacherous gambling world behind. From then onward his life’s purpose becomes evident as all roads lead to Neosho, Missouri, where he opens The Bank and becomes a major influence on its growth and prosperity. Matt’s exciting and uplifting saga captures the day-to-day reality of life in the tumultuous post-Civil War era, including the hardships, relative lawlessness, and indomitable spirit of settlers bent on creating a good life for themselves and their neighbors.