ALL THINGS LEFT WILD

What a roller coaster ride! All Things Left Wild follows two brothers who are on the run for horse thieving, the man determined to find them, and a woman just trying to make a life in the new American West. With atmospheric writing, fully developed plot, and sympathetic characters, this wild west novel is perfect for fans of gritty novels that also asks some interesting moral questions.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book broke my heart in the best way. I had a favorite book long before reading this book, and this easily took its place as my new favorite book.

I love the language that Wade uses, and the use of first and third person depending on the point of view further characterizes Caleb Bentley and Randall Dawson. This book is a conversation about life and choice, and Wade converses with the reader through the characters, providing different viewpoints through different characters.

However, life is its own entity, and no man controls life.

A man only owns his decisions.

All Things Left Wild by James Wade is an excellent historical fiction set in the “wild west” in the early 1900s.
This book ties together the stories and fates of several characters: the Bentley brothers on the run after a botched robbery, Randall Dawson being the man sent to locate and apprehend the heathens, and Charlotte being a woman native to the experiences of the gritty/rough atmosphere who has had her fair share of challenging hands dealt herself.
The interweaving of the lives, choices, fates of those characters, as well as many others, creates an intriguing look at what happens when decisions are made, and the fallouts that occur from said choices.
The author presents a literary dream in regards to the pictures of the western landscapes depicted throughout the book. You could literally feel the heat, the sun beating down upon you, and the dust swirling around with every breeze.

This book was real, it was gritty, it was raw, and it was unapologetic in the outcomes that occur from the choices we make in life as well as how those choices reflect upon us as well as a person.

Excellent book 5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

This is my favorite book of 2020 so far. Beautiful, heartbreaking, memorable. The setting is brought to life so vividly and the characters... oh, the characters are perfectly drawn. Bravo James Wade!

All Things Left Wild: James Wade

Release Date: Jun. 16, 2020

Moving, immersive and tragic; a raw, historical fiction of life in the American West post-civil war.
Set in the early 1900s, two brothers, filled with vengeance and greed, pursue to rob horses from a well-off rancher. When the heist spoils and takes a turn for the worst, the brothers start riding south, toward the border in hopes of escaping their pasts. The rancher, Randall Dawson, is exactly the opposite of what you would expect. Academic and literary, not to mention astonishingly affluent, Randall sets out to chase after the Bentley brothers unprepared and ignorant of the ills that befall life on the border. Charlotte, a rugged, western native, helps Randall navigate not only the day-to-day survival of life in the west but also the dangerous, and deadly, political turmoil as a revolution brews in the land lining the Mexican American border. As the story line alternates between the Bentley brothers and Randall Dawson, the parallel stories are brought together in a whirl wind of violence, corruption, love and the consequences that follow decisions made.

Thoughtful and intense, James Wade explores tragedy, growth, redemption and the true grit of the west in All Things Left Wild.



Along with posting on Net Galley, I will be posting my review to Goodreads, Amazon, my Instagram (which has over a thousand book review followers) and my blog. Please find the link to my blog post below.

https://ifyoucanreadthisdotblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/02/all-things-left-wild-james-wade/

Respectfully,
Chanel Johnson

LOVE IT!! So open and honest and raw. It will make you feel and make you think. So well written it draws you into the scene and the story and doesn’t let you go.

Great writing! A really good story with a fantastic ending. Maybe a bit too long, but well worth the time spent. I loved the two story lines that paralleled each other. It was easy to keep track of the characters, too.
Realistic, flawed characters, easy to believe.

After accidentally killing a boy during a horse theft gone wrong, two brothers flee for Texas with the boy's grieving father hot on their trail. Along the way, the father attracts a ragtag group of endearing and fierce companions. Check it out if you like novels with a good chase and a strong sense of place.

MORE WESTERNS! When they’re done right, they are so good - and this was done right. A powerful story of family and loyalty.

I’m judging a 2020 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got this book from the perspective pile into the read further pile.

We put our stolen horses and our backs against the bank of the ditch and pieces of dead cholla and cactus came down with the dust and peppered our hats like a mutant rain. The horses sneezed and stomped, and I loosened the bridle bits and talked to them and made promises I planned to keep but we'd seen, the horses and me, what happens to plans.

I love a well placed story and this novel has that.

An impressive debut literary western, reminiscent of Patrick DeWitt's The Sisters Brothers, with a little Steinbeck thrown in. All Things Left Wild tells two parallel stories: it follows a father on the hunt for the pair of brothers who killed his son, and outlines the journey of the brothers as they escape the crime. We hear the first-person perspective of Caleb Bentley, responsible for the death of the boy, as he reckons not only with what he has done but who he and his brother have become... and who they always were. In the remove of third person, we learn that Randall Dawson is considered a soft man. He feels pressured by his unhappy wife to track down the brothers and avenge his son - and to prove himself as a man. Over the course of the story, we learn that the hearts and concerns of the two men are not all that different, as they reflect on love, violence, and self-worth, doubting whether they are able to give what the world requires of them. The biggest question, of course, is what *does* the world require of them? To what duties are they bound, and to what duties *should* they be bound?

Wade poses many questions throughout the novel, including what it means to be "left wild." Is an inclination toward violence inherent in us as humans, or is it taught? Is our "wild" state one of violence and selfishness, or have we been made that way by circumstance, pain, and injury? An absence of clear answers is, of course, realistic, but he gives readers plenty of fodder to consider.

Wade's descriptive language brings what could have simply been a dry, dusty landscape to life; I found myself googling the wide variety of vegetation that populates the scenery. Wade's language is both poetic and direct, and I found his unique style very compelling. Sometimes the metaphors tangle or stray a bit too far. Still, overall this was a thoughtful and beautifully written debut, recommended for readers of literary fiction, introspective fiction, and westerns. I will certainly be first in line for his next book!

Many thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy.

Wade has such an amazing way with imagery. Even though I read most of this over an exceptionally cold New England spring (stuck in my house), I felt like I was in the deserts of West Texas and across the Southwest. This was a fantastic debut!

Blogging on review tours is a great way to expose oneself to novels that are outside of the comfort zone. I may never have read or even heard about All Things Left Wild on a normal day. But thankfully for me, this tour led me to take a chance that paid off. Reading this novel expanded my exposure to historical westerns beyond romance.

All Things Left Wild is two separate story lines on a collision course to a showdown. Even the chapters follow the separate story lines. The point of view switches between Caleb and Randall with each new chapter. The novel also doesn’t fit into any typical genres, crossing between adventure, historic fiction, and journey of the spiritual and physical variety. The plot twists and turns. Even at halfway through the novel, I wasn’t sure where the story or characters were going, but I was certainly along for the ride.
Mr. Wade’s writing style is lush and visually descriptive. Details about characters, places, and things come alive as you read. I highlighted so many passages of metaphors and dialog that I could not share them all! Here are two of my favorite examples:
“but rage was controlling the puppet strings and there was no reason or hesitation.”
So physically descriptive, I can see the strings!
“The umbilical piping rose up to and through the ceiling and it had been the smoke from this stove which had led them there in the first place …”
The paragraph this sentence belongs to is just an amazing description of a cast iron stove. Who else knew that umbilical is used to describe piping. Not me! I’ll never be able to look at exposed pipes again without thinking about this sentence.

With few exceptions, the characters in All Things Left Wild are flawed and unrelatable. I struggled to empathize with any of the decisions that are made throughout the novel. Caleb is looking for balance and to atone for his sins. He is straddling that line between man and boy, feeling the first rush of hormones while also mourning his mother. Randall is looking for revenge. And maybe redemption. What he finds though is that the family you make is just as important as the family you are born into. Grimes, the leader of The Lobos gang, is very persuasive in his cause. His attempts at persuading Caleb to join the gang are powerful and slick. He has amassed a group of followers that strongly believe he is leading them to their salvation. But no one, apart from Caleb really, questions the means to that salvation. The one character that I really loved in the novel is the Widow Cole who shelters Randall’s group during a snowstorm. Her direct and some might say blunt attitude towards every subject, especially men, was a refreshing blast of cold air on a scorching hot day.

I read All Things Left Wild with both my eyes (ebook) and ears (audio book), as that’s how I roll sometimes. Mr. Hastings’s audio narration was smooth and warm, like a glass of whiskey. The voices are distinct and easy to follow, especially the voices of Caleb and Randall. The Texas twang comes through very well. There audio production is well done, with no awkward pauses. This may have been my first experience listening to Mr. Hastings’s narration, but it will not be my last. (I’m confident in saying I could listen to Mr. Hastings read the phone book and may have already been doing some Audible stalking!) Either format is recommended for this novel.

Overall, I enjoyed reading All Things Left Wild. The descriptive writing and excellent narration made for a satisfying read.

Alternating between the perspectives of a teenage boy and older man, this sweeping saga spans the historic southwest into Texas, documenting the deeply-rooted pain that follows these two tragically linked individuals. From the first lines, the match is lit on this slow-burning story that draws you to what can only be the ultimate flaming conclusion. Yet, from out of the smoldering ash, redemption may be considered though there is a hint that the cycle of vengeance may not be completely broken.

For a debut, this is an absolutely impressive and stunning masterpiece that I don't even believe I can do justice to in writing about! The author's deft storytelling created an unsettling and suspenseful exploration of good and evil as well as an intense character study on the effects of trauma. From the title alone, the question of what it means to be "left wild" is posed throughout the narrative whether in regards to individuals and/or society. Life is immensely tough for everyone involved in this story, and the author paints a heartrending picture of that raw reality against the breathtaking backdrop of the landscape. His picturesque descriptions place readers right with the characters and provide a unique opportunity to walk together in this brutally oppressive and corrupt setting. In a previous post for this blog tour, the author provided a scrapbook page showcasing a few pictures of the real locations that were used as inspiration for the settings within the story, and I can honestly say that those images are overwhelmingly brought to life with his writing. There is magic between these pages that at once evokes the swagger needed to survive and the sensitivity required to not lose all sense of humanity.

Despite their age difference, Caleb and Randall face the pressures of the unrelenting world around them. All along this ride are thought-provoking questions that lend themselves toward insightful discussions about perceptions on masculinity that continue to shape and define our own modern understanding of what it means to be a man. In their own way, each is pursuing a path towards death; however, it is the love of a uniquely fierce and capable woman that steers them to salvation if but only for a moment. These women are no blushing belles or damsels in distress and each pairing is the very ideal of divined by God. Yet life is fleeting, and the fates of these men are still very much interwoven into one another because it's not always so easy to just let things go.

"A man owns only his decisions."

This is a raw and relevant look at the course of a choice and perhaps the legacy we choose to leave behind. Laced between the bravado of its directness lies poetic beauty. The story is filled with a multitude of captivating lines that speak so much truth and metaphors that will have you pondering long after the final page is turned. Like a parable, this story is one that I will definitely return to time and again. Compelling and unapologetic, this is highly recommended and should not be missed!

“Revenge isn’t real. You can’t buy coffee with it. It won’t warm your bed at night. And killing only leads to more killing.”

All Things Left Wild is James Wade’s fantastic debut novel that is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s style in The Border Trilogy, especially All the Pretty Horses. Wade’s novel is beautiful and bloody and full of love and loss and greed and vengeance.

This story is ultimately about two men whose life-changing confrontation leaves murder and revenge in its wake. Fate brings Randall Dawson and Caleb Bentley together, but choices keep them forever linked: one on the run and the other on the hunt. Both are good men who tumble into bad situations, but fate must take its course, and All Things Left Wild is a persistent journey of redemption, retribution, and atonement for sins of both commission and omission. Across the wilds of Texas, All Things Left Wild is about two men who find themselves on the path of self-discovery and growth, one transitioning from life as an outlaw to an honest existence and the other from being too naive in a harsh world to falling into the dark abyss of single-minded revenge. The ending collision between these two men is sedate and inevitable and yet heartbreaking in all that has been lost in both body and soul.

James Wade presents an unbelievably beautiful novel that will no doubt cause the reader to pause for a moment or two and reflect on the folly of greed, foolhardiness, and the pursuit for retribution that leaves a trail a blood and broken hearts and broken bodies. Wade's novel provokes deep thought through poetic prose and main characters who wax and wane philosophical as they ponder their choices, their fates, and their place in such a lawless world filled with men who take and kill and take some more. The point of view switches between first person with Caleb and third person with Randall, perhaps to show the parallel yet quite different paths these two men follow: one toward light and personal forgiveness and the other toward darkness and detachment, both destined to cross paths once more. The other characters that orbit both Caleb and Randall are fully developed and have unique personalities. I am especially drawn to the old woman who shelters Randall and his small band of followers from a winter storm. This woman is full of sass and spunk and interesting ideas: “Every man to ever walk this earth has been kept alive only by the patience and practicality of a woman.”

All Things Left Wild is a literary showcase that may not appeal to those readers who want non-stop action without any philosophical meanderings, but one thing is certain. This story will burrow deep and make you contemplate how quickly life can change based on rash decisions that often lead to death and self-destruction until nothing is left but regrets and a life filled with shadows.

I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.

James Wade writes with the literary flair of a cowboy poet-philosopher. The book's narrative is fairly straight forward but what makes this novel so remarkable is its language and intellectual depth. I could visualize Socrates and Plato sitting under a tree in the American southwest during the end of the 19th century, when this book takes place, having a dialogue about the book's essence and what it really means.

The story begins with two brothers, Shelby and Caleb Bentley, attempting to rob Randall' Dawson's horses. Randall is a rich land owner who the brothers blame for getting their alcoholic father fired as sheriff of the town. In the process of stealing the horses, Randall's young son Harry confronts them with a rifle in hand and the brothers kill him. Randall, a soft city type who recently moved to the southwest, comes from money. He attended boarding school and is not knowledgeable about ranching. His ranch hands are taking advantage of him and he doesn't know how to stand up to them. His wife, who has had a series of miscarriages, is distraught over losing her only living child. She tells Randall that if he were a real man he would find Harry's murderers and kill them.

Not really knowing what to do and how to proceed, Randall gets on Mara, his Arabian horse and sets out to find Caleb and Shelby. The chapters alternate between Caleb narrating the brothers' stories and Randall narrating his own. Caleb is prone to agonizing about God, philosophy and the essence of good and bad. The death of Harry is eating him up and he believes he will never be forgiven by himself or God, if he really exists. Caleb is basically a caring man while Shelby is bad, through and through.

As Randall's search gets momentum, he becomes more acclimated to what it means to be a 'man in the west. It isn't something he likes or even understands. He's lived his life according to the law and has never killed anyone. In this case, he feels he has something to prove.

Both parties have incredible adventures, meeting up with gangs, outlaws, people fighting in the Mexican revolution, and Native Americans living underground. There is usually something edgy in each chapter and some scenes are very violent.

I loved the philosophical discussions that Caleb and Randall have with those they meet on their travels. The philosophical aspects of this novel are fascinating and make up a significant part of the narrative. Caleb goes through character metamorphoses constantly while Randall develops into a man of the west.

I recommend this novel to anyone who likes beautiful writing, poetic language, and has ever questioned the meaning of the universe.

All Things Left Wild is a stunning debut novel from James Wade, bringing together classical western elements and unique storytelling that will enchant readers! Told in alternating point of views, the story follows Caleb, a boy caught in turmoil and struggling with his own demons, and Randall, the man charged with hunting down Caleb for terrible crimes. This juxtaposition reminds me of classic Western novels and writers, like Lonesome Dove and Louis L'Amour. As someone raise on John Wayne movies and wild west tales, I found the narrative to be tightly woven and very topical.

Author James Wade's writing is stylistically unique and has a distinct poetic influence. The tone in which both Caleb and Randall are written is also distinctly different, which enhances the overall effectiveness of the stories of these two characters. The plot ramps up, building tension with each chapter and doesn't lose momentum. The craft and care that the author employs in this novel would have you believe that this is not a debut!

The descriptions of the southwest landscape, dusty towns with saloons, huge swaths of desert, and the perils of the natural world, really bring the story to life. I am often driving near the southern edge of the Palo Duro Canyon and I travel to New Mexico frequently. In my future travels, I will remember the visceral experience of reading All Things Left Wild! I would recommend this book to adult readers who enjoy western adventure tales or coming of age in the west stories.

I received a galley copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. I definitely enjoyed this book. The language and descriptions were beautiful and at times poetic, without being over the top. It's a non-traditional tale of the Wild West. The story is told in alternating points of view between Caleb Bently (a 16-year-old orphan running from the law with his no-good older brother) and Randall Dawson (a middle-aged land-owner who tracks the brothers and hopes to bring them to justice). At the very beginning of a chapter, it was sometimes difficult to tell which perspective I was reading. Throughout much of the book, both men were in a group on horses and it made it difficult to immediately tell the narrators apart.

I found all of the characters interesting and sympathetic and all of them experienced significant growth or character evolution (good and bad) over the course of the book. The action kept me interested in the plot, but this is by no means an action thriller or a typical shoot 'em up Western.

There was also a philosophical note that ran through the book. It didn't do much for me, but some might like it. All-in-all, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

My first reaction to James Wade’s novel All Things Left Wild was that the writing was both vivid and incredibly lyrical. I could have easily read three hundred pages of James Wade just describing the scenery and been completely satisfied. But this is not a nature guide, it’s a novel, and the story was as powerful as the opening scene-setting was beautiful.

What I liked was the way Wade depicted the pain that Caleb clearly felt. Whether riding a stolen horse through the dry Texas landscape or sharing his theory about why people really wear black at funerals, Caleb’s words express unwritten pain and unspoken longing, though it’s not always explicit what he’s longing for. Conversely, Shelby is much more what-you-see-is-what-you-get. Sure, he’s the older brother and guiding force, but he’s just as broken as his younger sibling, though he expresses it differently. Wade’s craft really shows in both the similarities and contrasts of the Bentley Brothers.

As to the villain of the story, Dawson could easily have been a cardboard figure, only existing to provide the boys with an impetus to run, but in Wade’s care he becomes equally vibrant and dimensional as the boys. His story, of course, is more mid-life crisis than coming-of-age, but it’s still a story of the way environment and experience change us, no matter how old we are, or what our lot in life might be.

Overall, this is a story that has several gritty elements but is elevated to literary fiction by the quality of the writing and the well-paced plot. Wade never lets us get bored, and while he may linger in a scene from time to time, letting us watch a hawk take flight, or feel the hot and dusty wind, that propensity for description only makes the novel seem more real.

Goes well with: steak cooked over an open fire, and a shot of whiskey.

AUDIO BOOK / PRINT COMBO REVIEW. The problem with Mary Poppins-like books (practically perfect in every way), is that nothing I write about it will do it justice. ALL THINGS LEFT WILD is one of those books. Sure, reading it (with my ears and with my eyes) was enhanced by the majestic scenery that surrounded me while I digested the story; it's really something to read amazing, lyrical descriptions of place and look up and say, "Yep. He got that right." But whether readers burrow into this book from a city high-rise or a jacal in New Mexico, they will be completely immersed and transported.

"He emancipated a charred stick from the fire and used its glowing end to light his smoke before condemning it again and watching it for a while as it was consumed by the flame."

While author James Wade writes some incredibly beautiful, profound, and memorable lines of prose, even the simplest of descriptions are exquisite and evocative. Wade masterfully manipulates the readers into being part of the story, not just observers of it. Add to the mix a robust cast of characters, and ALL THINGS LEFT WILD rises to being much more than a great debut novel -- it's a great novel that I expect will stand the test of time alongside those of authors with considerable and important catalogs of titles.

While at its core, ALL THINGS LEFT WILD is about two men -- one coming of age and one in mid-life -- and the path each is forging, some of the most intriguing and dynamic characters are women: strong, intelligent, tough-as-nails women. It is just one of the many aspects that sets the novel apart from most gritty, often gruesome westerns. Male and female, young and old, not a single character is cookie-cutter or predictable. There is a fine and often-crossed line between good and evil, right and wrong, revenge and righteousness -- and of course, surviving and dying.

Wade strikes a perfect balance between giving the details that matter and summarizing those that just need resolution. Not a single loose thread is left by the end of the story, but ALL THINGS LEFT WILD is impossible to leave behind. Expect memories from the story to regularly creep into your consciousness and dwell there.

ABOUT THE NARRATION: Bradford Hastings! Oh, my! His voice and method paired with the characters and text of ALL THINGS LEFT WILD is sheer perfection -- and authentic (which makes sense given he's from Austin). His deep, gravelly voice is colored with just the right amount of cowboy, and he deftly alternates between character accents and attitudes. His pacing and diction is excellent. I will absolutely be looking for more of his audio book performances. I listened at regular speed (because Hastings) on the Downpour app, which is really versatile, and there are no technical issues.

Incredible story! All Things Left Wild by is an excellent historical fiction set in the “wild west” in the early 1900s. This book ties together the stories and fates of several characters: the Bentley brothers on the run after a botched robbery, excellent storyline and unforgettable characters. I loved it!

All Things Left Wild is a descriptive oasis of the Southwest! I loved reading about terrain and diving into the wild west. Caleb is a complex character who is dealing with internal struggles as he is hunted down by Randall due to crimes against Caleb. These two characters are completely different yet their lives become connected. Highly recommend this tale if you are a lover of westerns and ready to step into an adventure!