Rome Haul

By Walter D. Edmonds

Book Overview

"Rome Haul" is a sweeping historical novel that captures the vibrant and gritty life along the Erie Canal during its mid-19th-century heyday. Set in the 1850s, the story follows Dan'l Harrow, a young... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0815602138
• ISBN13: 9780815602132
• Release Date: January 1987
• Publisher: Syracuse University Press
• Length: 347 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.2" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

Excellent regional and historical fiction

Set along the Erie Canal in 1850, this robust novel is filled with interesting characters trying to make a go of it along this busy waterway connecting the eastern seaboard with the interior parts of the country - before the railroads came to dominate. Dan Harrow comes off the farm to take a job as a towboy and through hard work and good fortune is able to get his own boat. He meets Molly Larkins who becomes his cook; it seems they might marry but Dan comes to realize the canaller's life is not for him, and when he decides to take a job on a farm, they depart company. He also befriends the evil outlaw Gentleman Joe Calash and must overcome the bully Jotham Klore in a fist fight that takes on legendary proportions. The story is somewhat episodic with some chapters reading like separate short stories, but the basic storyline of Dan and Molly and their tribulations remains steady throughout. The book is an excellent piece of regional historical fiction, with very realistic and lively characters holding our attention from beginning to end.