The Badlands Saloon: An Illustrated Novel

By Jonathan Twingley

As written and painted by Twingley, this beautifully illustrated semi-autobiographical novel--set in a small town nestled in the badlands of North Dakota--paints a loving portrait of oddball... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416587063
• ISBN13: 9781416587064
• Release Date: July 2009
• Publisher: Scribner
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.7" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Characters with meat and hilarious illustrations

Finally an illustrated book for adults! Who knew such a prolific artist could write so well also! This entire story is really a travelogue that reads like a novel. You are not entirely sure if it's non-fiction or fiction which makes it so much more interesting. Because - if it's non-fiction then truth really IS stranger than fiction and if it's fiction, then it's quite a feat to be so realistic you want to reach out and taste the beer at the saloon with the cast of characters he has so expertly defined. It was so good in fact I actually want to visit this small town in the middle of nowhere and ride a bike at the cycle shop where the main character (the author) works! But does it really exist? And the illustrations really do illustrate you are reading with the very interesting way of expressing himself. I was so impressed I might have to commission something one day - it's not for everyone but you have to laugh the way the characters are expressed. It's an easy, fun, inviting and worthwhile read. Cheers!

Excellent Illistrated and written Book

I found this book to be very interesting, and well written. Once I started to read it I found it hard to put down. The Illustrations are excellent, and came to life as you read the story. I have seen some of Jonathan work before, and hope we will be seeing more from him. He is a very talented young artist, and now he has shown his talent as an author. I think anyone that takes the time to read this will be very glad they did. Knowing a little of Western ND I found that the way the story unfolded in that area made it that much more interesting. Thanks for this fine book Jonathan!

A fine choice for fiction readers who like their art, or the other way around

Far from any media attention and knowledge, sits the small towns of North Dakota. "The Badlands Saloon" is an offbeat and entertaining novel from Jonathan Twingley. An art student from New York finds himself residing in small town North Dakota. He spends his nights in the Badlands Saloon, a Saloon packed with countless strange characters that range from murderers to horrible singers. Charming, entertaining, and a visual delight with unique full-color artwork splattered throughout, "The Badlands Saloon" is a fine choice for fiction readers who like their art, or the other way around.

Illustrated novel very unique

The Badlands Saloon was wonderfully illustrated with full color paintings that enhanced the story so much. I was amazed to find about 40 illustrations covering 80 pages of the book! The author, Jonathan Twingley, has a writing style that is nearly as colorful as his illustrations. His use of words made it very easy to imagine the scenes and the characters which we later come to see in his illustrations on the pages following. Many of his descriptions caused me to laugh; Mr. Twingley must have a great sense of humor! The Badlands Saloon is a lighthearted read that pulls at your heartstrings now and then. A young artist, Ollie, takes a summer job in a small town in his native North Dakota. Marysville seems like a world away from grad school in New York City. Next door to his job, the Badlands Saloon is the local hangout for a cross-section of the folks of this western town. These are the characters that help Ollie discover a lot about himself and his passions. As the reader, I somewhat longed to see the wide open spans of mountains and plains called The Badlands that the author depicted in the story. I think we each long to have the time and space to sort out what is important to us. In this colorful book of words and illustrations, we see Ollie as he discovers his passions, torn between The Badlands openness and the big city. I look forward to Mr. Twingley's next book, and highly recommend this unique novel with its great illustrations!

A fun coming of age story

Told from the point of view of a young man on the edge of his life looking off to discover his path, this book is filled with exciting characters and set in a beautiful landscape. The full color paintings (34 of them) do not just illustrate the text but become part of it as we enjoy this story with the author not only in his words but through his eyes.