Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Jiles

SIMON THE FIDDLER by Paulette Jiles would make a wonderful holiday gift (or Thanksgiving read) for historical fiction fans.  Written by the National Book Award finalist (for News of the World), SIMON THE FIDDLER begins a bit slowly, but builds to a crescendo with plenty of travels and adventures interspersed.  The novel is set in post-Civil War Texas and chronicles the travels of Simon and his bandmates. Simon works hard to be able to purchase land since he eventually wants to settle down with Doris Mary Dillon, a young woman he saw briefly at one of his performances. As an indentured servant from Ireland, Doris has to fulfill her contract with the family of a former Union colonel's named Webb. Filled with scenes from Nacogdoches and Crockett in East Texas to Galveston and Corpus Christi on the coast to the Hill Country area around San Marco and San Antonio, Jiles succeeds once again in conveying the essence of Texas’ frontier while building memorable characters. SIMON THE FIDDLER received starred reviews from both Booklist and Kirkus.