BONNIE AND CLYDE: A LOVE STORY

Author: Bill Brooks ISBN: 0765311887 3/2005 FICTION Publisher: TOR/FORGE
Time Period: 1931-34

She preferred guys with an edge to them. Bad Boys, her mama called them. Then one night she met Clyde and knew her mama was right. If there was ever a bad boy, it was Clyde Chestnut Barrow. He had that look: those dark secretive eyes that never looked directly into yours. He had a pretty face and a smooth way of talking and she liked his silk shirt and the way he fit into it. He liked her too. They were destined to be star crossed lovers who blazed across the hot southwest in a time of drought and trouble. She wanted to be an actress and he wanted to rob banks. In an era that gave birth to the likes of Al Capone, John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson—Bonnie and Clyde were to become America's version of Romeo and Juliet—with guns! Their love for each other was without rhyme or reason, their attraction and bond unbreakable. They vowed the only thing that would ever seperate them was a bullet. A vow the Texas Rangers hoped to make come true. Bonnie, the beautiful petite blond poet was Clyde's equal in every respect. She was his lover and partner, and was willing to die for her man. Clyde was tough and agile, a troubled soul of a man who loved only two things: bank robbing and Bonnie Parker. Whether behind the wheel of a fast-moving Ford V-8, or the sultry bedroom of a Texas motel, their love and lives were unparalleled in the annals of history. Theirs is more than just a story of a fast and furious short and violent life—theirs is a story of unshakable love and devotion few ever experience.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

When I asked for this book it was mostly out of curiosity. I wondered what a love story about Bonnie and Clyde would be like. I mean, we already know there isn't any possible way it can end happily, right? That it was one written by a man—I definitely wondered how that would go.

BONNIE AND CLYDE: A LOVE STORY turned out to be very realistic and not your typical love story. Where most movies and novels have either glorified this duo's deeds or portrayed them as ruthless killers, Mr. Brooks has stripped away the layers of glamour and notoriety that have become attached to the story of Bonnie and Clyde. Managing to bring them back to life and make them mere mortals again, I thought that this tale was probably the closest to the truth we'd ever have.

My perception of them changed a bit. It's true they were criminals, but Bonnie and Clyde could've been any number of people I've known. The ones who weren't exactly angels, but not evil either. Or embarked on a plan that was bound to go bad and does. They could have been any one of us to a certain degree. The author's style of writing is what really made the book work for me. I think anyone could've told the same exact story and it wouldn't have been half as good or believable.

The crime spree took place across several southern and southwestern states during the early 1930's. Brooks did a great job of making that time the present for me: showcasing the lost hopes and the dreams of those who lived then, the poor economy, and the weather that beat people down farther.

The descriptive dialogue language was accurate to the times, making it easy for the imagination to do the rest of the work. It came across as if he were saying, "Okay, now here's how it really happened." How it was, what was felt—from several points of view. I was able to see the little things that led to the big things that made everything go wrong for Bonnie and Clyde. They knew when they started they would break the law—it was the basis of their plans—but couldn't possibly have foreseen how terribly wrong things would go. To a certain degree, I felt sorry for the hand that was dealt to them. They were so young—something I hadn't really thought about before—and so sure they could control events.

The love the two felt for each other came across easily, but it wasn't the romantic love or even physical love that would normally be associated with the legend or a love story, for that matter. It was gritty when it needed to be, but not in an exploitive way. Not flowery in the least, yet, in it's own way, a certain poetry is there. It was sexual yet not crude, even when some scenes amounted to nothing more than lust.

It's not overly long, only 208 pages, but enough. It's not bogged down by facts of the time period or historical facts. Everything you need to know is told to you as if it is happening and you are a fly on the wall. Nor is it your typical romance, in style or topic, but no less worth reading.

Personally, I think Bill Brooks will join the ranks of those authors who are known and admired for their work because of the style and topic, have the respect of other writers and acquire a select following of readers.

Sue Cloud