To Catch the Lightning: A Novel of American Dreaming

by Alan Cheuse

With financial backing from powerful friends, an adventurous photographer heads out to remote locations throughout North America to photograph every Indian tribe on the continent and ends up becoming personally involved with his subjects after he witnesses the dissolution of their way of life due to external forces, in a novel based on the career of Edward Curtis.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Native American

502 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

American writer and critic.
For more than two decades, Alan Cheuse has served as NPRs voice of books. He is the author of three novels, including The Grandmothers Club and The Light Possessed, several collections of short stories, and a pair of novellas recently published in The Fires. He is also the editor of Seeing Ourselves: Great Early American Short Stories and co-editor of Writers Workshop in a Book. Stories and co-editor of Writers Workshop in a Book."
Forthcoming in March, 2015, the novel
Prayers for the Living...
Born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Cheuse grew up in a Jewish family, the son of a Russian immigrant father and a mother of Russian and Romanian descent

Reviews

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A man with a mission, questioned from many quarters, who achieved something original and half-sacred. But to whom? And is it worth the sacrifices? Strangely moving story of an obsession to capture a disappearing past and what it does to the people engaged in it. Keeping this one for the personal bookshelf.

[Corinne · Rating 1 out of 5]

http://www.project562.com/blog/edward...

[Marvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has much going for it, especially good writing (by NPR's main book critic) & a historical theme at the heart of American history--the displacement of its native peoples, a passionate heroic effort (by the photographer Edward Curtis) to preserve their cultures, and attention to the cost that effort imposes on the hero's personal & family life. Unfortunately, the latter theme predominates in a cyclical, redundant way that becomes tedious long before we reach page 500 (this should have been a much shorter book if done the way it's done but could have perhaps justified the greater length if it had given more attention to the cultural aspects of the story). The narration is mostly by Curtis's assistant (who often narrates things he's not witness to), with occasional narration by an Indian who reverses Curtis's cultural path: as Curtis enters into Indian cultures, this narrator leaves his family & people behind to pursue a life of scholarship. Unfortunately, after he's set up as a key figure fated to help Curtis, he virtually disappears from the narrative about halfway through the book. A few brief passages are narrated by Curtis's wife. There's also a lot of reproduction of dreams & visions that I find very hard to maintain an interest in. All in all, a promising premise that the author fails to deliver on.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that ultimately didn't satisfy me. It is a fictionalized biography of Edward Curtis, who set out at the change from the nineteenth century to the twentieth to document the disappearing American Indian tribes using photography and journals. This book also provides fictionalized narration from several other members of the expedition. The book is strongest when describing Curtis' journeys and his challenges in keeping his family intact during his long absences from home, and the cultures that Curtis attempted to document. The book is weakest when using religious themes to graft a subjective explanation of motive and internal thoughts for Curtis and his fellows on this mission. I thought that the transition from material being to spirit life was jarring and not adequately developed. Still, the author should be commended for attempting such an ambitious book, and it is well worth reading. I wish it had all worked together. The book does feature some of Curtis' photographs, and they are impressive.

[Garryvivianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written historical fiction novel about Edward Curtis, photographer in the late 1800's. He undertook a pretty ambitious project to photograph the remaining Indian tribes, which at times was somewhat overwhelming. He devoted so much to this project & would not give it up, he lost his normal life, his marriage, his wife & eventually his photography studio in the divorce. He always loved his children, but always seemed to love his work more, he was afraid he was running out of time, as the tribes were quickly disappearing during this period. Some photographs are included in the book. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

[Cyndi]

Alan Cheuse was speaking at a local book store discussing A Trance After Breakfast. I'm a big fan of his NPR book reviews. He was doing the NPR interview circuit and I heard him mention this book. My interest in Indian history has drawn me to the amazing images by Edward Curtis. I've found them at Antiquarian Book Fairs while looking for maps, and have a reprint of one of his collections.

So here is an author I really like and he has written a book about the man behind these important images. The question is why has this been sitting on my shelf? I think I'm still enjoying the idea of the book, before I actually get into the book. Crazy, I know.

[Carmen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've always been interested in Edward Curtis, but from the get-go this book was disappointing. I'm familiar w/ Cheuse from his NPR book reviews, but he cannot write novels. His style is very amateurish & cliche ridden. I kept wishing that it had been written by Larry McMurtry instead. I started skipping sections just to get through it & learn more about Curtis, but it's written so badly that I gave up on it after forcing myself to read 300 of it's 500 pages. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT, BUT IT WAS TERRIBLE.

[Joe Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an elegantly written novel; frequently poetic. The author explores the life and passion of Edward Curtis, but readers will find the story rewarding just as a tale about struggling with obsession that motivates artistic mission. The author is very good at expressing the inner thoughts of the characters.

Of the four perspectives running throughout this story, I found the point of view of Clara, Curtis' wife, the most interesting. It's with Clara where the impact of passion that drives a commitment to a quest shows its cost.

Overall, this is a pleasing and engaging story.

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this true story we meet Edward Curtis, a photographer at the turn of the 20th century. He has a spiritual experience that steers his life toward an all consuming passion. He feels he must document every Native American tribe in North America before they no longer exist. His beautiful photographs of Native Americans are priceless. He led a fascinating life and I enjoyed reading about it.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cheuse tries to capture the thoughts of Edward Curtis, a turn of the century photographer who made it his life's mission to document the remaining American Indian tribes, and the people closest to him.

I wanted to like this novel, but I ultimately found it unsatisfying. Changing perspectives with each chapter made the story feel disjointed, and I felt closure was lacking.

[Lucy Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for me because I am fascinated by the photographs of Edward Curtis and to read about the man and the sacrifices he made to be the first anthropological photographer enhanced the haunting images he left us.