Telegraph is the story of an amazing American family who set roots in the frontier, first in New Mexico and later in the Texas Hill Country. Their hard work to build a peaceful life alongside the bubbling waters of Little Hatchet Creek and the South Llano River began after the Civil War. Their challenges were formidable, but the newcomers learned to get along with the old residents of their new neighborhoods: the Mescalero Apaches, the Comanches and the Tejanos. The family built for themselves and for their new America, but they were horrified as the violent storms of Texas washed away their hard work in furious, boiling floodwater. Their children were beautiful and smart, but the third generation faced eradication from the decadence, drunkenness and violence of Prohibition and the Jazz Age. Telegraph is about American families, then and now. The novel is a gallery of portraits done in prose, a window into the intimate interactions of this special but still representative family. If you enjoy watching The Waltons, Blue Bloods, the West Wing or the elements within The Sopranos that focus on the inner workings of Carmela, Tony, their children and their parents, you should try Telegraph. In literary terms, the family aspects of Telegraph, might call to mind Angela's Ashes, The Thornbirds or John Grisham's A Painted House.

Recommended to book clubs by 1 of 2 members.