The Kirkus review is unfair and off-the-mark.
This is the autobiographical story of writer Aaron Latham in the depths of grief for his sister's death, and depression, who feels the answer lies in Africa. So he packs up himself, his daughter, and his wife (CBS's Lesley Stahl) and heads off to safari in Africa.
He gives a vivid and insightful description of his own internal and external journeys. Along the way he meets some of the giants of research in Africa (Craig Sholley's work with gorillas, Cynthia Moss with elephants, Richard Leakey with early man), and reports their insights into their work and the significance of Africa to each of us.
This out-of-stock book is well worth searching out at your library or book dealer.

This is the autobiographical story of a writer in the depths of grief for his sister's death, and depression, who feels the answer lies in Africa. So he packs up himself, his daughter, and his wife (CBS's Lesley Stahl) and heads off to safari in Africa.
He gives a vivid and insightful description of his own internal and external journeys. Along the way he meets some of the giants of research in Africa (Craig Sholley's work with gorillas, Cynthia Moss with elephants, Richard Leakey with early man), and reports their insights into their work and the significance of Africa to each of us.
This out-of-stock book is well worth searching out at your library or book dealer.

5 stars aren't enough for the romance of a lifetime! This had to be one of the most romantic tales I ever read and the best thing about it is - IT'S ALL TRUE!

This is the story of Clyde Latham (the author's father), an octogenarian who falls in love with Gussie Lancaster, a childhood acquaintance who he loved "since he was 3 years old". The couple behave like love-struck teenagers and live "happily-ever-after"!

This tale was simple and sweet and I can't sum it up any better then Aaron Latham did in his toast to Gussie and Clyde at their wedding reception:

"We are happy to be here today" - my heart was thumping irregularly or so it seemed - "because Clyde and Gussie give us all hope. These newlyweds are going ahead of us, holding up romantic torches, to light our way to love, to being in love at any age. They're from pioneer stock and they're still pioneers marking the trail."(p.116)

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who ... well, anyone who wants to believe in the power of love and be totally uplifted emotionally!

This was a nice, quick read, but i was left unsatisfied. The writing style is very simplistic, and although whimsical at times, i found it too basic. Sometimes the book reads like a composition assignment written by a high-school kid. If you are looking for an account on elderly love, pick up _Spence + Lila_, by Bobbie Ann Mason. In that excellent novella, an elderly couple faces together the medical problems of Lila. That book made me believe that true love is possible!

A sweet,hope-filled story that was a pleasure to read. The story moves along nicely, no bog downs, and was a quick read.

Fast reading as it is such a wonderful sharing of a love story...and it is TRUE...The characters are so well defined..you feel you know them personally within a few pages of the book. I have never met Aaron or his daughter, father, stepmother but I did grow up with his wife and do know his mother in law...and it is a most incredible house on the ocean...but I feel that I now know Aaron and the rest of his family as well and I adore them all.

I forced myself through 2/3 of this book thinking all along that it had to get better. Well, I'm not going to read the last 1/3 - life is too short for such a weak novel. This tale of fantasy and contrived characters would be complete if Latham had only thrown-in a couple of hobbits. This dribble does not deserve any comparison to Lonesome Dove.

For all the hype on the book jacket, with comparisons to McMurtry, etc., this was a pretty poor book. Even though using names that are linked to the real old west (Goodnight and Loving) the location, plot, and action are closer to a poorly written Paul Bunyan tale. This book is more a work of juvenile fantasy (even though sometimes x-rated) than historical fiction. I will never read anything by Latham again.

I was initially drawn to this novel by the promise of 'King Arthur in the Wild West', and while the novel does tell a loose approximation of the Arthur myth, this novel is the story of one man's struggle to find himself in the old West.

Jimmy Goodnight, kidnapped by Indians as a child, is a legendary figure in the West after he uses Comanche skills to 'talk' a supposedly immovable axe out of an anvil. He sets up a ranch and wins the love of a wealthy banker's daughter. He feels his life is complete when he hires a talented and handsome cowboy to be his foreman. After this the familiar Arthurian elements come ot the fore. Goodnight's son, conceived in a gang rape of Jimmy's cousin, returns and swears vengeance on Goodnight. The foreman and Goodnight's wife run off together. Goodnight bands the ranchers together in a Cattlemen's association.

But the Arthurian story is only backdrop for the well-written and engaging cowboy story. It's fun to try to determine the Arthurian analogues for each character, but this may distract the reader from an entertaining story.

Aaron Latham has created a well-done novel, one that has inspired me to track down his previous works. In the end, _Code of the West_ is a riveting novel (even if it is 50 pages too long).