I want to share a few thoughts about Rich Ritter's book HEART OF ABIGAIL. What fun! It is somewhere between the Perils of Pearl Pureheart v. Oil Can Harry and The Annotated History of Juneau, Alaska. It has a poetic prose quality, and indeed, starts each chapter with a clever preamble for the chapter in free-flowing poetry. Story is the most important element in a book, in my opinion, and Rich is spot on. I got caught up in the antiquarian language and found myself in the old mining town as the opposing sides decided the Fates. The research is such that I was able to be there in Old Juneau and to separate it from the modern Juneau of my acquaintance. Rich is a clever writer, and this book is about as clever and consistent with its approach as ever there was. This is a must read, kindly believe me and have fun.
Carl Douglass