Doc: A Novel

DOC is the nickname of John Henry Holliday, D.D.S who in later life was known only as Doc Holliday. Yes, that Doc Holliday and he is a daisy. Who would have guessed the real Doc Holliday was an intellectual, and a real and accomplished university educated dentist who also went on to repair all of Wyatt Earp teeth when they met in Dodge City. Russell’s book is a well-researched, multi layered myth busting character study of Doc Holliday and his various associates. Holliday grew up in Georgia and was something of a Mama’s boy. His whole life he was to miss her as she died of tuberculosis when he was only fifteen. Upon returning from Dental School in the north, Doc was to learn he too had tuberculosis and “He began to die when he was twenty one.” He choose dentistry because at the time it was the more professional and educated field than being a doctor of general medicine. When Doc arrived in Dodge City in 1878 he was 26 and frail and unwell having major coughing spells. He had left Georgia for Dallas where he lived for six years expecting to find the clean air of the west only to end up in dirty, dusty rooms at night studying and learning various gambling games. He made money as a faro dealer, and his real money playing poker, while still practicing dentistry. He wasn’t the drunk often depicted but a good shot of bourbon or whisky would help to open up his lungs allowing him to take in air. 1878 was perhaps the best year of his life. In four years, at the age of 30 he made history as Wyatt and Morgan Earps gun hand at the OK Corral (which Doria Russell covers in her newly published book EPITAPH) and Doc was to die some 15 years later age 36 entering myth and legend.In 1879 he wrote home to his family in Georgia, “Please thank the children for their prayers and tell them I am not dead yet. That said, I appear to be decomposing considerably ahead of schedule. Kate finds me poor company.” “Kate” went on to survive him by some 50 years. She noted that as a frontier prostitute that she may have been with over 2,000 men, but only John Henry “Doc” Holliday was the most memorable. Russell’s book is a bit of genre buster as it is not quite what I would call a typical western (good guys vs bad guys, colorful gunfights at high noon) although it for sure is about the west, cattle drives, gun fights, local politics, Bat Masterson (to name drop) and all. The narrative is not fast paced and it is not particularly a page turner but Holliday is so interesting and the world around him so well described that you’re transported and darn glad to be along for the ride. The book’s plot for what it is rests on a possible murder mystery. But the narrative is more about character and the friendship, Holliday and the Earps and Holliday and his girl “Kate”. John Ford the famous western film director once said if the legend is a better story… print the legend. In this case reality is much better than the myth or legend. And ain’t that a daisy.

This is a biographical novel about one of the great legends of the Old West--Doc Holliday. The action takes place in Dodge City in 1878 and although the book doesn't follow the classic western novel formula there's still plenty of gunfights, fistfights and the trappings of Western fiction. DOC offers an intimate look at the personality of the main character along with details of the town's politics and the role of Wyatt Earp and his less famous brothers.The book does have a few overly long information dumps such as how the citizens did their laundry in the 1870s but it also includes some memorable scenes like the one when Doc Holliday is playing the piano at a party for Bat Masterson, reveling in the music and, knowing he is going to die soon, thinks "take me now." The author also includes some interesting philosophical riffs on the idea of "no hope, no fear," which lingers with the reader long after the book is finished. At its core, DOC is a story of friendship and is a worthwhile addition to the cannon of novels about the American West.

I nearly passed on reading this book. I don't like "western" movies or fiction, the "old west" period of American history doesn't interest me at all, and a little snooping into the author's other work revealed novels in the Fantasy/Futurist genre, a genre I dislike almost as much as Western. Thank goodness I went ahead and read it anyway, because it felt like a gift to be privileged to read such an exquisitely told story.The legendary characters that people this book, Doc Holliday, his companion Kate, the Earp brothers, etc., have become caricatures thanks to the legends, myths, and plain old lies that have accreted to them. Russell lovingly restores human dignity to each. They are rendered round and lush with a full complement of wholly human pains, joys, foibles, quirks, passions, and vices. We love, hate, fear, and dream right alongside them as the author takes us on the journey through these several years of their lives.Russell has that elusive gift of bringing a setting to vibrant life. We breathe the muggy Georgian air that Doc struggles to inhale; we feel the tension in our thighs when Wyatt Earp's 2-dollar horse shies at crossing a rickety bridge. When an August sun broils the prairie, we feel the sweat trickle down our backs. I can't begin to explain what that means to me as a reader. I want all my senses appealed to: I want to smell the oiled leather, bear the racking cough, taste the dust, and delight in an unexpected breeze on a hot afternoon. Russell made sure that I did just that.The historical details are convincing, without ever becoming tediously pedantic. Even 19th century dentistry practices were rendered interesting. Russell's depiction of the torture of tuberculosis was almost disturbing--I have asthma and there were times my lungs seemed to seize in response to Doc's suffering. It's clear that Russell diligently researched the lives of her characters, the history of the regions where the story takes place, the technology of the period, and the small day-to-day details that bring historical fiction to life.In short, a delight of a book. This was my first by this author, but it definitely won't be the last.

This book was so good and I am so glad that I read it. I heard about it in a review on Goodreads about Val Kilmer's autobiography I'm Your Huckleberry when someone mentioned that this was the book to read if you loved Doc Holliday and they were SO right! I've always been interested in the Earp family and Doc, especially since watching Tombstone. Throughout this well-researched novelization, I found myself picturing the actors from the film and felt as if I was getting more of the story I already knew and loved. But this book was so much more too. By the end I had tears running down my cheeks as Doc played the piano and I could picture it all in my mind and it was so moving and so lovely and so sad yet beautiful. This was a fantastic book and I just loved it.

This book is based on a period in the life of "Doc" Holliday a consumptive gambler who lived by his wits and was eventually involved in the gunfight at the OK Coral. I don't have a lot of knowledge about the period so I can't testify about the accuracy of the events although the author does state that this particular period in his life is fictionalised although most of the characters are based on real people. I have not read a lot of Westerns but found myself totally absorbed in this one.The story is really a study of character. Doc is actually a dentist who is effectively exiled from his family from life to live in a dry environment because of his tuberculosis. He sets himself apart from other people because of his more middle class upbringing but also because he feels that he is different. He also has a complex and volatile relationship with his mistress Kate. They are living in Dodge City when they become involved with Wyatt Earp and a series of events in which Doc is at the centre.I was totally captivated by this book. I thought that the portrayal of Doc was well nuanced and the fact that his health affected all his decisions and actions was excellently shown. You see a man who knew that he had little life left and who was forced to relocate to somewhere he hated and which was totally alien to him. You understand that he seeks to bring some manners and sophistication into the life he lives but that he also has to break out occasionally and do something wild. You also watch a man who is dying slowly and painfully. I really couldn't put this book down.This is a great read. It is a book that has made me think about reading other Westerns and also go immediately to buy the sequel.

Zum Glück versuchen immer mehr Autoren wie Mary Doria Russel dem wahren "Doc Holliday" auf die Spur zu kommen und das zu berichtigen was "Hollywood" über Jahrzehnte verpasst hat.Ein Buch in Romanform geschrieben versucht der Person des John Henry Holliday nahe zu kommen was ich als durchaus gelungen bewerten kann. Man muss sich beim Lesen solcher Bücher bewusst sein das niemand den 100 % wahren Doc Holliday auf Papier bringen kann da sein persönlicher Nachlass zu gering ist um seine Person komplett ergründen zu können. Wer einige seiner auf dem Markt befindlichen Biographien gelesen hat dem dürfte aufgegangen sein das Holliday ein sehr vielschichtiger Mansch war was in diesem Buch absolut zum tragen kommt und dieses Buch lesenswert macht. Gute Englischkenntnisse natürlich voraus gesetzt. Es ist wirklich bedauerlich das sich kein deutscher Verlag für diese Geschichte interessiert.

This is the best book I've ever read about the old west. The writer has has done massive research to enable her to take the reader back in time the days of Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp and some of the other characters of the wild west. You think you know the story of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp until you start to read Mary Doria Russell's novel. A great read. You won't want to put it down.

A very enjoyable read that reflects more accurately the persons behind the legends. The book is well researched and provides a realistic and I believe accurate description of these people who have been described elsewhere as larger than life.

I love Mary D Russell's writing and this novel is a good vehicle for it. But to my mind her great work was The Sparrow and Children of God, where all her skills and erudition came together in a wonderful and heart-rending story. If I had read Doc before these two book I would probably have given it 5 stars, but knowing what she is capable is a factor here.