Rating: 
Summary: An Adventure Spoiled
Review: I found the book an extremely difficult read. The writting style varies throughtout while the story line chronologically jumps back and forth. There are also times where scenes are depicted with unnecessarily crudity. As someone who throughly enjoyed "From Sea to Shinning Sea" and "Undaunted Courage", and who was ready for another pleasurable dose of Lewis and Clark, the book left me bitterly disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Journey to the heart
Review: I loved this book!
It tells the famous expedition of Lewis and Clark from the perspectives of the participants, particularly Lewis, Clark and Sacagawea. Their voices form competing versions of the expedition; together they weave a narrative like glimpses of a river seen through branches. I was left with the sense that I had explored much more than just the blank space of the unknown on the map.
The mysteries in the hearts and minds of the characters unfolded inside of me. By the end of the book they had filled in a map of memories and desires that kept speaking to me long after I had closed the book.
This is a lyrical and rewarding book that will change the way you view the opening of the west and the history of America in general, along with what it means to explore the unknown, both up a river and through someone's heart.
Rating: 
Summary: Difficult writing?
Review: I regrettably found this book to be disappointing in that the writing is most difficult to interpret. I realize that the author is attempting to represent the manner in which each of the characters might communicate but, forgive my lack of understanding, I was expecting a novel approach to the exploits of the "Corps of Discovery," not an exercise in translation. It was hard going and that's not what I expect in a historical novel.
Rating:
Summary: A novel, not a Bible
Review: I Should Be Extremely Happy in Your Company is a fine novel and, though it is not intended to be a history text, it is a successful effort to portray humans coping with a rough and unpredictable world during Thomas Jefferson's administration. The use of multiple points of view and multiple styles is a bit surprising when you first encounter it, but the chapters are separate and are clearly labeled. The contrast between fussy-speller Lewis and extrovert Clark is amusing and insightful. I'm not sure American Indians, or Shoshones in particular, talked and thought just the way Hall portrays Sacagawea's inner monologue, but I'm pretty sure they didn't speak or think like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm either, and I give Hall credit for a creative try. We even get some insight into Lewis's faithful dog, though luckily Hall doesn't attempt a doggy stream of consciousness. Near the end, there is a hilarious send-up of Washington Irving that tells us a good deal about America as it was, and America as it would become with the closing of the frontier. I learned a great deal from this book, because it immersed me in a long-gone time. Our country has a rough, brutal, foul-mouthed and heroic history, and you'll end this book with sympathy, insight, sorrow, and admiration for its people. What more do you want?
Rating:
Summary: It made me feel ill.
Review: I was so excited to start this book. Very early into it, though, I realized it was going to be a struggle to finish it. First, was the distracting use of lower case letters for all Native Americans names, and a lack of punctuation and grammatical structure. I figured that was pretty minor, and might even be an accurate reflection of the native language. So I kept going. Even worse, was the authors heavy reliance on foul and obscene language and references. I work at a community college, and I thought nothing could be more disgusting than the idle chatter of the young men as they passed between buildings. This author has topped them. ... To make this all worse, as if he could, he only does this in the Native American chapters. Are these aboriginal words? I don't think so, so why are they only in these parts of the book? I can only imagine he has some hatred for the Native American, with this use of such obscenity in those chapters only. I could understand if he had to make some nasty references in the Lewis parts, as part of that time and society. But he only does this in the Native American parts. I just don't get it. I will not be finishing this book. I think I will take it to the landfill. There is no more fitting end for it...
Rating:
Summary: It made me feel ill.
Review: I was so excited to start this book. Very early into it, though, I realized it was going to be a struggle to finish it. First, was the distracting use of lower case letters for all Native Americans names, and a lack of punctuation and grammatical structure. I figured that was pretty minor, and might even be an accurate reflection of the native language. So I kept going. Even worse, was the authors heavy reliance on foul and obscene language and references. I work at a community college, and I thought nothing could be more disgusting than the idle chatter of the young men as they passed between buildings. This author has topped them. ... To make this all worse, as if he could, he only does this in the Native American chapters. Are these aboriginal words? I don't think so, so why are they only in these parts of the book? I can only imagine he has some hatred for the Native American, with this use of such obscenity in those chapters only. I could understand if he had to make some nasty references in the Lewis parts, as part of that time and society. But he only does this in the Native American parts. I just don't get it. I will not be finishing this book. I think I will take it to the landfill. There is no more fitting end for it...
Rating: 
Summary: More Poetry than History
Review: If you are looking for "stream of consciousness" writing and some very poetic passages, this book could be five stars. I was looking for adventure and found this book to be outside this domain, hence, the three stars. As a Native American, I did appreciate the chapters on Sacajawea. This has to be one of the best attempts I have ever encountered to capture the differences in culture between the Europeans and Native Americans. It adds a dimension to this account that makes it decidedly different from the usual L&C fare. It still amazes me how little we know about any of the people who were a part of this expedition that took place just a couple of hundred years ago. What is known with certainty about Sacajawea and Drouilliard, for instance, could probably be written on the back of an envelope. This novel is so rich in characterization that it stands in sharp contrast to what we really know. With a few exceptions, we are basically an ahistorical society.
Rating:
Summary: Save Your Money
Review: Mr. Hall failed in his attempt to give the reader insight into the personalities and experiences of the Lewis & Clark team. The text jumped from one scene to another without any transition, it was difficult to follow when he changed subjects. When he was attempting to present the perspective of the American Indians he did not capitalize names and used minimal punctuation. This was confusing at best and often left me with no idea who or what he was talking about and how it all tied into the expedition. He may be an expert on all the various names which applied to each tribe. But most readers are not. It would have been helpful if he had used the commonly known tribal and individual names. In addition his use of profanity was unnecessary and got in the way of the story he was trying to tell. There are several really good books out there on the history and persons who made this journey. This one isn't one of them.
Rating:
Summary: Hall needs to learn the English language!
Review: Since there are so many books about Lewis and Clark, who would want to wade through this horribly written book? Hall's narrative bounces back and forth through time without any indication of when and where the characters are. He doesn't even capitalize proper nouns; and when dealing with the names of Native Americans, it is usually difficult, if not impossible, to tell if it is a person, animal or place that he is talking about.
I hung in there for awhile, but I couldn't finish this pretentious book.
Rating:
Summary: Hall needs to learn the English language!
Review: Since there are so many books about Lewis and Clark, who would want to wade through this horribly written book? Hall's narrative bounces back and forth through time without any indication of when and where the characters are. He doesn't even capitalize proper nouns; and when dealing with the names of Native Americans, it is usually difficult, if not impossible, to tell if it is a person, animal or place that he is talking about.
I hung in there for awhile, but I couldn't finish this pretentious book.
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