The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart
There’s little room in this world for a moral man
Meet Early “Trenchmouth“ Taggart, a man born and orphaned in 1903, a man nicknamed for his lifelong oral affliction. His boyhood is shaped by the Widow Dorsett, a strong mountain woman who teaches him to hunt and survive the taunts of others. In the hills of southern West Virginia, a boy grows up fast. Trenchmouth sips moonshine, handles snakes, pleasures women, and masters the rifle – a skill that lands him in the middle of the West Virginia coal wars. A teenaged union sniper, Trenchmouth is exiled to the backwoods of Appalachia’s foothills, where he spends his years running from the past. But trouble will sniff a man down, and an outlaw will eventually run home. Here, Trenchmouth Taggart’s story, like the best ballads, etches its mark deep upon the memory.
'[a] galloping, defiant epic…a virtuoso performance…vigorous and sincere, located squarely in the tradition of Twain, Faulkner and McCullers.' THE GUARDIAN -
'In Early 'Trenchmouth' Taggart…Taylor has created a marvellous, jump-off-the-page character…a defiantly incredible creation…The writing is limber, and the real life it bundles up into its freakish, charismatic character make this a genuine success that admirers of John Irving - and others too - will surely enjoy.' THE INDEPENDENT -
'[A] mesmerisingly fluid narrative…Smart, brash, but totally convincing, this has the makings of a page-turning literary sensation.' WATERSTONE'S BOOKS QUARTERLY -
'A confident, funny and often surprising read.' METRO -
'Wildly inventive.' THE TIMES -
”'This is indeed a book that succeeds in its early pages to completely capture the reader.” - LE MONDE
”'It is an exceptional novel with a rare picaresque power…Taylor is a master.” - LE FIGARO
'Taylor's prose is so fluid and seemingly effortless that The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart bridges the usually irreconcilable gap between popular fiction and literary fiction. It's that rare creature-a literary page-turner. . .The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart is a stunning, fully realized, unique and ambitious book that proves there's still passion, fire and brilliance in the American novel.' HOUSTON CHRONICLE -
'An energetic romp.' DAZED AND CONFUSED -
'Think of this novel as an American version of 'One Hundred Years of Solitude.'' BOB HOOVER, PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE -