Novels Now

Etta
By Gerald Kolpan
Completed December 28, 2008

Etta is the debut novel by journalist Gerald Kolpan. Inspired by a documentary about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Kolpan became interested in the mysterious Etta Place – Sundance Kid’s lover. Kolpan researched Etta, turned up very little, and decided to write a fictional account about this elusive woman.

In this story, Etta is really Lorinda Jameson – a wealthy girl sent west to escape the Italian mob who wanted to kill her to settle her father’s debts. Trouble followed Etta, though, like a bad shadow. Once settled in Colorado, she was sentenced for murdering a man who attempted to rape her. She was rescued by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and later joined them in their train and bank robberies. She also fell in love with the Sundance Kid (really named Harry Lonbaugh).

With little known about the real Etta Place, Kolpan had many holes to fill. He did plenty of research about everyday life during the turn of the century, from outlaws to train robberies, and bathing customs to cuisine. He structured his story with narratives, diary entries, memos from the Pinkertons and newspaper stories. The historical information and story structure advanced the story nicely.

However, I questioned how Kolpan developed the character of Etta. For example, I could not wrap my arms around how a woman of privilege so willingly embraced an outlaw lifestyle, with very little moral debate about what she was doing. Her diary indicated that she was stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, but it was not a convincing enough argument for me, considering Etta’s upbringing.

I also was unsure on why Kolpan added Eleanor Roosevelt to the story. Etta and Eleanor became friends in this story after Etta saw Eleanor’s work with the poor. Eleanor Roosevelt is one of our most honored women, and it doesn’t seem plausible that her path would cross with this debutante-turned-robber. And if their paths were to cross, it seemed unlikely that they would become such close friends, again considering Mrs. Roosevelt’s life and Etta’s career.

Despite these reservations, I enjoyed Etta. I would recommend it to readers who wanted to learn more about the social and economic history of the United States during the turn of the century. ( )