TEXANA

by Robert Mirvish ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 3, 1954

A House of Her Own and Eternal Voyagers portrayed first whores and then sailors, and this latest by the same author combines the two and climaxes the story with the 1950 Texas waterfront disaster. In the port town of Texana, Nilsa, Apache Indian and Irish, divorces sailor Rex Larkin whose Florida cracker upbringing will admit neither her mixed heritage nor her start in Mamie Morrison's brothel. But neither can deny their physical dependence and when Nilsa marries Harry, Rex can still dominate her. He lets her down when she asks his help to buy partnership in the saloon where she works; this however is taken care of by Nick Kablevski who hopes to win Nilsa eventually. They prosper; Nick has Nilsa's promise of marriage when she divorces Harry but Rex' influence is too strong -- and the fire and explosion of the nitrate fertilizer loaded freighter finishes everything, for Nick is killed and Nilsa is finally able to put Rex out of her life and continue with Harry in running Nick's enterprises. As a social documentary this is rather for a Farrell audience than a general reading public although its matter of fact reporting has its own shock, but not sensational, appeal.

Pub Date: March 3, 1954

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Morrow Wm. Sloane

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1954

Categories: FICTION