Simon the Fiddler: A Novel

Written by Paulette Jiles

Narrated by Grover Gardner

The critically acclaimed, bestselling author of News of the World and Enemy Women returns to Texas in this atmospheric story, set at the end of the Civil War, about an itinerant fiddle player, a ragtag band of musicians with whom he travels trying to make a living, and the charming young Irish lass who steals his heart.

In March 1865, the long and bitter War between the States is winding down. Till now, twenty-three-year-old Simon Boudlin has evaded military duty thanks to his slight stature, youthful appearance, and utter lack of compunction about bending the truth. But following a barroom brawl in Victoria, Texas, Simon finds himself conscripted, however belatedly, into the Confederate Army. Luckily his talent with a fiddle gets him a comparatively easy position in a regimental band.

Weeks later, on the eve of the Confederate surrender, Simon and his bandmates are called to play for officers and their families from both sides of the conflict. There the quick-thinking, audacious fiddler can’t help but notice the lovely Doris Mary Aherne, an indentured girl from Ireland, who is governess to a Union colonel’s daughter.

After the surrender, Simon and Doris go their separate ways. He will travel around Texas seeking fame and fortune as a musician. She must accompany the colonel’s family to finish her three years of service. But Simon cannot forget the fair Irish maiden, and vows that someday he will find her again.

Incandescent in its beauty, told in Paulette Jiles’s trademark spare yet lilting style, Simon the Fiddler is a captivating, bittersweet tale of the chances a devoted man will take, and the lengths he will go to fulfill his heart’s yearning.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Apr 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9780062966773

Paulette Jiles

Paulette Jiles is a novelist, poet, and memoirist. She is the author of Cousins, a memoir, and the novels Enemy Women, Stormy Weather, The Color of Lightning, Lighthouse Island, Simon the Fiddler, and News of the World, which was a finalist for the 2016 National Book Award. She lives on a ranch near San Antonio, Texas.

Reviews for Simon the Fiddler

[TCHillis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Paulette Jules again provides us with a very interesting story and lovable cast of characters. The audio narrator, Grover Gardner, brings the story to life. Enjoyed this book and also hope you will do so.

[Chris Lane · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is story the reminds you chapters from the Bible, Greek Myth, or the songs Of lost love Simon might have played

[betty southard · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really good writing and beautiful descriptions and lots of ups and downs but well-managed good storyline and excellent reading the voice inflections the mood an excellent book hard story but well done

[Arlene Conboy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Took you to the time and place, post civil war Texas , and made you care about the two young main characters who despite the political, cultural and financial chaos want a bountiful love and life. Simon is a poor fiddle player with a ragtag band. Doris is an indentured governess to a mean-hearted Army Captain. Sounds corny but truly a pleasure to read.

[BRENDA COVEY · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. Good characters. Good story. Interesting time period. Well done and fun to listen to a solid story.

[leonard gutnik · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The author and reader were wonderful, lots of old time phrases. Loved it

[Janet Hebbert · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another beautifully and masterfully written story about an interesting time in history. I fell in love with Simon and Dorian. The narrator has a rich and easy to listen to voice.

[Monica Pirtle Davis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Dr. Visit at the end- you can picture how much Doris loves Simon

[Carole Gregson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Because I had read News of the World and really enjoyed it - and loved the reader - I was looking for another equally enjoyable experience.
However it didn’t get there for me - the characters felt somewhat light weight and I wasn’t engaged or emotionally connected to the outcome.
There was a certain predictability to the whole journey.

[janet jones · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A very slow moving story. Interesting historical setting. Not much to the story.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So very much about music, though, and I know nothing about sharps & flats, key changes, etc.; it's probably more enjoyable to those readers who do play an instrument. Still, I am trying to finish it, for the writing and the setting.

"Become wise, young man, and cynical, and life will be far more understandable." (Not sure if that's the character or the author speaking, but of course there is some truth there.)

Interesting slang. Did they really say "My man" in just the same way we do nowadays, 160 years ago? And according to Merriam Webster, "The first known use of alice blue was in 1905." after Alice Roosevelt Longworth. No author or historical notes to clarify.

Intense non-ending. If you're liking the picaresque episodes, be warned, don't finish this in bed as I did. Unsettling dreams.

[almin-70827 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked Simon, he was quick-tempered with a good heart. Driven to find and start the life he wanted. Story meandered in the beginning and picked up at about 50% when Doris entered. Which is typical of Jiles, slow start then the story soars.

[jnwelch_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a worthy follow-up to News of the World. While it doesn't quite reach the heights of that one, it supplies many of the same pleasures and a memorable character in Simon.

[donnaeverhart · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Paulette Jiles is such a great author. Since I became hooked on her with NEWS OF THE WORLD, I have since read ENEMY WOMEN, and now, SIMON THE FIDDLER. She has a rather extensive backlist (yay for me) and I'm going to go and check into some more of her books.

What can I say about this latest read? I loved it, as is obvious from the rating. Take Simon. He is a smallish man, with reddish hair, but we soon learn he has a big heart, at least in the direction of Doris Dillon. Once he set his sights on her, we also learn how determined and persistent he is towards a goal. To own land, and to marry Doris.

His nature, IMO, is like a small dog. You know how small dogs think they're big dogs, and need to prove it? Simon doesn't go looking for trouble, but in some ways, it's like he has his defenses up. All to say, he is brave when he needs to be, although, not always the friendly sort. As I'm writing this, I'm trying to remember if he ever laughed. He might have - but he is definitely not the jolly, hohoho type.

He is serious about music, his own and those he chooses to play with. He is quirky, artistic and wishes often to be left alone. People! People get to him, with all of their conversations, noise making, and sometimes I think, even their breathing. He is forced, not by choice, but because of necessity, to be among his fellow mankind, and they, as well as the various establishments he finds himself in mess with his psyche.

In the beginning, he is part of a foursome. These individuals were probably the closest he had come to having a sort of family, than at any other time, other than with his great uncle, called "Walking David." They have forged this friendship through some bleak times and hardships. Damon, Doritorio, Patrick and Simon are talented and sought out for their music. They are doing rather well for themselves (finally) and it's around this time, Simon spots the illuminous and lovely Doris, and from that moment on, his future opens up before him in a way he's never imagined. It is not as easy as it would seem, because Doris is an Irish indentured servant with a despicable employer.

Jiles has the ability to sink you into the atmosphere of a time long ago. Her research is impeccable, and the way she chooses to use it, woven through the stories she tells, sets you right down in the midst of what is happening. Immersive reading, in other words.

Highly recommend, especially for those who enjoy reading books set in the late 1800s, when our country was expanding ever westward.

[mm_jones · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

SIMON THE FIDDLER by Paulette Jiles (2020) A sensory experience of post-Civil War life in Texas. It follows the days of a tough, talented musician who lost his property and future to the war, but is determined to succeed. With lyrical writing full of brawls, music, humor and sadness. Great read!

[janerawoof · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Set in the last year of the American Civil War--Appomattox was in April of 1865, but the war was not declared officially over until 19 months later, [which latter fact was new to me]. Engrossing tale of an itinerant fiddler and his dreams of wooing and winning to wife an Irish girl, indentured to a cruel Union colonel, also that of owning land on which he would like to build a house for her. A sweet story. Characters who persist, despite vicissitudes.

[delphimo_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Paulette Jiles won acclaim for News of the World. Her latest book, Simon the Fiddler, provides a story of the end of the Civil War and the duties of conscription officials and how the soldiers fared after the war ended. Simon, a gifted fiddler, joins other disillusioned men hoping to find employment and a little happiness. Paulette Jiles writes well, but in a singsong and boring style. News of the World presented a wonderful story of a young girl and an old man that wandered from town to town reading to the uneducated people. Tom Hanks will soon appear in the movie version of this book. Paulette Jiles utilizes the same style in Simon the Fiddler which makes reading extremely difficult.

[sblock_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gorgeous prose, ending seemed rushed.

[snash_44 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fun, although sometimes scary, tale set in Texas immediately after the civil war. The trials of the main characters are made more difficult by the chaos of the times. The culture, history, and landscape are vividly presented as the backdrop for a musical band of intriguing characters and a love story.

[jalfredb · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The volume of music discussed in this book reminded me of Frog Music by Emma Donoghue. Two books that should have sound track accompaniment.

[cwhisenant11 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I am a big fan of the author’s previous novel, News of the World, but this one was hard to get through. Simon was not a likable character and I found myself with no real interest in whether he got the girl or not. There were some interesting moments but I just didn’t connect with the story as a whole.

[etxgardener · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Paulette Jiles, once again, takes us back to the days immediately following the Civil War in Texas where life could best be described as brutal. 23-year old Simon Boudlin has thus far been able to avoid being forced into The Confederate army because of his slight build and youthful appearance. However, his luck runs out in Marshall, Texas when while playing for a wedding reception the conscription agents nab him & take him off to join their ranks.

Luckily for Simon his talent as a fiddler lands him in a regimental band where on the eve of the Confederate surrender the band is ordered to play for Union officers and their families. It is there that he notices Doris Dillon, a young Irish girl who is an indentured servant for the Colonel of the company. Simon is immediately mitten, but is forced to go their separate ways, she to San Antonio with the Colonel and his family & he to travel through Texas trying to amass enough money to marry the young Irish girl who his has fallen madly in love with.

What follows is a vivid narrative of the difficulty of life immediately following the end of the war. Luckily for Simon, he has good friends who help him & young Miss Dillon also has a surprising champion who ensures that everything in the story comes out right in the end.

The author has a gift for historical fiction that keeps the reader’s interest until the very last page.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Author Paulette Jiles once again transports us to Texas during the last days of the Civil War and beyond in Simon the Fiddler. Simon Boudlin has spent most of the war trying to avoid becoming involved but he was finally swept up and placed in the Confederate Army. His biggest concern was protecting his fiddle so that when the war was over he could go back to playing his fiddle and earning money to buy some land. He also was keeping his eyes open for the right woman to come along.

He knows he has found the woman when he sees Doris Dillon, an Irish indentured servant, after his unit surrenders but unfortunately she is under the control of a lecherous, arrogant Colonel in the Union Army. As he forms a band and travels around Texas playing and saving money, he writes her letters that have to be smuggled to her. The author paints a vivid picture of a war-torn Texas, with it’s shelled buildings and shortages. When he finally has the money and buys the land, he travels to San Antonio to claim his woman. Her life has not been easy as she has had to constantly avoid the Colonel’s approaches but even though she has rejected him, the Colonel has no intention of letting her go. Tensions mount as Simon must overcome all the trouble that the Colonel puts in his way.

Paulette Jiles tells excellent stories, and although I didn’t enjoy this book as much as News of the World, her evocative writing, strong sense of place and musical descriptions made Simon the Fiddler a memorable read.

[nivramkoorb · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this book because I enjoyed "The News of the World" by Jiles that was nominated for the National Book Award. This was a pleasant read but not on the same level as her previous book. The story is about Simon, a fiddler who was a minor character in the News.... of the World. In this book the civil war has just ended but it has taken awhile for the world to get out to Galveston Texas. It is there that Simon who was a fiddler in a Confederacy band ends up playing music with other people just trying to get by. Jiles does a good job of creating the atmosphere in post war Texas. You sense the anarchy and lawlessness. In his musical travels Simon meets and is smitten with Doris an Irish immigrant who is an indentured servant to a Union officer, Colonel Webb, a drunk and a lech. The story is sort of a cliche with good guys(Simon), bad guys(Webb) and the damsel in distress(Doris). It was an okay book, but I would strongly recommend "The news of the world" before this book. Again, an okay book but not on the same level as her National Book award nominee.

[caitz-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderfully descriptive tale of love, war, and music in post Civil War Texas. I was not quite as invested in the characters here as I was in News of the World. Still I found it enjoyable. I hope there is a sequel sometime. I'm sure Simon and Doris have more stories to tell

[librarygeek33 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Simon the Fiddler draws the reader into the lives of Simon Boudlin and the people he meets as he wanders the South in the aftermath of the American Civil War. Paulette Jiles paints pictures with words as she describes Simon's exploits and challenges as he scratches out a living playing his prized violin. It's a book that I found difficult to put down and impels me to seek out every other book by the author. If you loved "News of the World," you'll enjoy this tale as well.

[ellenh_28 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jiles has again captured the this time period, just as the Civil War is winding down and Martial law goes into effect in Texas. The characters, the heat, the poverty, the lawlessness, the confusion, and hope in this incredibly disorganised state is so well done here. A book to certainly read as a companion to Jiles other novel "The News of The World". I may have to read them all now.

[copperskye · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In (mostly) post-Civil War Texas, young Simon travels with a group of fellow ex-soldier musicians, playing in bars and hotels, working to save money to purchase land and marry an Irish indentured servant who works as a governess for a Union officer living in San Antonio. Beautifully written but a little meandering and I never felt any affection for the main character. I thought some editing could have been done and whatever page count lost to that could have been added to the end where the story started to pick up just before the book ended. I was delighted to encounter Captain Kidd from News of the World which reminded me of just much more I enjoyed that earlier Jiles book. Still, a worthwhile read for fans of historical fiction.

[maneekuhi · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Paulette Jiles’ previous book, “News of the World” is one of my favorites. I thought it might be her last so I was pleasantly surprised to read a (very favorable) Washington Post review recently of Jiles’ latest, “Simon the Fiddler”. I ordered it straight away and began reading it minutes later. It turned out to be a huge disappointment. Slow, no tension, no romance, it just dragged on and on. I read only small chunks at a time, and occasionally there were three to four day periods where I didn’t pick it up at all. None of the characters are the least bit interesting, nor is a major theme of the book, music and music instruments of the 1860s. ZZZZZZZZ. This is probably a one star effort – I just don’t get the 5 star reviews from some other readers – but out of respect for Jiles’ other work….2 stars.

[brangwinn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Not having read _News of the World_ I had no idea I was in for such a treat. First, I had no idea what was happening in Texas during the Civil War or after. This is the first time I had connected the Mexican Revolution timewise to American history. That’s what good historical fiction does it helps me connect the dots. Simon’s story was brutal, but gave me a look at Texan who were not cowboys. Now I want to know what happens to Simon and Doris as they head to his newly purchased land. And I want to know what happened to Doroteo? I really liked that guy. Sequel please?