SOURCE: A review of The Tent of Orange Mist, in Review of Contemporary Fiction, Spring, 1996, p. 145.

In the following positive review, Madden asserts that The Tent of Orange Mist is "a gorgeous assertion of the dignity of the human spirit" and should elevate West to the position of "premier practitioner of historical fiction in America."

With the publication of The Tent of Orange Mist, Paul West takes his place as the premier practitioner of historical fiction in America. In each of his novels since The Very Rich Hours of Count von Stauffenberg, West has consistently explored the possibilities of reimagined historical events and personages ranging from a Parisian mutilé de guerre, to his own parents, to an eccentric kachina carver, and in each case he presents history as deeply personal and highly individual and for some a nightmare from which they cannot awaken.

His new novel takes place...