An engaging story of love and sheer will…
If Clyde Barbour had his way in 1893 at 19 years of age, he would be off his father’s flatboat and in college, but his father still needed his help with the family trading business drifting down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers; even so, he was able to propel himself to building thriving enterprises with operations not only in the U.S. but also in Europe and Mexico.
Barbours Cut is based on Clyde’s story. Later known as Capt. Clyde Barbour, he lived a life of adventure and intrigue, including a public horsewhipping, a near-deadly run-in with Pancho Villa (the Mexican revolutionary), an affair with a glamorous French opera singer, and a lifelong struggle to protect and uplift the lives of both his serial-philanderer brother and his alcoholic father.
Almost a century following his death, portions of the Houston Ship Channel continue to bear his name (Barbours Cut and Barbours Terminal) and another of his legacies, Oaklawn Manor on Bayou Teche in Franklin, LA, still stands in the grandeur to which he restored it.
The author, Nancy Potter, is Capt. Barbour’s great-granddaughter. In her richly detailed period piece, her vivid descriptions and relatable characters make for a delightful read.
Barbours Cut is an engaging story of love and sheer will – the love of women, business, art, and architecture and the sheer will to forge the life Clyde had envisioned since he was a boy living on a flatboat. Barbours Cut will keep you engrossed, wanting more, and eager to read the sequel.
