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dgdiiulio's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
niah_reece's review against another edition
2.0
2 stars may be rather harsh...idk I thought this was alright. Just alright.
kl92620's review against another edition
5.0
The Virginian by Owen Wister is a vivid narrative set in the late 19th century Western United States. The characters are well-developed and likeable, and the beautiful prose describing the alluring natural scenery of Wyoming is truly a pleasure to read through. Yes, there are some problematic beliefs in the book in regard to Native Americans and the "untamed" nature of Western United States, but keep in mind that for a white man born in the 19th century, it was not strange for Wister to hold these views. It's ok to remain critical of problematic, outdated beliefs in a book but still maintain an appreciation for the quality of its story and writing. The Virginian by Owen Wister is a masterful and charming novel that certainly deserves a read for its beautiful prose and genre-defining characters.
roof77's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jgkeely's review against another edition
4.0
I cannot believe that I sat in American Lit reading Hawthorne when I could have been reading this. If you have never heard of this book, then I am not sure why; just as I am not sure why I had never heard of it. It is surely Romantic, and sometimes Heroic, but there is a depth of emotion, wit, and thought in this work which made me question how American it could be.
Of course, the author spent some schooling-time in Europe, and holds a dear enough place for Austen and Shakespeare not to descend into the self-important drear which has so long left American Literature moth-eaten.
However, it has also the rawness and adventure which we have been lead to expect from this frontier land. Both the dime-stores and megaplexes have profited so much from this sense of adventure that red-plumed explosions have become ho-hum. There is then a certain irony in the fact that in opening this book, I was shocked and surprised by its emotion more than I have been by an exploding car or knife-weilding killer. Perhaps that says something in and of itself about the repetetive nature of our arts: that we will make something uninteresting two times instead of something interesting once.
I could not resist the gentle humor nor the deep-felt influence of both the high British and the Russian realists in this book, and found it surprised me not in the least because it took a road other than either the expected or the contrary.
Though the author sometimes falls to that most grievous of sins: telling instead of showing, one gets the impression that this is because he knows his limits and would spare us the blunder of exceeding them. One also sometimes gets the sense of his desire to fondly remember this era, and to Romanticize it, but if that was ever a crime of Literature, it was only laid upon those we didn't like. I like The Virginian, and not the least of which because the author is humble enough to excuse himself from his crimes before making me do it for him. Too many modern books are started by the authors but finished by the readers.
Of course, the author spent some schooling-time in Europe, and holds a dear enough place for Austen and Shakespeare not to descend into the self-important drear which has so long left American Literature moth-eaten.
However, it has also the rawness and adventure which we have been lead to expect from this frontier land. Both the dime-stores and megaplexes have profited so much from this sense of adventure that red-plumed explosions have become ho-hum. There is then a certain irony in the fact that in opening this book, I was shocked and surprised by its emotion more than I have been by an exploding car or knife-weilding killer. Perhaps that says something in and of itself about the repetetive nature of our arts: that we will make something uninteresting two times instead of something interesting once.
I could not resist the gentle humor nor the deep-felt influence of both the high British and the Russian realists in this book, and found it surprised me not in the least because it took a road other than either the expected or the contrary.
Though the author sometimes falls to that most grievous of sins: telling instead of showing, one gets the impression that this is because he knows his limits and would spare us the blunder of exceeding them. One also sometimes gets the sense of his desire to fondly remember this era, and to Romanticize it, but if that was ever a crime of Literature, it was only laid upon those we didn't like. I like The Virginian, and not the least of which because the author is humble enough to excuse himself from his crimes before making me do it for him. Too many modern books are started by the authors but finished by the readers.
booksaremagic's review
4.0
I love this book. I give it four stars instead of five because of the wandering point of view (sometimes there's an "I" who is a secondary character; sometimes he drops off the face of the earth as far as the book is concerned). There is a plot point that is a bit unbelievable that has to do with relationships, but I won't spoil the plot further by going into it.
Other than the point of view issue, I love Wister's writing style. Deliberate and detailed but on-point. The Virginian's milieu is a fascinating world of cowpunchers and law and the "taming of the West."
Other than the point of view issue, I love Wister's writing style. Deliberate and detailed but on-point. The Virginian's milieu is a fascinating world of cowpunchers and law and the "taming of the West."
spaceyfaerie's review
I remember being utterly fascinated by this story as a child, and it was one of the first books I remember having feels regarding the romance.
gregy's review
4.0
The book is uneven: it was originally a series of separate stories and sketches that Wister decided to string together into one coherent novel--I believe by adding the love story element. But when it's good it's really good, and it's not hard to understand how it became a major bestseller. It's a great read if you're interested in the roots of the western genre. The Virginian was published in 1902, when the movies were less than a decade old and western shorts were still very primitive (and silent). Yet this book feels like a fully fledged widescreen technicolor sound western of the 1950s, complete with the pacing, thematic dyads, landscape descriptions, cowboy dialogue, and climactic shoot-out that fans of the genre will associate with the classic films of John Ford. I didn't expect it to feel so "classic" (as opposed to "primitive") in terms of the history of the genre. A nice surprise. The Barnes and Noble edition also includes a really useful introduction by John Cawelti, a foremost scholar of the genre.
brian's review
4.0
An unconventional Western in that it's not full of shootouts and action. Could be that it's more of a novel of its time (early 1900's) and the genre hadn't been explored much by then.
Follows the titular Virginian through the eyes of a visiting green-horn from the East, showing the experience and character of him. A kind of friendship grows between them over the years and the latters naivety is slowly eased.
Mostly the novel is about the Virginian's feud with another cow puncher called Trampas and his meeting and romance of Molly Stark Wood who comes to Medicine Bow as a schoolteacher.
Good characterization, well written descriptions of the landscape, the people and the lives they lead.
Follows the titular Virginian through the eyes of a visiting green-horn from the East, showing the experience and character of him. A kind of friendship grows between them over the years and the latters naivety is slowly eased.
Mostly the novel is about the Virginian's feud with another cow puncher called Trampas and his meeting and romance of Molly Stark Wood who comes to Medicine Bow as a schoolteacher.
Good characterization, well written descriptions of the landscape, the people and the lives they lead.
papertownian's review
3.0
Owen Wister’s 1902 novel The Virginian: A horseman of the plains is a quintessential western in every sense of the word. It is easy to understand how this novel is considered the first of this genre, the father of all westerns. Within this novel, there is a strong, quiet, world-wise hero, school marm love interest, and cattle rustlers. Any fan of the western genre ought to read this classic, they are bound to be entertained by the old-fashioned writing style that feels contemporaneous with the world of the wild west. Our hero, The Virginian, is a man of his word and proves it with both his lady love, Ms. Molly Stark, and his nemesis, Trampas. The reader will look forward to how all of the traditional western tropes are woven throughout this novel, take a stroll down memory lane and drink in the nostalgia!