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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Westerns are not my usual genre...this is only the third one I've ever read. (True Grit-loved, Lonesome Dove-disliked) This one was a page turner, and it had some depth, particularly depth of character in Johannes and in Miss Nesselrode. There was a lot to think about in regards to self-education. There were a few things that fell flat for me. Meghan was disappointingly one-dimensional. All the shooting and killing was a bit over the top. Some of the back stories were barely believable. I suppose those thing probably just go with the genre though. Overall, I recommend it.
Never thought I'd read, much less like, a western as much I LOVED this book!
Loved the viewpoints. A bit preachy. Lead girl is a nitwit, but she's not on screen much. Fantasy element is almost non-existent, so don't be fooled by the blurb with mysterious gods, they don't do much.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This novel will always hold a central place in my imagination because it was the first "grown-up" book I ever read. I can remember being captivated by it in the seventh grade, as it carved out a sprawling, mythical landscape that made the Mojave Desert where we lived at the time seem more alive.
This is probably the best L'Amour book I've read so far. It falters at the end slightly and the last two chapters are really rushed, which holds it back from getting 5 stars, but it's still a really good story
When most people think of Louis L’Amour they think of fairly thin (less than 200 pages) western fiction novels as well as a number of short story collections. But towards the end of his writing career, he produced several longer works, most of them with more of a historical fiction vibe than straight western. This is one such novel.
It’s largely a coming-of-age novel following the young Johannes Verne from the tender age of 6 until sometime in his late teens (his exact age is not provided). It’s also a coming of age novel about the young village of Los Angeles with its 2000 people transforming into a small city of 20,000. L’Amour populates this novel with a large number of well-drawn, historically significant characters and uses them to paint the proverbial picture of what life was like back in that time period. There are certainly some traditional western elements (gunfights, etc.) but the vast majority of the story is not what you might consider the "typical" western.
The plot is generally interesting but, at times it does tend to plod forward and I found myself wishing for a return to the main character and main plot line. This is one of the first “longer” novels from L’Amour so perhaps he was still adjusting to the format. Generally speaking, his later, longer historical novels were among the best reviewed novels of his entire career.
Despite these minor annoyances, reading this one was still an enjoyable experience. I've read most of L'Amour's work and find him far more versatile than some readers might expect from such a prolific author. I always look forward to cracking open another one.
It’s largely a coming-of-age novel following the young Johannes Verne from the tender age of 6 until sometime in his late teens (his exact age is not provided). It’s also a coming of age novel about the young village of Los Angeles with its 2000 people transforming into a small city of 20,000. L’Amour populates this novel with a large number of well-drawn, historically significant characters and uses them to paint the proverbial picture of what life was like back in that time period. There are certainly some traditional western elements (gunfights, etc.) but the vast majority of the story is not what you might consider the "typical" western.
The plot is generally interesting but, at times it does tend to plod forward and I found myself wishing for a return to the main character and main plot line. This is one of the first “longer” novels from L’Amour so perhaps he was still adjusting to the format. Generally speaking, his later, longer historical novels were among the best reviewed novels of his entire career.
Despite these minor annoyances, reading this one was still an enjoyable experience. I've read most of L'Amour's work and find him far more versatile than some readers might expect from such a prolific author. I always look forward to cracking open another one.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No