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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Five things about Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey. 3/5⭐️s
1. Reading this book felt like all those times I watched westerns with my Grandpa.
2. I read this book for the first time a few years ago and loved it deeply. I carried that love through years and recommended it to many as an overlooked read they’d most likely enjoy.
3. This reread has resulted in me feeling less enthusiastic. I still thoroughly enjoyed the story but felt the writing was lackluster. I somehow wanted (and had infused it with) more meaning and depth than this reading revealed to me.
4. I still think this is a solid and quality example of the western genre.
5. I’ll revisit it again in a few years to try to decide if it’s “not you, it’s me” or “not me, it’s you”
1. Reading this book felt like all those times I watched westerns with my Grandpa.
2. I read this book for the first time a few years ago and loved it deeply. I carried that love through years and recommended it to many as an overlooked read they’d most likely enjoy.
3. This reread has resulted in me feeling less enthusiastic. I still thoroughly enjoyed the story but felt the writing was lackluster. I somehow wanted (and had infused it with) more meaning and depth than this reading revealed to me.
4. I still think this is a solid and quality example of the western genre.
5. I’ll revisit it again in a few years to try to decide if it’s “not you, it’s me” or “not me, it’s you”
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not as anti Mormon as I thought it was going to be and Grey does a nice job of underplaying the romance. Solid read.
adventurous
slow-paced
Rightfully a classic of the Western genre set in the fictional community of Cottonwood in southern Utah in 1871 and full of memorable characters and vivid descriptions of a romanticized West. Jane Withersteen, a wealthy, unmarried Mormon woman is being persecuted for not becoming one of the wives of a leader of her church and her Gentile (Christians and other non Mormons) friend Venters is about to be whipped for befriending her when Lassiter rides to her rescue. Lassiter, a feared gunman dressed in black, came to Cottonwood to find the grave of his sister and kill the man who persuaded her to abandon her home, and her husband, and her God. Jane tries to keep Lassiter from killing the men she knows are responsible for the downfall of his sister and they end up falling in love as he saves her from her church. Venters too ends up finding love with a mysterious rustlers girl Bess. Several intertwined stories gradually come together as more and more is revealed and at the end the four main characters, Jane, Lassiter, Venters and Bess all escape the persecution that follows them in Utah and move on to new lives. In between there are gunfights, cattle stampedes, horse rustlers, a masked rider, bad family secrets exposed and good ones revealed, persecution, and justice wild west style. An entertaining ride into the wilds of the west in the 1870's full of archetypes of the Western genre. I'd rate this book 3.5 stars if Goodreads allowed half stars.
Zane Grey was my father's favorite author, and I read a few of his books, but don't remember which ones.
I don't usually read cowboy stories. I remember reading a few J T Edson books when I was a young teenager, because my friend's father said I should. They were okay, but it seemed to be the same story, more or less, in every one "suddenly the small man dominated the fight" or something like that.
So I only downloaded this because I quite liked the band of the same name. Shurrup, that's a good a reason as any. Okay, it isn't, but what the hell, Archie, what the hell.
Anyway, it was surprisingly good. Superbly told - Grey is obviously an excellent storyteller - and it had much more depth in the story than I was expecting. Pleasantly surprised. And actually, now, I may put away my silly prejudice about cowboy books and read some more of them - recommendations gratefully received... :)
So I only downloaded this because I quite liked the band of the same name. Shurrup, that's a good a reason as any. Okay, it isn't, but what the hell, Archie, what the hell.
Anyway, it was surprisingly good. Superbly told - Grey is obviously an excellent storyteller - and it had much more depth in the story than I was expecting. Pleasantly surprised. And actually, now, I may put away my silly prejudice about cowboy books and read some more of them - recommendations gratefully received... :)
My grandfather was a huge Zane Grey fan. When he died, he left behind a ton of books. I am not a fan of Westerns, but I am a reader of books. I randomly chose one from his collection and read it last year. I love old books and I loved reading and touching the same pages my grandfather had.
This book, was not the one I picked. This is the one everyone who had an opinion about it, said I should have picked. I'm glad I didn't because I really didn't care much for it. Some of it might have been that it was an electronic library copy. It's my least favorite way to read. The female leads were not as strong as the other book. I noticed a lot more phrases that irked me (I dislike it when someone does or says something "as though reading his mind".)
At least it was quick and I got the "Western" prompt on my reading challenge checked off.
This book, was not the one I picked. This is the one everyone who had an opinion about it, said I should have picked. I'm glad I didn't because I really didn't care much for it. Some of it might have been that it was an electronic library copy. It's my least favorite way to read. The female leads were not as strong as the other book. I noticed a lot more phrases that irked me (I dislike it when someone does or says something "as though reading his mind".)
At least it was quick and I got the "Western" prompt on my reading challenge checked off.