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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
I read a lot of westerns when I was young - mostly [a:Louis L'Amour|858|Louis L'Amour|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1343675199p2/858.jpg] and Zane Grey. I recall preferring Grey; maybe L'Amour's sagas were too complex for me. Still, I never got around to Riders of the Purple Sage, so when I saw this for free, I thought I'd go back to those childhood days for a visit.
Reading this book reminded me that I've changed, and that westerns deal with a lot of things I don't care for - horse riding and cattle ranching among them - and that Grey and L'Amour wrote in a different time, about an even earlier time. Men are strong and silent, women are dependent.
This book holds pretty much true to the western stereotype. Hard, mysterious gunslinger, lonely rich woman, cattle rustlers. Here, the main villains are Mormons, and even in the context of the day (the somewhat recent end of polygamy), it's jarring. The plot is complex, and frankly doesn't hold up that well - some parts are fairly obvious, some convoluted, some just not credible. Characterization is thin. Overall, the book reads more as a romance with horses than a western with romance.
The scenic description is on the purple (forgive me) side, but it's still attractive. Grey does a nice job of putting us in the scene, and of describing beautiful terrain. If the exact geography is vague, we still know what the place looks like. And yes, a lot of it is covered with sage.
As a trip to memoryland, this was something of a disappointment. I'm frankly unsure why this book was seen as a watershed for westerns. I could swear that the other Grey books I read were better, but I'm not too inclined to check. I think I'm better off keeping a warm hazy memory of summers with Zane Grey than actually digging back into them any further.
For newcomers to the genre - I'm not sure this is the place to start with westerns. It's an easy read, and scenic, but full enough of present day -isms that you may want to look elsewhere for a first exposure. I'd probably give it a 2.5, but I round up in favor of nostalgia.
Reading this book reminded me that I've changed, and that westerns deal with a lot of things I don't care for - horse riding and cattle ranching among them - and that Grey and L'Amour wrote in a different time, about an even earlier time. Men are strong and silent, women are dependent.
This book holds pretty much true to the western stereotype. Hard, mysterious gunslinger, lonely rich woman, cattle rustlers. Here, the main villains are Mormons, and even in the context of the day (the somewhat recent end of polygamy), it's jarring. The plot is complex, and frankly doesn't hold up that well - some parts are fairly obvious, some convoluted, some just not credible. Characterization is thin. Overall, the book reads more as a romance with horses than a western with romance.
The scenic description is on the purple (forgive me) side, but it's still attractive. Grey does a nice job of putting us in the scene, and of describing beautiful terrain. If the exact geography is vague, we still know what the place looks like. And yes, a lot of it is covered with sage.
As a trip to memoryland, this was something of a disappointment. I'm frankly unsure why this book was seen as a watershed for westerns. I could swear that the other Grey books I read were better, but I'm not too inclined to check. I think I'm better off keeping a warm hazy memory of summers with Zane Grey than actually digging back into them any further.
For newcomers to the genre - I'm not sure this is the place to start with westerns. It's an easy read, and scenic, but full enough of present day -isms that you may want to look elsewhere for a first exposure. I'd probably give it a 2.5, but I round up in favor of nostalgia.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is my first by Zane Grey, and the first Western I've read in many years. At that level it was a refreshing read!
"Genre" books have a reputation for formula, and Grey's classic hits many of them: a single woman whose ranch is in distress, the dark-reputed and silent gunman who appears, the villains who want to cattle-rustle and drive her away, the hired hands who are of varying degrees of loyalty, the orphaned child who serves for sentiment.
Beyond this, however, are a few surprises for me. The first is the political portrayal of the early Mormon settlers as villains, rich and manipulative and violent (and relatively inept) against the pure-hearted heroine. The second is the way Grey handles the resolutions to these villains: expect no end-of-novel final showdowns here. Instead, Grey offers more gritty (and probably realistic) closure to these storylines, moments quick and almost off-hand, as someone's gun hand might be.
The novel is at its worst in its portrayal of the feminine, which did not overly surprise. The two main female characters--each set up to be strong, active, and independent--often collapse almost completely beneath the wills of the men around them. There are guesses and second-guesses of meaning around love stories--expected--though as ever most of these conflicts might have been resolved through a bit of dialogue which no one seems to engage. And the violence and villainy, outside of a few brief scenes, are kept at a good distance from the narrative, sometimes handled off-page, with our heroes reporting later what they did: an odd choice.
Still, Grey's novel is at its best when portraying the vistas and valleys of the region, the pastoral utopias of "free ranges" for free peoples (never mind the absent indigenous populations here). Too, his handling of horse-riding and horse chases are both realistic and suspenseful, one mid-book chase probably the action-highlight of the novel. Enough here of both trope and ingenuity to give every reader something to complain about and something to love.
"Genre" books have a reputation for formula, and Grey's classic hits many of them: a single woman whose ranch is in distress, the dark-reputed and silent gunman who appears, the villains who want to cattle-rustle and drive her away, the hired hands who are of varying degrees of loyalty, the orphaned child who serves for sentiment.
Beyond this, however, are a few surprises for me. The first is the political portrayal of the early Mormon settlers as villains, rich and manipulative and violent (and relatively inept) against the pure-hearted heroine. The second is the way Grey handles the resolutions to these villains: expect no end-of-novel final showdowns here. Instead, Grey offers more gritty (and probably realistic) closure to these storylines, moments quick and almost off-hand, as someone's gun hand might be.
The novel is at its worst in its portrayal of the feminine, which did not overly surprise. The two main female characters--each set up to be strong, active, and independent--often collapse almost completely beneath the wills of the men around them. There are guesses and second-guesses of meaning around love stories--expected--though as ever most of these conflicts might have been resolved through a bit of dialogue which no one seems to engage. And the violence and villainy, outside of a few brief scenes, are kept at a good distance from the narrative, sometimes handled off-page, with our heroes reporting later what they did: an odd choice.
Still, Grey's novel is at its best when portraying the vistas and valleys of the region, the pastoral utopias of "free ranges" for free peoples (never mind the absent indigenous populations here). Too, his handling of horse-riding and horse chases are both realistic and suspenseful, one mid-book chase probably the action-highlight of the novel. Enough here of both trope and ingenuity to give every reader something to complain about and something to love.
Stilted syntax, stereotypical characters, repetitive landscape descriptions.
Started listening with Radio Read Along podcast, finished on Kindle.
It's done! Apparently knowing a book exists outside copyright and can be fetched at any time for free by accessing Project Gutenberg or YouTube audiobooks means I do not make it a priority to actually finish it. With fairly LARGE caveats: the racist stereotypes of indigenous people tossed around in casual speech (no actual indigenous characters), and, despite the frequent attempts to note there are good Mormons, the pretty obvious bias of the writing against Mormons, and occasional condescending, patriarchal view of female characters, I was still rather impressed with this book.
The pacing and storyline is compelling, the characters are well fleshed out. Up until the last moment, you don't know for certain whether certain people will manage to stay together or live (happily ever after?), the stakes are heightened by various deaths and losses throughout the story. There are also a number of mysteries in the murky backgrounds of characters so you get dramatic reveals.
As an atheist, I can only be happy to see a narrative where a woman who generously helped her community, opposed intolerance to aid the less fortunate, and did not surrender her agency to an undesirable partner, then recognizes the corrupt, cult-like, oppressive nature of the religion she was born and raised in, and took steps to separate her faith from observance of religious doctrine, especially wrestling with questioning the revering of any religious leader as something more holy and powerful than any human should demand. I could have happily seen the God stuff done away with completely, but it's apparent that wasn't an option that occurred to Grey. I wish I had a better historical idea of whether this book was considered hateful towards a religious sect, an example of the prevailing attitude of the time, or groundbreaking in its own right.
While Jane's internal struggle, the discussion of religion, is the primary theme, there was a good deal of exploration around the theme of outcasts/isolation/loneliness (I can only imagine how many Wild West characters really needed a hug) and found family. Also, people figuring out where they draw the line in their own personal ethics, outside of scripture, especially in relation to looking after those they care about. Morally grey? ๐ค There did seem to be a lot of shooting at the end there.
I'd also like to take a moment to heap praise on Zane Grey's ability to describe a landscape and the experience of riding a horse. The atmosphere! ๐ The colour and the light as it falls on rock and sage, reverence for paradisiacal safe havens where things are green and wildlife abounds. There are some lovely illustrations (paintings?) that come even with the Project Gutenberg digital version, but they don't hold a candle to Grey's words.
And yeah, the way horses are described, the chases and escapes, this is as close as I'll ever come to being a horse girl. Sadly, not every beautiful beastie makes it out. [The dogs live. ๐๐ป]
It may have taken me seven months to get back to it, but I'm glad I read it. Will I pick up another Zane Grey? Maybe. Maybe I'll read the synopsis first, this time. ๐
I think it's fair to say my hunch that I could enjoy early Westerns has proved correct.
โ ๏ธMention of animal cruelty, animal death, period typical racist stereotypes, misogyny
The pacing and storyline is compelling, the characters are well fleshed out. Up until the last moment, you don't know for certain whether certain people will manage to stay together or live (happily ever after?), the stakes are heightened by various deaths and losses throughout the story. There are also a number of mysteries in the murky backgrounds of characters so you get dramatic reveals.
As an atheist, I can only be happy to see a narrative where a woman who generously helped her community, opposed intolerance to aid the less fortunate, and did not surrender her agency to an undesirable partner, then recognizes the corrupt, cult-like, oppressive nature of the religion she was born and raised in, and took steps to separate her faith from observance of religious doctrine, especially wrestling with questioning the revering of any religious leader as something more holy and powerful than any human should demand. I could have happily seen the God stuff done away with completely, but it's apparent that wasn't an option that occurred to Grey. I wish I had a better historical idea of whether this book was considered hateful towards a religious sect, an example of the prevailing attitude of the time, or groundbreaking in its own right.
While Jane's internal struggle, the discussion of religion, is the primary theme, there was a good deal of exploration around the theme of outcasts/isolation/loneliness (I can only imagine how many Wild West characters really needed a hug) and found family. Also, people figuring out where they draw the line in their own personal ethics, outside of scripture, especially in relation to looking after those they care about. Morally grey? ๐ค There did seem to be a lot of shooting at the end there.
I'd also like to take a moment to heap praise on Zane Grey's ability to describe a landscape and the experience of riding a horse. The atmosphere! ๐ The colour and the light as it falls on rock and sage, reverence for paradisiacal safe havens where things are green and wildlife abounds. There are some lovely illustrations (paintings?) that come even with the Project Gutenberg digital version, but they don't hold a candle to Grey's words.
And yeah, the way horses are described, the chases and escapes, this is as close as I'll ever come to being a horse girl. Sadly, not every beautiful beastie makes it out. [The dogs live. ๐๐ป]
It may have taken me seven months to get back to it, but I'm glad I read it. Will I pick up another Zane Grey? Maybe. Maybe I'll read the synopsis first, this time. ๐
I think it's fair to say my hunch that I could enjoy early Westerns has proved correct.
โ ๏ธMention of animal cruelty, animal death, period typical racist stereotypes, misogyny
I read this because it is in The Rough Guide to Cult Fiction, and I have a project to read one book by every author on the list. It is the first western I have ever read.
Grey writes lovingly of the landscape. Although it is essentially an action story, Zane does explore various issues (I hadn't realized the complexities of the relationships between Mormons and 'gentiles' in Utah) and creates some moral dilemmas for his characters. To that extent he reminded me of John Le Carre who has taken the spy genre (a la James Bond)and infused it with a psychological and moral dimension. Grey doesn't mange it nearly so successfully as Le Carre.
So, I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would but the limitations of Grey's writing means I won't be reading any more.
Grey writes lovingly of the landscape. Although it is essentially an action story, Zane does explore various issues (I hadn't realized the complexities of the relationships between Mormons and 'gentiles' in Utah) and creates some moral dilemmas for his characters. To that extent he reminded me of John Le Carre who has taken the spy genre (a la James Bond)and infused it with a psychological and moral dimension. Grey doesn't mange it nearly so successfully as Le Carre.
So, I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would but the limitations of Grey's writing means I won't be reading any more.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No