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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a treat. The audiobook is wonderfully done, giving each story a new narrator. I loved the ones by Henry Rollins and by David Straithairn.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Very nice if somewhat inconsistent set of short stories. This in an abbreviated audio version of the "Complete" stories published in book form. Great narration, especially from Tom Wopat and Henry Rollins. "Eight Days from Wilcox" (or "You Never See Apaches") was the standout.
This is a collection of Elmore Leonard's thirty Western short stories. These stories were written at the beginning of his career. Several of these classic stories were turned into movies. The most famous story in the collection is "3:10 to Yuma" which was turned into a classic western film starting Glenn Ford and then horribly butchered and mangled into a remake starring Russell Crowe.
There are a number of other excellent stories here. Leonard does not use the normal stereotypes seen in so many western television shows and movies. "Tonto Woman" tells the story of a woman who has been rescued from captivity only to be exiled by society. "Hurrah for Captain Early" gives us a story rarely heard. How black soldiers saved Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders at San Juan hill.
These are all good stories. This was my first Leonard book and I enjoyed re-reading it as much as
I enjoyed reading it the first time.
There are a number of other excellent stories here. Leonard does not use the normal stereotypes seen in so many western television shows and movies. "Tonto Woman" tells the story of a woman who has been rescued from captivity only to be exiled by society. "Hurrah for Captain Early" gives us a story rarely heard. How black soldiers saved Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders at San Juan hill.
These are all good stories. This was my first Leonard book and I enjoyed re-reading it as much as
I enjoyed reading it the first time.
As always in a short story collection, some of these stories were really great and others were not quite my thing. YMMV!
It also seemed to me that towards the end of the collection, there were more romance elements in the stories. I‘m not complaining about it! Just found the slight vibe change interesting to see unfold - from very military/soldiers versus Apache Natives style narratives to smaller stakes and interpersonal stories.
It also seemed to me that towards the end of the collection, there were more romance elements in the stories. I‘m not complaining about it! Just found the slight vibe change interesting to see unfold - from very military/soldiers versus Apache Natives style narratives to smaller stakes and interpersonal stories.
I'll continue to update this as I read through the short stories.
I liked the introduction of the book that talked with Elmore Leonard about his experiences writing in the western genre, which is also his first foray into professional writing. This is particularly interesting as you hear how he got started as a writer and how he had to manage having a full-time job, a family and pursue his dreams. Since Leonard's style has evolved quite a bit, it's interesting to hear about his aspirations as a young writer.
Trail of the Apache - 1951
I wasn't sure what to expect of this first story, Leonard first published piece of writing, and I was somewhat surprised by it. Because of the decade, 1950s and watching reruns of "The Rifleman," "Bonanza," and other TV westerns from that era, I expected a sedate, perhaps lighthearted tale of the Wild West with macho cowboys and politically uncorrect, if not stereotypical portrayals of Native Americans and instead I read a modern and sympathetic description of the Apache Native Americans and how bureaucracy can make a mess of their lives. While the story starts off slow, it is all a setup for a turn of events, a build up to some unexpected violence, a scene that is almost brutal in it's description, that really pulled you emotionally into the story. I was really surprised by this scene, and you can see the beginnings of how Elmore Leonard would later experiment with the genre, an ability to prod and pull at a genre's boundaries, something he'd pull off with greater accomplishment in his later westerns and especially when he transitioned later to the crime genre.
I liked the introduction of the book that talked with Elmore Leonard about his experiences writing in the western genre, which is also his first foray into professional writing. This is particularly interesting as you hear how he got started as a writer and how he had to manage having a full-time job, a family and pursue his dreams. Since Leonard's style has evolved quite a bit, it's interesting to hear about his aspirations as a young writer.
Trail of the Apache - 1951
I wasn't sure what to expect of this first story, Leonard first published piece of writing, and I was somewhat surprised by it. Because of the decade, 1950s and watching reruns of "The Rifleman," "Bonanza," and other TV westerns from that era, I expected a sedate, perhaps lighthearted tale of the Wild West with macho cowboys and politically uncorrect, if not stereotypical portrayals of Native Americans and instead I read a modern and sympathetic description of the Apache Native Americans and how bureaucracy can make a mess of their lives. While the story starts off slow, it is all a setup for a turn of events, a build up to some unexpected violence, a scene that is almost brutal in it's description, that really pulled you emotionally into the story. I was really surprised by this scene, and you can see the beginnings of how Elmore Leonard would later experiment with the genre, an ability to prod and pull at a genre's boundaries, something he'd pull off with greater accomplishment in his later westerns and especially when he transitioned later to the crime genre.
I read one of Elmore Leonard's latest books, 10 Rules of Writing, and then decided to start with his early works as a warm-up and decide if I would read some of his books or all of them. I think now at least I will give each one of them a try.
This collection contains one of the best western stories: 3:10 to Yuma, and it was captivating. Another story that I liked a lot was Apache Medicine.
This collection contains one of the best western stories: 3:10 to Yuma, and it was captivating. Another story that I liked a lot was Apache Medicine.
Listened for work and while my boss is a huge Leonard fanboy, this wasn’t for us.
Half way through the second story I was finally sure I'd already read this. Good stories, but clearly they didn't make a huge impression on me.
Excellent western stories! No wonder Justified is such a great TV show, Elmore Leonard is a great author!