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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I should have predicted the racist stereotyping of Native Americans in this book, but it still came as an unpleasant surprise. The story presents itself as about Angie, Hondo, and Vittoro, but really it's all about Hondo. His character is masculine yet tender, although this is revealed more by telling than by showing. Angie is a sweet character but is one-dimensional, and is subject to some sexist stereotypes. Vittoro seems to be treated with respect on the surface-level, but L'Amour characterizes Native Americans almost as another species, rather than just people of a different culture.
Nevertheless, the prose was sparse and at times very beautiful. I was moved at certain parts, but L'Amour doesn't linger on anything too long, which creates the feeling of nostalgia and wistfulness. I might read other Westerns, but I doubt I'll read anything by L'Amour again because of the prejudice which overshadows the otherwise beautiful book.
Nevertheless, the prose was sparse and at times very beautiful. I was moved at certain parts, but L'Amour doesn't linger on anything too long, which creates the feeling of nostalgia and wistfulness. I might read other Westerns, but I doubt I'll read anything by L'Amour again because of the prejudice which overshadows the otherwise beautiful book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood
I generally don't read Westerns, though not for any specific reason. I listened to this on audio book to complete a Read Harder challenge category, and picked it because it was short and had high ratings. I was pleasantly surprised to discover I thoroughly enjoyed it. I suspect it's a prime example of the genre, there's adventure and death, a little romance, lots of western scenery and interactions with "wild natives." The writing is sparse yet descriptive, and while certainly not politically correct by today's standards, I was able to suspend my disbelief and be completely drawn into another time where it all made sense. I'll definitely try more of L'Amour's work and some others in the genre.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
I have never seen the John Wayne movie, so I don't know how it compares with the book, but I absolutely loved reading this. I was pulled right into the story from the beginning, and could hardly put the book down for any length of time. Hondo Lane is a character that still manages to be the awesome hero without being so absolutely fabulous that I want to roll my eyes. The action scenes were suspenseful, and they never got old for me. The romance in the story wasn't overdone and didn't detract from the rest of the story in any way. The only thing that kind of threw me was how rushed the climax was, and it sort of felt like L'Amour had a deadline to make, but even that didn't take away from the story. I loved this book, and it quickly became one of my favorites. I'm glad I chose this for my first western.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Delightfully emotive and melodramatic, surprisingly pro-adultery, very old-timey racist (except there's a dynamic where you can tell that L'Amour has all these stereotypes about Native people but also respects the hell out of what he thinks they are, it's weird). Gritty and swoony and a short, easy read. I enjoyed this experience.
adventurous
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Louis L'Amour's writing is great but the concept, plot, and characters of this book are hopelessly dated and tiresomely problematic. It hits on every worn-out cliche of the western genre and amplifies an underlying toxic masculinity I did not enjoy reading at all. L'Amour really thinks about the interior life of his characters, but in such a manner as to be oblivious to the more problematic parts of his novel.
This is a favorite of mine. Hondo Lane, scout for the military, comes across a woman and her boy living alone on a ranch smack dab in the middle of Apache land. The movie adaptation with John Wayne and Geraldine Page is fun too.