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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Probably my favorite so far. Definitely a product of its time but that is most westerns
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is L'Amour's first published full length novel, and it was really good. Not as good as Bendigo Shafter, Fallon, Flint, or The Empty Land, but good.
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
fast-paced
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
hondo gets the crown of original western shadow daddy
I enjoyed this book for the most part. It was an interesting situation because the writing was really quite beautiful but I spent a fair amount of time snickering at clichés. We had fearsome Apache warriors, the love of a man for a woman, the need a woman has for a man, their eyes meet... Okay, it didn't get quite that bad. Basically there was a lot about the importance of family and a love of the land. The funny thing is, I wouldn't be surprised if those things are clichés in westerns simply because they might be a staple of L'Amour's writing.
The writing itself was beautiful and the story was pretty good. I listened to the audio, which was narrated by David Strathairn, and he did an excellent job. I liked it.
The writing itself was beautiful and the story was pretty good. I listened to the audio, which was narrated by David Strathairn, and he did an excellent job. I liked it.
Louis L'Amour is at his best when he's describing action. Whether that action is a fistfight, a gunfight, a battle, or just a man riding his horse from point A to point B, L'Amour seems to do his best work with concrete events he can describe. When he tries to get poetic, things just get silly. Perhaps my favorite example of this comes in chapter 14, when Hondo is musing about the things he loves. ". . . there were the desert and the mountains, and the love of strong things, man things." I may have snorted a little (a lot) when I read that bit. His attempts at philosophical prose just come off as overblown, a twenty-year-old hipster who likes the Old West because he's seen a few Jimmy Stewart or John Wayne movies, and formed his idea of masculinity from them instead of from any basis in reality.
Honestly, though, this was almost a four-star book. The plot clips along in this one, despite the lackadaisical western feel being prominent throughout. There's a bit more urgency under the surface in this one, perhaps because of the ticking clock that Angie has to try and outrun, or maybe because Hondo himself is never stationary in the book, instead always heading to the next place, the next person, the next fight. The fourth start got knocked off, though, for stereotypically racist depictions of Native Americans (in this case, the Apache people). Even given a little leniency due to genre and original publication date, it was still uncomfortable to read through some of the descriptions of "those sneaky, deceptive Indians." That's not a direct quote, mind you, but it might as well have been.
If you're a fan of the genre, then I definitely recommend this book. It's a good one, and one of the (as far as I can tell) rare cases where you get that slow-moving western feel while still getting a plot that actually moves along reasonably and doesn't bog down every few pages or chapters. If you have no experience with westerns, hold off on this one. Read a few more recent ones before jumping into Louis L'Amour.
Honestly, though, this was almost a four-star book. The plot clips along in this one, despite the lackadaisical western feel being prominent throughout. There's a bit more urgency under the surface in this one, perhaps because of the ticking clock that Angie has to try and outrun, or maybe because Hondo himself is never stationary in the book, instead always heading to the next place, the next person, the next fight. The fourth start got knocked off, though, for stereotypically racist depictions of Native Americans (in this case, the Apache people). Even given a little leniency due to genre and original publication date, it was still uncomfortable to read through some of the descriptions of "those sneaky, deceptive Indians." That's not a direct quote, mind you, but it might as well have been.
If you're a fan of the genre, then I definitely recommend this book. It's a good one, and one of the (as far as I can tell) rare cases where you get that slow-moving western feel while still getting a plot that actually moves along reasonably and doesn't bog down every few pages or chapters. If you have no experience with westerns, hold off on this one. Read a few more recent ones before jumping into Louis L'Amour.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No