This was a pretty fun book, but the best part about it is that it led me to read Borden Chantry, which I totally loved. Now I need to reread this one to more fully appreciate the ways it ties up to Chantry :-)
Also, Ben Curry totally reminded me of Ben Wade in 3:10 to Yuma (1957), and I love Ben Wade, so that was fun.
Particularly Good Bits:
The gray was a good mountain horse who went where only the imagination should go (p. 89).
If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG for occasional mild cussing, western violence, and an abduction of a young woman that is obviously meant to end in rape, but doesn't.
This is the 7th book I've read off my TBR shelves for #TheUnreadShelfProject2022.
I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if L'Amour had Ben Wade/Glenn Ford in mind when he wrote this.
ReplyDeleteEva, yeah. Using the first name Ben really does make it seem like that's a possibility :-D
DeleteI haven’t seen or read many Westerns so I’d be intrigued to give this one a go. Do you have any recommendations on which books or films would be good for just starting the genre?
ReplyDelete~ Miss Winifred
Miss Winifred, you have come to the right place :-D I happen to love western films, books, and shows! Here are a few that I think represent the genre really well without relying on the audience already being familiar with western tropes and themes:
DeleteMovies
Shane (1953)
The Magnificent Seven (1960)
Angel and the Badman (1947)
Rio Bravo (1959)
Silverado (1985)
Books
Shane by Jack Schaefer
Hondo by Louis L'Amour
A Sidekick's Tale by Elisabeth Grace Foley
True Grit by Charles Portis
The Mark of Zorro by Johnston McCulley
Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitsun
Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
Those are all good places to start!
Shane,the movie and book Hondo,the book and movie,The Searchers,and of course The Sackett novels by the great Louis L'Amour
DeleteAnonymous, good ones!
DeleteI watched lots of these stories as adaptations, just never read any of the books. I think my uncle had some of his books though. Makes me think I should re-watch a movie or two just for nostalgia. :)
ReplyDeleteRissi, I have not seen all that many adaptations of L'Amour's books, surprisingly. Just a few from the classic days of Hollywood. BUT my beloved '80s TV show Five Mile Creek was inspired by his book The Cherokee Trail (VERY LOOSELY), so there's that ;-)
Delete