Framed's 2007 Book Reviews

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

I can't believe I've never read a Lous L'Amour book before. Some kind of snobbishness about Westerns, I suppose. I went to the library to find a "U" title and started with the word "under." This book was the most interesting choice available. Believe me, "U" is a hard letter. And it is a very nice book, brown leather-like padded cover and a topigraphical map of the Wind River Range in Wyoming. So what about the actual story?? Well, it was written in 1971 (it almost went on the Decades Challenge, but I couldn't replace the one already there.) I expected all sorts of cliches: the strong, silent calvary man with a heart of gold, the pretty, little lady who is tough as nails, the stoic Indian scout. But the characters became more than cliches. The calvary man was all that and more but still had his own insecurities. The Indian is well-read and genteel and almost dies from starvation while on his own in the mountains. The little lady really was scared about her own fate and that of the soldier. And the bad guy was extremely scary and evil, but also a big good-looking lout who couldn't stand to be alone. And you are scared of him long before you actually meet him in the story. Plus several of the good guys actually get killed. There were a few other interesting characters that you never find out what happens to them, which was one thing I didn't like. That's pretty petty. L'Amour wrote such fantastic descriptions of the the Wyoming mountains making me want to visit more places than just Jackson Hole. And the story itself . . . very gripping, an action-packed suspense except for a slightly flat ending. What else can I say? I found it a fun book to read, completely different from my usual novels and will definitely read other books by L'Amour in the future.
Rating: 4.5
Posted by Framed at 8:55 PM

6 comments:
Cassie said...
I think I figured out your google problem. You are spelling the word wrong. It's cavalry, not calvary. So you should be able to find a good picture with that.
8:22 AM
Alyson said...
I think I have the same snobbishness about westerns, but you and Book both liked Louis L'Amour, so maybe I should give his books a try. Thanks for the review.
12:59 PM
Les said...
I may have to give this A-Z challenge a try next year. Might be a good way to discover some new-to-me authors! I've never read L'Amour either.
1:01 PM
booklogged said...
Oh, good grief! I thought I left a comment last night, but I guess it didn't take - yet again. I'm not sure I'm smart enough for blogging.I read my first L'Amour book last summer for the library reading program's western requirement. I decided I really need to read one by such a famous author. It was quite good and I may read another of his this summer. I read Utah Blaine - you could use it for your next A-Z challenge.
10:41 PM
Nan said...
You know, I haven't read him either. But I've wanted to since hearing his name in a Jimmy Buffett song. :<) He is one of those writers who never fade. My library has a whole "Westerns" section.
8:12 AM
Framed said...
I just bought a new western, "Holmes on the Range" by Steve Hockesmith. It's a mystery and looks humorous as well. There may be more to this western stuff than I ever imagined.