J. S.

Classic

Revisado: 05-05-24

Continuing my attempt at reading some more classic westerns, I recently read Monte Walsh, also by Jack Schaefer, the writer of Shane.

I really really loved it, despite Schaefer's prose styling, which I find to be fairly pedestrian at best, and annoying at worst. He has a tendency to summarize more than dramatize, maybe due to the scope of story he is telling, but it comes off as lazy. This book almost feels like an oral history though, told around a camp fire, which is endearing. There's also this odd repetition of ending sentences with double adjectives or adverbs, that just felt quaint. And the prose itself is chopped up mercilessly, for some reason removing most articles, so many sentences sound unnatural.

Having said that, the characters of Monte Walsh and Chet Rollins, are endlessly loveable. I loved the way their friendship endured the years, and how it mirrored the changing landscape of the West. Monte Walsh himself is a great archetype for the cowboy legend, and its passing from history, replaced by industry.

A grand history of legends that felt authentic to its roots, and leaves a lasting mark on the heart. I do recommend this one, even more than Shane.

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A masterpiece of the genre

Revisado: 04-18-24

This was an overwhelmingly powerful novel. Characters vividly brought to life by the written word. If you love the movie, this book is a must read, as it puts the classic film to shame.

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Stunning

Revisado: 04-13-24

Possibly the best sci-fi series of all time. Goes places philosophically that are truly mind bending. Such a thrilling journey and incredibly emotional. You care so much for the characters. Choose again.

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Awesome

Revisado: 03-02-24

Totally awesome. Love everything about it. Each book in the series is better than the last one.

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Perfection

Revisado: 02-11-24

Wow wow wow wow. Not sure my feeble mind was prepared for this. The ending just about melted my brain. Completely mind-blowing. The most shocking and unbelievably awesome twist I've ever read in a novel. Never even had a hint that it was coming. And it made perfect sense. Utterly astounding. I love this book! Onto the next.

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Absolutely stunning masterpiece

Revisado: 01-21-24

This novel blew me away. I'm almost speechless, trying to describe what it accomplished. What an utter whirlwind of imaginative storytelling power. Also, how great a love letter to the poetry of John Keats. I am in awe of this book.

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A brilliant masterpiece

Revisado: 01-04-24

Uva uvam videndo varia fit.

This is the Latin phrase on the sign for Lonesome Dove's Hat Creek Cattle Company. And in that phrase lies the entire thematic principle of the book, and a succinctly simple explanation for "the meaning of life."

It's so subtly brilliant, if you're not paying attention you will miss it. The phrase translates to "a grape changes its color (or ripens) by seeing another grape." This could be interpreted as positive or negative. The change could also be a tainting or mottling effect.

Likewise, Larry McMurtry, and his wise characters, especially Augustus McCrae, are showing the reader that the changes and events of human lives are made through their interactions with others. People we come in to contact with, and live with, change us, and we change them. Everything we do is an action/response to our companions in this life. And this grants us meaning, as we grow together through this life, and accept all its pleasures, wonders, and its tragedies, its grief.

The book is profound beyond my meager capacity to express myself via language. Gus put that motto on his sign, but because the translations were not in the book, he doesn't know what it means. Likewise, most people do not see the meaning or impact of their daily lives. Most things take on their true meaning and impact in retrospect, but by the time they are realized, they are impossible to change or rationalize or adequately contextualize. Thus, there is either regret, or an inexhaustible longing for what might have been.

This is unquestionably a masterpiece that brims with a seemingly inexhaustible wealth of profundity and power.

It's also the most heart breaking work of art ever put to paper. It encapsulates so much about life, and it's struggle of man to adapt to the passage of time, and the inability to change the past, while making hard sacrifices to bring about the future.

Augustus McCrae is the greatest character of all time. And this novel is unforgettable.

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esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

A brilliant masterpiece

Revisado: 01-04-24

Uva uvam videndo varia fit.

This is the Latin phrase on the sign for Lonesome Dove's Hat Creek Cattle Company. And in that phrase lies the entire thematic principle of the book, and a succinctly simple explanation for "the meaning of life."

It's so subtly brilliant, if you're not paying attention you will miss it. The phrase translates to "a grape changes its color (or ripens) by seeing another grape." This could be interpreted as positive or negative. The change could also be a tainting or mottling effect.

Likewise, Larry McMurtry, and his wise characters, especially Augustus McCrae, are showing the reader that the changes and events of human lives are made through their interactions with others. People we come in to contact with, and live with, change us, and we change them. Everything we do is an action/response to our companions in this life. And this grants us meaning, as we grow together through this life, and accept all its pleasures, wonders, and its tragedies, its grief.

The book is profound beyond my meager capacity to express myself via language. Gus put that motto on his sign, but because the translations were not in the book, he doesn't know what it means. Likewise, most people do not see the meaning or impact of their daily lives. Most things take on their true meaning and impact in retrospect, but by the time they are realized, they are impossible to change or rationalize or adequately contextualize. Thus, there is either regret, or an inexhaustible longing for what might have been.

This is unquestionably a masterpiece that brims with a seemingly inexhaustible wealth of profundity and power.

It's also the most heart breaking work of art ever put to paper. It encapsulates so much about life, and it's struggle of man to adapt to the passage of time, and the inability to change the past, while making hard sacrifices to bring about the future.

Augustus McCrae is the greatest character of all time. And this novel is unforgettable.

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esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

Unsettling disappointment

Revisado: 12-20-23

This book left a lot to be desired. It starts off with so much promise, but about 20% in veers way off course, as the author decides to deliver a huge backstory, via a third party, that takes up the majority of the novel. This feels a tad unnecessary, and then completely overstays its welcome, literally TELLING us too much, rather than giving us the more immersive version. The result is some interesting Lovecraftian cosmic lore, but told through a veil of so much odd detachment, it doesn't really impact the reader. A much better method would be to have the diner owner give hints to the truth of Dutchman's Creek though an odd, much more vague version of the story, and then have the narrator experience the events through flashbacks as he traverses the rift. Then, the ending falls a bit flat, though leaves off with a chilling image. The story only hints at what might be instead of bringing it to any real conclusion. It's interesting, but if you'd like to see how a novel like this ends well, check out Revival by King.

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Pure brilliant storytelling

Revisado: 11-25-23

Just finished.

Journey to the tower more than half complete.

I had forgotten the ferocity of power in these pages. Part 2 and 3 set a great stage with wonderful characters and brilliant mythology and world building. Part 4 is another masterpiece of pure storytelling. It just carries you away to another world.

King is king.

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