Gotta Love a Cowboy!

The librarian's genre study group that I'm part of just finished reading and discussing the Western genre. I'd forgotten how much I love the Western ethos: strong men and their horses forging a new world in the mostly undeveloped western territories. The redemptive powers of the west--leaving home for a fresh start, adventure or a new life--is so appealing to many of us; as is the struggle to overcome villains, to be a hero and to "do the right thing", even when it is hard.

Here are the three Westerns I read.

SHANE by Jack Schaefer
Shane is a gunslinger trying to get away from his past. He happens upon Joe Starrett's homestead and is welcomed in by Joe, his wife Marion and their impressionable son, Bob. Shane sees something in Bob that he wants to protect and finds genuine friendship with Joe and Marion. Trouble is brewing in town as the leading rancher tries to force homesteader's off what he considers land better used for cattle ranching. The struggle between the rancher and farmers escalates until Shane must act to defend both himself and the Starrett's. The setting sets up instant conflicts between ranchers and farmers, and the interdependence on the land and neighbors is well drawn. Shane finds some peace farming the land with Joe, but in the end, Shane cannot stay. Narrated by Bob who looks back on the time Shane was with his family, Shane is a larger than life figure who tries to do the right thing even as his past defines his present. 

Even if you've seen the movie, try the book. It's well written, has a fast pace and is quickly read. Shane and the Starrett's will stay with you.

THE MAN FROM YESTERDAY by Wayne D. Overholser
Neal Clark killed 2 members and wounded the 3rd of a family gang robbing Cascade City’s bank. Eight years later he’s receiving notes threatening revenge against him for the shooting , a shady water developer is in town, and Neal, now the president of the bank, refuses to loan money to his friends and neighbors -concerned that they’ll lose the money to the crooked developer. The only men who haven’t turned on him for refusing to issue loans are the sheriff and the doctor, who assist him the best they can. As the plot moves forward, the threats to Neal's life and his family’s lives become more menacing ending with a showdown with a madman.

The book uses lots of suspense built over short chapters to keep the pace steady. Neal is a strong man whose weakness is his family, and he worries that he won't be able to keep them safe. This is a quick read and recommended for those who enjoy mounting suspense--whether in the Western genre or another.

FAR BRIGHT STAR by Robert Olmstead (We don't own this book, but you can have it sent here to pick up!) I haven't finished this book, but I have to share!

Napoleon, a world weary and hardened horse soldier, is training new recruits in the southwest and Mexico during the hunt for Pancho Villa. The soldiers are herded into a dry bed by a motley band of Villistas and soldaderas who toy with them before they begin to try to kill them. Napoleon and his green soldiers fight valiantly, but in the end it appears that only Napoleon and Preston, a recruit from the East who is used to buying his way out of situations, survive. The two are marched to a camp and tortured--Preston very brutally and sadistically. You get the idea that his brutal treatment is in revenge for something he did in the past. Preston eventually killed, the soldaderas haul Napoleon back to a dry riverbed to survive or die.

I’m only about 2/3 the way through, and the writing is atmospheric, elegant and straightforward. Napoleon is a likable, stoic cavalryman who made peace with death long ago, and no longer relishes killing people. The relationship between a cavalryman and his horse is beautifully drawn. The battle scenes feel realistic and horrifying. The setting and landscape are as much characters in the novel as are the people and horses. A really good, short (207p) novel—more on the literary “Novel of the West” end of westerns.

Do you read Westerns? What would you recommend I put on my to be read list? Visit the Library in April to find a display of good westerns and an annotated book list to go with them!