High Lonesome by:
Louis L’Amour
Genre: Western
Publication Date: 1962
Number of pages: 183
Geographic Setting: Arizona territory
Time Period: Historic
Plot Summary:
Considine is considered one of the best gunmen in the West. He and a group of 3 men were headed toward
Obaro to break into the bank and settle an old score. On the way to Obaro, they run into a man and
his daughter who are headed to California.
To get to California, you have to travel through Apache land. Considine must decide to either go to Obaro
to settle a long-held grudge or to go with the man to help keep him and his
daughter safe.
Subject Headings:
Apache Indians, Courage in men, Outlaws, Regret in men, Revenge, Thieves
Appeal:
Descriptive, historical, realistic
Frame/Setting:
Landscape
dominates Westerns. Readers are taken
back to a time and place in which life is set against a dangerous, but
beautiful backdrop.
Characterization:
The classic
hero is a loner, who rides throughout the land, never to settle down to start a
family.
Story Line:
Common
themes include redemptive power of the West, the difficulties surviving in a
harsh landscape, revenge, and lack of law along with the necessity of creating
just laws.
Pacing:
The creation
of mythic elements in character, description, and plot may slow the pacing,
while action certainly increases the speed at which we read the novels.
3 Read A Likes:
Cotton, R.W. (2011). Lawman from Nogales. Berkley
Champlin, T. (1985). Shadow Catcher. Ballatine Books.
McMurtry, L. (1993). Streets of Laredo. Simon & Schuster.
That's exactly how I'd describe the hero in this book: simple in personality, draws you in with sympathy for their plight, and a straight forward character.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of Louis L'Amour, but, sadly, have not read any of his books. I have a new senior outreach patron who is interested in Western, and, after your post, I looked up L'Amour to learn more, "All 101 of Mr. L'Amour's books - 86 novels, 14 short-story collections and one full-length work of nonfiction - are in print, and with almost 200 million copies in circulation, he was one of the world's most popular writers," (https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0322.html). Wow! Have you read any of his short-stories, or other genres? He seems like an author that we should all know. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis is the first book of Louis L'Amour that I have read. I have heard of him before now, but just now decided to read one of his books.
DeleteMary, hi! Yours was the first blog I clicked on for this assignment and I was so happy to see you chose a Louis L'Amour. I intern at Riley Hospital library and we have a lot of Amish patrons who love Louis L'Amour. We only have a few of his novels, but we can hardly keep them on the shelf. I confess, I never was a fan of Westerns, in print or on the screen, but I know people who are and for them, you can never go wrong recommending this author. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteExcellent annotation! Full points!
ReplyDelete