"Old West" novels vs The Searchers.

[herr_oberst]

Just ramblin' here. Socked in because of snow and ice.

Confession. Since Covid, I've been going through a bunch of Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour, that kind of stuff. Easy reads, similar plot lines, (Hero comes into town, little rough around the edges, but a good guy with solid values and handy with a pair of revolvers or a Sharps or a Winchester; gets into a scrap with the local mafia, gets shot in the thigh or arm during the denouement, rides off into the sunset with the pur'tiest gal in town to live in the big ranch that her dad left her in his will)

It's kind of like reading the Hardy Boys when I was a kid or Clive Cussler as an adult. Just oatmeal for the brain.

But then I found "The Searchers". I've seen this book around since I was little, I know my dad had a copy in his bookshelves, but I just associated it with the John Ford/John Wayne movie, and felt no desire to pick it up.

Boy, what a find. This story is dark, strident, hard to keep reading and simultaneously hard to put down. I'm almost finished, and as soon as I am, I'm going to look for an uncut version of the movie, because I think I may have judged it too lightly and I need to see it again - I have a strong feeling that there may be a whole lot more to it than I remember.

[stevej37]

My favorites at a real young age...were the Spin and Marty stories/books.

[Sooner or later]

I liked the book, but the movie to me is a must watch treasure. Ethan's character is so deep.

[Seahawk]

Here: https://www.cnn.com/2013/05/17/showbiz/the-searchers/index.html

Also read “Empire of the Summer Moon”. It is about Cynthia Parker and her son Quanah.

[serene911]

I'm also reading "Empire of the Summer Moon" Great read as well.

[RWebb]

dunno re the book, but the film is one of the greats by the great John Ford

[nota]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_McMurtry

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by RWebb

dunno re the book, but the film is one of the greats by the great John Ford

The movie is not based on Cynthia Ann Parker.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Searchers

It help knowing the context. Great movie. I am going to watch it again tomorrow.

[The Synergizer]

Sort of surprised that movie hasn't been attacked yet by some group, like Gone With the Wind was... Those Indians are so misrepresented in the opening scenes..

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by nota

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_McMurtry

In fact, the book I read before I picked up The Searchers was The Last Picture Show, in honor of the late Cloris Leachman, RIP.

I've re-read Lonesome Dove probably 5 times and I own the DVD - one of the few movies I own and probably watch it from opening to final credits once a year.
There are a lot of similarities betwixt Lonesome Dove and The Searchers. The Badass Comanche is BlueBonnet in The Searchers, the Badass Kiowa in LD is Blue Duck; the whole premise of chasing down a kidnapped white woman against ridiculous odds, the distances portrayed. I have no doubt that The Searchers was a big influence when LD was being written.

[wdfifteen]

Robert Duval is one of my favorite actors. I haven’t seen Lonesome Dove in ten years. It’s time I revisited it.

[cassisrot]

True Grit by Charles Portis is a good read. All of Terry C Johnston’s books are good westerns as well as decent history’s. Larry McMurtry has a bunch of good westerns. He’s a local Archer County boy. C J Box has written the Joe Pickett books which are modern day westerns set in Wyoming.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Also read “Empire of the Summer Moon”. It is about Cynthia Parker and her son Quanah.

That was a most enlightening read.

[Rtrorkt]

In the same vein as Empire of the Summer Moon, try The Color of Lighting or The Heart of Everything That Is or Thunder in the Mountains

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by Rtrorkt

In the same vein as Empire of the Summer Moon, try The Color of Lighting or The Heart of Everything That Is or Thunder in the Mountains

I have read The Heart of Everything and will order the other two.

Thanks!