- Hardcover: 257 pages
- Publisher: Texas Christian Univ Pr; Reissue edition (April 1985)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0912646969
- ISBN-13: 978-0912646961
- Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 15.2 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 567 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"The Good Old Boys is probably the closest I have ever come to writing from sheer inspiration. Hewey Calloway and the other characters took hold of the story like a cold-jawed horse grabbing onto the bit, and about all I could do was hang on for the ride."--Elmer Kelton
"One of the best of a new breed of Western writers who have driven the genre into new territory."--The New York Times
--This text refers to the
Mass Market Paperback
edition.
"One of the best of a new breed of Western writers who have driven the genre into new territory."--The New York Times
Book Description
Hewey Calloway has a problem. In his West Texas home of 1906, the land of the way of life that he loves are changing too quickly for his taste.
Hewey dreams of freedom--he wants only to be a footloose horseback cowboy, endlessly wandering the open range. But the open range of his childhood is slowly disappearing: land is being parceled out, and barbed-wire fences are spring up all over. As if that weren't enough, cars and other machines are invading Hewey's simple cowboy life, stinking up the area and threatening to replace horse travel. As Hewey struggles against the relentless stream of "progress", he comes to realize that the simple life of his childhood is gone, that a man can't live a life whose time has passed, and that every choice he makes--even those that lead to happiness--requires a sacrifice.
--This text refers to the
Mass Market Paperback
edition.
Hewey dreams of freedom--he wants only to be a footloose horseback cowboy, endlessly wandering the open range. But the open range of his childhood is slowly disappearing: land is being parceled out, and barbed-wire fences are spring up all over. As if that weren't enough, cars and other machines are invading Hewey's simple cowboy life, stinking up the area and threatening to replace horse travel. As Hewey struggles against the relentless stream of "progress", he comes to realize that the simple life of his childhood is gone, that a man can't live a life whose time has passed, and that every choice he makes--even those that lead to happiness--requires a sacrifice.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
For the last five or six days Hewey Calloway had realized he needed a bath. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
For the last five or six days Hewey Calloway had realized he needed a bath. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful experience - if you don't place yourself above i,
By
Ce commentaire est de: The Good Old Boys (Mass Market Paperback)
The Good Old Boys takes the reader into the world of the early century cowboys that lived and worked on their horses. The men who were top in their field only to see their field melting away. I totally enjoyed every page, and when I saw the snobbish review of an elitist reviewer who said "Aficionados of the oat-burner genre will likely find it a notch above the general fare. More literary tastes will find it wanting. It is not nearly as elevated a book either thematically or stylistically as the afterword by Don Graham would suggest." I simply thought that poor person just doesn't understand! This work by Elmer Kelton depicts a time, a place, and a voice that many may not understand, and will not appreciate. I think that poor soul should not be reviewing "oat-burning genre" but those who live near the land will either remember or learn about another time. Seldom do you find such an original and wonderful story as "The Good Old Boys".
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good by Kelton's standards,
By wdintexas "wdintexas" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
Ce commentaire est de: The Good Old Boys (Mass Market Paperback)
The perceived merits of this book will depend a great deal on the critical standards the reader brings to it. Aficionados of the oat-burner genre will likely find it a notch above the general fare. More literary tastes will find it wanting. It is not nearly as elevated a book either thematically or stylistically as the afterword by Don Graham would suggest. That said, this is a book of some notable achievement in character definition and to a lesser extent action. Nonetheless, much of the plot is telegraphed and overdeveloped. Relationships between characters, especially the romantic relationships, are shallow and predictable. The book seems to be written for a formula audience taking a step upward. Literature is yet a step beyond.Kelton clearly loves his theme of the Old West (and by extension all frontiers) disappearing around the ones who love it best as the modern world edges in. He also loves his old stalwarts of the vanishing world, Hewey Calloway, Snort Yarnell, and Boy Rasmussen. The other characters largely do not get the loving treatment or snippets of telling detail that make them as knowable and well-developed as the good old boys. Kelton does not lack for descriptive ability, but comes nowhere near someone like Cormac McCarthy in his novels with a western setting, or even a Larry McMurtry. Kelton clocks in somewhere around a good episode of "Gunsmoke."
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good by Kelton's standards,
By wdintexas "wdintexas" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
Ce commentaire est de: The Good Old Boys (Mass Market Paperback)
The perceived merits of this book will depend a great deal on the critical standards the reader brings to it. Aficionados of the oat-burner genre will likely find it a notch above the general fare. More literary tastes will find it wanting. It is not nearly as elevated a book either thematically or stylistically as the afterword by Don Graham would suggest. That said, this is a book of some notable achievement in character definition and to a lesser extend action. Nonetheless, much of the plot is telegraphed and overdeveloped. Relationships between characters, especially the romantic relationships, are shallow and predictable. The book seems to be written for a formula audience taking a step upward. Literature is yet a step beyond.Kelton clearly loves his theme of the Old West (and by extension all frontiers) disappearing around the ones who love it best as the modern world edges in. He also loves his old stalwarts of the vanishing world, Hewey Calloway, Snort Yarnell, and Boy Rasmussen. The other characters largely do not get the loving treatment or snippets of telling detail that make them as knowable and well-developed as the good old boys. Kelton does not lack for descriptive ability, but comes nowhere near someone like Cormac McCarthy in his novels with a western setting, or even a Larry McMurtry. Kelton clocks in somewhere around a good episode of "Gunsmoke."
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
