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4.0 out of 5 stars
A Supremely Great Novel of Its Western Frontier Genre (Trenchantly Critical of L.D.S. Mormonism) but in a Poorly Printed Edition, Mar 21 2009
Zane Grey's "Riders of the Purple Sage" is an astonishing piece of work, indeed, a masterpiece of fiction writing of grandly quasi-operatic scope and passion (indeed, truly an "horse opera", rather as epical novelistically as the stage works of Bordin or Mussorgsky are in muscio-dramatic terms, but in a wild American setting and in the same sort of marvellously gripping way!), but this paperback edition of it serves the book poorly in some ways. There is such an abundance of editions of this work from which to choose that the customer with ease well could do better for himself in finding a superior edition. This reader has what Pocket Books states as its "first Pocket Books printing [of] July 1980", which could raise concerns about the physical quality of this edition. If the first printing is this degraded in quality, how much poorer would be subsequent printings? The text is riveted, page by page, with variously fractured and missing characters, letters and punctuation alike. This may not be a problem for a good adult reader whose first language is English, since it is not difficult for a well-lettered person to figure out what should be in the off-white spaces of those missing or partly lost letters, syllables, or marks of puunctuation, but a less literate person (young or poor reader, someone whose first language is other than English, et al.) could find the going difficult or perplexing at times.
The paper is not of particularly high quality, but the glue binding is holding up well with the years. The customer should buy this edition only if he wishes to obtain Grey's "Riders of the Purple Sage" at an exceptionally low price and encounters this edition so cheaply available. At any rate, be aware that at least some of the copies of this edition of the novel in at least some of the printings thereof are of substandard printing quality.
Some readers, judging from various Amazon customer reviews, seem to harbour other expectations than what Zane Grey chose to deliver in this unusual novel. For one thing, Grey's writing is very lyrical, highly poetic at times; seldom can the southwestern-mountains terrain of Utah (like that, many ways, of adjacent states) have been depicted in such gloriously vivid word-painting. The space that Zane Grey cevotes to such descriptive prose is not what one expects in the usually more relentlessly action-packed "Western" novel genre, but Grey's verbally conjured landscapes add immeasurably to the charm, vast sweep, doom, or any other quality of the vistas and moods for the various settings of the narrative. Grey seems to know nothing of limits to literary virtuosity and skill in conveying such scenic depictions and in a way that grips continuously the reader's interest.
As for Zane Grey's characterisations of his frontier people, both collectively and personally, these are far more believable than some critics claim them to be. Utah, then a territory known as Deseret (a name that Grey does not choose to use), was at the time of "Riders of the Purple Sage" a theocracy, a Latter-day Saints Mormon (L.D.S.) one, at that, during the years of the novel's setting, only very loosely and barely under the oversight of the U.S.A.'s government. These were years when the Mormon cult and the governance of secular affairs were linked inseparably, which led to great abuses of the L.D.S. cult's authority. Brigham Young, the L.D.S. Mormon prophet who led the early Mormon settlers westwards to Deseret, and encouraged the influx of believers, mostly recent converts, ruled with an iron hand and much to his own pecuniary advantage and to that of the other leaders of his heathenish, polytheistic, and (most pertinently to Grey's sympathetic depiction of L.D.S. Mormon women's plight) polygamously abusive, despotic regime. The L.D.S. Mormon cult was raw and savage in its dealings both with its own folk and with outsiders, as Grey so rightly recounts. Mormonism of the L.D.S. kind had not yet produced its first generation of genuine scholars in thier mature and productive years, notably James Edward Talmage and Brigham Henry ("B.H.") Roberts, whose infulence would transcend L.D.S. Mormonism from a crass and unmitigably irrational cult to something more like the relatively restrained, sophisticated pagan religion that it has become in more recent times; L.D.S. Mormon's follwers were as gullible and rather witlessly naive as the L.D.S. cult's Mormon theology in the mid-19th century was crudely and cruelly unsophisticated.
Thus, a lady such as Jane Withersteen, as women were reared to do so, believed altogether too unconditionally in her cult's twisted faith for her own good. The oddly gradual process of Jane's disillusionment, moving from trusting and idealistic believer, although one of much spunk, towards an even fuller consciousness of the prerogatives of her own femininity and of her right to hold property and to exert influence in the face of the L.D.S. cult's rapacious greed and tyrrany, allied with its remorseless suppression of women, is not a transformation that is in the least lacking in credibility. Readers of ancestry as this reviewer's, of long Utahn L.D.S. Mormon descent know exactly what L.D.S. Mormonism's demands upon believers entail! For Jane to be duped in another Christian setting to a similar extent that the relentlessly grasping L.D.S. Mormon men around her exploit her guilelessness would be stretching credibility, but Deseret/Utah was not like any other part of frontier North America! As for the other female characters in Jane Withersteen's orb, they are, admittedly, rather simpering and less effectively and believably portrayed, but Grey compensates richly with his characterisations of Jane Withersteen herself and of the many and varied males in this saga.
Of those men, Bern Venters, the romantically handsome and rugged youth, impetuously ardent in love and in his animosities alike, is a strikingly vigourous portrayal of great depth, vitality, and appeal. The L.D.S. Mormon elders and their toadies are distressingly brutish and duplicitous, but, then, that reflects faithfully what all too many of the male leaders of Deseret society really were like. The ranch hands and "riders" are a delightfully individualistic lot, the best of them being those, whether Mornon or "gentile" (i.e. non-Mormon), who are loyal to Jane even at the greatest personal cost to themselves; these lads are of manly earnestness and a movingly untarnished probity of spirit. Grey provides for Jerry Card, the unprincipled henchman of the Mormon elders, a splendidly rounded depiction of a venile man whose courage, great skills in horsemanship, and tough ability to endure some remarkable physical ordeals go far to give him some countervailing merit as a person. Jim Lassiter, the main protagonist, at first glance may seem to be too stereotypically stoic and relentlessly "alpha male", but, as Grey portrays Lassiter, his mysterious character does develop. The manner in which the fulness of Lassiter's identity only gradually reveals itself in his interactions with the other male and female characters, the older and the younger ones alike, is one that grips the reader's curiosity and interest.
Grey, as a Western novelist should be expected to do, individualises the various horses, in all of their varying beauty, strength, and animal intelligence quite memorably, too, quite sympathetically for those who love such animals. Bern Vinter's two dogs, intelligent, sturdy, and faithful, receive their own lovingly classy canine portrayals, too.
The dialogue of the various men and women reflects their regional origins and their social status. In most of their words as they make use of them, Grey conveys the flavour of these people's differing vernacular accents and speech patterns with reasonable believability, the talk of the sturdy ranch-hands the most charmingly so. Only the simpering "baby-talk" of Little Fay, the child who becomes Jane Withersteen's ward, really cloys uncomfortably; Grey is far better, bother in their behaviour and speech, at depicting the adult characters than this faerylike girl, or, for that matter, Bess (later revealed to be Elizabeth Erne, Lassiter's long-lost niece), whose waiflike innocence so enthralls Bern Venters, who falls in love with her, but at least Bess speaks more normally than Little Fay does!
Zane Grey attained the level of genius in this novel, one of his finest or very best works. Very justly has it retained its popularity as a novel and as a subject for cinematic treatment. Even if the Amazon user has a nearly "allergic" dislike of the genre, "Riders of the Purple Sage" has much to offer as a memorable reading experience, for the most unsophisticated reader or for the literary connoisseur alike. But, try to obtain a better edition of this mighty work of fiction!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Introduction to Westerns for Teen Readers!, Jun 19 2003
Zane Grey was my first western author. After reading one book as a young teen, I began to read all his books. I loved his ability to describe a setting, his wonderful use of simple descriptive language and his love of nature, all show through in his work. The plots are simple enough for young people to follow and the stories usually end well so that the reader has a sense of satisfaction at the conclusion, and he has learned to know the characters as friends. This book is one that includes all these elements! Enjoyable read, especially for teens!
Evelyn Horan - author
Jeannie, A Texas Frontier Girl, Books One - Three
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3.0 out of 5 stars
I'd mosey on past this one, partn'r....classic or not., Oct 8 2002
By A Customer
I occasionally enjoy a good western, but how "Riders of the Purple Sage" ever got to be considered a western classic is beyond me. Between the sickeningly chivalrous Lassiter, the naïve but always-dutiful Jane (and the rest of the set-piece characters), I could easily imagine it was written by Louisa May Alcott or one of the Bronte sisters in their father's attic. This may be worth a try if you've never read Zane Grey before and want to give it a try but I think I'll stick with Jack Schaffer (try "Monte Walsh"), Louis L'Amour, Larry McMurtry or A.B. Guthrie from now on.
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