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The Cowboys
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The time is 1877, the place the wild Wyoming-Montana territory. Will Anderson, a flinty old rancher, has a huge herd of cattle ripe for market when his regular hands, inflamed by gold fever, desert him. In desperation, he hires the only "men" available for the perilous 400 mile drive - a pack of scraggly schoolboys. Through skill and harsh discipline, Wil Anderson whips th
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Paperback, 241 pages
Published
February 1972
by Bantam Books
(first published June 1971)
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I enjoyed this coming of age tale and I couldn't picture anyone other than John Wayne when reading about Wil Anderson, the hard bitten ranch owner and main protagonist. He was by far the most developed and interesting character in the book and is haunted by the death of his two sons, tormented by the question of whether he could or should have done things differently in raising them. He is also weighed down by the responsibility of getting his herd to market, a journey that will either make or b
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A little slow going at first, but the details of preparing for and executing a cattle drive from Montana to South Dakota make a solid foundation for the stark violence that ensues. The characters are all well realized enough that I didn't have a problem with telling all the boys apart, and the central character Wil's angst over what he sees as his failure to raise his own sons right surely made him breathe on the page, and complimented his relations with the boys as well. I think it picked up a
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Thoroughly researched, compelling, and well crafted. I read this on a whim after I bought it at a used book sale, and wondered how I'd ever missed this as a cowboy and horse loving kid. Far more complex than the wonderful John Wayne movie.
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A familiar story. We watched one of my favorite John Wayne movies with Evie and discovered it was based on a book. I'm certain I first saw this movie and my Grandma and Grandpa's house while they played bridge with my parents. I was around the same age as the kids in the movie and needless to say it made a big impression on me. Anyway, the novel is excellent, full of detail and amazing characters. Read it for the language alone. I was looking forward to reading other books by the author, but thi
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If you watched The Cowboys with John Wayne than you will love the book. I was engrossed. Couldn't put it down. Through smiles, tears, and laughter this book lives up to the Duke's call.
Follow a group of young school boys as they learn the hardships of life by way of a cattle run, and a hardened cowboy determined to get his cattle sold.
Like I said, if you liked the movie than you will love the book. ...more
Follow a group of young school boys as they learn the hardships of life by way of a cattle run, and a hardened cowboy determined to get his cattle sold.
Like I said, if you liked the movie than you will love the book. ...more
A coming of age story set in 1877 in the Montana-Wyoming cattle country. Wil Anderson agrees to use a ragtag group of school boys to help him drive his cattle 400 miles to Belle Fourche. Before the drive is over the collective group grow and develop from boys into young men in this rugged tale of what it takes to earn respect, and develop individual character, and see a job through to the end.
The book was very good and I've seen the movie before reading the book.
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A much needed escape to a Western.
I can definitely see why they changed certain details for the movie.
I loved this book as soon as I read the first page. It captured me and wouldn’t let me go. I have seen the movie about 40 times I guess, having watched it over and over since I was a child. As great as that John Wayne movie was the book is so much incredibly better. I think the movie needs to be remade following the book faithfully. It’s so simply and easily written in a style that maybe isn’t around anymore. It’s so good I didn’t want it to end. I laughed and I cried while reading this book and
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Apr 01, 2008
Stephen
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone
Recommended to Stephen by:
My grandfather Oki.
Shelves:
western
This book, along with The Cowboy and the Cossack were both recommended to me by my grandfather. It's the story of a cattle rancher who's cowboys all leave to search for gold and hires all the school boys in the town to herd his cattle 800 miles to market. In this story, the author conveys the gruff, unrelenting way the rancher trains the boys, along with the pain of seeing one or two die.
This novel was also adapted into a movie starring John Wayne and Roscoe Lee Brown back in 1971. As always, t ...more
This novel was also adapted into a movie starring John Wayne and Roscoe Lee Brown back in 1971. As always, t ...more
According to Wikipedia, Jennings wrote this book based on a film treatment he had sold, which was made into a movie with the same name, starring John Wayne. That happens to be one of my favorite movies, I’ve watched it many times and the book follows the movie pretty closely (or vice versa).
Also on wikipedia it says the book “caused a lot of controversy among publishers due to its glimmers of homoeroticism”. I’d say those few glimmers are the main things that pop out as not being in the movie. A ...more
Also on wikipedia it says the book “caused a lot of controversy among publishers due to its glimmers of homoeroticism”. I’d say those few glimmers are the main things that pop out as not being in the movie. A ...more
This is the difinative novel about a cattle drive. The vocabulary is dead on and Jenning's research is thorough. This is a must read for any old west fan. Of course it was made into a great John Wayne flick.
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a western by one of my favorite authors. One that I will read again.
Read this book over and over and over again when I was a kid.
I remember being practically scarred by the end of this book. However, it was so long ago I read it that I can't trust my memories of it. ...more
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