Rating:  Summary: chopping stumps Review: I think it drags horribly, especially about the stump. The author took about 40 pages talking about that.
Rating:  Summary: Just buy it! Review: Considering that you'll reread this book countless times, it's a worthwhile investment which will amortize over the years. "Shane" is a great western, and beyond that, great literature, in the vein of "The Virginian". Schaefer has the truly gifted writers' talent of painting vivid pictures with simple writing. He tells this story through the eyes of a youth, living in the west during the time that open-range ranchers were contending with homesteaders for grazing land. The darkly elegant Shane rides into the boy's life one afternoon and becomes part of the life of his frontier family. When an ugly land war invades the community, Shane's presence in the valley helps level the playing field. As he becomes personally involved in the disturbances, even those whose interests he sustains are sharply divided over the desirability of his presence in the region. Is he their savior, or a villain with trouble on his coattails? This is a great story that belongs in every home library.
Rating:  Summary: Just buy it! Review: Considering that you'll reread this book countless times, it's a great investment which will amortize over the years. "Shane" is a great western, and beyond that, great literature, in the vein of "The Virginian". Schaefer has the truly great writers' gift of painting vivid pictures with simple writing. He tells this story through the eyes of a youth, living in the west during the time that open-range ranchers were contending with homesteaders for grazing land. The enigmatic Shane rides into the boy's life one afternoon and becomes part of the life of his frontier family. He shoots, rides, does anything with effortless perfection, yet he is not at peace with himself. When an ugly land war invades the community, Shane's presence in the valley helps level the playing field. As he becomes personally involved in the disturbances, even those whose interests he sustains are sharply divided over the desirability of his presence in the region. Is he their savior, or a villain with trouble on his coattails? This is a great story that belongs in every home library.
Rating:  Summary: Before the rest, one of the best Review: As a modern novel of the west, Shane stands up to the stories or myths of any literature. The symbols are strong, the message simple, the plot complex. Through it all, the truth prevails.Campbell would approve of this version or episode of the hero's journey to tests and searching.
Rating:  Summary: Duty and Love Review: What impresses me most about this novel is its seeming simplicity. When I saw the film version, I suspected I was missing something. There seemed to be more going on between Shane and Starret, and much more between Shane and the mother. The film only hints at the layers of love and duty that are manifest by Shane's selfless, heroic actions. Most heroic of all is his great gesture, his great sacrifice. He chooses not to love his soulmate, Mrs. Starret, because of the impact it would have on her son and her husband, both of whom he has also come to love.
Rating:  Summary: An excellent read! Review: The book 'Shane' is very exciting. Good interpretation of symbols and an open mind is required to thoroughly enjoy this masterpiece. It is not simply about a boy and his family and a stump. Several themes are found in this novel: Attitudes to Power and Authority being the most prominent. Authority is seen in Joe Starrett. He is not chosen as leader nor were the homesteaders forced to comply with his decision to be leader but it was just accepted that he was their representative. On the contrary, Fletcher acquires his power because he already owns most of the land in that area and could be considered the wealthiest man. He abuses this power by forcing his ranch hands to bully the homesteaders into moving off the land. Fletcher becomes a despised character because of this abuse of power and it is noticed that when Fletcher was away the ranch hands were actually friendly with the homesteaders. Another theme is Love and Family Relationships: All through the book, the strong bond of the Starrett family is displayed. One instance is when the narrator (Bob- the son)remarks that he and his father would paint the house in rainbow colours just to please Marian (the mother). Another example is when Shane decided to face Wilson (a gun fighter hired by Fletcher) and Fletcher alone. Starrett was the one requested to face Wilson but Shane, knowing that Joe could easily be injured, knocked him out and went to the saloon. Other themes like: Heroism, Attitudes to the Past, Women In Society, among others are found in this novel. This is truly a work of art!!
Rating:  Summary: STOP!!!! Concider This Before You Buy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Review: This was the most pathetic book ive ever read in my life!!!It was about a boy, his family, and a stump! Why would anyone in their right mind want to read a book about a stump? I'll admit that at the end I had hope that it might end up being some what decent, but the last chapter was all about the boy calling for shane to come back. The only thing that got it a star was the fact that it was the shortest summer reading book I had.
Rating:  Summary: How the West was Won Review: Not many western novels have been said to be a classic, but Shane is one of them Simmons 1). For not being from the West Jack Schaefer seems to have a commendable grasp on it (Tibbets 200). I believe Schaefer seems to have a deep understanding about the West and what went on in it. The selection of Wyoming for a setting also made the story relate to the West (Platt 1). Although Shane may not follow the traditional western fiction style, it has a different message, which is the fight between good and evil (Simmons 2). PS-Mr White is my favorite teacher in the world! And he really wants to give me the last day off!!!(PLEASE). MR.White...you are the coolest!! In this book Shane handles an ax, his fist, and gun with accuracy and thought, just as Schaefer handles his words (Platt 1). Because of this thoughtful writing, I think a variety of things in the book have a symbolic meaning, including the characters. Shane is a character that is hard to understand at first, but makes the story more interesting (Simmons 2). He represents what is done to prevent the bad things from happening (Platt 2). He keeps Starrett away from the having confrontation with the homesteaders by handling the conflicts himself. He may seem simple but he is actually a complex character (Simmons 3). Starrett represents what is good and right about America (Platt 2). He is loving and willing to fight for his family safety. The story is more entertaining to me knowing that there is a larger meaning. I believe Shane should not be read as a simple western story. It insists a deep response from the people who read it (Simmons 1). Although there is a lot of symbolism throughout the book, there is one main underlying theme (Simmons 2). I think that it is the theme that out of all of the corrupt things in the world eventually something good will come along. Shane has a universal meaning behind it and can be related to the entire world (Simmons 1). The struggle for peace is the fight for the farmers to grow and the homesteaders to decrease (Platt 1). Just as in the world we strive for good to prevail and evil to lessen. Shane is the type of book that will be read from generation to generation (Simmons 3) because of it's universality and grasp on the West. His writing was so well and honored in 1985 by the Western Writers of America because of his great understanding to the myth of the west (Tibbets 200). I liked reading a western that did not follow the traditional method but understood the concept of a western. PS-Mr. White is my favorite teacher and he wants to give me the last day off for this awesome paper!(PLEASE)
Rating:  Summary: To Young For Shane? Review: It would seem that Shane is too complex, too 'talky' or too deep for many Jr. High Schoolers assigned to read it. I sympathize, I too was forced to read horrid, dull books by teachers. Most notably Hemingway's 'The Old Man and the Sea' and 'Catcher In the Rye'. But then there's something about being *required* to read a book that almost invariably ruins it. Shane may indeed be to 'old' for the majority of the twelve to thirteen crowd. Wait five or ten years and try it again, you may like it - or you may still hate it like I still hate 'Old Man and the Sea' and 'Catcher In The Rye'. I personally read 'Shane' in college thanks to Arthur C. Clark. In his science fiction novel 'A Fall of Moondust' the passengers of a lunar tour bus are trapped in a sea of dust and entertain themselves while waiting for rescue by reading, among other things, 'Shane'. So I tried it and loved it, dispite being no big fan of the Western Genre. It is, quite simply, a wonderful character study.
Rating:  Summary: How Bad Does it Get! Review: This book I would not advise anyone to read! For 3 chapter they just talk about a stinkin stump! Who cares about a stupid stump. I mean I get that it's symbolic and everything, but the author definetely could have had some way of making this book more interesting. There is almost no action throughout the book until the last few chapter because the whole book is centered around how a cowboy stays on a farm and a kid's perspective of the story. A few of the chapters were just dialogue about absolutely nothing. And how much do we really to know about the cowboy anyways! If you want a book with good symbolism and connotation with still some action you should read The Giver. Overall, one a scale of 1 to 10, this book is a -1! The only thing that saved it from a -50 is the last few chapters in which they have some fight scenes. This book will be a waste of your time, so don't buy it!
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