Shane

Rating:
Summary: Worse than the movie?
Review: Apparently I was tainted by the classic 1952 film before I read this book. In the movie Alan Ladd plays the eponymous hero, and although the audience can see he represses whatever mysterious past he has, the film shows a reluctant gunfighter trying to fit into Homesteader life. The end of the film shows Shane facing down a "stacked deck," finally revealing how deadly his nature is, as he kills the villains in the story. I love the tension between two personas, as well as the conflict between the Starrett band of homesteaders versus the Rikker cowboys.

I saw the movie so many times, I felt it was time to take on the book. The easy reading kept me occupied just over an hour, and was so disappointing. I was expecting more psychological tension between the lifestyles, more insinuated romance between Shane and Starrett's wife; perhaps more build up to the end of the greatest Western ever filmed. Instead I read this ego-trip version of Shane who knows how good he is and doesn't bother with modesty. His stint as a farmer seems more like killing time between gunslinging. The subtle romance of the movie, seems to spawn from the book's adulterous "could-have-been's". There is this cheezy scene our narrator catches between Shane and Starrett's wife about upholding honor over lust, and respect Joe Starrett as the proper husband. By the end of the book we already know how great Shane is, and expect him to win all the gunfights (though again, I did see the movie first).

This book seems to have flat, one-dimensional characters. The plot of a drifting gunfighter landing into the hands of a family struggling against hired guns is still entertaining, but not enough to recommend the book. I recommend the movie, it's much more entertaining and date-compatible.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best Westerns ever
Review: Folks, I'm James Drury, who you might remember as television's THE VIRGINIAN, and once in a while I read a book that just has to be read over and over and over. Shane was such a book. The fact that there could be any rating in this section other than a 5 simply astounds me. People keep talking about this stump in the book like the book was about the stump. If you think the book was "about a stump" you are too young to be reading beyond grade school level. Jack Schaefer had a hugely powerful grasp of the West and of Western characters, and he left us a legacy with this book that can never be topped. That's coming from a man who reads Kirby Jonas's novels on audio tape. I enjoy Kirby Jonas's books to no end, and I know of no better author, but Jack Schaefer's "SHANE" is a book for anyone to strive to match. It is an all-time classic that I would put hand in hand with Kirby Jonas's DEATH OF AN EAGLE. It's a shame anyone ever has to feel like they're "forced" to read such a tremendous book as Shane.

Rating:
Summary: Shane
Review: From The Scarlet Letter to Wise Blood, American literature is known for its short novels, and this is a great one. Schaefer took the simple, direct prose style of Twain and Hemingway and used it perfectly, carefully weighing every single word for emotional effect.
The book is usually kept in the children's section of bookstores because the vocabulary is basic. It was the first I ever read, when I was seven or eight. But it is a great book for anyone, crackling with tension. The first page alone is worth the price.
If you like Shane, you might try The Oxbow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark.

Rating:
Summary: 1 star? More like no stars...
Review: Hello everybody out there. I'm one of those "pre-high-school kids" who read Shane in class. And, though I don't like to be cliche, I hated it.
Somebody said before that this novel had little character development. I have to agree. Jack Schaefer is excellent at fight and appearance description, but our characters are left as empty clothes waiting to be filled. We know Shane is a tall, dark, and handsome gunslinger trying to escape his past, but we don't know what he's escaping from or anything else about him. And his character seems to change dramatically throughout the text. When he first arrives in the valley, Shane is hesitant to involve himself with anything, wanting only to stay at the Starrett's for a night. Joe persuades him to stay and work on his farm, and as time passes Shane gradually becomes more involved in the valley's affairs. I can see this happening. But Shane seems always quiet and, yes, still hesitant. I can't see Shane losing his cool in everyday life. This is supported by his actions throughout the book, especially by his tenderly wiping the blood from Chris's face after breaking his arm. But after Johnson's bringing the news of Wilson's arrival, Shane pushes past him saying roughly, "You'll only ever be a farmer." I can't see Shane doing this.

Another point my friends and I poke fun at is all the violence. Schaefer describes, in detail, each punch landed and each bone splintered. I can see how this adds to Shane's prowess in fights, but I find it overly descriptive. There is no point in, for example, telling us how Joe's shirt rips off his back and reveals bulging, rippling muscles. I find this unbelievable, unnecessary, and revolting.

So to anyone out there, be you English teacher, avid book reader, or a Western fanatic, I advise you to stay away from Shane.

Second thought--you Western fanatics might like it. *shrug*

Rating:
Summary: One of the best five
Review: Howdy everyone, this is James Drury. I used to play The Virginian on NBC television, for those of you who can't remember that far back. It's that time again, time to read Shane. I'm only into it up to chapter six, and already those old memories have flooded back, and I recall why I love this book so much. It is timeless, to use a perhaps overused word. It is nearly a flawless book, although for the first time I've noticed that a few of his time elements are incredible, such as, for example, the time it takes Marion to bake a pie in the book. But this is such a good book that things like this don't matter. The only Western author I can truly say I enjoy as much as Jack Shaefer is Kirby Jonas, a young author whose books I read on audio for Books In Motion, who can be located at Booksinmotion.com . But in my opinion Shane can never be topped nor matched by anyone. If you are a young person and feel forced into reading this book, I wish I could tell your teachers, "Don't force Shane on anyone!" This book should be read in your leisure time, when YOU want to, to be truly enjoyed. I hope you will give it an honest chance.

Rating:
Summary: Shane & Old Yeller, the 2 greatest stories of all time!
Review: I first read this book at about 14 years of age. Now, perhaps I loved it because it was not assigned to me, but because I checked it out of the school library.

At any rate, I doubt a better novel will ever be written. The only novel to equal Shane is Old Yeller.

I'm working on my own novel, Hear Me Whimper, Feel My Pain (about Arabia after T.E. Lawrence) and can only hope to elicit a small portion of the emotion from readers that either Shane or Old Yeller yanked out of my heart.

To be sure, there are a lot of good, heart-wrenching stories available. Where The Red Fern Grows, Gentle Ben come quickly to mind. Shane, though, and Old Yeller, are the top two stories of all time. In print, audio, or video, either of them will touch any open-minded person's heart.

Rating:
Summary: 4 star book!
Review: The book shane was about a man, that was trying to get away from his past and by doing this was wondering throughout the country and he stumbled into a family, the starrett's the took him in Shane helped them on there farm. The Wealthy land owner Fletcher wanted to buy the land of the Starrett's and Joe Starrett didnt want to sell his land, so Fletcher made it a war between the two and hired a hit man to kill Shane and Joe. His name was Wilson, Wilson a well known gunfighter came in and picked a fight with Shane and Joe.... and im not going to give away the whole book espicially the ending.

I really enjoyed this book, i thought Shane was a good mystery character, the book, was well written by jack Schaefer. I thought it was hard to put down the book and when i did it wasnt for that long. The ending I would of never expected and for that i recommend this book to everyone, that enjoys the twists and turns in a book.

Rating:
Summary: Classic Western Motifs
Review: Unlike the reviewer "Barb from Oregon," I believe everything she found detestable in Shane is what makes it a great western. Her firts complaint was to the shallow development of the Shane character. I believe the author intentionally left his past dim, his motivations unkown, as part of the "hero" motif. As to violence--it's a western story depicting a range war, not a court proceeding. The author shows Joe's muscles ripping his shirt in the bar fight for a reason. From the perspective of his son, it was vitally important that he see his father as strong, otherwise his admiration of Shane may have overshadowed his father.

Wild Bill recommends this book for any reader interested in a portrayal of the wild west in its legendary form.

Rating:
Summary: Classic Western Motifs
Review: Unlike the reviewer "Barb from Oregon," I believe everything she found detestable in Shane is what makes it a great western. Her firts complaint was to the shallow development of the Shane character. I believe the author intentionally left his past dim, his motivations unkown, as part of the "hero" motif. As to violence--it's a western story depicting a range war, not a court proceeding. The author shows Joe's muscles ripping his shirt in the bar fight for a reason. From the perspective of his son, it was vitally important that he see his father as strong, otherwise his admiration of Shane may have overshadowed his father.

Wild Bill recommends this book for any reader interested in a portrayal of the wild west in its legendary form.

Rating:
Summary: Not All It's Cracked Up To Be
Review: When my teacher first told us that we were going to be reading the book Shane i had never heard of it. Then when she said that it was a western it made me want to read it less. But once i started reading in i started to enjoy it. The further in the book the more I liked it. I think it is a very good book and that it should be read by all.