Shane

Rating:
Summary: That's why they call them kids
Review: "I had to read it for school. and I hated it!" seems to be the common theme, here. As a middle school teacher, I can vouch for the observable fact that many many children 1. hate to read (sad) and 2. hate to read - even more - what they are told to read. Shane, while now somewhat dated, was a classic in it's time, and often imitated. One direct imitation is the Clint Eastwood movie, "Pale Rider", which serves as a wonderful comparison piece. As far as the young reviewers not being able to "understand" the novel "Shane", one can only ask if TV has destroyed their brain cells, or if they can't understand how Shane and Marion resisted their temptation to be with each other at the expense of friend and husband Joe Starret. In today's age, such restraint must surely seem confusing. A fine, easy- to- read book.

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: 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: 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: The wild, wild west--through a child's eyes.
Review: I understand completely why kids assigned this reading for school did not enjoy it. Though told through a young boy's eyes, the writing style is mature and uses many descriptive paragraphs. Though sometimes impatient with description, I loved the story all the more for the details; but some pre-high-school kids will become bored.

It's true that Bob's introspection is unusually discerning for his age. However, some remarks indicate that he could be writing this at a later time in his life, looking back on what happened with a wiser perspective. Either way, the author's depth of observation from an unlikely character can be forgiven as he elicits reader sympathy and understanding. Bob's view of his world may not always be reliable (especially when referring to his hero as "invincible"), but he is always endearing. Reading about Bob's naïve, honest idolization of the mysterious gunman, I wanted Shane to stay, too. And looking beyond Bob's innocent perspective, the mature reader sees things that Bob does not, understanding his parents as well as Shane even better than he does himself.

This work of art manages to stay short (120 pp.) without losing the substance and quality of much longer novels. Any shorter, and something would be missing. Any longer, and the added words or events would be unnecessary, lessening the "punch" that perfect length gives this tale. If all Westerns are as captivating as this jewel, maybe I'll try another one sometime!

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: Intense and Beautiful
Review: The film version of Jack Schaefer's 1949 novel "Shane" is one of those touchstone movies of childhood, along the lines of the unforgettable tearjerker "Old Yeller." The last scenes of the film are sure to bring a lump to the throat of the most stalwart among us. With memories of the film firmly etched in my mind, I decided to read Schaefer's novel, to go to the source itself and see whether the book is better than the movie. I have to say Shane as a novel is a must read, even more important than watching the film version.

The plot should be familiar to many people. The Starrett family is working some land in Wyoming, trying to cut a living out of the rugged landscape. Several other families are staking claims in the area even though Fletcher, the big rancher in the region, hates their presence and is working behind the scenes to drive them out. The homesteaders look to Joe Starrett to protect their interests in the face of this intimidation, a battle Joe is slowly losing until the arrival of Shane.

When Shane arrives, he quickly takes up residence with the Starrett family, working as a hand around the place. Within a short period of time Shane finds himself sucked into the feud between Fletcher and the homesteaders. Ranch hands goad Shane into several violent fistfights, although Shane goes out of his way to avoid trouble. As the level of conflict escalates and the dangerous qualities of Shane emerge, Fletcher brings in a hired gun from the outside to deal with the troublesome homesteaders for the last time. The final scenes of the novel balance gripping action with the heartrending departure of Shane back into the wilderness from which he came.

Schaefer pulls off a triumph of epic proportions with this short novel. Not only is the story told in a sparse, no nonsense style, Schaefer makes Joe Starrett's son Bob the narrator of the story. Through this touchingly innocent narration, Bob manages to convey the mysterious qualities of Shane while still revealing adult themes. For example, a rather platonic love emerges between Shane and Marion, Bob's mother. Joe knows about the love springing up between the two but chooses to keep it in perspective. The beauty of this incident is how Bob relates it; he discusses it just as a child would, without really understanding the implications of the situation while the reader understands perfectly what is happening. Brilliant, just brilliant!

Shane is the main character of the novel even though we do not learn much about him. Shane is an enigma clad in dark clothing, riding in off the land like some mysterious omen of doom. Schaefer tells us nothing about Shane's past, although it is obvious he is a master with a pistol and that he has a checkered past involving trouble of some sort. Whatever trouble Shane is in, he is what we would call "good people." Shane wants to avoid conflict, but he will never back down from a fight or fail to help people who treat him as a friend. His past haunts his actions, making him reluctant to rely on his seemingly vast reservoirs of strength. When pushed to the wall, Shane lashes out with a terrible violence usually kept in check because he knows what he is capable of doing to a man.

There are several themes arcing their way through this book. One deals with fate and how it is impossible to escape your past. Another involves violence; not reckless violence of the type employed by Fletcher and his goons, but a measured violence used to solve a seemingly insolvable situation. Schaefer shows us that no matter what our intentions in this life, there are going to be times when violence in the name of a cause is the only answer to those who are incapable of relying on any method other than intimidation to get what they want out of life.

This is an excellent read for any type of reader both young and old, although that does not make it a necessarily easy book. The bare bones writing style makes it very easy to gloss over important themes and symbolisms. In other words, "Shane" is a book to think about both when reading it and after finishing the story. Reading the story more than once may not be a bad idea, as more themes are sure to emerge from this fascinating character study. Schaefer dedicated "Shane," his first book, to his first son. What a beautiful and wondrous tribute.