Twin Sombreros

by Zane Grey

On the first day of spring, a little girl goes looking for the robin that sang to her every day last summer. She sees a bee, a yellow forsythia bush, and a tiny toad, but no robin. Then she hears a cheerful song, and she knows the robin is back. Bold, simple paintings complement the briefly told story. Full color.

A sequel to Knights of the Range.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Romance, Classics, Historical Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1940

About the author

Pearl Zane Grey was an American author best known for his popular adventure novels and stories that presented an idealized image of the rugged Old West. As of June 2007, the Internet Movie Database credits Grey with 110 films, one TV episode, and a series, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater based loosely on his novels and short stories.

Reviews

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nostalgiapäissäni nappasin oman hyllyni kätköistä luettavakseni Zane Greyn romaanin "Karjatila Twin Sombreros" (Taikajousi, 1980). Se on ilmeisesti itsenäinen jatko-osa Knights of the Range -romaanille, ja löyhästi siihen pohjautuu myös George Waggnerin ohjaama western Maa polttaa (1947).

Viimeksi olin lukenut kirjan joskus lapsena, muistaakseni ollessani hiihtolomareissulla isovanhempieni luona. Lännentarina teki silloin jonkinmoisen vaikutuksen, sillä muistin hämärästi vieläkin kirjan loppuratkaisun.

Mistäs tässä on sitten kyse? Brazos Keene -nimistä pyssysankaria yritetään lavastaa syylliseksi miehen murhaan, mistä suivaantuneena hän päättää laittaa oikeat syylliset käpälälautaan. Revolverithan siinä sitten paukkuvat kun karjavarkauksiin syyllistyneitä konnia pistetään kuriin, mutta suurempaan rooliin nousee vähintänkin omalaatuinen ja sanalla sanoen epäuskottava romantiikkakuvio, jossa Brazos rakastuu kahteen identtiseen sisarukseen, eikä osaa missään vaiheessa erottaa heitä toisistaan. Lopussa homma on lipsahtaa polyamorian puolelle.

Ja eivätpä siskokset jää ainoiksi päähenkilöömme lätkääntyviksi mimmeiksi. Lopulta heitä taitaa olla peräti neljä, mikä on melkoinen saavutus, etenkin kun ottaa huomioon että kirjassa on alle kolmesataa sivua. Muutenkin Brazos Keene vaikuttaa olevan jonkinlainen miehinen fantasiaolento, jota kaikki naiset haluavat ja jollaista muut miehet joko pelkäävät tai ihailevat.

Vuonna 1940 alun perin ilmestynyt "Karjatila Twin Sombreros" ei taida olla tuotteliaan kirjailijan parhaimmistoa, ja kieltämättä sen suurimmat ansiot lepäävätkin tahattomassa huumorissa. Lukihan tämän, mutta enpä taida säilyttää sitä enää omassa hyllyssäni.

[Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cowboy Brazos Keene falls in love with a twin he can't tell apart from her sister. It was a most entertaining story but the plot sort of unravels at the end and not all the pertinent details are resolved.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Twin Sombreros" is an enjoyable old west story I read in 1967. Brazos Keene is arrested for murder. He is proven innocent of the murder of Allen Neece. Allen has two twin sisters. Brazos vows to track down the real killers and save the sisters ranch ...
I read a different copy.

[Michael Oakes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title is thematic

Not one of his best and a little too corny for me, but a Zane Grey western is always worth reading.

[Gary Sites · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's Zane Grey alright, but not on par with most of his excellent work. There's some of the great western atmosphere that he so eloquently describes, along with the wild west gun-play that no one does better. And, of course, the romance. Grey himself said that he wrote romance novels, and most of them have a setting in the Western US of the 19th century. That romance is one of the main things I like about his novels. But, this one was just corny and overdone. Twin sisters that no one can tell apart fall for our hero, Brazos Keene. He favors one, but because the sisters always dress and act exactly alike, and make play with it on everyone, Keene is never really sure which sister is which. This could work in a comedy novel, but this isn't comedy, and it got on my last nerve. It goes on and on. Just frustrating. Since Twin Sombreros is a sequel to Knights of the Range, (an excellent novel) I was looking forward to more of the same, but didn't get it.

[Joe Stack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two plot lines sewn together by the presence of the main character. The first plot is the cowboy as a detective; the second is the love triangle involving the cowboy. The hired gunfighters are expected to be the ones who force the gunplay, but in this story it's the main character, Brazos, who pushes for the gunfights.

It took me awhile to get use to the dialect of the main character. The story wasn't riveting, just pleasant.

[John Belcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Is A Deadly Game of Chance

Brazos knew he really loved June all along but Jan was the temptress of the two. Thier game of switching back and forth of who was who, backfired on them when Brazos left them because of thier twisted game. A man's heart is nothing to play with since when it's shattered, it can become empty and hard like Brazos was becoming. A wonderful tale of right overcoming wrong and the doers of wrong getting thier due. A definite five star

[Rick Farlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

CHIRP AUDIOBOOK

Humorous storyline about a Texas gunslinger falling in love with identical twin sisters in Colorado… but he just can’t tell the difference between them. They both agree to marry him, which leads to all kinds of awkward situations. It’s an interesting and laughable story that’s certainly worth reading. RECOMMENDED

[Joe Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Western

This was fun to read. Lots of twist and surprises to keep one interested. It is a little wordy. I would recommend this book to any western fan. I chose this rating because it was not the typical western and plot.

[Russell G Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

He was a Texas tornado in the guise of a handsome and appealing

Young man who always stood up for those downtrodden
folks whose station in life gave them little recourse, pretty girls and friends always welcome also.

[Chynadolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not an exciting western drama, but a good story nonetheless. This was my first Zane Grey book, but it won't be my last!

[Braddock Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this adventure and love story. No one can do it like Zane Grey when it comes to western stories.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible Audiobook

[larry brashear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!

A great Tale by One uf the Worlds greatest Western writers. Sorry huess maybe i am a dummy but i did not understand the ending.

[Allen Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twin Sombreros

An excellent western story of old. If you can get past the original slang, it is a fun read. Can not wait to read more of Zane Grey.

[Nick Vanderwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent Zane Grey but I still need a dictionary of cowboy English.

[Ranette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gunfighter finds out it is not so easy to give up the gun. Twin sisters do not make it easy to find love either.

[Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

To much romance.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grey novels are always a fun read.

[Marty Greenwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Zane Grey novel. Very descriptive, especially inside the head of gunslinger Brazos Keene. Liked the imagery of late 1800s Western scenes. The plot was easy.

[Darren Jerome · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was ok until an abrupt ending. Zane must have had a word limit he hit and just ended it. Stupid.

[Schulz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pulp western is gonna pulp western.

This is a clone wars book before they had clone wars.

[Susan Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda dumb

[Tj Paulson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zane Grey is one of the best western novelists of all time. All of his books are immersive and bring the romance and excitement of the wild west alive.

With that being said, Twin Sombreros is one of his weaker stories. The action is excellent and Brazos Keene is a great protagonist. The romance in TS is the weak point. A little too far fetched for me. It does not ruin the story though and the rest makes up for this weak point.

I still love this book and have read it many times since I was a kid.

[John Hayhurst]

Real West! Typical Zane Grey!

Good story, but I had trouble following characters in the beginning. Started reading late in the evening and couldn't wait to pick it up again the following day. Heavy accents are sometimes difficult to decipher. All in all, worth the read if you enjoy westerns!

[Glen J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another superbly crafted western

Zane Grey never fails to set the standard for the genre. This novel is filled with characters directly out of our old west imagination. The place settings are vivid and the action never stops. Kick your boots off and enjoy.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

An romantic style Western of the early 20th century in which a cowboy is accused of a crime that he did not commit. Along the way at the Twin Sombreros ranch he settles a feud.

[Thebarrys10 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great entertainment value! It's got adventure, romance and personality! Brazil Keene, a notorious cowboy and bad-guy hunter, falls in love with twin sisters.

[Pam Hurd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Corny

This one has not withstood the test of time well. I'm not sure how it could have done well in it's time. So corny. Ridiculous ending too.