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The Hanging Tree
The stories in this book consolidate Dorothy M. Johnson's reputation for authenticity and artistic integrity. 'Lost Sister' is based on the recapture of Cynthia Ann Parker, a white woman abducted by the Comanche Indians. 'The Man Who Knew the Buckskin Kid' tells of two married people and an outlaw who share a secret. Fully as arresting are 'The Last Boast', 'Journal of Adventure', 'I Woke Up Wicked', and other stories.
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
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About the author
Dorothy M. Johnson
50 books19 followersDorothy Marie Johnson (December 19, 1905–November 11, 1984) was an American author best known for her Western fiction.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
May 29, 2025
Time Magazine once compared Dorothy Johnson's work to Bret Harte and Mark Twain, and this was no hyperbole. Her Western short stories are among the best we have in our literature. Three classic Western movies were made from her stories — The Hanging Tree, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, and A Man Called Horse. The fact that she has fallen into obscurity is a great literary injustice.
The Hanging Tree and Other Stories is not Johnson’s best collection, but it is strong. It contains a couple of truly memorable tales filled in with good, solid stories. If you enjoy literature of the West, you need to discover Dorothy Johnson’s work.
Lost Sister: A woman is forcibly reunited with her white family after 30 years living with Indians. Captured as a child, adopted into the tribe, she lived her whole life as one of them. To the family she is a hostile stranger whom they painfully attempt to re-integrate into her proper world. To her, the family is not kin, but her jailers, holding her as a distressed prisoner, keeping her from the only family and life she has known. Based on true stories, this story explores one of Dorothy Johnson’s favorite themes — whites and Indians living together and the clash of cultures that often resulted.
4 ⭐️
The Last Boast: Wolfer Joe came to a bad end on the gallows. His final thought was of the one good thing he did in his life.
”Wolfer Joe made an ending that earned him grim respect, and he left Barney Gallagher puzzling about how betraying a woman could be a thing a man might boast of with the last words he ever had a chance to speak.”
4 1/2 ⭐️
I Woke Up Wicked: A humorous story of a young cowpoke turned accidental (and reluctant) outlaw.
3 ⭐️
The Man Who Knew the Buckskin Kid: An old married man, a good man, remembers the famous bad man he knew when he was a young cowboy, and the secret that he had kept all these years.
3 1/2 ⭐️
The Gift by the Wagon: A sentimental tale with a lot going on. A miner, recently struck rich, robbed and left for dead, a family who finds him and nurses him back to health, past events colliding with the present, an Indian attack — all wrapped up with a happy ending.
3 ⭐️
A Time of Greatness: A ten year old boy cares for an old, blind mountain man during his final months.
”That was before he became a legend, and after he had stopped being one. He was like a deposed god. He had gloried and drunk deep with his peers, had dared much and suffered much, had gained and lost. But all his peers were dead…After he was gone, historians resurrected the legends, and found most of them were true.”
4 ⭐️
Journal of Adventure: A love story. When a broken leg forced young Edward Morgan to winter in the wilderness, it changed all his plans and the direction of his life. Thinking he might not survive, he started a journal he hope someday might be read for the girls he left behind. He continued to record momentous life events in it, until his life circled back on itself.
3 ⭐️
The Story of Charlie: When an old pioneer woman dies, her step daughter learns the secrets of her life.
3 1/2 ⭐️
Blanket Squaw: A story of advancement coming to what was once the frontier, of casual, unacknowledged racism, of a terrible accident, and a powerful sacrifice.
3 1/2 ⭐️
The Hanging Tree A well told tale of the tangled lives and fates of three people in a gold mining camp. Cut loose from their pasts, freely re-inventing themselves, they lived lives where their personal myths or nightmares were more powerful than reality. This story was made into the 1959 movie starring Gary Cooper (in his final role), Karl Malden, and a young George C. Scott.
4 ⭐️
The Hanging Tree and Other Stories is not Johnson’s best collection, but it is strong. It contains a couple of truly memorable tales filled in with good, solid stories. If you enjoy literature of the West, you need to discover Dorothy Johnson’s work.
Lost Sister: A woman is forcibly reunited with her white family after 30 years living with Indians. Captured as a child, adopted into the tribe, she lived her whole life as one of them. To the family she is a hostile stranger whom they painfully attempt to re-integrate into her proper world. To her, the family is not kin, but her jailers, holding her as a distressed prisoner, keeping her from the only family and life she has known. Based on true stories, this story explores one of Dorothy Johnson’s favorite themes — whites and Indians living together and the clash of cultures that often resulted.
4 ⭐️
The Last Boast: Wolfer Joe came to a bad end on the gallows. His final thought was of the one good thing he did in his life.
”Wolfer Joe made an ending that earned him grim respect, and he left Barney Gallagher puzzling about how betraying a woman could be a thing a man might boast of with the last words he ever had a chance to speak.”
4 1/2 ⭐️
I Woke Up Wicked: A humorous story of a young cowpoke turned accidental (and reluctant) outlaw.
3 ⭐️
The Man Who Knew the Buckskin Kid: An old married man, a good man, remembers the famous bad man he knew when he was a young cowboy, and the secret that he had kept all these years.
3 1/2 ⭐️
The Gift by the Wagon: A sentimental tale with a lot going on. A miner, recently struck rich, robbed and left for dead, a family who finds him and nurses him back to health, past events colliding with the present, an Indian attack — all wrapped up with a happy ending.
3 ⭐️
A Time of Greatness: A ten year old boy cares for an old, blind mountain man during his final months.
”That was before he became a legend, and after he had stopped being one. He was like a deposed god. He had gloried and drunk deep with his peers, had dared much and suffered much, had gained and lost. But all his peers were dead…After he was gone, historians resurrected the legends, and found most of them were true.”
4 ⭐️
Journal of Adventure: A love story. When a broken leg forced young Edward Morgan to winter in the wilderness, it changed all his plans and the direction of his life. Thinking he might not survive, he started a journal he hope someday might be read for the girls he left behind. He continued to record momentous life events in it, until his life circled back on itself.
3 ⭐️
The Story of Charlie: When an old pioneer woman dies, her step daughter learns the secrets of her life.
3 1/2 ⭐️
Blanket Squaw: A story of advancement coming to what was once the frontier, of casual, unacknowledged racism, of a terrible accident, and a powerful sacrifice.
3 1/2 ⭐️
The Hanging Tree A well told tale of the tangled lives and fates of three people in a gold mining camp. Cut loose from their pasts, freely re-inventing themselves, they lived lives where their personal myths or nightmares were more powerful than reality. This story was made into the 1959 movie starring Gary Cooper (in his final role), Karl Malden, and a young George C. Scott.
4 ⭐️
August 20, 2021
Los personajes de todos conocidos en las típicas películas del oeste: granjeros, tahúres, predicadores, buscadores de oro, el sheriff y otros, aparecen con gran viveza en estos relatos. Algunos de ellos, como El árbol del ahorcado fueron adaptados al cine. Así que hay una conexión muy fuerte entre ambos géneros, que se percibe en la lectura, ya que las imágenes aparecen sin esfuerzo en nuestra mente, evocadas por antiguas películas.
En conjunto, un buen libro de relatos con un punto nostálgico, de cómo fueron o pudieron haber sido las cosas, quizá un tanto edulcorado. Personalmente prefiero una visión del oeste menos arquetípica, como en las películas de Clint Eastwood o la estupenda serie de televisión Deadwood, pero la lectura de estos cuentos también me ha resultado simple y placentera.
3,5*
En conjunto, un buen libro de relatos con un punto nostálgico, de cómo fueron o pudieron haber sido las cosas, quizá un tanto edulcorado. Personalmente prefiero una visión del oeste menos arquetípica, como en las películas de Clint Eastwood o la estupenda serie de televisión Deadwood, pero la lectura de estos cuentos también me ha resultado simple y placentera.
3,5*
January 3, 2016
Pocos escritores como Dorothy M. Johnson saben retratar ese mítico Lejano Oeste Americano. Johnson recrea unos escenarios y unos personajes dotados de una gran profundidad y humanidad. Sus tramas suelen tratar la relación entre blancos e indios, temática principal de su anterior y estupenda antología de relatos ‘Indian Country’, que también aparece en la presente recopilación. Aunque en ‘El árbol del ahorcado y otros relatos de la Frontera’ también tienen protagonismo mineros, tahúres, pistoleros, predicadores y forajidos. Las mujeres y los niños también tienen protagonismo en estas narraciones. La prosa de Johnson es clara y ágil, y sabe plasmar perfectamente ambientes y personajes. Hace unos años, la Western Writers of America, que agrupa a los escritores profesionales de western, votaron los mejores relatos de este género publicados en el siglo XX, y de los cinco primeros, cuatro eran de Dorothy M. Johnson; el otro era de Jack London, casi nada. Y no me extraña, porque sus relatos son magníficos.
Estos son los diez relatos incluidos en ‘El árbol del ahorcado y otros relatos de la Frontera’ (The Hanging Tree, 1957):
La hermana perdida. Bessie, que lleva viviendo con los indios desde niña, ya hace cuarenta años, vuelve a su antiguo hogar. (*****)
La última bravata. Donde se narra lo único bueno que hizo Wolfer Joe Kennedy, que va a ser ahorcado. (****)
Bandido improvisado. Sin comerlo ni beberlo, el protagonista se ve envuelto en los problemas de la Banda Violenta, famosos forajidos. (****)
El hombre que conoció a Buckskin Kid. Buckskin Kid es ya una leyenda. Sabremos de la relación de este forajido con John Rossum, que llegó a conocerlo. (***)
El regalo junto a la carreta. Donde sabremos la historia de Caleb, que siendo rico, desea demostrar a una joven algo. (***)
Tiempo de grandeza. El protagonista nos cuenta un verano de su niñez en que tuvo que cuidar de un anciano pionero. (****)
Diario de aventura. Edward Morgan sufre un percance al ser perseguido por los indios, y debe sobrevivir durante el invierno como puede, hechos que plasmará en su diario. (****)
La historia de Charley. Duke le cuenta a su hijastra una historia sobre su recién fallecida madre. (****)
La squash de la manta. Una anciana recuerda cómo fue su amistad con Mary, una india. (****)
El árbol del ahorcado. Novela corta o relato largo que transcurre en Skull Creek, un pueblo minero donde al que comete un crimen es ajusticiado por la horca. (****)
Estos son los diez relatos incluidos en ‘El árbol del ahorcado y otros relatos de la Frontera’ (The Hanging Tree, 1957):
La hermana perdida. Bessie, que lleva viviendo con los indios desde niña, ya hace cuarenta años, vuelve a su antiguo hogar. (*****)
La última bravata. Donde se narra lo único bueno que hizo Wolfer Joe Kennedy, que va a ser ahorcado. (****)
Bandido improvisado. Sin comerlo ni beberlo, el protagonista se ve envuelto en los problemas de la Banda Violenta, famosos forajidos. (****)
El hombre que conoció a Buckskin Kid. Buckskin Kid es ya una leyenda. Sabremos de la relación de este forajido con John Rossum, que llegó a conocerlo. (***)
El regalo junto a la carreta. Donde sabremos la historia de Caleb, que siendo rico, desea demostrar a una joven algo. (***)
Tiempo de grandeza. El protagonista nos cuenta un verano de su niñez en que tuvo que cuidar de un anciano pionero. (****)
Diario de aventura. Edward Morgan sufre un percance al ser perseguido por los indios, y debe sobrevivir durante el invierno como puede, hechos que plasmará en su diario. (****)
La historia de Charley. Duke le cuenta a su hijastra una historia sobre su recién fallecida madre. (****)
La squash de la manta. Una anciana recuerda cómo fue su amistad con Mary, una india. (****)
El árbol del ahorcado. Novela corta o relato largo que transcurre en Skull Creek, un pueblo minero donde al que comete un crimen es ajusticiado por la horca. (****)
July 30, 2012
This collection of stories by Dorothy M. Johnson takes its title from the novella that opens the book. Set in the early 1860s in a rough and tumble Montana mining camp named Skull Creek, the story opens when Dr. Joseph Frail rides into town. Frail is clearly a haunted man with a mysterious past involving a fire and a dead wife.
Shortly after arriving in town, Doc Frail saves the life of a young sluice robber named Rune. Frail initially hides the boy while treating his wound and then forces him to work as his personal man servant. Shorly after Doc saves Rune, a stagecoach is robbed and several passengers are killed. A woman named Elizabeth manages to escape the robbers and wanders lost for several days. When the search party finds her, she has been temporarily blinded by exposure to the sun.
Doc takes her in as a patient and gradually restores her to health. But Elizabeth has come to the goldfields to make her fortune and once back on her feet, she is determined to pursue her dream. But a lot of other people are hoping to make their fortunes in Skull Creek as well, and there's only so much gold to go around. Inevitably, there's going to be trouble.
This is a compelling story with great characters and a lot of interesting psychological twists. It was made into a very good movie starring Gary Cooper as Doc Frail and with a great title song performed by Marty Robbins. Johnson was also the author of "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," which was made into another great film by John Ford.
Shortly after arriving in town, Doc Frail saves the life of a young sluice robber named Rune. Frail initially hides the boy while treating his wound and then forces him to work as his personal man servant. Shorly after Doc saves Rune, a stagecoach is robbed and several passengers are killed. A woman named Elizabeth manages to escape the robbers and wanders lost for several days. When the search party finds her, she has been temporarily blinded by exposure to the sun.
Doc takes her in as a patient and gradually restores her to health. But Elizabeth has come to the goldfields to make her fortune and once back on her feet, she is determined to pursue her dream. But a lot of other people are hoping to make their fortunes in Skull Creek as well, and there's only so much gold to go around. Inevitably, there's going to be trouble.
This is a compelling story with great characters and a lot of interesting psychological twists. It was made into a very good movie starring Gary Cooper as Doc Frail and with a great title song performed by Marty Robbins. Johnson was also the author of "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," which was made into another great film by John Ford.
December 12, 2013
Es una verdadera gozada leer estos cuentos de "indios y vaqueros". Los disfruto cual cerdo en su cochiquera. Me gustan todos, pero me he divertido mucho con "Bandido improvisado" o "El hombre que conoció a Buckskin Kid". Buenísimos "La hermana perdida", "El regalo junto a la carreta" y, claro, "El árbol del ahorcado".
August 11, 2013
I previously read the title story, "The Hanging Tree," as well as "Lost Sister" in another collection which I reviewed here. The eight other stories that accompany them in this collection are every bit as good. Flawlessly written, gripping and entertaining. One thing I really love about Johnson is how adept she is at portraying a variety of different characters and viewpoints. In this collection alone she writes from male, female, adult and child's perspective—and very nearly mixes all four in "The Gift by the Wagon," which could be my favorite. Most of the stories are dramatic, but "I Woke Up Wicked," the tale of a young cowboy who "accidentally" becomes an outlaw, is wonderfully funny, and "The Man Who Knew the Buckskin Kid" deftly mixes dry humor with its drama too. And you'll have a hard time forgetting the bittersweet "The Story of Charley." Definitely recommended for serious Western fans, and a volume I wouldn't mind adding to my personal library.
May 19, 2021
Ten short stories by Dorothy M. Johnson, one of the most renowned authors of the Western genre. At least three of her stories have been made into movies: A Man Called Horse; The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance; and, the title story of this collection, The Hanging Tree.
All of the stories were quite good. A few of them were excellent, and forever memorable. Following is a short summary of each along with my rating:
The Lost Sister (4.5 stars)
The Last Boast (5.0 stars)
I Woke Up Wicked (3.0 stars)
The Man Who Knew the Buckskin Kid (4.5 stars)
The Gift by the Wagon (4.5 stars)
A Time of Greatness (4.5 stars)
Journal of Adventure (5.0 stars)
The Story of Charley (4.0 stars)
Blanket Squaw (4.5 stars)
The Hanging Tree (4.5 stars)
All of the stories were quite good. A few of them were excellent, and forever memorable. Following is a short summary of each along with my rating:
The Lost Sister (4.5 stars)
The Last Boast (5.0 stars)
I Woke Up Wicked (3.0 stars)
The Man Who Knew the Buckskin Kid (4.5 stars)
The Gift by the Wagon (4.5 stars)
A Time of Greatness (4.5 stars)
Journal of Adventure (5.0 stars)
The Story of Charley (4.0 stars)
Blanket Squaw (4.5 stars)
The Hanging Tree (4.5 stars)
April 17, 2014
The movie based on this novella would have you believe it’s mainly a story about a mining camp doctor (played by Gary Cooper). However, in her original version, Dorothy Johnson develops more fully the character of Elizabeth, the “lost lady,” who is brought to him for care.
Like Rance Foster, in “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” she is a newcomer in the West, whose introduction to the frontier is violent and shattering. Each is the victim of a stagecoach holdup. Elizabeth’s father is killed, and she nearly perishes of exposure before being found in the wild...
Read my review at my blog.
Like Rance Foster, in “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” she is a newcomer in the West, whose introduction to the frontier is violent and shattering. Each is the victim of a stagecoach holdup. Elizabeth’s father is killed, and she nearly perishes of exposure before being found in the wild...
Read my review at my blog.
December 31, 2019
Gave myself a copy of "The Hanging Tree' for Christmas. The stories range from great to OK, but the collection is well worth the read. I love that so many people go to lengths to point out that Dorothy Johnson writes Western literature and not just westerns. I am not sure that is a useful distinction, but she definitely comes high on my list of beloved authors.
March 31, 2018
Después de la extraordinaria "Indian Country", Valdemar nos ofrece una nueva recopilación de relatos de Dorothy M. Johnson centrados en la vida en la frontera y que constituyen una muestra más de la maestría de esta escritora. En pocas páginas consigue imprimir realismo y profundidad psicológica en sus personajes, regalándonos unos excelentes relatos. En mi caso, me quedo especialmente con "La hermana perdida", "La última bravata" y especialmente "El árbol del ahorcado".
July 26, 2022
Una antología de relatos formidables, ambientados en el Lejano Oeste, con todo el espíritu de la Frontera. Con pocas palabras, la autora logra una ambientación perfecta, con un estudio de personajes impecable. Mis cuentos favoritos de esta antología: “La hermana perdida" y "“El regalo junto a la carreta”.
October 17, 2025
I almost never give story collections five stars for the simple reason that there is always at least one story that is not as good as the others, leaving me with the notion that the book could have been better.
That is not the case with this anthology of tales by Dorothy M. Johnson. Every one of the stories is excellent, imbuing life into its characters, regardless of the color of the hat that they wore. Johnson is arguably the best writer of westerns that no one has heard of. Not only was the eponymous story of this collection made into a movie starring Gary Cooper, Johnson also wrote the works behind the movies 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' and 'A Man Called Horse'.
Now that I have finished it, I'm left with a dilemma. The copy of the book I read is almost as old as me and in very poor condition. It's only with great care that I have kept all of its pages in the correct order. By rights, it should be thrown in the recycle bin but I can't bear the thought of depriving the world of even one copy of this excellent collection of stories.
That is not the case with this anthology of tales by Dorothy M. Johnson. Every one of the stories is excellent, imbuing life into its characters, regardless of the color of the hat that they wore. Johnson is arguably the best writer of westerns that no one has heard of. Not only was the eponymous story of this collection made into a movie starring Gary Cooper, Johnson also wrote the works behind the movies 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' and 'A Man Called Horse'.
Now that I have finished it, I'm left with a dilemma. The copy of the book I read is almost as old as me and in very poor condition. It's only with great care that I have kept all of its pages in the correct order. By rights, it should be thrown in the recycle bin but I can't bear the thought of depriving the world of even one copy of this excellent collection of stories.
May 18, 2020
Dorothy M. Johnson wrote the stories that the classic western movies THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, and A MAN CALLED HORSE were based on. This book leads with THE HANGING TREE that became a movie starring Gary Cooper--I haven't seen it, but will be seeking it out. There are also more stories full of very real characters in a West that is more real than genre.
September 15, 2025
It's an utter joy to read more of Johnson's stories, even if this collection is more than a little familiar to me.
By familiar I mean that I have already read seven out of ten tales. The vast majority are also printed in The Man Who Knew the Buckskin Kid, which was my introduction to Johnson's beautiful prose. However the remaining three stories more than made up for my disappointment.
The Story of Charley is a tale about a young couple surviving in the Old West, how circumstances lead the woman to pretend to be a man and move further away from her lover. The framing device is well-executed and the bittersweet ending is understated brilliance.
Blanket Squaw focuses on the relationship between a white woman and a Native American woman who are educated together and become friends against the odds. However, Johnson does not pretend that things end well between them. Lives are lost, hearts are broken and it all forces a retreat.
The Hanging Tree is my favourite story by far and, according to the blurb at least, is based on the truth. It focuses on the inhabitants of the gold mining camp Skull Creek where a grizzled doctor named Doc Frail and his begrudging protege Rune have their lives changed when a traumatized young woman named Elizabeth comes into their lives. Johnson effortlessly weaves together each character's development and keeps action rolling. Doc's lingering question of 'Are you the man for whom I'll hang?' is eventually answered.
Though I didn't get as much fresh reading material as I would have liked from this collection, I did enjoy The Hanging Tree. It affirms me as a fan of Johnson and the titular novelette makes me want to seek out her longer prose, Western or not. I recommend The Hanging Tree to Western readers who relish empathy for hard-bitten lives just as much as rough riding and sharp shooting.
By familiar I mean that I have already read seven out of ten tales. The vast majority are also printed in The Man Who Knew the Buckskin Kid, which was my introduction to Johnson's beautiful prose. However the remaining three stories more than made up for my disappointment.
The Story of Charley is a tale about a young couple surviving in the Old West, how circumstances lead the woman to pretend to be a man and move further away from her lover. The framing device is well-executed and the bittersweet ending is understated brilliance.
Blanket Squaw focuses on the relationship between a white woman and a Native American woman who are educated together and become friends against the odds. However, Johnson does not pretend that things end well between them. Lives are lost, hearts are broken and it all forces a retreat.
The Hanging Tree is my favourite story by far and, according to the blurb at least, is based on the truth. It focuses on the inhabitants of the gold mining camp Skull Creek where a grizzled doctor named Doc Frail and his begrudging protege Rune have their lives changed when a traumatized young woman named Elizabeth comes into their lives. Johnson effortlessly weaves together each character's development and keeps action rolling. Doc's lingering question of 'Are you the man for whom I'll hang?' is eventually answered.
Though I didn't get as much fresh reading material as I would have liked from this collection, I did enjoy The Hanging Tree. It affirms me as a fan of Johnson and the titular novelette makes me want to seek out her longer prose, Western or not. I recommend The Hanging Tree to Western readers who relish empathy for hard-bitten lives just as much as rough riding and sharp shooting.
March 2, 2023
I read about half the stories in this collection and skimmed the last titular story. It’s a fun collection for those who enjoy romances of the West and simple, humorous fictions about things like being among outlaws or trying to make it big off of panning for gold.
I feel like I’d enjoy this collection best read aloud by one of my parents as I sat by a fireside. It definitely has the impulse towards happy resolutions and while the romances feel a little cliche, well, everyone wants some fluffy, good ol’ fashioned cliches in their life from time to time.
I feel like I’d enjoy this collection best read aloud by one of my parents as I sat by a fireside. It definitely has the impulse towards happy resolutions and while the romances feel a little cliche, well, everyone wants some fluffy, good ol’ fashioned cliches in their life from time to time.
February 19, 2023
4/5
Segunda antología publicada por Valdemar de la magnífica Dorothy M. Johnson, autora que muchos conocimos gracias a esta editorial, pues pese a haber conseguido numerosos premios de literatura western, diría que no está muy presente en el imaginario colectivo. Leer a esta escritora es un disfrute asegurado. Lleva el género a una calidad narrativa que es difícil igualar. Lo dignifica, algo que es muy valorado por mi parte, dado que la literatura del Oeste ha quedado asociada, en muchas ocasiones, a autores de bolsilibros (los cuales también disfruto), así que es necesario saber que el género alcanzó una enorme calidad por parte de autores como Dorothy.
En esta recopilación se reúnen historias de saloon, es decir, forajidos, condenados a muerte, pistoleros, pero con una mayor profundidad de la habitual. No tienen tanto protagonismo los nativos como sí la tenían en el otro libro, aunque se incluyen un par de historias que recuerdan más a estas otras. Es perfecta para conocer otro tipo de cuentos de la autora. No alcanzan quizá la calidad de Indian Country, pero no se quedan lejos. Pero es que es muy difícil competir contra su propia maestría. No sé si quedan más cuentos por publicar de la escritora, pero ojalá veamos un nuevo libro suyo en la colección.
Segunda antología publicada por Valdemar de la magnífica Dorothy M. Johnson, autora que muchos conocimos gracias a esta editorial, pues pese a haber conseguido numerosos premios de literatura western, diría que no está muy presente en el imaginario colectivo. Leer a esta escritora es un disfrute asegurado. Lleva el género a una calidad narrativa que es difícil igualar. Lo dignifica, algo que es muy valorado por mi parte, dado que la literatura del Oeste ha quedado asociada, en muchas ocasiones, a autores de bolsilibros (los cuales también disfruto), así que es necesario saber que el género alcanzó una enorme calidad por parte de autores como Dorothy.
En esta recopilación se reúnen historias de saloon, es decir, forajidos, condenados a muerte, pistoleros, pero con una mayor profundidad de la habitual. No tienen tanto protagonismo los nativos como sí la tenían en el otro libro, aunque se incluyen un par de historias que recuerdan más a estas otras. Es perfecta para conocer otro tipo de cuentos de la autora. No alcanzan quizá la calidad de Indian Country, pero no se quedan lejos. Pero es que es muy difícil competir contra su propia maestría. No sé si quedan más cuentos por publicar de la escritora, pero ojalá veamos un nuevo libro suyo en la colección.
July 1, 2023
I read these stories to the kids over the course of two camping trips, and they really liked them. That's partly because they didn't grow up on western lore like I did, so they were learning a lot, but I liked them just as much: they're original and realistic.
June 16, 2019
This is my second time through this story. I’m pretty sure the first iteration of The Hanging Tree I knew about was Marty Robbin’s song. Later, as a teenager, my dad told me about his favorite Gary Cooper western, The Hanging Tree. When I finally tracked that down, I at last learned about the story it was based on. Properly, this is not a book. It hardly even qualifies as a novella, just a fairly long short story. And it’s unfortunate because I think it would have been better more properly fleshed out.
Dorothy Johnson writes it in a slightly peculiar way. Doc Frail’s backstory, then the Lost Lady’s story, then finally Rune’s story before finally settling on a linear timeline. What made her choose this way of starting I can’t imagine, but it feels almost like she wasn’t sure which was the actual story to begin with.
In comparison to the movie, there are things I like more and less about each. In the movie, the story is that Doc found his wife with his brother, killed them and burned the house down, leaving his old life behind. The story and the memory followed him west and he’s a bitter, lonely man with a chip on his shoulder. I like that story better than the one in the book that he once killed a man and then couldn’t shoot when it later mattered. He’s haunted by his guilt over two deaths and is waiting for justice to catch up with him.
I like that Elizabeth’s story is fleshed out more in the book, and especially that she cannot leave the cabin. That makes her motivation for going to the tree at the end much more believable and compelling. Book Elizabeth is psychologically damaged by her experience. But I like her back story better in the movie. Instead of an easterner moving west with her down on his heels teacher father, she’s a penniless immigrant utterly dependent on Doc and Rune, but determined to make a new life. That quickly becomes her only motivation to stay, not her mental anguish, just determination. She is much needier and much more in love with the broken man.
Rune is better in the book. Although both characters have the same growth arc, Rune’s story in the book, and his accomplishments by the end really set him apart. It’s perhaps more explicitly implied in the book that he understands he has Doc to thank for his growth than in the movie where he remains sullen.
The other two important characters to both plots are Frenchy Plante, the prospector, and Preacher Grubb. The book introduces Grubb far too late, although it works within the confines of the story that Doc is held accountable for someone so unknown to him. Frenchy isn’t nearly as lecherous as he is in the film. He has a working partnership and sticks to his bargain with Elizabeth. The ending for each character is flipped from story to story and although both work for their respective arcs, I think I like the film’s better.
The thing that kind of gets me is the shorthanded way Johnson writes. It’s sort of a half sentence, mid sentence, disjointed thought kind of thing. Like she’s giving me the abridged version. It’s jarring from beginning to end. If you’re going to bother to tell me a story, make me fall in love with your characters and your words. The character development in the story is fine, but it definitely needed firmer footing.
Not something to suit every taste, but for die hard western fans or fans of the movie, it’s worth reading just for comparison’s sake.
Dorothy Johnson writes it in a slightly peculiar way. Doc Frail’s backstory, then the Lost Lady’s story, then finally Rune’s story before finally settling on a linear timeline. What made her choose this way of starting I can’t imagine, but it feels almost like she wasn’t sure which was the actual story to begin with.
In comparison to the movie, there are things I like more and less about each. In the movie, the story is that Doc found his wife with his brother, killed them and burned the house down, leaving his old life behind. The story and the memory followed him west and he’s a bitter, lonely man with a chip on his shoulder. I like that story better than the one in the book that he once killed a man and then couldn’t shoot when it later mattered. He’s haunted by his guilt over two deaths and is waiting for justice to catch up with him.
I like that Elizabeth’s story is fleshed out more in the book, and especially that she cannot leave the cabin. That makes her motivation for going to the tree at the end much more believable and compelling. Book Elizabeth is psychologically damaged by her experience. But I like her back story better in the movie. Instead of an easterner moving west with her down on his heels teacher father, she’s a penniless immigrant utterly dependent on Doc and Rune, but determined to make a new life. That quickly becomes her only motivation to stay, not her mental anguish, just determination. She is much needier and much more in love with the broken man.
Rune is better in the book. Although both characters have the same growth arc, Rune’s story in the book, and his accomplishments by the end really set him apart. It’s perhaps more explicitly implied in the book that he understands he has Doc to thank for his growth than in the movie where he remains sullen.
The other two important characters to both plots are Frenchy Plante, the prospector, and Preacher Grubb. The book introduces Grubb far too late, although it works within the confines of the story that Doc is held accountable for someone so unknown to him. Frenchy isn’t nearly as lecherous as he is in the film. He has a working partnership and sticks to his bargain with Elizabeth. The ending for each character is flipped from story to story and although both work for their respective arcs, I think I like the film’s better.
The thing that kind of gets me is the shorthanded way Johnson writes. It’s sort of a half sentence, mid sentence, disjointed thought kind of thing. Like she’s giving me the abridged version. It’s jarring from beginning to end. If you’re going to bother to tell me a story, make me fall in love with your characters and your words. The character development in the story is fine, but it definitely needed firmer footing.
Not something to suit every taste, but for die hard western fans or fans of the movie, it’s worth reading just for comparison’s sake.
June 5, 2017
The Hanging Tree by Dorothy M. Johnson is a novella clocking in at 111 pages which I had to read for class. I have to say this because if I did not have to read it, I would not have continued with this story. We follow our main character Doc Frail who killed a man and then moved on but the guilt of having killed him carries the weight of the story as he’s constantly thinking of the action that will get him hung for murder. He arrives to the gold camp of Skull Creek where he makes money and also practices as the camp’s doctor. The story actually begins when Elizabeth Armistead accompanying her father out west get held up on the coach, her father is killed and she’s left to wander the desert. She becomes blinded by the sun and Doc Frail is the one to attend to her at camp. We follow their story of her refusing to leave her cabin and Doc slowly realizing he loves her.
There are a few things I take issue with this story and the first one is the emotional distance the reader has from the characters. I’m not a great fan of short stories to begin with, I find I just don’t care about the characters at all by the end of it but Johnson had 111 pages to make me give a fuck about Doc and Elizabeth and she failed completely to manifest that emotional connection. Elizabeth’s portrayal, a complete disservice to women in general and was the second most frustrating problem with this story. When we first meet her she’s a lady of fine standing, daughter to a man who has lost his money and they are traveling west for a new start so he can teach children. However, as the story progresses Elizabeth becomes the embodiment of female silliness often written by male contemporaries. I expected more from a female Western writer and I was sorely disappointed.
The blinded Elizabeth is placed in a room to help her recover from her wounds but when Doc tries to get her to walk about the camp to help her recuperate, her trauma at being lost in the dessert overcome her and she faints into his arms and refuses to leave her cabin – FOR OVER A YEAR. She has no idea how the world works, makes stupid choices, is a complete brat for many chunks of the book, then becomes the definition of stubbornness. Johnson attempted to mirror her journey with Doc’s guilt but it failed to a contemporary reader who expects more from a heroine. With that in mind, this piece feels incredible dated, drab and frustrating.
I shall be reviewing more Westerns in the next month as this is what we’re reading in my class so I’m sure you will be hearing me gripe about the helpless female portrayal, Native Indian stereotypes and the hyper-masculinity that was/is quite popular in Westerns.
Peace-out.
There are a few things I take issue with this story and the first one is the emotional distance the reader has from the characters. I’m not a great fan of short stories to begin with, I find I just don’t care about the characters at all by the end of it but Johnson had 111 pages to make me give a fuck about Doc and Elizabeth and she failed completely to manifest that emotional connection. Elizabeth’s portrayal, a complete disservice to women in general and was the second most frustrating problem with this story. When we first meet her she’s a lady of fine standing, daughter to a man who has lost his money and they are traveling west for a new start so he can teach children. However, as the story progresses Elizabeth becomes the embodiment of female silliness often written by male contemporaries. I expected more from a female Western writer and I was sorely disappointed.
The blinded Elizabeth is placed in a room to help her recover from her wounds but when Doc tries to get her to walk about the camp to help her recuperate, her trauma at being lost in the dessert overcome her and she faints into his arms and refuses to leave her cabin – FOR OVER A YEAR. She has no idea how the world works, makes stupid choices, is a complete brat for many chunks of the book, then becomes the definition of stubbornness. Johnson attempted to mirror her journey with Doc’s guilt but it failed to a contemporary reader who expects more from a heroine. With that in mind, this piece feels incredible dated, drab and frustrating.
I shall be reviewing more Westerns in the next month as this is what we’re reading in my class so I’m sure you will be hearing me gripe about the helpless female portrayal, Native Indian stereotypes and the hyper-masculinity that was/is quite popular in Westerns.
Peace-out.
February 2, 2020
Conjunto de nueve relatos y novela corta.
A mí no me ha aportado nada más allá que matar el gusanillo de leer temática western. Las historias no tienen nada más allá del cliché de hacerse bandido, criarse con los indios o robar bancos y huir montado en el caballo del sheriff. Personalmente, buscaba el pequeño rizo que separara estas historias de lo que ya se ha contado mil veces.
Lo que sí debo mencionar son los detalles más pequeños y las palabras utilizadas para ellos, esa ha sido la mejor baza de este libro ñara mí.
Por resaltar algún relato, diré «la última bravata», donde un condenado a morir en la horca divaga y viaja con sus pensamientos a tiempos un poco mejores.
A mí no me ha aportado nada más allá que matar el gusanillo de leer temática western. Las historias no tienen nada más allá del cliché de hacerse bandido, criarse con los indios o robar bancos y huir montado en el caballo del sheriff. Personalmente, buscaba el pequeño rizo que separara estas historias de lo que ya se ha contado mil veces.
Lo que sí debo mencionar son los detalles más pequeños y las palabras utilizadas para ellos, esa ha sido la mejor baza de este libro ñara mí.
Por resaltar algún relato, diré «la última bravata», donde un condenado a morir en la horca divaga y viaja con sus pensamientos a tiempos un poco mejores.
January 7, 2019
Absolutely loved this book. My favourite story in the book was "The Last Boast". I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Western fiction, especially short stories. The Hanging Tree itself ia a good story and the author inspired me a lot.
June 10, 2023
Dorothy M. Johnson’s stories tend to focus on divisions, cultural, regional, generational. The most obvious would be the ones between western settlers and the indigenous, such as in “Lost Sister,” which tells of the reunion of sisters after one was taken by a native tribe some forty years earlier. There are attempts at benevolence and lots of goodwill but too much ignorance and too many entrenched attitudes for the family affair to be successful.
In other instances, the clashes occur between different types of westerners. In the more humorous, “I Woke Up Wicked,” the protagonist gets mistaken for both an outlaw and a hero. In “A Time of Greatness,” my favorite story of the bunch, an old man and his young aide have a hard time seeing eye to eye, literally, as the old man is blind. He’s far happier when he’s playing out his glory days in his head, and although the two never fully understand each other, the old man’s inclusion of the young boy in these cerebral excursions does bring them closer together.
“The Hanging Tree” itself functions as more of an exploration of self-imposed fatalism. The two main characters cling to a kind of learned helplessness, the cynical doctor with his unrelenting belief that he will be hanged sooner or later and the young milksop who must learn the ways of the world after her wagon party is killed.
I can’t say this is a favorite story of mine, but it does add more complexity to a collection that is, at times, underdeveloped. Few of the characters throughout are one-dimensional, but their highlighted traits do lead them around their lives like cattle. And Johnson’s use of sentimentality and didacticism, largely absent from the final tale, tends to hamper the overall storytelling.
In other instances, the clashes occur between different types of westerners. In the more humorous, “I Woke Up Wicked,” the protagonist gets mistaken for both an outlaw and a hero. In “A Time of Greatness,” my favorite story of the bunch, an old man and his young aide have a hard time seeing eye to eye, literally, as the old man is blind. He’s far happier when he’s playing out his glory days in his head, and although the two never fully understand each other, the old man’s inclusion of the young boy in these cerebral excursions does bring them closer together.
“The Hanging Tree” itself functions as more of an exploration of self-imposed fatalism. The two main characters cling to a kind of learned helplessness, the cynical doctor with his unrelenting belief that he will be hanged sooner or later and the young milksop who must learn the ways of the world after her wagon party is killed.
I can’t say this is a favorite story of mine, but it does add more complexity to a collection that is, at times, underdeveloped. Few of the characters throughout are one-dimensional, but their highlighted traits do lead them around their lives like cattle. And Johnson’s use of sentimentality and didacticism, largely absent from the final tale, tends to hamper the overall storytelling.
December 16, 2024
Esta recopilación de relatos nos ofrece una visión conformista de la Frontera, donde la vida no puede cambiar, las injusticias se suceden y el dolor es algo básico en la vida diaria.
Esta visión pesimista, mezclada con una forma de narrar bastante satírica hacen de los relatos algo bastante disfrutables. Sin embargo, el último relato, el más largo y el que da nombre a la recopilación ha sido el que menos me ha gustado.
No he conseguido conectar con los protagonistas ni entender sus motivaciones, además, la historia es un tanto caótica.
Los relatos que más me han gustado han sido "El hombre que conoció a Buckskin Kid" y "Bandido improvisado" ambos relatos cargados de ironía y una gran crítica social. Prima la supervivencia y la capacidad de adaptarse a los cambios intentando mantenerse fiel a uno mismo.
Una recopilación disfrutable, pero no a la altura de Indian Country.
Esta visión pesimista, mezclada con una forma de narrar bastante satírica hacen de los relatos algo bastante disfrutables. Sin embargo, el último relato, el más largo y el que da nombre a la recopilación ha sido el que menos me ha gustado.
No he conseguido conectar con los protagonistas ni entender sus motivaciones, además, la historia es un tanto caótica.
Los relatos que más me han gustado han sido "El hombre que conoció a Buckskin Kid" y "Bandido improvisado" ambos relatos cargados de ironía y una gran crítica social. Prima la supervivencia y la capacidad de adaptarse a los cambios intentando mantenerse fiel a uno mismo.
Una recopilación disfrutable, pero no a la altura de Indian Country.
May 6, 2023
It's settled. Indian Country and The Hanging Tree will be the first books I'll recommend whenever someone asks for a good western classic to read. The Hanging Tree may have fewer short stories than Indian Country, but the last story in the book (which shares the same title) make up for it. The Hanging Tree (short story) takes the top spot for my most favorite short story among the ones in the book including Indian Country. I was pleasantly surprised by the conclusion when I was so sure of how the story would end.
Just like Indian Country, the characters and the stories in The Hanging Tree were all so compelling. And just like Indian Country, I got sucked into the book. Johnson knew how to write 'em.
Just like Indian Country, the characters and the stories in The Hanging Tree were all so compelling. And just like Indian Country, I got sucked into the book. Johnson knew how to write 'em.
March 31, 2024
I was amazed with this book. I picked it up after watching one of my favorite movies, "The Hanging Tree." The book is a collection of short stories that includes The Hanging Tree. I figured I would get through the short stories first and then enjoy The Hanging Tree which was the last story in the book. I was impressed with the first story and then even more impressed with the second. Every story I read was filled with emotions and feelings that I hadn't found in many western genre books. I paused my reading to learn more about Dorothy M. Johnson and couldn't believe this lady was putting out books in the 40's and 50's with such emotion. Bought an old used paperback thinking it would be easy to get rid of, but it is now a book I will return to often.
April 23, 2022
Es una excelente recopilación de relatos cortos, y alguno no tan corto, que no desmerecen a los otros relatos de la frontera del primer número de esta colección. Yo destacaría "La hermana perdida" que es una historia de una niña raptada por los indios, y recuperada muchos años después. También me gustó, aunque es como un western crepuscular, "la squaw de la manta", parte de lo vivido por una mujer india. El relato mas largo y el mejor "El árbol del ahorcado", la historia de unos personajes en un campo minero, con una maldición sobre uno de ellos (morir ahorcado), de este relato surgió una excelente película protagonizada por Gary Cooper, película que también merece la pena ver.
August 9, 2017
Contains the following short stories: The Hanging Tree (on which the Gary Cooper movie is based), Lost Sister (based on the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, the mother of Quanah Parker), I Woke Up Wicked, Journal of Adventure, A Time Of Greatness, The Man Who Knew the Buckskin Kid, The Last Boast. Compelling stories of individualism and the American West. Johnson's stories are authentic, terse, and populated by seemingly common-place characters who are affected by, and react to, remarkable circumstances.
August 8, 2020
Excellent story. I read it because we read Lost Sister in my short story reading group and I liked it and also because I haven't read a Western in ages. We loved Westerns in the 50s but they went out of style. They linger and this a good one. I liked the characters and the pace of the story but the ending was a little forced. Would have made good cinema but I don't think they ever made a movie from it. Dorothy M. Johnson deserves more credit.
July 25, 2017
El volumen recoge 9 relatos cortos y una novela corta (El árbol del ahorcado), todos ellos ambientados en el antiguo oeste. Todos ellos evocan un mundo lejano y ya perdido, el de los pioneros, los salones, los indios y los pistoleros, que nos es tan familiar a los que crecimos viendo películas del oeste y jugando a indios y vaqueros.
De lectura muy amena, sin duda recomendable.
De lectura muy amena, sin duda recomendable.
January 30, 2020
This is the perfect accompaniment to Johnson's The Bloody Bozeman, a non-fiction history of that trail to the gold fields of Montana. One can see several of the lives in that history told through the eyes of finely created characters here in these short stories. Every tale is satisfying. I detect the influence of O'Henry.
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