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The Furies
Nouveau-Mexique, fin XIX e siècle. Temple Caddy Jefford, qui élève des bovins sur des centaines d’hectares, a perdu sa femme et s’absente de plus en plus de ses terres. Sa fille Vance et ses fils gèrent le domaine et attendent son retour avec impatience. Mais lorsqu’il revient, c’est avec une nouvelle compagne, qui entend évincer Vance du domaine...
Un western captivant, à la fois oedipien et shakespearien, qui entraîne son lecteur sur les traces de deux êtres remarquables, dans une cavalcade effrénée à travers les immenses étendues américaines et les passions inassouvies.
Un western captivant, à la fois oedipien et shakespearien, qui entraîne son lecteur sur les traces de deux êtres remarquables, dans une cavalcade effrénée à travers les immenses étendues américaines et les passions inassouvies.
- GenresWesterns
267 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1948
3 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Niven Busch
28 books1 followerNovelist, screenwriter and producer, Niven Busch, was, as David Shipman says, "associated with some interesting films at the time when movies were movies". Busch was born in Manhattan on April 26,1903, and died in San Francisco August 25, 1991. He was 88.
Busch's father was born into a New York banking family, was a stock broker at times yet was in the film business and ran a night club in Paris; his mother was British. Niven's childhood was spent in luxury in Oyster Bay, NY, and at a fashionable boarding school. He decided to become an author at the age of 14, when he again saw his name in print when his poem was published in his school magazine. Previously, at about age 9, St. Nicholas Magazine published a few of his little stores and poems in its section reserved for children's compositions. Before he left for Princeton in 1921 he had already sold verses and sketches to such well-known magazines as McClure's. He left Princeton before the end of his sophmore year when his father's firm went broke. He soon connected with his cousin, Briton Hadden who was editor of the new Time magazine. He worked at Time for a number of years, becoming an editor himself. He was also contributing stories and profiles to Harold Ross's budding The New Yorker. He owed much, he later confessed, to Ross's tuition. His first book, Twenty-one Americans, a collection of portraits of current famous Americans which had appeared in The New Yorker, was published in 1931.
In 1932, realizing he had gone as far as he was likely to go as a New York-based magazine writer and editor, Busch decided Hollywood was the place to be, and he had a connection through his father, who was at one time in the motion picture distribution business with Lewis Selznick. And through that connection, Niven met Lewis's son, David. It was David who brought Niven out to Hollywood.
David Selznick soon secured work for Busch at Warner Brothers, and Busch decamped to Los Angeles to write his first film, Howard Hawk's The Crowd Roars (1932).
By the early 1940s, Busch was chief story editor for independent producer Sam Goldwyn. During his stint with Goldwyn, Busch met and married contract actress Teresa Wright. For 21 years he was a screenwriter at such studios as Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Goldwyn, Paramount and Universal, scripting movies which included The Big Shakedown (1934) staring Bette Davis, The Man With Two Faces (1934) staring Edward G. Robinson, and He Was Her Man (1934) staring James Cagney. He was nominated for an Academy Award for best original screenplay for In Old Chicago (1937), a film based on his story We the O'Learys, which climaxed with the Chicago fire of 1871 and one of the most expensive films made at the time. In 1940 he co-wrote The Westerner for director William Wyler and producer Sam Goldwyn. Soon thereafter he went to work as Goldwyn's story editor, recommending Pride of the Yankees (1942), in which Gary Cooper and Teresa Wright starred.
Another notable film of the period, for which Busch produced and wrote the original screenplay, was Pursued (1947) staring Robert Mitchum and Teresa Wright, one of the first psychological Westerns with “noir” overtones. Around the same time, Busch also adapted the noir thriller The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), for Metro- Goldwyn Mayer. The Furies (1950), from Busch's novel, attracted some scorn for its "Freudian excesses". However, says the London Times, "Busch was always shrewd and knew exactly what he was doing".
"I always wanted to write a novel. I started two or three, then dropped them when a film job came along. I finally figured out the problem: when I was writing a novel no one was paying." But he did find time in 1939; The Carrington Incident, published in 1941, was followed by the best-seller Duel in the Sun (1944), which was purchased by David Selznick and turned into the 1946 blockbuster of the same title. He now alternated between the writing of screenplays and novels, most of w
Busch's father was born into a New York banking family, was a stock broker at times yet was in the film business and ran a night club in Paris; his mother was British. Niven's childhood was spent in luxury in Oyster Bay, NY, and at a fashionable boarding school. He decided to become an author at the age of 14, when he again saw his name in print when his poem was published in his school magazine. Previously, at about age 9, St. Nicholas Magazine published a few of his little stores and poems in its section reserved for children's compositions. Before he left for Princeton in 1921 he had already sold verses and sketches to such well-known magazines as McClure's. He left Princeton before the end of his sophmore year when his father's firm went broke. He soon connected with his cousin, Briton Hadden who was editor of the new Time magazine. He worked at Time for a number of years, becoming an editor himself. He was also contributing stories and profiles to Harold Ross's budding The New Yorker. He owed much, he later confessed, to Ross's tuition. His first book, Twenty-one Americans, a collection of portraits of current famous Americans which had appeared in The New Yorker, was published in 1931.
In 1932, realizing he had gone as far as he was likely to go as a New York-based magazine writer and editor, Busch decided Hollywood was the place to be, and he had a connection through his father, who was at one time in the motion picture distribution business with Lewis Selznick. And through that connection, Niven met Lewis's son, David. It was David who brought Niven out to Hollywood.
David Selznick soon secured work for Busch at Warner Brothers, and Busch decamped to Los Angeles to write his first film, Howard Hawk's The Crowd Roars (1932).
By the early 1940s, Busch was chief story editor for independent producer Sam Goldwyn. During his stint with Goldwyn, Busch met and married contract actress Teresa Wright. For 21 years he was a screenwriter at such studios as Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Goldwyn, Paramount and Universal, scripting movies which included The Big Shakedown (1934) staring Bette Davis, The Man With Two Faces (1934) staring Edward G. Robinson, and He Was Her Man (1934) staring James Cagney. He was nominated for an Academy Award for best original screenplay for In Old Chicago (1937), a film based on his story We the O'Learys, which climaxed with the Chicago fire of 1871 and one of the most expensive films made at the time. In 1940 he co-wrote The Westerner for director William Wyler and producer Sam Goldwyn. Soon thereafter he went to work as Goldwyn's story editor, recommending Pride of the Yankees (1942), in which Gary Cooper and Teresa Wright starred.
Another notable film of the period, for which Busch produced and wrote the original screenplay, was Pursued (1947) staring Robert Mitchum and Teresa Wright, one of the first psychological Westerns with “noir” overtones. Around the same time, Busch also adapted the noir thriller The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), for Metro- Goldwyn Mayer. The Furies (1950), from Busch's novel, attracted some scorn for its "Freudian excesses". However, says the London Times, "Busch was always shrewd and knew exactly what he was doing".
"I always wanted to write a novel. I started two or three, then dropped them when a film job came along. I finally figured out the problem: when I was writing a novel no one was paying." But he did find time in 1939; The Carrington Incident, published in 1941, was followed by the best-seller Duel in the Sun (1944), which was purchased by David Selznick and turned into the 1946 blockbuster of the same title. He now alternated between the writing of screenplays and novels, most of w
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 23, 2022
Niven Busch’s 1948 novel The Furies is an unnerving Freudian Western with a sarsaparilla spritz of Greek and Shakespearean tragedy. Familiar tropes are pushed to archetypal extremes. Sprawling New Mexico ranch. Toxic cattle-baron patriarch. Cruel deceased matriarch. Three fucked-up siblings: two resentful sons and a ruthless daughter. Near-psychotic rage so thick you can cut it with a knife (or stab it with scissors). The basis for director Anthony Mann’s 1950 Western-noir. Busch, a prolific screenwriter as well as a popular novelist of the era, first fused psychoanalysis and sagebrush in his puzzle-perfect script for Raoul Walsh’s Pursued (1947). The Criterion Collection includes its own paperback reprint of Busch’s novel packaged alongside their DVD and Blu-ray of The Furies.
April 12, 2011
Found this by chance on the shelves at one of my branches. The description on the back intrigued me, so I gave it a go, and really enjoyed it. Unlike most traditional Westerns, this novel is deeply psychological, imbued with Freudian undertones. The main plot line concerns the tortured relationship between T.C. Jeffords, a ruthless New Mexico cattle baron, and his only daughter (and presumed heir), Vance. Vance is my favorite kind of heroine -- shrewd, flinty, and determined to get what she wants at any cost. Even though she makes some terrible decisions (as do pretty much all the characters in this book), you can't help but root for her. The plot meanders quite a bit, and the action often shifts unexpectedly from character to character -- this isn't a book I'd recommend to someone who's looking for a page-turner. However, if you love complicated, well-drawn characters and vividly detailed descriptions of rugged Western landscapes (and the interactions between the two), then you should definitely pick this one up. Busch is a master of description -- he can draw a life-like portrait of even the most minor character with a few well-chosen words.
To summarize: A moody, deeply psychological western populated by strong, complex characters. Highly recommended for fans of the TV series "Deadwood," "anti-western" westerns like "Warlock" by Oakley Hall, and "The Charm of the Highway Strip" by the Magnetic Fields.
To summarize: A moody, deeply psychological western populated by strong, complex characters. Highly recommended for fans of the TV series "Deadwood," "anti-western" westerns like "Warlock" by Oakley Hall, and "The Charm of the Highway Strip" by the Magnetic Fields.
September 14, 2010
a melodramatic western, originally published in 1948 and out of print since 1950 - until it was recently reissued alongside an american dvd-edition of the film version from 1950 with barbara stanwyck. i was interested in the film and did not realize that i got a novel with it until i opened the package. i decided to read the book first and thoroughly enjoyed it - a well written and suspenseful story centered around a big new mexico rancher and his daughter in the 1890s. lots of drama, lust and bloody revenge. the same author wrote duel in the sun, which was made into a (more famous) film with gregory peck in 1946 - the furies definitely made me want to go and search for a used copy of it.
May 27, 2022
The first novel I've ever read by Niven Busch, and it certainly won't be the last. His prose has a genuinely remarkable quality to it, with passages recalling the beauty of Ray Bradbury at his best, while still possessing an endearingly antiquated tone in line with the Western backdrop of the tale being told. I love the climactic passage, where Busch relates the story as if it's true, and drawn in part from conversations he had with the real Vance Jefford.
I'm also curious to revisit the film (which I don't remember very well at all) to see how much of what's in the book made it to the screen, and to parse the subtext that was perhaps layered beneath the image given the restrictions of the era. The whole thing is just a dense, impressively complex, and psychologically rich experience. Maybe I can just spend the rest of my life reading the great old Western novels that would go on to be adapted into great Western films.
I'm also curious to revisit the film (which I don't remember very well at all) to see how much of what's in the book made it to the screen, and to parse the subtext that was perhaps layered beneath the image given the restrictions of the era. The whole thing is just a dense, impressively complex, and psychologically rich experience. Maybe I can just spend the rest of my life reading the great old Western novels that would go on to be adapted into great Western films.
January 1, 2024
Teetering between a 2 and a 3, ultimately I went up because I liked the prose. The story, though...... It's weird. The three acts are oddly separated from each other -- the last one becomes suddenly about Vance's father, in such a way that I'm not sure if we are supposed to forget the previous two thirds of the novel to support him and find his death tragic?? I didn't! My sympathies are not so easily won back! -- and for all that the prose and sensibility of the book was quite introspective I feel like sometimes Vance truly just decided to feel things because the author wanted her to. Most importantly, Juan deserved better!!!! Thank goodness for the film, which does improve marvellously on the plot and pacing of this book, even if it still shafts Juan unforgiveably imo......
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2022
This is a superb little Western. The writing is intelligent and the characters are excellent. The story is a big ranch family saga with some interesting twists and lots of action. It is both a story of a ranch family and a bit of a love story but don't let that scare ya pardner. There are mean and angry things going on and you can hardly wait to turn the next page. Love, hate and bad blood flow in this novel. If you can find this old book it is well worth the read and that comes from someone who has read a ton of Westerns.
December 18, 2023
Electra-complex novel is interesting enough. There are a few scenes that will definitely stick with me for a while and for something that clearly wasn't meant to be consumed as high art there's a real attention to the details necessary to bring a scene to life. At times omniscient, other times acting as more of a fallible information-gatherer after the fact, the narration has got a cool Western flavor to it, complete with astonishingly open racism.
December 27, 2025
Busch's attempts at characterization are immediately identifiable as an attempt at Dostoevskian psychology; a description of a character's inner life and the events that constantly inform it without relying on direct narration of their internal monologue. Unfortunately, Busch's story is so melodramatic and his perspective so orthodox that the novel never fully captivates. It's like Busch has set up a white picket fence around his novel and keeps running into it. All that's left for him to do is take his rather paltry characters and try to play at mythmaking with them, whic doesn't really work in a 300-page novel that relies on too few motifs for characterization.
August 29, 2021
Forgot to log this. Got the criterion collection of the furies film and it came with the book so obviously I read the book. Still need to watch the movie. I liked the book but didn’t love it.
May 4, 2022
I prefer the movie.
July 15, 2025
Pulp page turner, a few too many iniquities for me, but very cool of Criterion to include the novel with their blu-ray release of the movie.
August 28, 2008
It must be said that I am not a big fan of westerns. Dry, dusty, and slow passing time is not my strongsuit to imagine a world to read about but fortunately my roomie would not let mewatch the accompanying film without first reading the book. One of the most complicated plotlines I have read in a while, I never wanted to put the book down (except for the time I lost it...). Vance Jefford, a daddy's girl, does all that her father asks of her until when she wants to marry and he dislikes her choice in mates. She accepts his decision but when he decides to remarry she is left with feelings of betrayel and jealousy, in an attempt to murder her she stabs her in the dark and runs away to the country in search of a former lover, who she then marries. Unfortunately her father has a score to settle and finds a reason to hang her husband. Consumed with a hate that is blinding she conceives a plan to destroy her father, but when the act is carried through she is left with a cold feeling of disappointment and the sudden loss of her father. Vance Jefford is no ordinary dame in the New Mexico territory, with a business acumen that rivals the men she is a highly individualized and possibly high maintanence lead who is a good role model for all women today. Highly entertaining and action packed book and only makes me want to view the movie more so than ever.
Want to read
May 12, 2012
In The Movie: Starring: Barbara Stanwyck as Vance
Note: Stanwyck was playing a 19 year old but she was 42 or 43 when this movie was filmed-and still looked freaking fantastic.
May 12, 2009
This book came with Criterion movie "The Furies". I decided to take book instead of movie. If you can get a copy of this you should. It's basically every prime time TV drama, think Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest...Set in mid-1800's New Mexico ranch land. There's an uneasy, queasy relationship between the father and his only worthy heir, daughter. Add in the the mix a ton of jealousy, sex, cruelty and the father's new mistress. Now you have drama in New Mexico.
If you skip the book, see the movie. Barbara Stanwyck as the daughter...perfect.
If you skip the book, see the movie. Barbara Stanwyck as the daughter...perfect.
May 9, 2011
Vance Jefford is the daughter of New Mexico cattle baron Temple Caddy Jefford, fondly known as TC. Vance rejects the traditional stereotypical female role and becomes TC's right hand man, learning all she can about business tactics. Even love becomes secondary, and perhaps Vance learns these lessons from her beloved patriarch a bit too well.
A western with a strong female protagonist may seem like an oxymoron but Busch pulls it off masterfully.
Hot passion, jealousy and ruthlessness are all endemic to this thundering saga of the old American west.
A western with a strong female protagonist may seem like an oxymoron but Busch pulls it off masterfully.
Hot passion, jealousy and ruthlessness are all endemic to this thundering saga of the old American west.
December 28, 2014
Slow start, is underwritten in spots; finally got to that SCISSORS scene they've always teased me with in film clips. Hoping Barbara Stanwyck will be just a bit more fun. Finishes okay though. Maybe I'll read this author's DUEL IN THE SUN, and see how that matches with the fun Jones-Peck-Cotton-Gish film.
July 17, 2013
Filled with scenes of the rugged New Mexico landscape of the late 19th century as well as ranch life, horses, twisted characters both major and minor, and the drama of revenge and murder. Yahoo! An old noir western that is dark and passionate, and, above all, entertaining.
April 16, 2015
An old dark and passionate Western with a strong female protagonist who has an uneasy relationship with her father. Busch has written this masterfully. Twisted characters plus revenge and murder equal entertaining drama.
March 9, 2015
An old dark and passionate Western with a strong female protagonist who has an uneasy relationship with her father. Busch has written this masterfully. Twisted characters plus revenge and murder equal entertaining drama.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews