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Hondo
He was etched by the desert’s howling winds, a big, broad-shouldered man who knew the ways of the Apache and the ways of staying alive. She was a woman alone raising a young son on a remote Arizona ranch. And between Hondo Lane and Angie Lowe was the warrior Vittoro, whose people were preparing to rise against the white men. Now the pioneer woman, the gunman, and the Apache warrior are caught in a drama of love, war, and honor.
179 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1953
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9578 people want to read
About the author
Louis L'Amour
999 books3,497 followersLouis Dearborn L'Amour was an American novelist and short story writer. His books consisted primarily of Western novels, though he called his work "frontier stories". His most widely known Western fiction works include Last of the Breed, Hondo, Shalako, and the Sackett series. L'Amour also wrote historical fiction (The Walking Drum), science fiction (The Haunted Mesa), non-fiction (Frontier), and poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into films. His books remain popular and most have gone through multiple printings. At the time of his death, almost all of his 105 existing works (89 novels, 14 short-story collections, and two full-length works of nonfiction) were still in print, and he was "one of the world's most popular writers".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 995 reviews
November 30, 2024
Hondo Lane, a tough chain smoker , a man, (don't condemn him this is the 19th Century when it was considered good for you) without any deep roots . He is living day to day in the harsh southwest U.S. Hondo loses his horse, during an Indian ambush he is lucky though keeping his precious hair. This the long ago time of the 1870's in Apache territory, Arizona before becoming a state, not a good day for sight seeing the scorching desert will kill you as well as the natives. The loner walks carrying his saddle and with the faithful mongrel dog, Sam, the only possessions he cherishes. Sam he loves his only friend along seeking help, good fortune occurs finding a lonely ranch hidden below in a basin. Meeting the surprising gentle lady in this unforgiving territory Angie Lowe a sad woman the long suffering
abandoned wife, not bad looking either and her son, who Sam quickly bites. Strangely attracted to this woman makes Hondo uneasy, yes a romantic western the main reason for the book's continued popularity. Ed, Mrs. Lowe 's crooked, no good husband would rather steal than work hard in his little modest ranch, profits are scarce . And with fierce Vittoro the Apache leader on the warpath, Lane wants to take her and the boy to safety she declines insisting the Indians are friendly. The two main characters attraction to each other gives this narrative the drive nothing else matters. The plot breaks down to three men, Hondo, Ed and Vittorio wanting the same female, a proper term is lusting, with a little fighting to make interesting the story . Naturally somebody has to be eliminated for a happy ending, make that two okay. This classic book made Louis L' Amour's fame, and wealth came with a distinguished career, hundreds of millions of novels sold will do that. Writers can entertain, even enlighten but few can do both not a darling of the critics however they are not infallible disliking Moby Dick among others, only time is the ultimate judge of worth. Western fans will enjoy this book after seeing the better known film with John Wayne, the breathtaking... ...cinematography especially on the big screen is worth the price of the ticket. The colors are so vivid the audience will be taken from the dark room to the arid deserts of the southwest U.S. The red-sands of Monument Valley are so exotic the eyes believe this is Mars.
abandoned wife, not bad looking either and her son, who Sam quickly bites. Strangely attracted to this woman makes Hondo uneasy, yes a romantic western the main reason for the book's continued popularity. Ed, Mrs. Lowe 's crooked, no good husband would rather steal than work hard in his little modest ranch, profits are scarce . And with fierce Vittoro the Apache leader on the warpath, Lane wants to take her and the boy to safety she declines insisting the Indians are friendly. The two main characters attraction to each other gives this narrative the drive nothing else matters. The plot breaks down to three men, Hondo, Ed and Vittorio wanting the same female, a proper term is lusting, with a little fighting to make interesting the story . Naturally somebody has to be eliminated for a happy ending, make that two okay. This classic book made Louis L' Amour's fame, and wealth came with a distinguished career, hundreds of millions of novels sold will do that. Writers can entertain, even enlighten but few can do both not a darling of the critics however they are not infallible disliking Moby Dick among others, only time is the ultimate judge of worth. Western fans will enjoy this book after seeing the better known film with John Wayne, the breathtaking... ...cinematography especially on the big screen is worth the price of the ticket. The colors are so vivid the audience will be taken from the dark room to the arid deserts of the southwest U.S. The red-sands of Monument Valley are so exotic the eyes believe this is Mars.
February 27, 2019
Hondo was author Louis L’Amour’s 1953 publication, and shares with Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey the distinction of actually being a novelization of a successful film. The 1953 film starring John Wayne and Geraldine Page was actually based upon a short story by L’Amour entitled “The Gift of Cochise”.
The narrative follows loner western icon Hondo Lane in his dealings with General Crook’s command, the local Apache tribes and a romantic contact with Mrs. Angie Lowe. Set in the 1870s or 1880s in the inhospitable southwest, L’Amour describes the events in his lean, but vivid style. Told with surprising warmth and emotional sensitivity (for a western) some of the more memorable scenes are not fighting but Hondo’s interactions with and his dynamic relationship with Lowe and her young son Johnny. L’Amour also does a better than average job at portraying the Apaches as more than marauding savages and this objective empathy adds depth to his story.
I tend to be a literary omnivore, enjoying writing in various and sundry genres and Hondo was described by none other than John Wayne as being the finest western he’d ever read. Strong praise from a notable source. This is a fine western and also a very enjoyable book for any genre.
The narrative follows loner western icon Hondo Lane in his dealings with General Crook’s command, the local Apache tribes and a romantic contact with Mrs. Angie Lowe. Set in the 1870s or 1880s in the inhospitable southwest, L’Amour describes the events in his lean, but vivid style. Told with surprising warmth and emotional sensitivity (for a western) some of the more memorable scenes are not fighting but Hondo’s interactions with and his dynamic relationship with Lowe and her young son Johnny. L’Amour also does a better than average job at portraying the Apaches as more than marauding savages and this objective empathy adds depth to his story.
I tend to be a literary omnivore, enjoying writing in various and sundry genres and Hondo was described by none other than John Wayne as being the finest western he’d ever read. Strong praise from a notable source. This is a fine western and also a very enjoyable book for any genre.
May 6, 2016
I'd just finished a terrible western and needed to get the taste out of my mouth. Louis L'Amour to the rescue!
Hondo Lane is a man's man. He's a half-breed drifter. He's a loner who's never alone, because he is at one with the hardscrabble land of the old west.
Is an abandoned and soon-to-be-widowed woman and her young son just the sort of temptation to lure Hondo into a tied-to-the-homestead existence? And what of the restless Apache's in the area? Hondo is nominally attached to the white man's military scouting party, who is suddenly at odds with the indians once again. Can Hondo be the peacemaker or will he just end up another piece in the U.S.'s westward push?
All of these questions and more are answered, some satisfactorily and some are left intentionally vague, gray areas under the impossibly blue skies of the mid-1800s southwest.
Great descriptions, good action and colorful characters abound in Hondo, one of L'Amour's most famous works. There are times when you the reader feel as if you're right there in the middle of the parched landscape, hunkered down between two boulders expecting attack at any moment. At other times, the boredom and languor of such an isolated life takes ahold of you for better or worse.
Not everything between the covers of this book is well-written. Some of it is a bit pulpy. Some of it is a bit misogynistic. Most heinous of all, some of it is just dull. L'Amour could set a western scene with the best of them, but sometimes that didn't translate to good reading. Descriptions of the desert or prairie could go on too long.
Despite its failings, Hondo is a classic tough-guy western that will probably be enjoyed by anyone still reading this review.
Rating: This falls somewhere in the 3.5 to 4 range for me. Figured I'd give it the benefit of the fourth star since the reading experience was mostly enjoyable.
Side Note: My first guitar was made by Hondo, a guitar company named after the John Wayne movie based on this book. My guitar was as big and cantankerous as Wayne, but I was 15, in love with playing the guitar and the unwieldy thing was mine, so of course I loved it!
Hondo Lane is a man's man. He's a half-breed drifter. He's a loner who's never alone, because he is at one with the hardscrabble land of the old west.
Is an abandoned and soon-to-be-widowed woman and her young son just the sort of temptation to lure Hondo into a tied-to-the-homestead existence? And what of the restless Apache's in the area? Hondo is nominally attached to the white man's military scouting party, who is suddenly at odds with the indians once again. Can Hondo be the peacemaker or will he just end up another piece in the U.S.'s westward push?
All of these questions and more are answered, some satisfactorily and some are left intentionally vague, gray areas under the impossibly blue skies of the mid-1800s southwest.
Great descriptions, good action and colorful characters abound in Hondo, one of L'Amour's most famous works. There are times when you the reader feel as if you're right there in the middle of the parched landscape, hunkered down between two boulders expecting attack at any moment. At other times, the boredom and languor of such an isolated life takes ahold of you for better or worse.
Not everything between the covers of this book is well-written. Some of it is a bit pulpy. Some of it is a bit misogynistic. Most heinous of all, some of it is just dull. L'Amour could set a western scene with the best of them, but sometimes that didn't translate to good reading. Descriptions of the desert or prairie could go on too long.
Despite its failings, Hondo is a classic tough-guy western that will probably be enjoyed by anyone still reading this review.
Rating: This falls somewhere in the 3.5 to 4 range for me. Figured I'd give it the benefit of the fourth star since the reading experience was mostly enjoyable.
Side Note: My first guitar was made by Hondo, a guitar company named after the John Wayne movie based on this book. My guitar was as big and cantankerous as Wayne, but I was 15, in love with playing the guitar and the unwieldy thing was mine, so of course I loved it!
June 20, 2023
"He did not move. Patience at such a time was more than a virtue, it was the price of survival. Often the first to move was the first to die."
3.75🌟's
Initial Thoughts
June on the Range continues for me with Hondo by Louis L'Amour. I'm, without doubt, a fan of Westerns after being brought up on those Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood movies. But these days, it's somewhat of a dying genre. Nowhere near as popular as it was in the seventies or eighties. So I jumped at the chance to get back into the genre and hopefully share my love.
But shockingly I've yet to read a book from L'Amour. Now i know he's probably the bestselling author in the western genre having sold over two hundred million books before he passed away. So it's well over due. And with one of the specific requirements of the challenge being to read something by him, I just couldn't get away from it. So I decided to start with his first 'big' novel, Hondo, which was the novelisation of a movie starring 'the Duke' John Wayne, which was based on a shot story L'Amour wrote called 'the gift of Conchise.' It looked the perfect place to start.
The Story
I'd best describe Hondo as a western romance and if you know me, then you know I'm not a big fan of romance. Or any sort of fan for that matter. But there is certainly more to this story.
We begin in the late 1800's with Angie Lowe, a rancher who has been abandoned by her cheating, lowlife, snake of a husband. She's doing her best to raise her son, Johnny, and run the farm in Apache territory on her own. When Hondo Lane arrives in need of a horse and willing to work his ass off to get one he strikes a deal with the lady and things are looking good. Hondo is an Army dispatch rider and tough as nails but takes a shine to young Johnny, taking him under his wing. Could he be the father the young boy desperately needs?
But when Hondo leaves to ride back to the Fort it looks like that could be the end of this story. Until he comes across a brutal Apache attack and realises Chief Vittoro is on the warpath. He then vows to return back to Annie's ranch to protect the woman and child.
"Hondo Lane could smell trouble, and he knew it was coming, for others and for himself."
The Writing
Louis L'Amour is not a western writer of the calibre of Larry McMurtry or Cormac McCarthy. His literary style or ability to build character is not on the same level. But he is a fantastic storyteller. He has an honest style and writes with a clear passion. His knowledge and understanding of the history and lifestyle is impressive and his description of the Arizona landscape can be breathtaking at times.
Despite being heavy with the romance, L'Amour keeps the plot pretty fast moving and I was never bored. There was some fantastic action scenes and the tension built throughout. This certainly made up for the romantic stuff and at least there weren't any awkward sex scenes as things were kept smut free. That might not please everyone though, I know what you lot are like.
"Nothing moved. It was a far, lost land, a land of beige-grey silences and distance where the eye reached out farther and farther to lose itself finally against the sky, and where the only movement was the lazy swing of a remote buzzard."
The Characters
Compare Hondo to Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove and it's on a completely different level in terms of character development. They're not the most developed or fleshed out but they were engaging in terms of what they represented.
Hondo has no family and no friends and is a stoic figure who has experience of the Apache lifestyle after having lived with them. He represents what it means to be a man and is a tough customer who's resourceful and self sufficient. But he may not be in touch with his emotional side. Although when those Apaches turn up that turns out to be a really good thing.
Angie is a strong woman who is getting by on her own without the help of her feckless husband. Hondo can't get his head around how a man could just walk out on such a fine lady. But she's conflicted with her emotions and who can blame her after what she's been through. Despite all this, she recognises the positive impact a man like Hondo can have on her son. The different things he can teach Johnny and the admiration that the boy has for him. These are clearly different times but it demonstrates the need a child has for a father.
Then there's the Apache's, who L'Amour certainly doesn't paint in a completely different light. There's a real sense of empathy for them and they possess a strong sense of community and honour. The chief, Vittoro, is wise with his own codes and a willingness to see issues from different perspectives. He recognises the bravery in Johnny and admires him for it. Silva on the other hand is brutal and uncaring, showing the more violent side of the Apaches.
Final Thoughts
Overall Hondo is a cracking good story and that is what L'Amour wanted to give us more than anything else. It can get a little romance heavy and does have a bit of an abrupt ending but I did have a great time with it and I'm up for reading more from this author.
I know Brian Lee Durffee on YouTube raves about this author and he is usually on the money when it comes to the books. Has anyone read Louis L'Amour and if you have what would you recommend I read next?
That's the end of this one. Thanks for reading and...cheers!
February 7, 2022
A classic story of violence, loneliness and romance
Hondo is widely considered to be one of Louis L'Amour best novels and the classic movie based upon the original short story to be one of John Wayne's best roles. I concur with both assessments. Apparently John Wayne was instrumental in encouraging L'Amour to expand the story and movie script into a novel.
The action is set in the desert southwest in the midst of the Apache wars. Apache chief Vittoro is determined that no whites will be left in Apache territory. The whites, of course, are determined to survive and prevail. War is inevitable.
Hondo Lane, with a reputation as a gunman, is a courier and scout for the army. Escaping from a band of Apaches, he comes across a lonely ranch deep inside Indian territory. The only residents a young woman and her child abandoned by her husband. The scene is set for romance, war, violence and struggles for survival. Both Apache and white.
L'Amour writes of the Indian as a brutal enemy but with sympathy. His descriptions of the desert are well done. A small sample:
"It was hot. A few lost, cotton-ball bunches of cloud drifted in a brassy sky, leaving rare islands of shadow upon the desert’s face. Nothing moved. It was a far, lost land, a land of beige-gray silences and distance where the eye reached out farther and farther to lose itself finally against the sky, and where the only movement was the lazy swing of a remote buzzard."
Hondo is widely considered to be one of Louis L'Amour best novels and the classic movie based upon the original short story to be one of John Wayne's best roles. I concur with both assessments. Apparently John Wayne was instrumental in encouraging L'Amour to expand the story and movie script into a novel.
The action is set in the desert southwest in the midst of the Apache wars. Apache chief Vittoro is determined that no whites will be left in Apache territory. The whites, of course, are determined to survive and prevail. War is inevitable.
Hondo Lane, with a reputation as a gunman, is a courier and scout for the army. Escaping from a band of Apaches, he comes across a lonely ranch deep inside Indian territory. The only residents a young woman and her child abandoned by her husband. The scene is set for romance, war, violence and struggles for survival. Both Apache and white.
L'Amour writes of the Indian as a brutal enemy but with sympathy. His descriptions of the desert are well done. A small sample:
"It was hot. A few lost, cotton-ball bunches of cloud drifted in a brassy sky, leaving rare islands of shadow upon the desert’s face. Nothing moved. It was a far, lost land, a land of beige-gray silences and distance where the eye reached out farther and farther to lose itself finally against the sky, and where the only movement was the lazy swing of a remote buzzard."
April 8, 2017
The first novel written by Louis L'Amour. What a story. John Wayne called this the best Western ever written. Maybe the statement is a bit over the top. The descriptions of the Arizona desert verge on the poetic. At its heart the book is the story of Hondo Lane, cavalary scout and dispatch rider and a woman and her son living in Apache territory. There is no stereotyping of the Apache here. Some are decent some are not. Same is true of the white men.
There is a reason L'Amour was and is still years after his death one of the best selling authors of all time.
There is a reason L'Amour was and is still years after his death one of the best selling authors of all time.
April 12, 2024
Hondo by Louis l'Amour revolves around a soldier set in the 1870s who must come to terms with his place in the dusty, violent, and sun-soaked Wild West.
If your idea of a good time involves spurs, bar-brawls, high-noon fights, Apache politics, and taming bucking mustangs, this book is for you.
But wait! It’s not just a testosterone-filled Stetson tipping, six-gun flinging tumble on the frontier. It has a genuine love-at-first-sight sideline. Hondo stumbles across a prairie owner named Angie. Can a young widow and her son warm the heart of the stoic, half white man, half Apache?
It’s a rootin' tootin' good time!
You’re probably wondering if Hon-do or Hon-don’t stay with Angie and Johnny. Well, not at first; she might be married and waiting for her husband to return. Plus, he has some unfinished business to attend to.
So, while Hondo is away, the Apaches want to set up an arranged marriage or pairing because they believe Johnny should not grow up without the requisite “man” skills. I.e. Horse taming, fighting, scalping, etc.
Will Hondo find out what happened to Angie’s husband? Will Hondo return to help Angie? Will the battle for land be resolved?
Thoughts: Howdy! If you made it this far, welcome, friend. 🤠 Westerns were my father’s favorite books, and heck, he probably read this one to me when I was a baby. It is fairly straight- forward, easy to read, and you can see everything coming from a hop, skip, and jump away. That does not mean it does not have a bit of heart. I truly felt sorry for Hondo, and I appreciated the observational attraction Angie made towards him. It’s your average helping on the farm, tending the horses, and teaching the young boy, but it was effective and slightly plucked the heart strings.
These types of western stories have been engrained in me from a very early age, so it was sort of ordinary for me, but it was fun being in the genre for a few hundred pages.
🎵| Soundtrack |🎵
❖ Hank Williams – Alone and Forsaken
❖ Waylon Jennings - Highwayman
❖ Toby Keith – Should’ve Been a Cowboy
⭐ | Rating | ⭐
❖ 3 out of 5 ❖
If your idea of a good time involves spurs, bar-brawls, high-noon fights, Apache politics, and taming bucking mustangs, this book is for you.
But wait! It’s not just a testosterone-filled Stetson tipping, six-gun flinging tumble on the frontier. It has a genuine love-at-first-sight sideline. Hondo stumbles across a prairie owner named Angie. Can a young widow and her son warm the heart of the stoic, half white man, half Apache?
It’s a rootin' tootin' good time!
You’re probably wondering if Hon-do or Hon-don’t stay with Angie and Johnny. Well, not at first; she might be married and waiting for her husband to return. Plus, he has some unfinished business to attend to.
So, while Hondo is away, the Apaches want to set up an arranged marriage or pairing because they believe Johnny should not grow up without the requisite “man” skills. I.e. Horse taming, fighting, scalping, etc.
Will Hondo find out what happened to Angie’s husband? Will Hondo return to help Angie? Will the battle for land be resolved?
Thoughts: Howdy! If you made it this far, welcome, friend. 🤠 Westerns were my father’s favorite books, and heck, he probably read this one to me when I was a baby. It is fairly straight- forward, easy to read, and you can see everything coming from a hop, skip, and jump away. That does not mean it does not have a bit of heart. I truly felt sorry for Hondo, and I appreciated the observational attraction Angie made towards him. It’s your average helping on the farm, tending the horses, and teaching the young boy, but it was effective and slightly plucked the heart strings.
These types of western stories have been engrained in me from a very early age, so it was sort of ordinary for me, but it was fun being in the genre for a few hundred pages.
🎵| Soundtrack |🎵
❖ Hank Williams – Alone and Forsaken
❖ Waylon Jennings - Highwayman
❖ Toby Keith – Should’ve Been a Cowboy
⭐ | Rating | ⭐
❖ 3 out of 5 ❖
April 7, 2023
Hondo
Pues otra muy buena novela del oeste, un género castigado por relatos cortos de fin de semana que le dieron una fama inmerecida. Pero que, si se busca, se encuentran obras que no tienen nada que envidiar a otros géneros.
En esta novela de apenas 200 páginas encontramos los ingredientes necesarios para pasar unos ratos entretenidos.
La historia sigue a Hondo Lane, un personaje solitario que hace de correo para el ejército. Pierde su caballo y acaba en un rancho donde se encuentra con Angie Lowe y su hijo en medio del territorio apache. Hondo decide ayudarles y, al poco, surge una atracción entre ambos. La trama se desarrolla a través de una serie de encuentros peligrosos y emocionantes que enfrentan a Hondo con los apaches y a los demás personajes con los peligros del salvaje oeste.
Novela que resalta al pueblo indio poniendo en valor su lealtad y su forma de entender la verdad y el engaño. Se hizo una película de esta novela con el mismo título, protagonizada por John Wayne y Geraldine Page.
Pues otra muy buena novela del oeste, un género castigado por relatos cortos de fin de semana que le dieron una fama inmerecida. Pero que, si se busca, se encuentran obras que no tienen nada que envidiar a otros géneros.
En esta novela de apenas 200 páginas encontramos los ingredientes necesarios para pasar unos ratos entretenidos.
La historia sigue a Hondo Lane, un personaje solitario que hace de correo para el ejército. Pierde su caballo y acaba en un rancho donde se encuentra con Angie Lowe y su hijo en medio del territorio apache. Hondo decide ayudarles y, al poco, surge una atracción entre ambos. La trama se desarrolla a través de una serie de encuentros peligrosos y emocionantes que enfrentan a Hondo con los apaches y a los demás personajes con los peligros del salvaje oeste.
Novela que resalta al pueblo indio poniendo en valor su lealtad y su forma de entender la verdad y el engaño. Se hizo una película de esta novela con el mismo título, protagonizada por John Wayne y Geraldine Page.
May 19, 2016
"What do we have here? The story of a lonely man hiding his loneliness behind a cloak of independence, a man as bleak as the land over which he rode, yet beneath the harshness and the necessary violence, a kind man, a just man, a man who had come to terms with the land in which he lived."
Hondo Lane is a gunman, a survivor, riding dispatch for General George Crook commander of the Army's forces in the Southwest. Crook valued men like Hondo--men of mixed blood, who knew the ways of the Apache. In the late 1870's Arizona's Chiricahua Mountains were a hard land, a land that could feed and shelter those who understood it, but a land that could kill the unwary or the weak. The price of survival was constant vigilance.
"He smelled the stale sweat of his body, the smells of tobacco, horse and greasewood smoke that lived with him. A fly lighted on the back of his hand, he heard the sound of water running over stones. Around him were the grey bones of a long dead tree. His shoulder cramped. There was no movement; only a small bird started to land in a clump of brush, then veered away...and Hondo took a chance..."
There is a visceral realism to L'Amour's descriptions. You feel every moment of tense expectation.
For lovers of action adventure stories Hondo packs a punch--and the villain is such low-life scum that I was cheering every blow.
L'Amour's descriptions of the land make me want to head West: "The sun was down but it was still light, and the air was turning cool with the desert night. Long streaks of red remained in the sky, and on the western edge of a cloud there was a blush of old rose. Pale yellow light lingered on the topmost leaves of the cottonwoods and their leaves whispered in the dry way they have."
There is also a very believable and satisfying romance with an admirable heroine. Angie Lowe, like Hondo, is a fighter, a woman raising a young son alone on a ranch her father built. Her husband has disappeared leaving her to fend for herself in Apache country. Hondo sees the care with which the stone house was built, but also the neglect of the hardest jobs that only a man could do. "He read more into the place than she would have believed. There had been a lot of work done here, good solid work that a man could be proud of...but that had been a long time ago. Since then the place had been had been slowly running into the ground, and here and there were the fixings of a man who was shiftless, a rawhider if ever he saw one."
Angie is drawn to the stranger. "She liked listening to his voice. It was slow, somehow restful, and underlying his words there was understanding, compassion. There was none of this you-get-along-on-your-own-or-die feeling. She had seen too much of that. The more people had, the more they felt that way. But this man had known loneliness and hardship."
Hondo, carrying dispatches about a likely Apache uprising tries to convince Angie to leave her farm. "We've always got along splendidly with the Apaches," Angie argues. But Hondo counters that was before "We broke that treaty....There's no word in the Apache language for 'lie', and they've been lied to. If they rise there won't be a live white in the territory."
The Apache wars are the backdrop for Hondo and Angie's story and the book is filled with accurate details about the military campaigns....
And fierce fighting that left few survivors.
There are good and bad men on both sides, men of weakness and men of high courage. Vittoro, the Apache chief who plays a major part in the story, is based on the war chief dubbed Victorio by white settlers. Like Hondo, Vittoro is a man of honor, a man of his word who respects courage and sacrifice.
I won't give away more of the story because it's a splendid one. Four and a half stars rounded up because it was pure escapist pleasure and because it is such fun to rediscover a genre that I'd long abandoned. This is my first Louis L'Amour and I've already ordered two more.
Content PG: Killing, fighting, scalping, racial language, but no sex except for a great kiss and a fade to desert starlight love scene.
Hondo Lane is a gunman, a survivor, riding dispatch for General George Crook commander of the Army's forces in the Southwest. Crook valued men like Hondo--men of mixed blood, who knew the ways of the Apache. In the late 1870's Arizona's Chiricahua Mountains were a hard land, a land that could feed and shelter those who understood it, but a land that could kill the unwary or the weak. The price of survival was constant vigilance.
"He smelled the stale sweat of his body, the smells of tobacco, horse and greasewood smoke that lived with him. A fly lighted on the back of his hand, he heard the sound of water running over stones. Around him were the grey bones of a long dead tree. His shoulder cramped. There was no movement; only a small bird started to land in a clump of brush, then veered away...and Hondo took a chance..."
There is a visceral realism to L'Amour's descriptions. You feel every moment of tense expectation.
For lovers of action adventure stories Hondo packs a punch--and the villain is such low-life scum that I was cheering every blow.
L'Amour's descriptions of the land make me want to head West: "The sun was down but it was still light, and the air was turning cool with the desert night. Long streaks of red remained in the sky, and on the western edge of a cloud there was a blush of old rose. Pale yellow light lingered on the topmost leaves of the cottonwoods and their leaves whispered in the dry way they have."
There is also a very believable and satisfying romance with an admirable heroine. Angie Lowe, like Hondo, is a fighter, a woman raising a young son alone on a ranch her father built. Her husband has disappeared leaving her to fend for herself in Apache country. Hondo sees the care with which the stone house was built, but also the neglect of the hardest jobs that only a man could do. "He read more into the place than she would have believed. There had been a lot of work done here, good solid work that a man could be proud of...but that had been a long time ago. Since then the place had been had been slowly running into the ground, and here and there were the fixings of a man who was shiftless, a rawhider if ever he saw one."
Angie is drawn to the stranger. "She liked listening to his voice. It was slow, somehow restful, and underlying his words there was understanding, compassion. There was none of this you-get-along-on-your-own-or-die feeling. She had seen too much of that. The more people had, the more they felt that way. But this man had known loneliness and hardship."
Hondo, carrying dispatches about a likely Apache uprising tries to convince Angie to leave her farm. "We've always got along splendidly with the Apaches," Angie argues. But Hondo counters that was before "We broke that treaty....There's no word in the Apache language for 'lie', and they've been lied to. If they rise there won't be a live white in the territory."
The Apache wars are the backdrop for Hondo and Angie's story and the book is filled with accurate details about the military campaigns....
And fierce fighting that left few survivors.
There are good and bad men on both sides, men of weakness and men of high courage. Vittoro, the Apache chief who plays a major part in the story, is based on the war chief dubbed Victorio by white settlers. Like Hondo, Vittoro is a man of honor, a man of his word who respects courage and sacrifice.
I won't give away more of the story because it's a splendid one. Four and a half stars rounded up because it was pure escapist pleasure and because it is such fun to rediscover a genre that I'd long abandoned. This is my first Louis L'Amour and I've already ordered two more.
Content PG: Killing, fighting, scalping, racial language, but no sex except for a great kiss and a fade to desert starlight love scene.
February 4, 2011
Library book...moves to the head of the line, top of the list...read it first (or, err, listen to it) and take it back!
I had forgotten just how good (er, proficient) a writer Louis L'Amour was. I think that sometimes "we readers" those of us who read general fiction, other genres or read somewhat more eclectically may tend to look down on westerns a bit. Not a good thing to do. We miss some excellent reads. While there are things here that don't thrill me as such there is also a good story and at times some actually inspired prose.
(I don't believe what follows is a spoiler as it refers to a minor character but if you don't want to chance it skip the rest of the paragraph) There is a character who suddenly realizes that he's met his death as he turns and looks down the barrel of an Apache's rifle. His regret at the waste he's made of his life, his sense of loss, it's all palpable here. The description of what he sees and his emotions and his thoughts are done exceptionally and it struck me how beautifully it was actually written.
This will be a familiar story to many as if you've seen the John Wayne movie this is one of those rare cases where the movie follows the book almost scene by scene and actually does a good job. The story follows Hondo as he meets Mrs. Lowe and her son after he barely escapes an Apache ambush. The tale of these three and all the other characters is told here in a way that holds interest with neither the adventure nor the romance overwhelming the other. Good book. I enjoyed it and recommend it.
I had forgotten just how good (er, proficient) a writer Louis L'Amour was. I think that sometimes "we readers" those of us who read general fiction, other genres or read somewhat more eclectically may tend to look down on westerns a bit. Not a good thing to do. We miss some excellent reads. While there are things here that don't thrill me as such there is also a good story and at times some actually inspired prose.
(I don't believe what follows is a spoiler as it refers to a minor character but if you don't want to chance it skip the rest of the paragraph) There is a character who suddenly realizes that he's met his death as he turns and looks down the barrel of an Apache's rifle. His regret at the waste he's made of his life, his sense of loss, it's all palpable here. The description of what he sees and his emotions and his thoughts are done exceptionally and it struck me how beautifully it was actually written.
This will be a familiar story to many as if you've seen the John Wayne movie this is one of those rare cases where the movie follows the book almost scene by scene and actually does a good job. The story follows Hondo as he meets Mrs. Lowe and her son after he barely escapes an Apache ambush. The tale of these three and all the other characters is told here in a way that holds interest with neither the adventure nor the romance overwhelming the other. Good book. I enjoyed it and recommend it.
March 24, 2018
This was a novelization of the 1953 film starring John Wayne and Geraldine Page which was based on Louis L'Amour's short story "The Gift of Cochise". The story revolves around 4 people ... Hondo Lane, Angie Lowe and her son Johnny, and the Apache chief Vittoro.
Hondo Lane is an army scout and dispatch rider who loses his horse in an encounter with a couple of Apaches. He makes his way to an isolated ranch where he encounters Angie Lowe and her son Johnny who were left alone when Angie's husband, Ed, disappeared. Some of the most engaging parts of this story are the interactions between Hondo and Angie, Hondo and Johnny. Also, the author does an admirable job portraying Vittoro and the Apaches as something other than savages. There is no class distinction here. Some of the cowboys are good and some are bad. Some of the Apaches are good and some are bad. You can't judge by ethnicity.
Life in Arizona in the 1800's was not easy. Louis L'Amour may not be a Nobel Prize winning author but he was a great storyteller. One of the things I enjoy when I read one of his books was his ability to describe a scene in such a way that you feel as though you are there. You can picture the desert, hear the coyote, feel the fear when situations became tense.
Hondo Lane is an army scout and dispatch rider who loses his horse in an encounter with a couple of Apaches. He makes his way to an isolated ranch where he encounters Angie Lowe and her son Johnny who were left alone when Angie's husband, Ed, disappeared. Some of the most engaging parts of this story are the interactions between Hondo and Angie, Hondo and Johnny. Also, the author does an admirable job portraying Vittoro and the Apaches as something other than savages. There is no class distinction here. Some of the cowboys are good and some are bad. Some of the Apaches are good and some are bad. You can't judge by ethnicity.
Life in Arizona in the 1800's was not easy. Louis L'Amour may not be a Nobel Prize winning author but he was a great storyteller. One of the things I enjoy when I read one of his books was his ability to describe a scene in such a way that you feel as though you are there. You can picture the desert, hear the coyote, feel the fear when situations became tense.
September 5, 2017
This was the book club choice. We were sick of war stories. So the next person on the list chose this one. It was an easy to read story, with some action and their was a bit of insta love.
I liked Hondo as a character he know a lot about the land and he was a hard worker and dedicated to job in the army and his friends. The wild west was a tough place to live.
The fun thing about being part of a book club you get to read all sorts of books you may never have picked up.
I liked Hondo as a character he know a lot about the land and he was a hard worker and dedicated to job in the army and his friends. The wild west was a tough place to live.
The fun thing about being part of a book club you get to read all sorts of books you may never have picked up.
October 18, 2021
I read this book (L'Amour's first novel) based on the recommendation of a Goodreads friend. All I can say is WOW!. What a fantastic, entertaining read.
March 19, 2018
One of the better L’Amour westerns I’ve read. Automatically gets a point for being set in my home state of Arizona. It seems like L’Amour was truly writing from a place of hunger and passion at certain times in this novel--while his later stuff is never bad, it can be formulaic and kind of factory-built feeling. This one’s about a cavalry scout named Hondo Lane who gets wrapped up with a woman and her son who’ve been abandoned by their husband/father in the middle of the long war between the Apaches and the US Government. Horses are ridden, guns are fired, punches are thrown, desert landscapes are grimly surveilled, and kisses are...smooched? This one would be a good introduction to L’Amour by those who are interested in trying his stuff but are kind of leery due to his huge bibliography.
August 19, 2020
Louis L'Amour's writing is great but the concept, plot, and characters of this book are hopelessly dated and tiresomely problematic. It hits on every worn-out cliche of the western genre and amplifies an underlying toxic masculinity I did not enjoy reading at all. L'Amour really thinks about the interior life of his characters, but in such a manner as to be oblivious to the more problematic parts of his novel.
January 14, 2016
One of Mr.L'amour's earlier novels, it quite easy to see why his works are considered the epitome of western fiction. I truly enjoyed reading Hondo, which was rich in its descriptions of the southwest and particularly the Apache people groups. If you've never read any westerns, this would be a great one to start with.
June 23, 2015
This is a very good western novel. You have a woman at a frontier ranch, and Apaches closing in. Army troops are getting wiped out, the suspense builds.
If you're thinking of reading a western novel and don't know where to start, this is a good one.
If you're thinking of reading a western novel and don't know where to start, this is a good one.
October 1, 2017
His first; not his best, but a good start.
April 16, 2021
Maybe I'll stick to his short stories...
February 3, 2023
Book on CD performed by David Straithairn
3.5***
An iconic work of American Western genre, featuring a strong, rather taciturn, loner who lives, and is willing to die, by his principles, and a vulnerable but equally strong woman determined to keep her family home and protect what she holds dear.
The setting is practically a character: the southeast corner of Arizona, populated by rattlesnakes, gila monsters, coyotes, jackrabbits and pumas, not to mention the various Apache tribes fighting to regain their historic lands. Hondo Lane is at home in this unforgiving landscape, having lived with the native Apaches for some years and learned how to find water where this is none, how to track game (and men), and how to avoid being tracked. Angie Lowe is also at home here, having grown up on the ranch with her father who was on friendly terms with the local chief, Vitorro. They are, obviously, perfect for each other. Except … he’s a confirmed loner acting as a scout for the local military unit, and she is already married (though her good-for-nothing husband has been missing for a few months).
As tensions between the Native Americans and the military units increase, Hondo feels compelled to return to Angie Lowe’s side.
David Straithairn does a fabulous job of performing the audiobook. He brings these characters to life.
The text I had handy included a significant afterword by L’Amour’s son that gave more background into how the author came to write this work which launched his fame and career as a writer of Westerns. I’m glad I took the time to read it after listening to the audiobook.
3.5***
An iconic work of American Western genre, featuring a strong, rather taciturn, loner who lives, and is willing to die, by his principles, and a vulnerable but equally strong woman determined to keep her family home and protect what she holds dear.
The setting is practically a character: the southeast corner of Arizona, populated by rattlesnakes, gila monsters, coyotes, jackrabbits and pumas, not to mention the various Apache tribes fighting to regain their historic lands. Hondo Lane is at home in this unforgiving landscape, having lived with the native Apaches for some years and learned how to find water where this is none, how to track game (and men), and how to avoid being tracked. Angie Lowe is also at home here, having grown up on the ranch with her father who was on friendly terms with the local chief, Vitorro. They are, obviously, perfect for each other. Except … he’s a confirmed loner acting as a scout for the local military unit, and she is already married (though her good-for-nothing husband has been missing for a few months).
As tensions between the Native Americans and the military units increase, Hondo feels compelled to return to Angie Lowe’s side.
David Straithairn does a fabulous job of performing the audiobook. He brings these characters to life.
The text I had handy included a significant afterword by L’Amour’s son that gave more background into how the author came to write this work which launched his fame and career as a writer of Westerns. I’m glad I took the time to read it after listening to the audiobook.
June 4, 2019
A classic cowboy novel that keeps it simple. Hondo is a scout for the Army in Indian territory. He's a lone man with a dog. He meets a woman and a boy. He falls in love with the woman. There's some problematic racial issues involving Native Americans. Although I was impressed that Hondo empathized more with the Native people than I would have guessed.
Louis L'Amour doesn't waste any time in "Hondo." This plays like a greatest hits album: Quick Draws, Training montages, Scary Savages (again, it's rather problematic), a beautiful woman, her horrible husband, and stoicism, Stoicism, STOICISM as far as the eye can see!
Louis L'Amour doesn't waste any time in "Hondo." This plays like a greatest hits album: Quick Draws, Training montages, Scary Savages (again, it's rather problematic), a beautiful woman, her horrible husband, and stoicism, Stoicism, STOICISM as far as the eye can see!
February 12, 2022
One of L'Amour's best, if not the best, and also one of the best western movies of the 1950's with John Wayne in one of his most memorable performances. (It's a movie worth seeing just for the gripping opening scene alone.) Unlike the flowery, bloodless prose of Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour leads a reader through real grit and dust and the raw beauty of the desert. About as close as you can come to experiencing the reality of the frontier West. While this novel is not quite the calibre of classics like ''Shane,'' ''The Big Sky,'' ''The Way West,'' ''The Searchers,'' ''True Grit,'' ''The Ox-Bow Incident'' or ''Lonesome Dove,'' it's a fine, fully satisfying read.
February 8, 2020
I really wasn’t thinking of myself as the target audience for a L’amour novel, but a friend of mine kept insisting I had to try this book out and I’m glad I did. The vivid imagery of the Western scenery is probably my favorite thing about the book, because it was so easy to picture it all. It’s hard to top this review of the book, so I’m just saying ditto and giving a link...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If you like that review, chances are you’ll love the book!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If you like that review, chances are you’ll love the book!
November 16, 2010
I quote (p.62):
“What kind of man could leave a woman like that in Apache country? His eyes were suddenly wide open and he was angry, thinking about it. She was all woman, that one. And a person…a real person.”
And this (p.130):
“A man without a woman, without a home, and without a child was no man at all.”
I'd heard that Louis L'Amour couldn't write a woman to save his life. After reading this, I wonder whether he knew any.
“What kind of man could leave a woman like that in Apache country? His eyes were suddenly wide open and he was angry, thinking about it. She was all woman, that one. And a person…a real person.”
And this (p.130):
“A man without a woman, without a home, and without a child was no man at all.”
I'd heard that Louis L'Amour couldn't write a woman to save his life. After reading this, I wonder whether he knew any.
February 3, 2018
Beautiful western tale that had a little bit of everything and a nice romance plot around the center of it. It painted the picture perfectly and this was everything I wanted out of a western read.
October 19, 2024
A classic L'Amour tale, but digging into this series, they do follow a pattern.
Actor David Srathairn does a masterful job in the narration of the audio book.
Actor David Srathairn does a masterful job in the narration of the audio book.
January 16, 2026
I've never read a Western before. This was fun and enjoyable, short and sweet. A classic Western story so classic, they made a movie about it in 50s with the quintessential cowboy, John Wayne.
January 4, 2024
For those of a certain age it’s impossible to not picture John Wayne as you read about Honda Lane. A thoroughly entertaining read.
January 26, 2025
My first Louis L'Amour novel I ever read, "Hondo" got me hooked on L'Amour specifically and westerns in general. I had never paid much attention to the genre prior to this, mainly because I was fixated on science fiction and horror at the time.
"Hondo" opened my eyes to the idea that westerns could be just as exciting, thought-provoking, and fun as the other genres I was addicted to. I've been a life-long L'Amour fan ever since.
*A shout-out must go to the wonderful novelist Jonis Agee, who recommended that I read L'Amour. I met her at a writer's workshop in Iowa many years ago, and she and I had a great conversation about westerns. If you have not read an Agee novel, you must rush out and find one now...
"Hondo" opened my eyes to the idea that westerns could be just as exciting, thought-provoking, and fun as the other genres I was addicted to. I've been a life-long L'Amour fan ever since.
*A shout-out must go to the wonderful novelist Jonis Agee, who recommended that I read L'Amour. I met her at a writer's workshop in Iowa many years ago, and she and I had a great conversation about westerns. If you have not read an Agee novel, you must rush out and find one now...
April 6, 2016
I enjoyed this book for the most part. It was an interesting situation because the writing was really quite beautiful but I spent a fair amount of time snickering at clichés. We had fearsome Apache warriors, the love of a man for a woman, the need a woman has for a man, their eyes meet... Okay, it didn't get quite that bad. Basically there was a lot about the importance of family and a love of the land. The funny thing is, I wouldn't be surprised if those things are clichés in westerns simply because they might be a staple of L'Amour's writing.
The writing itself was beautiful and the story was pretty good. I listened to the audio, which was narrated by David Strathairn, and he did an excellent job. I liked it.
The writing itself was beautiful and the story was pretty good. I listened to the audio, which was narrated by David Strathairn, and he did an excellent job. I liked it.
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