The Call of the Canyon: A Romance of the Arizona Canyons

by Zane Grey, Jim Gough (Narrator)

Carley Burch, a beautiful young woman must leave her glamorous high society life of New York to follow her fiance, Glenn Kilbourne, to the rugged Wild West. She braves fierce ruffians, brutal elements and lack of civilization in an attempt to reclaim him. Glenn, suffering from shell shock and the betrayal of his country following World War I, had moved west to recover. He then fell in love with the West and his perspective on life was changed forever. Glen now finds his previous high society life repulsive. Can Carley adapt to the rigorous life of the West? Will she be able to convince Glenn to return to his "home" in New York? Will she be in time before a rival temptress steals Glenn away?

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

Audio Cassette

Published September 1, 2008

About the author

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

Reviews

[Brian Eshleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read a Western, and I tackled this one primarily to have some exposure to the genre before I dismissed it. I was surprised how thought-provoking it was, especially as the author juxtaposes two ages and two types to great effect. Who thinks about the seismic changes of World War I and the Jazz Age coexisting with the American frontier? The reading experience is like getting an extension of Last of the Mohicans on one page and then Age of Innocence on the next. It works.

There is also greater character depth than I expected. The character I expected to be a ridiculous over-sophisticated foil to show off the virtues of the West is realistically assertive of the value of her current identity and yet also shows compelling willingness to grow and change. Her hope to try to put back together romance when both she and the object of her desire have been changed so much by the world around them is compelling, and the fact that it happened in the macho context of a Western gives respectability for a male reader to be interested in this emotional journey. Place these internal demands against the stark and beautiful backdrop that Zane Grey painstakingly portrays, and you have a memorable read I would recommend it to almost anyone.

[SheriC · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best parts of this book are the beautifully detailed descriptions of the landscape and the characters’ interactions with it. The story itself is problematic. Contrary to the author’s intent, I really liked Carley through most of the story. Although she was a little self-absorbed, she was spunky and independent and determined. When she arrived out West, she stubbornly pushed herself to cope with the physical hardships she was unused to, to prove to herself and to the man she loved that she was no “tenderfoot”. Her dawning appreciation of the beauty of the landscape was enjoyable to witness. Then it all went to hell when she began embracing the author’s (and her fiancé’s) ridiculous ideas about the duties of “American women”, which include giving birth to a “troop of healthy American kids” (I shit you not, that is a direct quote) and serving as her “American man’s” helper as he strove to build civilization in the West, while dressing modestly and unfashionably, so as to not distract the men from their own duties, and not pursuing any interests of their own. This whole modesty concept is reinforced through a running commentary by all Western characters on her fashionable city dresses being so revealing. This being set around 1920, this wanton display included rolled stocking and exposed calves. And a woman so dressed should be neither surprised nor upset when sexually assaulted. Instead, she should be upset with herself for inviting such a natural response from men.

I try to judge all books by the mores of the times in which they are written, but remember that this was published within a year of The Great Gatsby, which also had some things to say about 1920’s decadence, but none of it was about women staying in their place behind their menfolks and pushing out packs of kids and covering their legs so they don’t invite assault.

Audiobook, read by John Bolen. The audio quality was poor, with a lot of static and background noise, and Bolen’s performance was unimpressive. He sounded uninterested in the material, and the voice he used for Carley was a really strange sort of faux-British accent that I guess was supposed to represent an upperclass, East Coast, voice. Rating 2 stars only because I was able to finish and for the way the landscape was brought to life.

Read for the 2017 Romance Bingo. It fits the following bingo squares:
Key to My Heart: Because the MC has a complete change of heart once she embraces her lover’s philosophy and way of life. It unlocks her happiness and purpose in life.
Wedding Bells: Because the whole point was to get him to marry her, and apparently, marriage was the only acceptable quest.
Historical Romance: Post WWI. Although it was actually a contemporary romance at the time it was written, so maybe not.
Second Chances: She rejects his way of life and breaks the engagement, then goes running back after her change of heart, hoping that he hasn’t already married another. Of course, HEA, with her barefoot and pregnant for as long as she’s fertile.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. Plan on reading more by him in the year future. I was immediately captivated with his prose. Wonderful characters.

[Éowyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Westerns have their fair share of space on my favorites shelf... In addition, two of Zane Grey's other works even have their own place on the list of my heart-stories, and I think The Call of the Canyon, may just have joined them there.

My full review can be read here.

SPOILER ALERT: I LOVED THIS STORY SO MUCH, and I had a great deal of fun with the pictures. :)

[Malachi Cyr · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this one read from LibriVox, and I thought it was decent until the end. It was more of a Romance than a western, which wasn't what I was expecting, but even so it was ok. A lot of kissing between an engaged couple, but nothing inappropriate. Throughout most of the story a respect was shown for Christianity, and the characters were nominally Christian, but at the end it felt very New Age-y and talked a lot about being one with nature and evolution and finding your inner strength from nature, which is the main reason it got only two stars. I liked the story pretty well, but the last two chapters not only dove into the New Age-ish stuff, but the story also became boring and cliché, loosing my interest altogether. In favor of this book, I found the perspective on cultural modernization and women's liberation in particular to be very intriguing, as well as the positive view of honest work and labor over the "privileged" life of ease and luxury. I also appreciated the honoring view of those who served in the armed forces, giving all for their country. I also liked the setting, which made a western out of a post-WWI/roaring 20's setting.
Anyway, you can read this book if you want, but you aren't missing anything if you don't.

[Wayne Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is 1919 and Carley Burch is a young orphaned woman who lives a socialite’s life of ease and pleasure in her New York City family home with her aunt Mary. Her fiancé Glenn Kilbourne has come home an injured, sick, and broken man after fighting in France during World War I, so he has gone West to Arizona, near Flagstaff, that he might recover his health. However, Glenn’s letters to Carley are becoming increasingly puzzling, so she makes a surprise visit to see him. While there she stays in the lodge run by his neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Hutter and their daughter Flo, who seems to be sweet on Glenn, and meets their hired men, Charley and Lee, the latter of whom had been Flo’s boyfriend. She also meets the rude, crude Raze Huff, a sheep dipper who has eyes for her.
Glenn has become a hog farmer and realizes that he can never return to his former shallow life. Carley, while she loves the West, thinks that she can never be the wife of a simple hog farmer, so she breaks their engagement and returns to New York. However, even though she throws herself back into her socialite’s life, she finds it empty and unsatisfying. Finally, she decides that she must return to Arizona and marry Glenn. When she arrives, Glenn and the Hutters are away to buy hogs. She even purchases land near Glenn’s farm which he had earlier expressed a desire to obtain so that he might expand his operations, and has a house built on it. So what will she do when she hears a rumor that during her absence Glenn has married Flo? Zane Grey was one of the favorite authors of my father, who enjoyed Westerns. Not all of Grey’s books were bang-bang, shoot-‘em-up cowboy stories of the Old West, like his most famous one, Riders of the Purple Sage (1912).
The Call of the Canyon is a more contemporary, romantic tale, yet it still is characterized by a love of the West that shines through in his so many of Grey[s other novels. It is filled with beautiful, lengthy descriptions of the Arizona countryside and a passion for the West and its scenery. I found it an enjoyable book. Carley’s ultimate conclusions about the emptiness of her life in response to her friends’ pleas are just as relevant today as they were in her time. This excellent story opposes drinking, smoking, immodesty and strongly opposes idleness, selfishness, and living for high society, and it strongly advocates man as bread winner and woman as homemaker, wife, and mother. But it is marred by a few profanities. There are also several references to dancing and one reference to the Grand Canyon’s existence for “millions of years,” but many instances of gratitude to God for blessings and beauty are found. I recommend it for teens and adults.

[Louis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A seemingly old-fashioned western written by the old master of the genre, this book turns out to be quite modern for its time. The heroine, Carley Burch, is an honest-to-goodness flapper, a must fror a novel published and set in 1924. Leaving her home in New York, Carley sets out to Arizona. Her fiance, Glenn Kilbourne, has spent the past year recovering from the "shell shock" he suffered in World War I as an Arizona cowboy. Finding that hard work out West suits him, Glenn tells Carley he cannot return to the East. This creates a romantic dilemma: what will Carley do?

Anyone familiar with Zane Grey (or who has read a romance) knows what will happen. The fun is not the destination but the journey. Unfortunately, Grey's story consists of a repetitive interior monologue by Carley. Although this book is short, it still feels too long. At least there is plenty of the almost lyrical descriptions of the frontier a Grey oater promises. A lesser work by this writer but with some entertainment value.

[Robert VanBuhler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being an Arizona citizen whose career involved integrating geography and technology, I liked this book a lot. Like a lot of ZG's and L'Amour's books, they are, for the most part geographically correct as a result of their own experience. Reading this, about the area near Sedona, I could feel the scenery and reimagine the days before highways and byways existed. The love story is a little sappy, a privileged Eastern girl who thinks she knows it all, and her war wounded fiance who goes west to sort it all out. It reminded me of The Sun Also Rises, which came a few years later. The male protagist was much like Hemingway's, but far more uplifted and positive. All's well in the end, of course. I liked it for the geography, not so much for the romantic interchange which was predictable.

[Sean Morrow · Rating 1 out of 5]

There once was an old grumpus named Zane Grey. He was very annoyed by Modern America, with its contraptions, jazz, and immodestly dressed women. So he wrote a novel contrasting the Degenerate, Decadent East with the Rugged Ideal West, where manly men work hard and feminine women bear children. There is also a pretty yikes mention of "race suicide and the incoming horde of foreigners" in one of his tirades.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Western and I found it an interesting look into thoughts and perceptions of that time period. I also finished this book right before driving from Phoenix to Flagstaff, through Sedona. It was fun to see the real life locations that Zane Grey describes.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me begin by saying, this was my first Zane Grey book. My wife and I were visiting Sedona, AZ. As hikers, we enjoy walking around and seeing things. We quickly learned that Sedona's fame owes a lot to Zane Grey's book, The Call of the Canyon. So I quickly downloaded the book from Gutenberg and started reading. It is always interesting reading a book at the place where the setting is.

Grey's description of the area around the Canyon was spot on and I enjoyed comparing the book descriptions with the hike we took up the West Fork of Oak Creek. The romance between Carley Burch and Glenn Kilbourne was a bit dry, and pretty much unexplained. How did a rich girl meet a working class man? When Carley returns back to Arizona after breaking off the relationship, what kind of reception was she thinking about when she returned?

But I was surprised with the social commentary which Grey had about the returning WW I veterans. Also he spoke a lot about the social life and values of the New York upper class, particularly in comparison with the life lived in Arizona.

All in all, it was an enjoyable book, particularly since we are in the area. Will I read more of Grey's books? Well, I will not turn it down, but I may not actively seek them out-I have a pretty good backlog right now.

For more of my thoughts on this book, see my blog.

As I am writing this review, the Slide Fire of 2014 is burning right where this book takes place. I wonder what will be left of it?

[Eileen E Cartwright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different Zane Grey

As a young teenager - late 50's - I read everything I got my hands on. When I discovered a box of Zane Grey books that my mother had read when she was my age, I read every one - western and books about Betty Zane and the settlement of the Wheeling area. I loved every one. Never read this one though and found it somewhat different but mostly enjoyable. The descriptions of the landscape in Arizona are beautiful and in great detail but I will confess I grew impatient at times and skimmed over them, anxious to find out what happened next in the love story. I did go back and read them later. Also the descriptions of what Carlley was feeling did run on a bit. Grey's descriptions of the woman in Carley's social group may have been accurate but certainly did not apply to ALL or even most woman of that time. My mother grew up poor on a farm in southern Ohio, really DID walk several miles to school, went to "normal" school in town where she had to board and started teaching in a one room school that was literally way out in the woods when she was 19.

I never know how badly WWI vets were treated so that probably needed to be said and some of it might apply today.

I loved the ending of this book, though it seemed to be over pretty abruptly. I do intend to read more Zane Grey.

[Phalguni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book extremely relatable at many, many places. The author has such a gift for painting landscapes, that all my senses seemed to respond to his descriptions. I did not like many of his views, or rather, how he thinks they're the 'supreme truth' or whatever. This fact made the book a little annoying in the latter part.
I would recommend this book for the author's insight in human relationships and feelings, and his skilled penmanship; and not for the storyline or for his philosophy of life. I would give it a 3.5/5.

[Jonna Higgins-Freese · Rating 2 out of 5]

ShariC's review sums it up nicely: "The best parts of this book are the beautifully detailed descriptions of the landscape and the characters’ interactions with it. The story itself is problematic" -- particularly if you're a woman. Grey turns himself inside out to change Carley into a different person, without somehow ever making her a real person who lives on the page -- and her fiancé is pretty flat, too. Which is probably exemplified by the fact that I can't remember his name. It's never exactly clear what she finds so compelling about him.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

to give a ZANE GREY book only 2 stars is something that has not happened many times for me . actually this was a one star work in many parts where I felt like ZANE was preaching such nonsense about morals that I wanted to throw the book down. I have read over 25 of his books and this was nothing like any of the others where the characters were concerned . He was his usual greatness when it came to describing the western landscape. I felt like he had written this to please his long gone Sunday school teacher.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

In his distinctive romantic style the author has a disillusioned Civil War veteran moving from New York to the untamed landscape of Arizona where he will face new challenges.

[Don Voorhees · Rating 4 out of 5]

Librivox edition

[D.M. Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

They say the more the world changes, the more it stays the same. The Call of the Canyon by Zane Grey is a testament to that. Published in 1924, in many ways, it is as if it were a story of today's America, apart from a few of the more extreme ideas, which did have me rolling my eyes, only to smile and remember the timeframe of the novel. Still, overall, the main messages of the book stand the test of time.

And what are those messages? There's quite a bit Grey had to say in a short couple hundred pages. First and foremost, materialism and living a superficial life was a waste. Second of all, since the book begins right after World War I, it focuses on the soldiers returning, broken of mind, body and spirit, being poorly received by the very same country for which they fought and gave up their lives, left with nothing. Meanwhile, they are ridiculed by others who profited from the war but know nothing of it, those who live materialistic lives. It even briefly mentions socialism, which brought it back to the present day.

Every war is the same, whether it's World War I or Afghanistan. The veterans return, are poorly received and struggle to resume some kind of life, while the rest of America cannot relate and almost live in mockery of them.

In The Call of the Canyon, the veteran is Glenn Kilbourne. His answer is to go west to the Flagstaff area, to Oak Creek Canyon. This very much appealed to me because I have been there many, many times, have hiked in the vicinity, and am therefore familiar with it. Grey was a master of poetic language in describing western scenes, and this was no different. The beauty of the canyon was well-written and its power, accurately conveyed.

It was in the west, that Glenn found healing. But the story was not told through Glenn's eyes. No, it was his fiancée, Carley, a wealthy New York socialite, who was the main protagonist, the one whose thoughts we read throughout the book. She was the one who underwent the metamorphosis.

I really loved that Grey wrote from a female perspective. At times I wanted to choke both Glenn and Carley, as is typical in a book! I also hated a third character, Flo, thrown in to make Carley jealous. Some of what Glenn expected out of Carley was too much, but at first, some of what Carley expected was too ridiculous as well. There should have been a compromise.

The conclusions that were drawn toward the end were what got to be a bit much, ramblings of Grey about morals that were extreme, some probably even for those days (women plucking their eyebrows?). However, I would recommend the reader look past the details and focus on the big picture.

It's a beautiful story, right to the last page.

[Collin Vinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

If Zane Grey had written Call of the Canyon today his press tour would undoubtably be a circuit of every Fox News show airing, where he would spout off about traditional family values and an America long lost that needs to be made great again. While I was not impressed by the ideological stances of this book I did still take very much from it. Truthfully I believe Zane could have written this book today and the story points would still ring true in the ears of many, all that would be needed is a few tweaks; Replace jazz with rap, WWI with the Middle East, and New York with San Fransisco. Some could flaunt this book as being ahead of it’s time for the similarities it has to the present day but instead, it shows the timeless complaints the old and antiquated have of the young and the new. The speech Carley gives to her friends at the end of the book paints a picture of a crumbling America, an America that is assuredly going down a path of destruction. While I’m sure Zane did believe this to be the case history shows in fact just the opposite happened. Since the publication of this book America led the allied forces to victory in WWII, became an economic super power, outlived the Soviets, won the space, built the first nuclear bomb and achieved countless other victories across many different fields. The truth is we have flourished into the new age that Mr Grey was so sure would be our undoing. While I do enjoy play Monday morning quarterback I think the lesson stands today. Anyone babbling on about the terrible new way things are done should be looked upon as an outdated cog in an ever changing machine, one that should not bear much weight in the future for it assuredly can not handle it.

I will say the book does have a two redeeming qualities which is why it didn’t get a single star. Zane does speak to the call of nature that I believe a lot of people feel/miss in their everyday lives. I myself even realized I was wasting a beautiful day sitting inside reading and that spurred me to read outside the next day. I thoroughly enjoyed reading in the hammock that I had set up and felt a sense of fulfillment and mindfulness for the first time all week (it had been a bad week). Peeling away the call to nature I believe reveals the next positive lesson of the book, intention. Carly is a character who went about life in a very surface level way with little to no thought or intention, similar to a lot people today.

[Rosie Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Call Of The Canyon is a western set in the 1920s.

Glenn Kilbourne returned from WW1 to America, a broken man both physically and emotionally. His determination to return home to his fiancé, New York socialite Carley Burch, gave him strength during the darker times of war. Yet he found that the country he had fought for did little for its returning soldiers, and the life he lived before the war no longer appealed to him.

Glenn set out for the West; he needed time to heal. He went to Oak Creek, Arizona where he almost died from the long-term effects of the war. But, slowly, the peace and care of the Hutter family helped him recover. For four years Glenn stayed away; although he wrote to Carley, she began to suspect she was losing him, so she headed west to fetch him back. But she too discovered the magic and beauty of the Arizona land.

I read about this book in another one called Trusting The Currents. It intrigued me and when I found a free copy I downloaded it immediately. Parts of Arizona, particularly around Sedona, are said to be filled with strong cosmic forces conducive to healing and spiritual experiences. The author’s story of Glenn and Carley highlighted the effect the land can have on people. The tantalising descriptions of the vast ancient landscape, including mountains, canyons, gullies, desserts, and old volcanoes, definitely called to me.

Written and set almost one hundred years ago, the storyline may be seen as simplistic, the terminology occasionally harsh to modern ears, but that’s the delight in reading a book like this. I was also pleased that I felt akin to Addie Mae from Trusting The Currents, now that I’ve read a book which inspired her to travel and follow in Glenn and Carley’s footsteps.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story about a self-involved socialite who took off for Arizona to visit her fiancé to try to convince him to move back to New York City. He had moved out West as a wounded soldier, barely holding on to life and sanity, to find healing. She found that not only was his health restored, but he was stronger and more vigorous than ever, thriving in the rugged outdoor life and wholesome work. Reluctantly, she threw herself into the rigorous life (partly to compete with the daughter of her lodge hosts, who had helped nurse him back to health), and during her several months visit she became adapted to the active life out in clean, pure air. But even though she discovered many deep traits about herself, she just could not envision herself the wife of a hog farmer, far away from the glitter and leisure of New York City, so she broke off the engagement when he would not return with her. On her trip home, she began immediately to earnestly miss the majestic beauty she had lived with for those months, and when she got back with her NYC friends, she was dismayed by the shallowness of their lives. She couldn't stand it for more than a few months, and so took the long train out West again, to surprise her ex-fiancé, but discovered a bombshell revelation awaiting her. First published in 1924. This was pleasantly read to me by a talented reader in a free audio download from LibriVox.org.

[Peter McGinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many, many years ago I read a dozen or so Zane Grey westerns and I always figured I would read the rest of them someday. I even began purchasing a special set of them, set up in arching red and white covers. But I never got around to the rest of them as my tastes changed. I went from westerns and science fiction to Non-fiction and the Classics such as Dickens and The Count of Monte Cristo and books like that. But I've always thought that I would go back and read more of them because he was my favorite western author.

This novel has less of the usual elements of westerns: no gunfights or posses, less of the Western drawl and slang speech you often find. In fact not much seems to happen at all except for interplay in conversation between the characters. It is more of a romance than a western, if that is your thing. (A lot of his books have romance plots, but more action). So if you're sampling westerns for the first time, just know that this is not typical for him and perhaps for most western writers. If you want gunplay or bronco bustin', this might not be for you. As for me, I think it has cured me for a while of the temptation to read westerns, even those by Zane Grey. But I expect I will return to him someday.

Oh, and the cover shown for this book is obviously wrong, not even close!

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Zane Grey book is like a Hallmark movie. You know the two main characters (a man and a woman) are totally in love, but something has come between them and it isn't until the second to last page of the book that the pair suddenly realize they are both totally in love with each other against all odds and all hope. They fall into each other's arms and kiss (just like in a Hallmark movie where you know the kiss is coming at 1:58:30 of the movie).

I picked this book up because it is centered on West Fork Canyon just north of Sedona which we visited last month. Zane Grey basically wrote the same novel 25 times, just changing names and locations, and this book is exactly what you'd expect if you read Zane Grey. It isn't as good as some of his other books mainly because there really wasn't much action in the book, although Mr. Grey did manage to spend a lot of time condemning modern society and soul-sucking New York City, while simultaneously recounting the joys of living in the west and the strength that comes from a hard life lived out of doors.

Not one of Mr. Grey's best efforts, but interesting if you've visited West Fork Canyon.

[Johnny Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grey's signature style of vividly describing the scenery shines through in this book, providing readers with rich imagery of the American West during the Roaring Twenties.

The choice to narrate the story through Carley Burch, Glenn Kilbourne's fiancée, adds an interesting perspective, particularly as it explores themes of romance and the aftermath of World War I. The portrayal of post-war challenges faced by soldiers and their relationships adds depth to the narrative, offering a commentary on societal attitudes and the impact of historical events.

While Grey's descriptive prose may contribute to a slower pace, and the language may feel antiquated to modern readers, the characters' depth and the exploration of complex themes make it an engaging read for those interested in historical fiction and romance set in the American West.

Overall, "The Call of the Canyon" offers a unique glimpse into a specific time period and explores themes that resonate with readers, even today. As with any book, individual preferences may vary, but for those who appreciate Grey's style and are interested in the era it portrays, it promises to be an interesting and thought-provoking read.

[Gail G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the descriptions of Arizona and the adventures by the heroine. The difference between the WWI soldiers and the westerners compared with the high society city types was pushed over and the rich came out lacking. The book was a product of its time and the author has outdated views of women and it was difficult to listen to the book because of it. The author had the heroine preaching about a women’s role of pleasing a man and having children. Plus, he wrote of the men condemning the heroine for the way she dressed. The worst was these views were the coming of age for the heroine when she realized she needed to change.

I did agree with the theme of working giving you pride. Plus, the author’s descriptions of the scenery was spot on and poetic. However, I found the preaching about women’s role ironic because the author was known for demanding of his wife that his mistresses were with him on his writing vacations of months at a time. Therefore, his chauvinism and anger at idlenesses hid his own weaknesses in a self righteousness. I think that the book is too outdated for most to enjoy it… but the 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars were due to the descriptions of the land.

[Arref Mak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zane Grey has a passion for translating the West into a flow of visual narrative. I have read enough of his material now that I find myself shocked and humbled at the life of men and women on the frontier, as imagined by Grey.

Here, his passion is applied to a very specific time period, post WW1, where the USA is working back to normal after the grievous damage of the War effort.... except in this story, told through the eyes of a young woman (Carly) of spirit and independence and modern sensibility, she is in for a terrible long fought battle with the present and future of the country.

Told by way of her relationship with her young man (Glenn) returned from France and moved West to recover his health. He is sick and silent about his war experience. He's a veteran who has been gassed and he's discharged from Service but hardly well. Her fiance is a pale shadow of his former self, but Carly still loves him deeply.

In fact, according to the story, many men are being discharged back to civilian life with only modest attention from the government and none at all from Society that sent them to defend liberty in Europe.

excerpt:
There were approximately 4.5 million veterans of the eighteen‐month U.S. participation in World War I. The average had served twelve months. About half went overseas for an average of 5.5 months. Some 1.1 million actually saw combat; of these, 204,000 were wounded or otherwise disabled. Veterans were simply mustered out of service from their bases in the United States. The government was unprepared to deal with the problems faced by returning veterans, especially unemployed or disabled veterans. A brief postwar recession in which unemployment reached 16 percent ended by 1921, the year in which the Veterans Bureau (forerunner of the Veterans Administration) was created. A system of veterans' hospitals was established that provided long‐term care especially for war‐related wounds and illnesses, tuberculosis caused by poison gas, and mental illness caused by “shell shock.”

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/veterans...


This is a romance story, but somewhere early on, you see through Carly's POV that she doesn't know how to 'romance' a veteran. She no longer knows what is going on behind his eyes. When he decides to 'go West' for his health, she is very supportive.

They correspond an enjoyable period (which is mentioned in detail several times and later becomes a plot hinge, being something that they both enjoyed and kept them close) but finally Carly finds she doesn't understand the hints of Glenn's changing thoughts about them. She decides she has to go see him. She boards train and makes the long journey.

Arizona is the star from here on in the book. Carly has a fine intellect and she is mostly determined to hate Arizona. However, she keeps getting surprised by how much being there, and being close to Glenn affects her. Glenn has recovered completely and has healed into a husky outdoorsman.

She sets her hat to impress Glenn and all the locals with how well she can muster up ...even tho' obviously a slight woman, green tenderfoot, from New York City. And in fact, there is a fairly cruel intense period in the story, where the locals, including Glenn, toss various 'tests' at her. It is not obvious they are doing it, but they own up to not protecting her from various judgments and circumstances that they know will break her quickly.

She, in turn, oblivious to the 'test' surprises them, hanging on through all the tests. She earns their respect...and it is implied that this is an Arizona culture hazing... she wins them over.

So the romance prospers. Things build up nicely to a high point. Carly vastly overstays her original intent but months later finally asks Glenn, 'when shall we go back to New York', as they both have agreed to continue the engagement to marry.

Glenn tells her he has known all along that he isn't going back and she cannot live in Arizona. He's hoped that she would be 'big enough' to live there with him, but he understands she is not.

Wow.

Cue death of romance?

Carly does the right thing, she 'sets Glenn free' and returns his ring. This is just one more fine mark for Carly. She almost always does the right thing, even when she isn't pondering what that thing should be. She is a classy gal.

So the next section of the book is pretty gruesome.

She leaves. She returns to New York City. But Carly has been 'persuaded to the author's premise' and sees NYC as a society of idle, rich, do-nothings. They don't raise their own food. They don't have lots of children. They don't leave behind great things.

They don't matter. They are parasites. Trophy wives. Idlers who shirked in the War, or profited from it while men in trenches bled out their strength.

It gets pretty grim. Carly puts herself in the category as well. She doesn't matter. She is of the same cloth.

She is damned by her lack of Western Virtue.

She turns down several proposals. She variously tries to bury herself in visits, theater, activity, or shuts herself in, or visits wounded veterans in hospice.

Carly finally becomes something of a pariah in society, because she is blunt about her 'lack of blindness' to the wasted potential of these men and women in her class.

There are a number of long passages that happen in her mind, or in drawings rooms, that are thick with political rants and question. Yep, this is no longer a romance.

Except, there is an ending, back in Arizona.

Carly finally throws over her life in NYC. She and her aunt convince each other they are going back to Glenn. Arrangements are made like lightning.......

.....and Carly arrives for the closing chapters and some more introspection and shocks. The romance flavor never really comes back, but it tries.

Not the best of Zane Grey, but truly fascinating for portrayal of the end of war and beginning of the twenties prohibition in America.

[Mark Luongo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been chided for not reading any of the work of Zane Grey. But I can't recall if I had at some point or not. I was only familiar with "The Riders of the Purple Sage" as a movie. So I gave this novel of his a chance.
It sort of reads like the screenplay of a Barbara Stanwyck- Joel McCrea Western. Spoiled, very spoiled, Eastern girl pursues damaged war veteran/fiancee to Arizona... Somewhat predictable. But engages conversation about issues that are all too familiar to us today. You'll have to read for yourself to find out.
What is outstanding is Grey's descriptive prowess in bringing Arizona to the mind's eye. Very appreciative of the landscape and the environment, especially humankind's place in it. What I like to say, and I have said a number of times about Western novels, is "the grit in your teeth, the smell of saddle leather, pine needles, sagebrush" and wood smoke" is what makes a good read. This novel has that. Missed the "gunsmoke", but that's me.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read a western, I expect it to be “good guys vs. bad guys.” But this is my first by Zane Grey, and it’s a freakin’ love story! Sure, the western backdrop is important, and the heroine, Carly Burch, who comes from New York City to link up with her fiancé, is enchanted by the loneliness and the wild scenery of northern Arizona. Her true love, after enduring the ravages of World War I, had come there to heal his lungs and his psyche. Once a pampered son of the East, he’s become something of a cowboy and a farmer. And his new vocation is hogs! Appalled, Carly heads back to the East, but her short time in Arizona has enlarged her soul, and the title of the book tells you the rest. I waited in vain for the “bad guys” to show up, and I was a little bored by the long philosophical passages, but overall, it’s a good read.

[Gerald Matzke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Zane Grey novel was a bit unusual in that the main character and narrator was a woman. The setting began in New York but eventually moved to Arizona in the time after World War I. When her fiancée came back from the war in Europe with injuries and lungs that were effected by poison gas, his doctor recommended that he go West to recover. After a period of time in which he recovered, his sweetheart travelled West to visit and hoped to persuade him to return with her to New York. Along with the typical detailed descriptions of the western landscape, Grey also gives the reader an intimate account the thoughts and concerns of his central character. She had doubts and fears all along the way. We get to experience how her mind was completely changed as the story progresses. It was an interesting psychological study as she questions her values and eventually finds her true self.

[James Bair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since a lot has been written about this book on Goodreads, I am not going to say much about the story except that Carley and Glenn were engaged when Glenn went off to World War I. He returned shell-shocked, what today we call PTSD. They were both New York urbanites; Carley, upper class. This is a very moving story about how Glenn recovered and how their engagement survived in spite of great obstacles.

This is a very literate novel. There are numerous literary and biblical allusions. It does present a somewhat elitist perspective, especially on Carley's part. I realize Grey is usually considered more of a pop phenomenon, but this belongs on the list with other books written in the wake of WWI by Americans like Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Dos Passos. Anyone serious about the literature of WWI should take this book into account.