Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

I read somewhere that “Butcher's Crossing” is Louis L'Amour on literary steroids -- an epic, hearty, thick-skinned Western about a coming-of-age character of non-western up bringing. It’s an all-American novel. The challenges get rough and then they get rougher. The weather is tough and then it gets tougher.

A frontier epic about an Ivy League drop-out as he travels to the Colorado wilderness, where he joins a team of buffalo hunters on a journey that puts his life and sanity at risk.

Butcher's Crossing is an anti-Western. The point of the novel is that the very thing you do...that you think are going to make you a man...are things that you think are going to bring you into this wonderful, new, relationship with nature… but turn out that you are just killing buffalo, killing them, and killing them. At some point you realise...

John Williams moved out to Colorado a little bit before he wrote this novel, it conveys the beauty of winter in the Rockies in a way that is extremely moving.

Who is up for this month's FWC?

I just completed it. I liked it a lot. I prefer it over the author's Stoner.

Here is my spoiler-free review of Butcher's Crossing: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Nice review Chrissie. Glad you enjoyed it.

Thank you, Lesle. I was happily surprised since the author's Stoner was only a two-star book for me. Now I'm considering his Augustus. One book leads to another.

Yes it most certainly does. I will have to put Augutus on my wish list. Thank you Chrissie!

I did not know much about the subject when I read this, so was pretty unprepared for the ending. Wow! I would be curious to know if it would have been probable that a university student was a likely fit for the action, or if just used as a voice to tell the story how it would look to a newcomer.

I’m listening to the audiobook while waiting for the e-book or print book to become available. (I struggle w audio since I tend to fall asleep.) So far, I like the writing. I haven’t got into the story too much yet. I’ve read both Stoner and Augustus and enjoyed both of them. With Augustus, I feel that knowing the historical characters is very helpful. I did the research while reading the e-book and clicking on names and topics. It’s very different than the other 2 books because it’s written in epistolary style.

I now have the print book and am starting from the beginning because I slept through too much of the audiobook! One thing I can relate to immediately is the lure of the adventure of the wilderness in contrast with the grimy Boston city filled with people and carriages, etc. Living in the southwest for over 30 years, I often marvel and wonder at the spirit of the wild west settlers. When I walk behind my dad's house and look out at the Rio Grande and the Sandia Mountains, I imagine how explorers like Lewis and Clark felt seeing this type of scenery for the first time! I also wonder if I would've been one of those settlers, if I lived in the 1800s.

I am very interested to get into the book but I already know that the buffalo scene is going to break my heart. I recently read a mid-grade book by a friend of mine that has a similar scene with Native Americans and I felt devastated.

This was very good. The writing is just excellent. Very absorbing and very intense. I live in Colorado and the descriptions were accurate and, to my mind, captured the beauty. I appreciated the realism. The buffalo kill was difficult to read. i was amazed by the endurance the hunters showed once they were snowed in.

I think of this as an anti-western and thought the theme was largely centered around greed. I was a little disappointed that all the characters were kind of the same type, but I find this in keeping with the time it was written. I was not sure what to make of William - I had the same thought that maybe he was just a device for the POV. I was surprised by the ending, I found it quite tragic and, as to William, I worry that he will be disassociated his whole life.

But on the whole, the wonderful writing made this a book worth reading.

Solid thoughts Peaktopeak.
I have not heard the part of William described like you have.
This is still on my awaiting pile.

Thank you for sharing!

Just joined in and plan to start reading soon.

Glad you decided to join in on this one Steven.

I had to return the library book and will probably go back to the audio.

Just crossed the halfway point and understand why this is a classic. William’s description of the town of Butcher’s Crossing, the hotel (its furnishings) sets the reader down right in the story where one is “seeing” rather than reading. His rendering of country – Kansas to Colorado is colorful, detailed, and at times, harsh. Young William’s loss of innocence at the buffalo kill site lies right at the center of the book – it is the crossing point. The hunt (if one can call it that – slaughter is a more appropriate word) is not for the lighthearted, but when set against history, rings true and accurate

On a lighter note, for a not very light novel, with all the coffee these fellers drink, it is amazing they could sleep at all.

Haha! I have a co-worker that drinks a pot of coffee before she gets to work. Has a large coffee from Tim Hortons and than gets one in the afternoon from McDonalds iced.
I would never be able to drink that much and be able to sleep!

Finished. The vivid descriptions of the Old West, the town, the prairie, the Rocky Mountains, the snow, stand out most for me. The writing is beautiful. The violent, graphic nature of Williams’ telling of the buffalo hunt is not everyone, but I suspect it is accurate in its rendering. It is also a tale of a young man, who losses his innocence – a timeless story that remains impactful and leaves the reader thinking at the end of where the rest of his story goes.

I never got to finish this one but will try again at some point.

It would be best read in the cold of winter, but is a pretty dark book so maybe finish it along with something cheerful.

Pam wrote: "I never got to finish this one but will try again at some point."

I was hoping to read this one. Just was not able to. Hopefully but will be much later as well.