Another Classic...

One of the twelve categories in Karen's Back to the Classics Challenge this year is "A Classic that's Been on Your TBR List the Longest". And originally, I planned on reading Anne Radcliffe's The Romance of the Forest, a book I bought years ago but never read. I even started it, but I just couldn't do it. Even though I liked both A Sicilian Romance and The Mysteries of Udolfo, I just couldn't get into this one. The text was too dense, the prose too wordy and boring. So I decided to switch books and read The Virginian by Owen Wister instead. 

This book is one my Dad owned, and one I've long wanted to read. And I ended up really liking it. Written in 1902, It's set in Wyoming in the late 1800s. The main character is known only as the Virginian (because that's where he's from). He's described as being a tall, lean gentleman with dark hair and a way with horses. He's got a soft Southern drawl and a wicked sense of humor. He's also nomadic, single, and happy with his life. Until he meets the new young schoolteacher from Vermont, Molly Wood. Once he sees her, his whole world changes. She does not feel the same way about him, at least not at first. Molly has a proud and independent spirit, but the Virginian is persistent and hard to resist. 

I thought this novel did an excellent job of capturing the spirit of the Old West, as well as depicting life as a cow-puncher in a mostly unsettled Wyoming. It's also a novel of friendship, honor, courage, courtship, and love. I was charmed by how the Virginian borrowed books from Molly to try and better himself, and how he really liked Shakespeare and the Russian authors, but couldn't relate to the books of Jane Austen. He's a memorable and very likable character. This whole book is quite entertaining and readable....and definitely better than The Romance of the Forest. 

Happy Reading! 

Other classic westerns I've read and enjoyed:

Shane by Jack Schaefer

Sunset Graze by Luke Short

Those Jensen Boys by William W. Johnstone

And any book by Louis L'Amour is always fun! 

happiness for beginners...

"The plan, as I had fantasized for the last six months, was to drive out to Wyoming and have a brave adventure with a bunch of strangers that would totally change not just my life, but my entire personality. The plan was to set out alone into the world, conquer it, and return home a fiercer and more badass version of myself. The plan did not include anybody but me -- especially not, of all people, Jake."

Helen Carpenter, who is thirty-two and has been divorced for a year, decides it's time to change her life. So she signs up for an extreme wilderness survival course in Wyoming. The other participants are all college students. Then there's Jake -- her younger brother's best friend who's had a crush on her for years-- who has also signed up for the course. But Helen isn't interested in Jake; she just wants to prove that she can survive on her own. And maybe find a little happiness along the way.

Helen is a funny and easy-to-relate-to narrator, although there were times when I wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her. And I really liked Jake, although the relationship drama between him and Helen sometimes felt a little contrived and unnecessary ... and also a tad predictable. The outdoor adventures they have--all the mishaps, successes, and lessons learned along the hiking trail--is what I liked best...and why I'm recommending this book. happiness for beginners by Katherine Center is an entertaining and happy novel, and a perfect read to start off the new year.

Happy Reading!