Shane
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3 months free
Shane
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Narrated by:
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Eric G. Dove
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By:
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Jack Schaefer
About this listen
I had lain in my bed thinking of our visitor out in the bunk in the barn. It scarce seemed possible that he was the same man I had first seen, stern and chilling in his dark solitude, riding up our road. Something in father, something not of words or of actions, but of the essential substance of the human spirit, had reached out and spoken to him and he had replied to it and had unlocked a part of himself to us. He was far off and unapproachable at times even when he was right there with you.
The Starrett family's life forever changes when a man named Shane rides out of the great glowing West and up to their farm in 1889. Young Bob Starrett is entranced by this stoic stranger who brings a new energy to his family. Shane stays on as a farmhand, but his past remains a mystery. Many folks in their small Wyoming valley are suspicious of Shane, and make it known that he is not welcome. But as dangerous as Shane may seem, he is a staunch friend to the Starretts - and when a powerful neighboring rancher tries to drive them out of their homestead, Shane becomes entangled in the deadly feud. This classic western, originally published in 1949, is a profoundly moving story of the influence of a singular character on one boy's life.
©2017 Jack Schaefer (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
wonderful narration
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A classic
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A classic
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Good western
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A Great Western
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The only real flaw in the whole thing is the tendency of the author to stray from his first person perspective (the entire story is told as the recollection of an adult reflecting on the events he witnessed as an innocent, naively hero worshiping boy) into the internal monologues of the characters. It’s quite jarring at times to hear a pre-teen’s almost Freudian capacity for ascribing motives and internal struggles of the grownups about him, especially just after he so frequently tells us that he was just a boy and didn’t understand at the time.
But, looking past that repeated error, and the occasionally juvenile exposition dumps, there is still a great novel that will reward the patient listener. The climax is superbly written and leads this listener to wonder if the idea for the novel sprang from that last couple of brilliantly written chapters at the end?
Published in the late 1940’s, you can really feel the need for this type of hero figure in American culture, as the introduction suggests. But what the author does with that notion was to take it into an almost supernatural realm: the Christ-like perfection of the character of Shane, his self sacrifice and nobility express a yearning from deep within the American psyche, going a long way toward explaining the enduring passion for westerns in pop culture.
Also, clearly laid out in this original tale is the template for what would become a familiar trope in the Western genre, of the mysterious stranger who rides into the midst of a troubled town, sets things right, usually at great personal risk, seeing off the elements of evil, before riding off again into an equally mysterious future, like an avenging angel, leaving the town and its people forever changed. Clint Eastwood’s fascination with that idea - the paragon of conservative virtue - has manifested repeatedly throughout his career.
So this book still has the power to enthral even though the prose style may strike some as being a little unsophisticated by today’s standards. And it also has the power to be genuinely moving, which is always of value to this listener.
Fans of westerns will eat it up and ask for seconds. Fans of classic literature will appreciate the occasional flashes of brilliance and the originality of the author, who seems to be the first that I know of to tell this story in this way. Fans of the movie will find that the film was faithful to the original novel, more than enough for their satisfaction. And they will probably enjoy the insights into the characters.
Certainly worth your time if you’re in any of the above categories. If you’re just looking for a good story, well told, you’re also in the right place.
It is flawed, but like a dusty relic in a museum, it’s still a classic, even if it could use a little polish.
A Flawed Masterpiece
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Shane is different
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An undying classic
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Would like to hear a story where Shane reappears again
To the guardian of the souls
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Really enjoyed
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