Riders of the Purple Sage - Rambling Readers

No cover — Zane Grey: Riders of the Purple Sage (EBook, 2004, NuVision Publications)

eBook

English language

Published Nov. 21, 2004 by NuVision Publications.

ISBN:: 978-1-59547-292-2
OCLC Number:: 56569279

(2 reviews)

This Western written in 1912 by Zane Grey marks the beginning of a different enterprise of heroic undertakings by rugged cattle ranchers than had ever been portrayed before. The unvarnished representation of life on the western plains of the Utah-Arizona border shows a realistically rough existence tolerated by its inhabitants rather than merely displays their gallantry which was the subject of earlier cowboy adventures. Grey presents a conflicted wealthy Mormon rancher who wants to protect her estate from being overtaken by the Church. The beautiful Jane Withersteen is approached by members of the Church asking her to hand over a gentile worker she has hired to help attend the herds and maintain the fields. Jane desperately prays for guidance, and Lassiter (a gun-slinging sage-rider) gallops in from the horizon. He drives off the calculating persecutors, battles cattle rustlers, and eventually discloses the tale of a perpetual search for a woman …

This Western written in 1912 by Zane Grey marks the beginning of a different enterprise of heroic undertakings by rugged cattle ranchers than had ever been portrayed before. The unvarnished representation of life on the western plains of the Utah-Arizona border shows a realistically rough existence tolerated by its inhabitants rather than merely displays their gallantry which was the subject of earlier cowboy adventures. Grey presents a conflicted wealthy Mormon rancher who wants to protect her estate from being overtaken by the Church. The beautiful Jane Withersteen is approached by members of the Church asking her to hand over a gentile worker she has hired to help attend the herds and maintain the fields. Jane desperately prays for guidance, and Lassiter (a gun-slinging sage-rider) gallops in from the horizon. He drives off the calculating persecutors, battles cattle rustlers, and eventually discloses the tale of a perpetual search for a woman kidnapped long ago. The story unfolds revealing seduction, silence, bondage, and escape on the desert-swept open country. Incidents of bravery, chivalry, spectacular horsemanship, and ready shooting produce the framework of this story. The Mormon Church's attempt to marry off Jane against her will adds a breathtaking element to the plot.

41 editions

Arbieroo reviewed Riders of the purple sage by Zane Grey (Oxford world's classics)

Review of 'Riders of the purple sage' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

There's a long introduction to this edition which discusses gender and sexuality in the novel and how they relate to its enduring popularity. At one point the essayist wonders why the initial audience included such a high proportion of women. This seems obvious to me; the story consists of two romances! There's been a female audience for novels of romance ever since they were invented.

So I was not really expecting romance, more a written version of the film High Plains Drifter or some such. Well, there's lots of mysterious strangers, injustice, desire for revenge, riding of horses and landscape worship and some gunplay, too, but it's inescapably a character-driven romantic tale. Fun, too, for the most part. The way things play out, the story is also the Fall of Adam and Eve, in reverse, which is a trifle weird.

It's surprisingly well written, apart from the occassions when the …

There's a long introduction to this edition which discusses gender and sexuality in the novel and how they relate to its enduring popularity. At one point the essayist wonders why the initial audience included such a high proportion of women. This seems obvious to me; the story consists of two romances! There's been a female audience for novels of romance ever since they were invented.

So I was not really expecting romance, more a written version of the film High Plains Drifter or some such. Well, there's lots of mysterious strangers, injustice, desire for revenge, riding of horses and landscape worship and some gunplay, too, but it's inescapably a character-driven romantic tale. Fun, too, for the most part. The way things play out, the story is also the Fall of Adam and Eve, in reverse, which is a trifle weird.

It's surprisingly well written, apart from the occassions when the landscape description turns purple to match the sage and I can recommend it to anyone who wants to find out what the "formula Western" novel was all about back in 1912.

Deeper than expected.

Chris Brooks

rated it

May 2, 2018