Broken Trail

I love westerns and this is a great American Western story. A must own, must read book

I love a good western, but the emphasis here is on the word GOOD! I want a story that is true to the time period, historically accurate and full of believable characters. Broken Trail delivers on all accounts and belongs in the category of other western stalwarts such as Lonesome Dove and True Grit. The story follows two cowboys driving a herd of horses to Wyoming when the run into this evil character who is transporting a group of Chinese woman into the territory to serve as prostitutes. The story while fiction, is based on historical fact--Chinese women were forced into slavery. The two cowboy heros do come on the scene though, and in spite of there rough ways, they know right from wrong, and these woman are being wronged! While a real western, with plenty of gun play and action, it also faces the racism and injustices that took place in the 19th century.

You know a book is good when you promise yourself you'll only read for a chapter...and hour...a morning! That's Broken Trail! Westerns are not my usual reading fare--and this western is already a June 2006 mini-series on AMC channel. It is unusual in that the actors are pictured on the cover, so when you read, you see Robert Duvall as Print Ritter, the bowed and bandy-legged old cowboy, and Thomas Hayden Church as his nephew, Tom. Fulcrum Publishing launched Geoffrion's book as its first adult fiction. And WOW, he really brings this late 1800-early 1900 history lesson to life. Ritter and Tom are driving a herd of 500 horses from Oregon to Wyoming--and along the way encounter bad guys of every ilk. One despicable character had bought five Chinese girls who had been shanghaied to America for prostitution. He was not nice at all! Guns were used to protect, steal and kill--often those bad guys "needed killing." Friendships and respect were shown without words (Chinese not spoken here), and loneliness and isolation are woven throughout the entire story. The humanity given to those two main characters crosses from rescuing complete and sometimes pathetic strangers--to killing when necessary with no second thought in order to protect good people. Print Ritter decides in a split second to rescue needy men and women--and bring them into their camp and life. Armchair Interviews says: Walk in the boots of old-West cowboys and the men and women whose paths they cross. You'll be very glad you did.

Alan Geoffrion's singular style and unique voice moves well beyond the traditional Western, he is a true storyteller without pretense. He uses historically accurate and telling details to move the story forward and develop memorable characters. The British have The Play, the Irish have Poetry, the French have The Farce -- Americans have The Western. Geoffrion OWNS the Western. After Lonesome Dove alot of kids were named Gus. I predict that after Broken Trail there will be many American babies named after Geoffrion's colorful and integris character Print Ritter.

Picked up a copy of Broken Trail last week on the east coast and on the flight back devoured the fast paced, well written story of Print Ritter, Tom Harte, and the ill-fated group of 5 Chinese girls. This is the first western I've read in quite sometime, at least 10 years, and Alan Geoffrion's free flowing, fast paced style, has "spurred" me on to pick up others that have been lingering on my shelves. Broken Trail is a unique story, full of the action that you expect from a Western, but with an uncommon plot focused on the perilous lives of 5 Chinese girls who had been brought to the US to serve as prostitutes in the mining camps of the interior West (Wyoming). Throughout the story we learn about the personal struggles of Print Ritter, the main character, a crusty-old cowboy who is challenged with a broken relationship between his nephew (Tom Harte) that he is trying to mend, and the realities of his past. The story grabs you on page one, and after just a few chapters packed with great visualizations, and the unique (often funny) dialogue between the characters you can't put the book down. This is a must read. Not just for Western genre lovers, but for anyone that enjoys a great story. I'm really looking forward to seeing the AMC movie with Robert Duvall this summer!