Monte Walsh

"Monte Walsh" was given to me by my father. An old faded yellow, dog eared, and missing the last three pages copy he had long since memorized verbatim. He said that I must read this book if I love horses and westerns movies. I was not disappointed.I couldn't put this page turner down. The detailed descriptions of Monte's journey from young cow"boy" to worn and weathered cattle"man" are fantastic. As a lover of the mythic cowboy and avid horseback rider, it was like I was riding along side Monte every hoofprint and bucking ride of the way. He has become my new hero, a real man's man, yet gentle, sensitive, and immensely caring, a man who's main concerns are simple: knowing what you're good at and pursuing it to an expertise level, the value of good friends, and always being honest and living with integrity.As a big fan of the Western movie genre, my favorite films are True Grit, The Shootist, The Searchers, Hondo, Red River, The Cowboys, Shane, and Will Penny. Now I'll have to add Monte Walsh to this list. All these movies had heros where that were part of the mythic west and in one way or another ride off into the sunset leaving modernity to fend for itself. And I must add, at a loss for they're not being here.I will also add to my list of memorable cowboy expressions: "It's a horse, ain't it?" No matter what the problem is , it's still a horse, and one that can be ridden. Not conquered, but mastered. And I loved the relationship that Monte had with his horses, more mutual respect than anything else.And his inseparable relationship with his best friend Chet, there gentle jibes and finishing of each other's sentences and thoughts. We should all have friends like Chet and Monte.Incidentally, my father read me the last 3 pages over the phone from another copy he recently found at the library. And that was the best part of them all. What a great story! Truly the best man with a horse ever.So swing into the saddle and rope a copy of this book. I promise that you won't be bucked off.Be well.

Monte Walsh is a classic Western, maybe the best ever written, and deserves to be read even by those who are not normally taken by the genre. It is a beautifully crafted period piece, describing the West and its cowboys during a time when it was in transition to modernity. But at its heart, it really is about those simple yet enduring themes: friendship, honor and duty. From Shaefer's elegant descriptions of the land, to his careful, humorous, and at times poignant portrayals of his characters, the book is a beautifully crafted masterpiece. Each chapter can stand on its own (as, in fact, they originally did) as a beautiful short story (I read Christmas Eve at the Slash Y on every Christmas Eve to get me in the spirit of the season) but taken as part of a whole they have greater power. I read Lonesome Dove 20 years after I first read Monte Walsh, and I was struck by many similarities between the books. I can't help but wonder if McMurtry had previously read Monte Walsh at some point in his life, and like many who have read it, been greatly influenced by it. Monte Walsh's epitaph read "a good man with a horse". I don't know what is Jack Schaefer's , but by writing a classic like Monte Walsh I think Jackie Robinson's epitaph would not be inappropriate, "a life is important only in the way it effects other lives". The code that Jack Shaefer wrote for living a good, honest life is a timeless gift to all who are lucky enough to read this book.

Years ago a good friend of ours gave us a copy of this book, since then it has been reread by the both of us so much that it is falling apart. Just ordered a new copy! This is a vivid tale of cowboy life written in short story form as though the writter was keeping a journal of events from this cowboys life. He has the ability to let you feel the action unfold as he writes, putting you right in the middle of stampedes, death, train wrecks, bar room fights, lost loves, and general cowboy onreyness. Please don't judge the book by the movie, it was a waste of film and Lee Marvin, having little to do with the book or the cowboy way of life and code of honor. This is a keeper you can enjoy over and over.

"Monte Walsh" is definitely a repeat-reader. I have revisited the Slash Y ranch 6 times since 1990 (which was when I started keeping records). The book always leaves me with a peaceful, easy feeling, taking me to a place and time when life was both more challenging and yet simpler. Those were the days when the highest praise was "He was a good man with a horse." Schaefer's writing style is unique and infectious. I find myself picking up the language and phrases he uses. ("Shucks, it's a horse, ain't it?") The novel consists of a series of short stories, each centering on Monte Walsh, but not connected in traditional novel style. The author captures both the toughness and wildness of the traditional cowboy lifestyle, but also display the unique emotional make-up of the cowboys, their loyalty to one another and to the brand, and their boyish sentimentality and enthusiasm. I pull out my worn and dog-eared copy of "Monte Walsh" whenver I need total relaxation and escape. If I hadn't just re-read it last month, I'd pull it off the shelf now and read it again.

I have lived the life of a cowboy. I know what goes on with horses and cattle. This book is a good depiction of a real cowboys lifestyle. Some people think that the American cowboy has gone the way of the Indian; but I assure you there are still people out there like Monte Walsh, riding bad horses and people like Chet Rollins, roping ornery critters. This is an excellent book for anybody who has ever dreamed of being a cowboy and even for the folks in the city who feel like they might have a little cowboy in them somewhere. Read it...live it.