The Hi Lo Country

The most accurate book on ranching in NM for the time period. Loved the book, the movie AND the sound track! I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

The Hi Lo Country is true to the southwest. Contemporary and realistic in the world of real working cowboys . You really get involved in the lives of all the characters, they are bigger than life. You feel you know them. This is not a "shoot um up " western it is southwestern set in New Mexico after World War II and the way it reads it could be of any time . Elements of romance ,excitement,action, history and humor makes this an experience you don't run across often! Read it!

I was disappointed in the setup of the love triangle upon which the story depends. The author violated that old rule of thumb--"Show, don't tell." This weak launchpad left me wondering throughout the story: Why is he so nuts about this woman? On the other hand, there's a whole parade of colorful characters throughout the book, and they're all great. A typical problem with such characters is that they seem contrived--merely the product of some novelist's desire to invent the quirkiest possible cast. But not these folks. You believe that every last one of them could, and in fact do, exist. The ending's good too. I won't give it away. I'll just say that it's realistic, and the way the protagonist reacts to the whims of fate shows his admirable character at its best.