Customer Reviews

Comstock Lode

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Comstock Lode" is just fantastic! This book was written by the famous Western writer, Louis L'Amour. Louis L'Amour has written over a hundred books, including the famous Sackett novels. The setting of this story is in the mid-1800's, during the gold rush in America. The story is told in Virginia City, Nevada.

The main character is Val Trevallion, a young man of twenty-four with a harsh past. Both of his parents were killed when he was young and he has taken it upon himself to have revenge on the killers. He is a quiet man but very strong because of his work in mines. Though he has not had the best education, he is very smart. Grita Redaway is Val's friend from his past. Her parents were also killed by the same people who killed Val's parents. She is a very beautiful and an intelligent actress. She is independent though with a streak of stubbornness in her. Al Hesketh is the villain of the story. He is a cruel and wicked man, only thinking of himself and how he can become rich.

The story begins in Cornwall, England in the year 1859. Val is fourteen-years-old when his father and mother decide to move to America. His father wants to work his own mine in California. He saves enough money so they go to America by boat. When they reached Gunwalloe, the Trevallions decide to travel to California with another family, the Redaways. The Redaways have only one daughter, Grita, who is eight-years-old. A few days before they leave, Val's father goes to buy supplies a few miles away. Suddenly, drunken rustlers attack the wagons in which Val and Grita's mothers are in. The drifters kill the mothers then beat up Mr. Redaway. During the whole time, Val and Grita are hidden nearby; Val protecting Grita and shielding her from the sight. After they leave, killing Mr. Redaway, Val and Grita go find Mr. Trevallion. After the dead are buried, Mr. Trevallion, though heartbroken, decides to carry on to California with Val while Grita goes to live with her aunt. But on the way to California, Val's father is killed by the same men who had killed his mother. Val swears to have revenge on the murderers. Ten years go by, during which Val shoots two of the people who were involved in the murders. Val then realizes that he has wasted his life and decides to settle down and have his own mine in Virginia City, Nevada, where the Comstock Lode is. He gets good land and finds some silver in his mines. But trouble seems to follow him everywhere. He finds out that Grita is in big trouble, in which the remaining men who murdered his parents are involved.

Love this book, and is one of my favorite L'Amour books. Louis L'Amour is the type of writer that, whatever he writes, you'll know before-hand that you'll love them. "Comstock Lode" is no exception. Some other of my favorite L'Amour books are:

*North to the Rails*
*Sackett Series*
*Matagorda*
*Crossfire Trail*

...and this list can go on and on and on!

I'm in a high school modern novel class and HATE to read. That is, until I laid my hands on Louis L'amour! WOW! THIS STORY KEEPS YOU WANTING TO READ MORE. It starts out interesting and keeps getting better and better with the end being the best. You forget everything when your reading it and want to actually be back in those days and live their exciting lives.

Louis L'Amour's Comstock Lode is a brilliant, fictional novel based on real events that will suck you in as soon as you start reading. I'm not one for westerns at ALL, but I was recommended this book and told myself, Why not? It sounds alright, nothing really better to read as of right now. I'll admit, the first few chapters started off a little dull, but then, you get deeper and deeper into the story and you can't put the book down. I recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure novels or Louis L'Amour in general.

Val Trevallion was a son of Tom Trevallion and his wife Mary, who lived in England until finding a large amount of gold and, moves to the States. While in Louisiana, Val's mother and the mother of another girl named Grita Redaway are brutally murdered by a group of shadowy characters, one of which Val will never forget the eyes of. Val and his father set out for the Wild West, but on the way there, his father gets murdered as well. A name on a gun gives Val a clue as to the identity of one man from the group of men that murdered his father and possibly his mother. Val goes to the Comstock where he is known as the toughest, most feared man around. While there, he will remeet Grita, a beautiful, budding actress and the memories come rushing back. His main mission: to kill those who killed his parents. But not everyone seems to be who they are, and Val has to come face-to-face with the man whose eyes haunted him years earlier in this edge-of-your-seat thriller.

This is my all-time favorite L'Amour book. I read it for the first time several years ago and have since read it many times over. Each time I have read it, I find something new that only adds to the story.

I have read many L'Amour novels and this one stands out because of its detail of the charactures. L'Amour explains why his charactures act as they do while still containing all of the typical content of most of his novels. If you read one L'Amour novel, read this one!!

This was my first L. L'Amour book and I loved it. It was relatively easy reading but very enjoyable. Mr. L'Amour is excellent at developing the characters and weaving them into the story. I had a hard time putting this book down at night before going to bed..

I have already purchased several more of his books and am planning on collecting the entire set.

You will definitely enjoy this book and this writer.

Louis L'Amour is not a literary genius. He's a fine author though, and he writes a compelling Western. Comstock Lode was the first of his novels that I read, well over ten years ago, and found it to be an enjoyable treat. His stories are rich in accurate historical detail, yet not overwhelming. His writing style isn't literary, but it's good. His characters are reasonably three dimensional, especially in comparison to other writers of Westerns. (I find Zane Grey nearly unreadable.) Most of all though, his books are fun.

This book in particular recounts actions in and around the greatest single discovery of silver in the United States. Though the particular details of the plot have long since left me, during a recent visit to Virginia City, years after having read Comstock Lode, I was able to explain to my companions why the cemetery held the remains of so many from Cornwall, England. So I can say that at least some part of the book has remained with me over the years.

Louis L'Amour's sudden stand-alone chapter on the main villian, Albert Hesketh, and his background, boyhood, and the way he became ruthless and amoral, is worth the price of the book. It breaks into the narrative abruptly towards the end, and although it's been years since I read "Comstock Lode", that one interlude stands out in my mind, to this day. That sort of thing is what set L'Amour apart from the rest of the pack in the "Western" dime novel genre.

My first Western, and first L'Amour. I found it so absorbing and satisfying I read Gale's short book on this author, and promptly ordered what looked like the dozen best of L'Amour's books: FLINT, BENDIGO..., LONESOIME GODS, WALKING DRUM, LAST OF BREED, SITKA, LAST STAND..., and 5 Sackett volumes. Three or four of these are not Westerns. Perhaps L'Amour will turn out to be like Shakespeare, Wodehouse, Cooper, Dostoyevsky, etc.--want to read them all. But according to Gale, many of his 100 or so books are repetitive and not equal to his many first-rate volumes.

We need this clear attention to good & evil, individual responsibility, hard work, creativity, reward & punishment.

Comstock Lode is classic Louis L'amour. This book is extremely enjoyable and fast-paced. If you are just starting out on Louis, this book will not steer you wrong, it is a perfect example of his genius.

I really enjoyed Louis L'Amour's "Comstock Lode." The story of Trevallian is probably not a terribly uncommon one for the California gold rush days. I especially like the way Mr. L'Amour incorporates historical fact in his books to make them not only entertaining, but educational as well. I have determined to read more books by this author.