Customer Reviews

Josey Wales: Two Westerns : Gone to Texas/The Vengeance Trail of Josey Wales

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't think I'd ever read a pure Western before I picked this up, and I only got it because Carter's "The Education of Little Tree" is probably the best book I've ever read.

But Josey Wales turned me on to the genre, and I now have a little collection of Western novels, although none of them capture the life of a western gunslinger as brilliantly as Josey Wales does.

The two novels are bound together, with a short afterword by Lawrence Clayton.

Carter captures the culture of the outlaw in a way that allows us to see the context of the factors that created them. Josey Wales is, at his core, the same kind of homesteader as Pa Ingalls or the Joads family (from Little House on the Prairie and The Grapes of Wrath, respectively). But when a terrible deed brings his life down around his ears, he becomes driven by vengeance, and seeks justice against a hopelessly overwhelming enemy.

We also get an intimate look at the details of rugged trail life. Even better, we get to see some of the legion factors that crafty Wales uses to his advantage in order to maintain an edge over his opponents in a gunfight. Too many authors explain their gunmen heroes as being "the quickest draw." Wales is quick, to be sure, but he also knows enough to keep his horse fed on grain, and to engage in shootouts while the sun is at his back.

Both of these novels bring the reader on a journey through the American west that feels utterly real. The characters that we meet all have a life of their own that demonstrates the diversity of people who populated the region-- it was far more than cowboys and indians, after all.

If you're a fan of Westerns, I think that this has to be at the top of your list. If you're not a fan of Westerns, but just of great fiction, this is also a must-read.

Highly recommended.

I have read and owned copies of one or the other, but not in the same volume. I found this medium an excellent way to continue reading about the characters. Forrest Carter does a splendid job of blending history with fiction. His historical research is top notch. I highly recommend this novel for the student of history, as well as the casual western reader.

To start off with, the author's real name is: Asa Earl Carter. Carter was known to be a racist. He was with George Wallace and left him when Wallace began to change his views. He wrote "Outlaw Josey Wales" (It's first title was: 'The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales,") and was printed by an obscure publisher in Alabama. He sent a copy to Clint Eastwood, hoping that he might be interested in securing the film rights. What happened was that producer Robert Daley got it instead and then one weekend, having nothing to read, he saw Carter's book and decided to read it. He read it in one sitting. Then Eastwood read it. They met Carter to negotiate the rights. Carter showed up to the meeting drunk.

Despite Carter's myriad of character flaws, this can be certainly said: the man could write. "Outlaw Josey Wales" is one of the best westerns I've ever read. It's a fast moving tale, packed with action and incident. The movie follows the story quite faithfully (though the timeline is compressed) and Eastwood made at least my favorite of all of his westerns (yes, I think it's better than "Unforgiven).

Back to the book. I can't speak for the politics of the book. Yes, if you're aren't a fan of big government, I suppose this book will speak to you. But if you've ever lost all that mattered to you, if you've been left with nothing, then this book will speak to you. That's where the book's genius truly lies. It struck a universal note, not just some political rambling. That's why I think Mr. Daley and Eastwood were so taken with it. When the book begins, Josey has nothing to live for and thus lives a life of vengeance; but as the book ends, he truly has something to live for, and he sees how hollow vengeance truly is.

A great western. A great book.

How the heck did Carter do it?

The end of the American Civil War has long been the point of beginning for several Western adventures, but GONE TO TEXAS (AKA OUTLAW JOSEY WALES) is one the reader will never forget. His wife and son murdered by the notorious Red Legs, Josey Wales sets out to seek his revenge by joining a force of Missouri rebels. When his band is forced to surrender, Josey holds back only to watch his entire clan executed. The only one left, Josey is now an outlaw, on the run and headed southwest. Joining him are an elderly Cherokee, a Navajo squaw whom Josey rescues from two rapists, a red bone coonhound, and eventually a family from Kansas who nearly lose it all to a band of Comancheros. Together they fight for each other's lives, whether it be with the Union forces on Josey's trail, or the Comanche that rule the land they now pass, all in the search for peace. GONE TO TEXAS is a story for all times.

This is absolutely fantastic western fiction. The struggle of a post-war confederate guerrilla moves with great speed and energy. It is easy to understand why Clint Eastwood tried to capture this on film, but (no surprise) the book is much better. Only one other western on my Top Ten Books list: The Virginian. Carter's book is THAT good.

I think the Outlaw Josey Wales is one of the best movies ever. So I read the book it is based on (Gone to Texas), and if anything it is even better than the movie. There are just enough differences to make it interesting, while enough alike to make you cheer! The second book, THe Vengence Trail of Josey Wales, was a little less readable, but good nevertheless. A bit more violent and bloody too. IF you like westerns, you will love this book. I highly recommend it!

Saw the film. Now I've read the book, Josey Wales has just got better... The non stop adventure of Josey Wales, an out law to society but a hero to anybody that reads this book. Well worth the money, and taking time out to read it.

One of my favorite Western movies is the The Outlaw Josey Wales; everything was so nicely done by Mr. Eastwood and the meticulous details are outstanding. Years ago I learned that the movie was based on a book (Gone To Texas) I'd marked it as one I needed to read at some point. That time has come and instead of just getting Gone To Texas, the version I picked up also had The Vengeance Trail of Josey Wales, giving me a little more to read and think about on Josey Wales.

Since my interest was driven by the movie, I'll open by saying that reading Gone To Texas was a great reminder of the Outlaw Josey Wales. The descriptions and character actions and interactions were so reminiscent of the movie that you could easily visualize the movie. Clint Eastwood fit Mr. Carter's description of Josey Wales very closely. The big additions Mr. Carter provides are the added background on Josey Wales and the plight of the Missouri guerrilla with the added concept of how difficult Josey Wales's situation was (being tracked and hunted by `Federal' authorities).

The Vengeance Trail of Josey Wales picks up about a year or two after Gone To Texas and tells the story of Josey Wales going after a friend and the sacrifices he's prepared to make. Once more, this a solid story that would make a great western film for someone. Once more the descriptions are nicely done and you can easily imagine riding with Josey as he goes thru northern Mexico searching for his friends. There's great continuance from Gone To Texas and in some ways I almost preferred it (while not a unique story, an excellent follow up).

A nice solid 4 star book. When reading Mr. Carter's works it's easy to see why Mr. Eastwood selected Gone To Texas to be a movie. The stories are solid, perfect for cutting to film. Mr. Carter's writing style is direct and to the point, with enough description to satisfy most readers. Josey's speech pattern is a little hard to follow at times but nicely captures a person from that era and location. Something I just have to admire is coming up with this story without ready access to many of the means we now have available. A good read that's entertaining.

Having just finished The Vengeance Trail of Josey Wales I will soon begin to read Gone To Texas. Carter portrays the Missouri Bushwackers and American Indians in a sympathetic light without the syrupy romanticism of Political Correctness. The Old West slang helps the reader get into the mindset of the previous Century. I strongly encourage this book -- and unlike the movie --the chess pieces do not fall into place with a tidy resolution.

I'm a big proponent of judging an author by his work. Whatever ideals author Forrest Carter espoused, or whatever deceptions he perpetrated, during his life, you can't deny his powerful storytelling. A perfect example is Gone to Texas (filmed by Clint Eastwood as The Outlaw Josey Wales).

Gone to Texas is a sneaky kind of "sleeper" novel. At first it didn't seem to be affecting me, but before I knew it, it was over, and I was eager to revisit the characters. (This paperback edition is bound with the sequel, The Vengeance Trail of Josey Wales.)

Carter ensures that we sympathize with this feared outlaw (he seems to be notorious wherever he goes) by giving us some history. Josey Wales was a farmer and family man. But when he found his cabin and family burned black by red-leg raiders, he became one of the Missouri guerillas, the first gunfighters, considered enemies of the Union. Carter shows Wales's other aspects subtly in how he deals with other people: the young boy Jamie Burns; Lone, the Indian who becomes his "brother"; and the two women he saves from Comancheros and who ride with them.

Gone to Texas is not action-packed, though plenty happens. It's a portrait of a man not easily understood. Ed Sala reads the audiobook with a similar approach -- seeming to not put too much of himself in the characters, in order to allow the listeners to put more of ourselves into their places. This is one of those novels that reveal more on subsequent readings, a modern classic.