Sea of Grass [Hardcover]

Conrad Richter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 10, 1936

Published in 1936, this novel presents in epic scope the conflicts in the settling of the American Southwest. Set in New Mexico in the late 19th century, The Sea of Grass concerns the often violent clashes between the pioneering ranchers, whose cattle range freely through the vast sea of grass, and the farmers, or "nesters," who build fences and turn the sod. Against this background is set the triangle of rancher Colonel Jim Brewton, his unstable Eastern wife Lutie, and the ambitious Brice Chamberlain. Richter casts the story in Homeric terms, with the children caught up in the conflicts of their parents.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Novel by Conrad Richter, published in 1936, presenting in epic scope the conflicts in the settling of the American Southwest. Set in New Mexico in the late 19th century, the novel concerns the often violent clashes between the pioneering ranchers, whose cattle range freely through the vast sea of grass, and the farmers, or "nesters," who build fences and turn the sod. Against this background is set the triangle of rancher Colonel Jim Brewton, his unstable Eastern wife Lutie, and the ambitious Brice Chamberlain. Richter casts the story in Homeric terms, with the children caught up in the conflicts of their parents. --The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

About the Author

Conrad Richter was born in Pennsylvania. His family on his mother s side was identified with the early American scene, and from boyhood on he was saturated with tales and the color of Eastern pioneer days. In 1928 he and his family moved to New Mexico, where his heart and mind were soon captured by the Southwest. The Sea of Grass and The Trees were awarded the gold medal of the Societies of Libraries of New York University in 1942.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 142 pages
• Publisher: Amereon Ltd (December 10, 1936)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 084882590X
• ISBN-13: 978-0848825904
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,022,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deceptively simple chronicle of a forgotten time, April 22, 2000

By 

Joseph T. Reeves - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sea Of Grass (Paperback)

"The Sea of Grass" is a simple story masterfully told by Conrad Richter. No other writer can match Richter's ability to capture the spoken word of a region or particular time period, or equal his aptitude in turning a simple chain of events into powerful story telling. This novel chronicles the end of the New Mexico frontier as seen through the eyes of Hal, the nephew of one of the last great cattle ranchers. As civilization encroaches even onto that remote region, Colonel Jim Brewton symbolizes the last struggle and eventual submission of the land to the inevitable development of the forces of society. Richter also weaves Brewton's marriage to an unfaithful wife and his relationship to their children into this conflict. Although this plot appears derivative and indentical to that of a soap opera, Richter's prose style elevates it to the status of a great tragedy. Richter clearly mourns the passing of the great independents whose struggle to develop the land clearly and ironically led to their own obsolescence.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recapturing the Past, The Sea of Grass by Conrad Richter, April 23, 2002

By 

Barbara A. Roppa (Moon Township, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sea Of Grass (Paperback)

Conrad Richter is a detailed narrator of the Early American Scene.The clear sense of a spacious natural setting that he has depcited in other novels like the vast New Mexican territory in The Lady, the elemental force of the natural forest in The Trees, and The Light in the Forest is present in The Sea of Grass. The cattle barons with their ranches "as big a Massachusetts with Connecticut thrown in" and the rolling spanse of emerald green prairie in the spring will render a visual sense of splendor.Historically, Richter encompasses the tense struggle between the rich cattle barons and the squatters in the mid 1800's. My favorite part of the book is the unexpected direction of the character Lutie. The delicate balance of prose and the strong conflicts that develop between the characters, the Colonel, Lutie, Brock, and Judge Chamberlain grab the readers' full attention. Mr. Richter with an uncanny skill for recapturing the past dramatizes the brutality and bravado of the Southwest in the mid 1800's in The Sea of Grass.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lyrical prose. Masterfully told., August 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sea Of Grass (Paperback)

The reason why it is so important to pay attention to description is because Richter uses nearly every detail to help tell the story. The prose is evocative in the tradition of some of the best modernist writing at the time like Willa Cather. Despite the occasional misplaced modifier, Sea of Grass is definitely a book that deserves a close reading--if only for Richter's poetic prose that makes you want to read out loud.