Customer Reviews

The Man Who Rode Midnight

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What makes Elmer Kelton stand out is not only his style of writing, and his subject matter (the value of which, I admit, is subjective), but the admirable qualities of his characters. In so many other books, main characters are filled with angst and cynicism, and a reader won't care if they live or die. Kelton's, though, a reader cheers on and wishes success. I've read and re-read "The Man Who Rode Midnight." The hero opposes not progress, in whatever guise, but greed, especially greed with him as the victim. He is a man who loves his life and feels pride in how he has lived, pitting his best against the best. Great.

What makes Elmer Kelton stand out is not only his style of writing, and his subject matter (the value of which, I admit, is subjective), but the admirable qualities of his characters. In so many other books, main characters are filled with angst, and a reader may wish they would all take gas. Kelton's, though, a reader cheers on and wishes success. I've read and re-read this one. Great.

For me, it was hard to choose between The Time It Never Rained and The Man Who Rode Midnight as Kelton's best. Kelton is a great novelist that brings issues concerning Texas and the west to life. This book is definitely a page turner that will keep any reader interested.

I fave read almost all of Elmer Keltons mmpb books and consider this the best. As the introduction states it's a tale of a old cowboy and hard scrable ranch owner wanting to live out his years on his place.The town wants to buy it to make a lake out of it so everyone is pressureing him to sell. They even enlist his city boy grandson. The tale continuses with the grandson understanding his grandfathers love for the old ranch more and more with the help of a fiesty girl
who dislikes him a soon as she sees him. I will not tell anymore so as not to spoil it for anyone who wants to read it. One of the best and should tug at your heart strings. Don't worry, old and new love wins out in the long run, but what a ride.

This is one of the best stories I've read in quite some time. I'm a big Kelton fan...have read 30+ of his books, but this is a really good one regardless of the author.
After I read it, I bought one for my brother and have "loaned" mine to several friends.

Great read. Elmer Kelton is the best western book writer that I have came across.

Elmer Kelton knows and loves Texas, its land, and its people. This unsentimental understanding fills every page of "The Man Who Rode Midnight." This novel is a quiet read about Wes Hendrix, an old man who wants to take a stand to preserve the marginal ranch he's worked his whole life to create. At stake is Wes's integrity and identity. Both are jeopardized by his own failing health, the desire of his struggling little Hill Country town to attract tourists, and the alienation of his own kids and grandkids from the land.

It would be nice to say that "The Man Who Rode Midnight" has no easy answers, but unfortunately it does. The plot is telegraphed from the first page, culminating in a rather unconvincing happy ending. Nonetheless, Kelton takes you to the real rural Texas and lets you spend time with its people. This book will be enjoyed by anyone looking for a wholesome modern Western or who wants to gain a little insight into Texas, yesterday and today.